REFLECTIONS ON FOUR YEARS IN DONBASS

                                                         REFLECTIONS ON FOUR YEARS IN DONBASS


I arrived in Donetsk four years ago today, December 7th, 2014. A week later I enlisted in the Essence of Time combat unit of VOSTOK Battalion. I served as a rifleman, anti-sniper and RPG gunner at front line positions, punishing the "Punishers". Then we were rotated back from the Front at the end of June 2015 when the EoT unit became attached to XAH Battalion Spetsnaz. Two months later, at the end of August 2015, I began working full time as a war correspondent and human aid worker. I am still in the Novorussian Army reserves, and continue to write, make videos, do interviews and human aid work. At the age of 58, I can look back on the last 4 years and honestly say they have been the best years of my life.

These years have been good, but they have not been easy. I served at front line positions at Donetsk Airport, Spartak, and Avdeevka during the days of the heaviest fighting. The conditions were brutal, and the firefights were almost daily. The XAH Battalion was just as tough as being at the Front. XAH is probably the toughest unit in the whole NAF, and the lifestyle on base reflects that. My time since retiring from military service has also been marked by extremely hard work and difficult situations, dealt with on a daily basis. My wife and I work 12 to 14 hour days, every day. We do not take vacations, and if on a rare day we only work 8 hours or so, we consider it a day off. We don't get many days off.

I have traveled to Crimea twice, Moscow and Grozny once each, and to Rostov many times. Each of these trips was for work, none was anywhere near a vacation. Other than that, for the last four years, I have been in Donbass. I came here to fight Fascists and to help the regular people of Donbass, and that is what I have done and will keep doing. Maybe we will all take a vacation when the war is over. Until then, the job continues, every day. Since I left the Army in 2015, I have not been paid by anyone for my work, other than by friends and supporters who contribute to help keep me alive and continuing to work. They have my most heartfelt thanks and respect. They are an essential part of the work that all of us together have done here.

I have learned a lot in these last 4 years, about Russian history and culture, what it means to have a "Russian Soul".    (I do not say I have one, my friends say I do.) I have learned that even in the fight against genuine Fascism, there are good and bad people on both sides, that not everyone who professes to be against the Kiev Regime is necessarily on my side, or on the side of the People of the DPR. Some so-called "comrades" have tried as hard to put knives in my back as the ukrop soldiers have tried to put bullets in my face. I have deal with them as I see fit, based on what I see as being best for the Republic I came here to help and to defend, confident that all treachery will eventually be known and that those who try to set traps will eventually fall into them themselves.

I did not come here to make a career or a name for myself, or to make money. I came here to stand beside the people and the defenders of Donbass, and to live or die with them, come what may. I did not expect to live through that first Winter four years ago, but I came anyway, and I survived. I was lucky. Too many of those I stood with at the Front were not. Too many.

I stand by everything I have done here, every act, every word spoken or written. I am not perfect, not a genius or a saint, I have made mistakes. But I made them in good faith, working hard for a good cause. I did not try to hide them. And those who have done more than I, with less mistakes, are qualified to criticize my work. Those who have not should keep silence, and take a lesson from it. My work speaks for itself. Doing good, helping those in need, fighting against monsters, speaking truth to power on both sides, these acts are their own rewards. It has not been easy, but it has been worth it. Besides, as the saying goes, "If it was easy, everybody would be doing it."

Life is good here, and getting better daily, but it is not perfect. Just like me, the DPR has its problems, and the future is by no means sure, but  this is my home, the best place I have ever lived, and I intend to live here for the rest of my life, however long that may be. And I intend to do everything I can to make it as best as possible, for the greatest number of citizens here, my family.

The Donbass Republics have set an example for the world. We have fought the ukrop and western nazis to a standstill, and our continued existence is the proof of our victory. I am more proud of what we have done here, what I have contributed to, than any other thing I have been a part of in my life.

The two best examples set by the people of the DPR are courage and solidarity. They first understand that courage is the key to happiness - it is impossible to be happy if you are afraid. We are not afraid. By contrast, the people of the USA are consumed by fear of everything, but especially of each other. The people of Donbass know that to accept oppression and injustice is to invite further outrages by their enemies against them. So we do not accept them. We understand that there are things greater than ourselves, things worth giving our lives to and for, and that if there are things worth dying for, there are things worth fighting for.

