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Nikki Haley lays down foundation for war with Russia, says chemical weapons “could be used here in New York” (Video)
Nikki Haley
channels “Colin Powell, anthrax” ghost of Iraq WMDs.
15
March, 2018
The
US and its client sate, the UK, have accused Russia of poisoning
Sergei Skripal at a emergency UNSC meeting.
The
UK government has accused Russia of breaching the International
Chemical Weapons Convention, even though the United Kingdom refuses
to share its finding with Russia, in accordance with international
law.
The
escalating threats from the globalist controlled powers came during
an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, called by London
over the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Britain.
Via Zerohedge…
In
its most pointed criticism of Russia to date, on Wednesday the White
House said in a statement that it agreed with the British
government’s assessment that Russia was responsible for the
poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in the United
Kingdom.
“The
United States shares the United Kingdom’s assessment that Russia is
responsible for the reckless nerve agent attack on a British citizen
and his daughter, and we support the United Kingdom’s decision to
expel Russian diplomats as a just response,” White House press
secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in the statement.
“This
latest action by Russia fits into a pattern of behavior in which
Russia disregards the international rules-based order, undermines the
sovereignty and security of countries worldwide, and attempts to
subvert and discredit Western democratic institutions and processes.
The United States is working together with our allies and partners to
ensure that this kind of abhorrent attack does not happen again.”
Until
Tuesday night, the White House had avoided pointing the finger at
Russia for the attack, in which a former Russian spy was poisoned
with a nerve agent near his home in southern England, and which the
UK concluded was orchestrated by the Kremlin, despite offering no
proof and refusing to comply with Russian demands that the alleged
toxin be produced.
This
explicit condemnation of Moscow by the White House, however, was
apparently not
enough for the NYT,
which said that despite Sanders’ statement, “for
whatever reason, Mr. Trump avoided saying so personally in public,
much as he has generally avoided condemning Russia for its election
meddling.”
Neo-liberal
left and neocon right American congressmen jumped on Trump’s
apparent silence, pushing the POTUS to create conditions for all out
conflict with Russia, and “to speak out personally and possibly
take action to back up Mrs. May.”
“Where
Prime Minister May has taken bold and decisive initial action to
combat Russian aggression, our own president has waffled and
demurred,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic
leader. “Prime Minister May’s decision to expel the Russian
diplomats is the level of response that many Americans have been
craving from our own administration.”
Senator
Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska, said the United States should
consult with NATO allies about “a collective response,” including
the possibility of expelling Russian diplomats from Washington and
other alliance capitals or freezing more Russian assets. “We ought
to make it inescapably clear to Russia that its shadow war will be
met with a coordinated response,” he said.
Zerohedge reports
that the legacy neocons were most vocal: Evelyn Farkas, a former
Pentagon official who oversaw Russia policy under President Barack
Obama, said Trump
should offer a range of assistance to Britain to help investigate the
episode, prevent further such attacks on British sovereignty and
impose punishment. She
added that the United States could cite the suspicious death of
Mikhail Y. Lesin, a former Russian minister, in a Washington hotel in
2015, in taking joint action. Investigators concluded that he died
from a drunken fall but many remain skeptical.
“Judgment
day for Donald Trump,” R. Nicholas Burns, a former ambassador to
NATO and an under secretary of state under President George W. Bush,
wrote on Twitter. “Will he support Britain unequivocally on the
nerve agent attack? Back #NATO sanctions? Finally criticize Putin?
Act like a leader of the West?”
After
all, what better way to prove to Mueller that you are not a Putin
pawn than to lob a couple of nukes over the North Pole and into the
Russian capital, in the process sending the stocks of US defense
contractors through the roof?
The
White House’s official statement on the attack came from the
disgusting United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki
Haley, who said Russia was responsible for using a nerve agent to
poison the ex-spy and his daughter.
“The
United States believes that Russia is responsible for two people in
the United Kingdom using a military-grade nerve agent.”
