Russia has had enough. Russia is taking the gloves off. Russia’s Special Military Operation (SMO) is no longer. Peskov, who is Putin’s press guy, announced that everyone should be notified that Russia is now at war.
Wait a minute! Weren’t they at war before? The answer according to international law is no. The SMO actions taken were to protect ethnic Russians living in the eastern provinces of Ukraine. Since 2014 and the Minsk agreement, more than 14,000 ethnic Russians were killed by Ukrainian Nazi armed forces. Untold thousands more were tortured. The West ignored these atrocities.
The Minsk agreements were entered into after the CIA during the Obama administration had executed a coup in Ukraine to remove the duly elected President who was looking for favorable relations with Russia. The right of self-determination for such provinces that was part of the Minsk agreements was never honored by the West. Such right was not worth the paper it was printed on.
The CIA setup 12 “secret” bases along the Ukrainian border with Russia. It appears that knowledge of such bases was concealed from PDJT when he was in office. The bases may have been hidden from the American public’s eyes. However, such bases were no secret to Russia. How would America react to Russian bases of this nature being in Cuba or along our southern border in Mexico?
This was a direct provocation to Moscow. It was started under Obama and was escalated under Biden. The moneychangers who control this administration thought they could get Russia to engage in military operations. Once this was underway then Western superiority in war would cause Russia to lose and the spoils of Russia would be divided among the elite snobbery in the West.
How has that worked out?
Ukraine is being dismembered. The flower of their youth are being interred in cemeteries. The West has lost control of the operation in Ukraine.
One observer noted:
Members of U.S. National Security Council and the White House have reportedly started to become increasingly frustrated by “Unauthorized Brazen Actions” taken by Ukraine against Russia, including their recent Campaign of Long-Range Drone Strikes having targeted at least 25 Oil Refineries, Terminals, Depots and Storage Facilities across Western Russia.
Let’s be reminded that during the first two months of the SMO Turkey had brokered a ceasefire and possible peace between Ukraine and Russia. The UK and the US put the kibosh on that deal. The SMO was going to weaken Russia. Zelenskyy was told that whatever support he needed from the West would be forthcoming.
And for a while it was. The press beat the drums about “saving democracy.” That garnered public support for a while. However, even with such support Ukraine could not gain any tactical advantage. In fact, Ukrainian offenses almost always turned into meat grinders where Ukrainian forces and equipment were used up at alarming rates.
The recent actions by Ukrainian forces have resulted in Russia targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities throughout the country. Major cities are without power in a total blackout. The Ukrainian Dnipro hydroelectric power station has been put out of service. It appears that bringing it back online will not be possible until the war ends.
What will be the next targets? Concern has been raised about Ukraine’s underground gas storage facilities. The constant strikes against Russian oil refineries make Ukraine’s gas storage facilities a top priority target for Russia.
Up to this point Russian has refrained from targeting NATO facilities that have been helping Ukrainian forces attack points inside Russia. Does switching from SMO to war change that?
As a legal expert noted:
Special operation
Limited scope and duration: A “special operation” often implies a targeted, limited military engagement to achieve specific declared objectives. It suggests precision and a focused approach, potentially minimizing the perception of broader aggression on wider territories.
Perception management: By using the term “special operation”, a state may seek to manage domestic and international perceptions by presenting the action as a necessary, controlled response to a specific threat rather than an outright act of war.
State of war
Broad commitment: Declaring a “state of war” implies a full military commitment involving the total mobilisation of a nation’s armed forces and resources to the conflict. It suggests a long-term, large-scale commitment.
Legal and formal recognition: A formal declaration of war has significant legal implications, including activating specific laws and conventions relating to war. It also serves as an official recognition of a state of conflict between nations, which can affect diplomatic relations and international law.
Mark Wauck notes:
My legal guess is that the legal implications are huge. “War” implies that Russian forces will be authorized to act outside the boundaries of the Russian Federation and the former Ukraine, including in international airspace. To attack supply lines and support, intel, recon, targeting, etc. Any assets participating in war on Russia become legitimate targets.
IMO NATO targets would now be on the table. A facility on Poland that is providing data to target assets inside Russia would become a legitimate target under international law. Any transportation conveyance that is moving personnel, supplies, etc. could also be targeted.
This is what the Biden/Obama administration and their neocon allies have brought to the world. We are rapidly heading toward World War III.
A concert in Moscow was taken over by several heavily armed men. Moe than 40 concertgoers have been murdered and many more have been injured. God help the world if the CIA was involved in this.