Via Zerohedge…
The
fear mongering then quickly escalated, with Haley next telling the UN
Security Council that “if we don’t take immediate concrete
measures to address this now, Salisbury will not be the last place we
see chemical weapons used. They
could be used here in New York, or in cities of any country that sits
on this Council. This is a defining moment.“
The
specter of more Russian attacks – when there still isn’t actual
proof of the first one – was raised during an emergency council
meeting, held at the request of British officials who have accused
Russia of using “a military-grade nerve agent” to target a former
military intelligence officer who committed treason. Russian
diplomats have denied responsibility for the incident, but British
investigators say they have identified the poison as a chemical
weapon produced by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
They
have, however, refused to present it to Russia for examination,
despite repeated requests. So without the requirement of even a
minimal burden of proof, the propaganda flowed:
“Time
and time again, member-states say they oppose the use of chemical
weapons under any circumstance,” Haley said. “Now one member
stands accused of using chemical weapons on the sovereign soil of
another member. The credibility of this council will not survive if
we fail to hold Russia accountable.”
Russia
has repeatedly denied responsibility for the poisoning. Russian
Ambassador Visaly Nebenzia told the Security Council…
“A
hysterical atmosphere is being created by London.”
“We
would like to warn that this will not remain without reaction on our
part.”
Russia
has faulted the UK for taking action before submitting to a formal
investigation brokered by Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons.
An
unhinged, blood thirsty Haley, then compared the Skripal poisoning to
North Korea’s use of a nerve agent to assassinate the half-brother
of Kim Jong-un, which led to the designation of North Korea as a
state sponsor of terrorism.
Haley
then linked the Salisbury incident to the use of chemical weapons in
Syria (something that has been proven false time and again).
In
a final act of arrogance and stupidity, Haley urged Russia to “come
clean” about the assassination attempt, once again without
presenting any evidence to the council.
“The
Russians complained recently that we criticize them too much,” she
said. “If the Russian government stopped using chemical weapons to
assassinate its enemies; and if the Russian government stopped
helping its Syrian ally to use chemical weapons to kill Syrian
children; and if Russia cooperated with the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons by turning over all information
related to this nerve agent, we would stop talking about them. We
take no pleasure in having to constantly criticize Russia, but we
need Russia to stop giving us so many reasons to do so.”
Nebenzia
argued Russia had no reason to try to kill Skripal. He
described the former double agent as “a perfect victim” for a
plot to frame Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government in the
run-up to the March 18 presidential elections.
“[T]he
most probable source origin for this chemical are the countries which
have since the end of the 90s been carrying out intensive research on
these kinds of weapons, including the UK,” Nebenzia told the
Security Council. “If the UK is so firmly convinced this is a
[Soviet-era] Novichok gas, then that means that they have the samples
of this and they have the formula for this and they are capable of
manufacturing it.”
By
then however, with both sides entrenched in factless allegations, any
possibility for a rational discussion was long gone.
Instead,
we can now look forward to the moment when Colin Powell will again
make a grand appearance in the UN, and definitively prove to the
world that Russia is guilty by holding a vial of that infamous Russia
anthrax, as justification for heating up a few notches the new cold
war between Russia and the West.
US Accuses Russia Of Cyber Attacks, Sanctions "Putin's Chef", Russian Troll Farm
15
March, 2018
The US
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has posted a new
and improved list of cyber-related sanctions targeting several
Russian individuals and entities.
Among
those sanctioned are Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a Russian caterer known as
"Putin’s Chef."
As
Bloomberg reports, The U.S. issued financial sanctions
against two major Russian intelligence agencies along with a St.
Petersburg-based “troll farm” and other Russian citizens and
businesses indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller on charges of
meddling with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The
penalties listed Thursday on the Treasury Department’s website follow
the February indictment and more than a year of criticism from
Democrats and some Republican lawmakers that Trump has been too slow
to act against Russia for intruding in the election.
The
sanctions cover the Internet Research Agency and all other businesses
and entities included in Mueller’s Feb. 16 indictment, which
alleged a vast scheme to interfere with the campaign through social
media and help President Donald Trump win.
Treasury
also points to 2017 ‘NotPetya’ attack, which the U.S. says was
"the most destructive and costly cyber-attack in history."
NotPetya
resulted in billions of dollars in damage across Europe, Asia and
U.S., disrupted global shipping, trade and medicine production, and
rendered several U.S. hospitals unable to create electronic records
for more than a week.
*
* *
The
following entity has been added to OFAC's SDN List:
INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY LLC (a.k.a. AZIMUT LLC; a.k.a. GLAVSET LLC; a.k.a. MEDIASINTEZ LLC; a.k.a. MIXINFO LLC; a.k.a. NOVINFO LLC), 55 Savushkina Street, St. Petersburg, Russia [CYBER2].
The
following changes have been made to OFAC's SDN List:
ALEXSEYEV, Vladimir Stepanovich; DOB 24 Apr 1961; Passport 100115154 (Russia); First Deputy Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE). -to- ALEXSEYEV, Vladimir Stepanovich; DOB 24 Apr 1961; Passport 100115154 (Russia); First Deputy Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] [CAATSA - RUSSIA] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE).
CONCORD CATERING, Nab. Lieutenant Schmidt D. 7, von Keyserling Mansion, St. Petersburg 119034, Russia; Ulitsa Volkhonka Dom 9, Moscow 119019, Russia [UKRAINE-EO13661]. -to- CONCORD CATERING, Nab. Lieutenant Schmidt D. 7, von Keyserling Mansion, St. Petersburg 119034, Russia; Ulitsa Volkhonka Dom 9, Moscow 119019, Russia [UKRAINE-EO13661] [CYBER2] (Linked To: INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY LLC).
FEDERAL SECURITY SERVICE (a.k.a. FEDERALNAYA SLUZHBA BEZOPASNOSTI; a.k.a. FSB), Ulitsa Kuznetskiy Most, Dom 22, Moscow 107031, Russia; Lubyanskaya Ploschad, Dom 2, Moscow 107031, Russia [CYBER2]. -to- FEDERAL SECURITY SERVICE (a.k.a. FEDERALNAYA SLUZHBA BEZOPASNOSTI; a.k.a. FSB), Ulitsa Kuznetskiy Most, Dom 22, Moscow 107031, Russia; Lubyanskaya Ploschad, Dom 2, Moscow 107031, Russia [CYBER2] [CAATSA - RUSSIA].
GIZUNOV, Sergey (a.k.a. GIZUNOV, Sergey Aleksandrovich); DOB 18 Oct 1956; Passport 4501712967 (Russia); Deputy Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE). -to- GIZUNOV, Sergey Aleksandrovich (a.k.a. GIZUNOV, Sergey); DOB 18 Oct 1956; Gender Male; Passport 4501712967 (Russia); Deputy Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] [CAATSA - RUSSIA] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE).
KOROBOV, Igor (a.k.a. KOROBOV, Igor Valentinovich); DOB 03 Aug 1956; nationality Russia; Passport 100119726 (Russia); alt. Passport 100115101 (Russia); Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE). -to- KOROBOV, Igor Valentinovich (a.k.a. KOROBOV, Igor); DOB 03 Aug 1956; nationality Russia; Gender Male; Passport 100119726 (Russia); alt. Passport 100115101 (Russia); Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] [CAATSA - RUSSIA](Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE).
KOSTYUKOV, Igor (a.k.a. KOSTYUKOV, Igor Olegovich); DOB 21 Feb 1961; Passport 100130896 (Russia); alt. Passport 100132253 (Russia); First Deputy Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE). -to- KOSTYUKOV, Igor Olegovich (a.k.a. KOSTYUKOV, Igor); DOB 21 Feb 1961; Passport 100130896 (Russia); alt. Passport 100132253 (Russia); First Deputy Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] [CAATSA - RUSSIA] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE).
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY CONCORD MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING (a.k.a. KONKORD MENEDZHMENT I KONSALTING, OOO; a.k.a. LLC CONCORD MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING; a.k.a. OBSHCHESTVO S OGRANNICHENNOI OTVETSTVENNOSTYU KONKORD MENEDZHMENT I KONSALTING), D. 13 Litera A, Pom. 2-N N4, Naberezhnaya Reki Fontanki, St. Petersburg 191011, Russia; Registration ID 1037843002515 [UKRAINE-EO13661]. -to- LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY CONCORD MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING (a.k.a. KONKORD MENEDZHMENT I KONSALTING, OOO; a.k.a. LLC CONCORD MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING; a.k.a. OBSHCHESTVO S OGRANNICHENNOI OTVETSTVENNOSTYU KONKORD MENEDZHMENT I KONSALTING), D. 13 Litera A, Pom. 2-N N4, Naberezhnaya Reki Fontanki, St. Petersburg 191011, Russia; Registration ID 1037843002515 [UKRAINE-EO13661] [CYBER2] (Linked To: INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY LLC).
MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE (a.k.a. GLAVNOE RAZVEDYVATEL'NOE UPRAVLENIE (Cyrillic: ГЛАВНОЕ РАЗВЕДЫВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УПРАВЛЕНИЕ); a.k.a. GRU; a.k.a. MAIN INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT), Khoroshevskoye Shosse 76, Khodinka, Moscow, Russia; Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Frunzenskaya nab., 22/2, Moscow 119160, Russia [CYBER2]. -to- MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE (a.k.a. GLAVNOE RAZVEDYVATEL'NOE UPRAVLENIE (Cyrillic: ГЛАВНОЕ РАЗВЕДЫВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УПРАВЛЕНИЕ); a.k.a. GRU; a.k.a. MAIN DIRECTORATE OF THE GENERAL STAFF; a.k.a. MAIN INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT), Khoroshevskoye Shosse 76, Khodinka, Moscow, Russia; Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Frunzenskaya nab., 22/2, Moscow 119160, Russia [CYBER2] [CAATSA - RUSSIA].
PRIGOZHIN, Yevgeniy Viktorovich (a.k.a. PRIGOZHIN, Evgeny), Russia; DOB 1961; Gender Male (individual) [UKRAINE-EO13661]. -to- PRIGOZHIN, Yevgeniy Viktorovich (a.k.a. PRIGOZHIN, Evgeny), Russia; DOB 01 Jun 1961; Gender Male(individual) [UKRAINE-EO13661] [CYBER2] (Linked To: INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY LLC).
*
* *
One
wonders if there are any Russians (or Russian entities) left to
sanction?
Apparently
there are - Treasury
Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said that more Russian officials and
oligarchs are to face sanctions.
And
for now, the most obvious reaction to these new sanctions is further
selling of the Ruble - to one-month lows...
France, Germany, US Demand Russia Explain UK Attack Despite Decrying May's "Fantasy Politics"
ZeroHedge,
15 March, 2018
Update: Just hours after Macron issued the statement below demanding "more proof" and decrying May's "fantasy politics," it appears a phone call with the UK has changed the attitude and Germany, US, and France have now issued a statement that says they agree with UK that "Russia must be responsible" for the UK attack.
The
countries are "horrified" at the attack, according to the
joint statement, and explain in full-Haley (Colin-Powell-esque)
fearmongery, warn the
attack "threatens the security of us all" and Russia must
explain the UK attack.
As
AP reports, the leaders of the United States, France, Germany and
Britain say they are united in blaming Russia for a nerve agent
attack on former spy Sergei Skripal.
In a rare joint statement, President Donald Trump, President Emmanual Macron, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Theresa May say "there is no plausible alternative explanation" to Russian responsibility in the March 4 attack in England.
They say Russia's failure to respond to Britain's "legitimate request" for an explanation "further underlines its responsibility."
First use of nerve agent in Europe since World War II “threatens all of our security”
The leaders say the use of a chemical weapon is "an assault on U.K. sovereignty" and "a breach of international law."
“We call on Russia to respond to all questions connected with the attack in Salisbury,” particularly those relating to its Novichok program
Britain
has expelled 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high-level contacts
with Moscow over the incident. Russia
is expected to take retaliatory measures soon.
*
* *
As
we detailed earlier, UK Prime Minister made many of her European
allies uneasy (particularly those who, like Germany, rely on Russia
for supplies of LNG) on Monday when she accused the Russian
government of masterminding an attack on former Russian spy Sergei
Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal - an attack that left 18
bystanders and one law-enforcement officer hospitalized.
And
with Russia threatening to retaliate, France's Emmanuel Macron -
hardly a far-right authoritarian - is speaking up and undermining
May's push to rally international support for another round of
sanctions against Russia, according
to RT.
Macron
said he wants more proof linking Russia to the attack - which
occurred at a shopping center in Salisbury earlier this month. So
far, the UK government has essentially admitted that its strongest
evidence was the presence at the scene of a nerve agent known to have
been developed in Russia. May
has threatened sanctions in response to the attack. And on Tuesday,
she ordered 23 Russian diplomats to leave the country. The reaction
resembled the UK's response to the death via radiation poisoning of
Alexander Litvinenko.
Via
a spokesman, Macron accused May of engaging in "fantasy
politics."
On Wednesday, May announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and the suspension of bilateral talks. May claimed Russia was "culpable" for the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, which amounted to "unlawful use of force against the UK."
However, President Emmanuel Macron’s spokesman suggested May was acting prematurely. "We don’t do fantasy politics. Once the elements are proven then the time will come for decisions to be made, Benjamin Griveaux told a news conference in Paris.
Griveaux added that France was waiting for "definitive conclusions" and evidence that the "facts were completely true” before taking a position. He said that the Salisbury poisoning was a "serious act" against a strategic ally, but France would await evidence of Russian involvement before taking a position.
Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has asked the
UK for a sample of
the toxin that it's citing as evidence so that it might be examined
by Russia.
Lavrov
has also threatened to retaliate by expelling
British diplomats. Russia
has also refused to respond to the UK's demand that it furnish an
explanation for how the nerve agent came to be found at the scene.
Did Russia deliberately plan the attack? Or did it simply recklessly
lose track of dangerous chemical weapons? The UK said it would give
Russia a day to respond, infuriating the Kremlin.
In
return, Russia has sternly rebuked the UK for its conduct, cautioning
that "one
does not give 24 hours notice to a nuclear power."
In
addition to refusing to share the toxin, the UK is resisting settling
the issue through the proper channels - ie the Organization of the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Russia and the UK are both members.
Moscow’s
permanent representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia,
said Wednesday that "we demand that material proof be provided
of the allegedly found Russian trace in this high-resonance event.
Without this, stating that there is incontrovertible truth is not
something that we can take into account."
Even
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has also challenged May’s evidence of
Russian culpability. Corbyn
believes there is not enough proof to conclude Russia was behind the
incident.
"The
government has access to information and intelligence on this matter
which others don’t. However,
there is also a history in relation to weapons of mass destruction
and intelligence which is problematic, to put it mildly," said
Corbys spokesman Seumas Milne. "I think the right approach is to
seek the evidence to follow international treaties, particularly in
relation to prohibitive chemical weapons."
* *
*
However,
as one Twitter user pointed out, if Russian President Vladimir Putin
really did personally authorize the "wet job" - FSB-speak
for assassination - then for a reportedly 'smart guy', he picked a
remarkably ill-time moment to carry out such an attack...
This Putin guy is really something: at the height of anti-Russian hysteria in the west, and right before both the Russian election and World Cup, he decides the time is right to execute a spy living openly in the UK since 2010 using a Russian nerve agent.
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