Solidarity is another hallmark of the Donbass people. We look out for each other, and are well known for our generosity and hospitality. Along with the courage of our men and the beauty of our women, solidarity, generosity and hospitality are our defining characteristics. We are, by and large, proletarians, hard-working and wise. During the Soviet period, the people of Donbass were known as the most staunchly Communist people in the entire USSR. We do not just talk about their ideals, we live them. I am proud to be one of them.


I have found my home, my happiness, my place in life, my destiny. I hope you find yours. Because we are all in this together, we will all share our destiny together, in the Whole, or in the Hole. Davai!

DECEMBER FUND RAISER - HELP NEEDED NOW!

This may be the most important fund-raiser we have ever done. It has the potential to generate ongoing and major funding for our human aid and journalism projects here in Donbass.

Our December fund-raising project, of vital importance is to raise funds to print my book, The Donbass Cowboy, on paper (printed here in Donetsk) both in English and in Russian. The English e-book edition has sold multi-hundreds of copies, and raised over $5,000 for Donbass Human Aid projects. That's not bad, especially for a first-time author who is not using Amazon or other conventional sales outlets. The book has had very positive reviews for being well-written, honest, informative, unique and exciting. It's a good book! (If you haven't gotten your copy yet, you can.
Check this out. And this.)

The potential market for this book in Russia is HUGE. Russians love books and reading, and they really like a good war story. I have had offers of support for the publication of the book from major players in the Russian media, publishing and otherwise. The translation of the book into Russian is near completion, and should be done by the end of the year. Then, we need editing, formatting, artwork and printing. That's where you come in. That's what this super important fund-raiser is for. The Russian edition of the book has tremendous sales potential in Russia, and can generate funds for our human aid and other projects far above what the English e-book already has, in a continuous stream of funding that will not depend on contributions which can dry up or be blocked at any time.

THIS FUND-RAISER IS TIME SENSITIVE. NOW IS THE TIME TO CONTRIBUTE.

The de-funding and de-platforming of alternate news sources continues and is escalating. My fund raisers have been targeted before by major anti-Russian propagandists such as the BBC, with serious economic impact. Their efforts to undermine our freedom of speech and the funding of our human aid and journalism will continue and intensify. Now is the time to contribute. Tomorrow may be too late.

(UPDATE - ON DECEMBER 15TH, DHA PAYPAL ACCOUNT WAS BLOCKED. WE CURRENTLY HAVE OTHER OPTIONS, BUT THE ATTACKS WILL CONTINUE.)

There are several ways you can contribute -

If you can't afford a monetary contribution, you can at least help by sharing a link to this page as far as possible. Not everyone can contribute financially, but everybody can do something.
Even if you can't afford to send a donation, you can still contribute by sharing this info. 
Do your part!

You can make a monetary donation via-

Donbass Human Aid through our Patreon or direct accounts. you can use a credit or debit card, and the contribution is tax deductible. DHA is a registered tax-exempt 501(c)3 charity.

Western Union to me, Russell Bentley in Rostov, Russia. Once you have sent the money, I will need  the following info sent to my email account,  ( russellbbentley@gmail.com ) -

1) NAME of sender
2) CITY sent from
3) AMOUNT sent
4) MTCN #  (You will get the number from W.U. at the time of your transaction.)

Without ALL the info above, I cannot pick up the money. I take a 12 hour round trip bus ride to Rostov to pick up Western Union funds, and if there is a problem I either have to go again or rent a hotel, so please make sure all info is sent and correct!

In Russia, if you have a Sberbank account, you can transfer funds to the following card number -
4276 5219 3378 6422   (please be sure to double check you send to the correct card number!)

Thanks to all who have contributed in the past. I ask you now to donate again for this vital project.
If you have considered donating before but haven't yet, now is the time. Please don't put it off.
Do it now, today. Time is of the essence. Tomorrow may be too late.

It takes time to process the donations, get the funds and send them to Russia, and from there to Donetsk. So, now is the time to act. You can donate right now. You are online now, as you read this, and your credit card is right there in your purse or wallet. Go on, pull it out, make a donation for a good cause (or two!) part of your Christmas gift giving I promise, it's way better than going to the mall!

Good luck to all good people. May God protect the innocent and may the rest of us get everything we deserve...

Politics and Religion, Good and Evil in the World Today

Based on my remarks at the Politics and Religion conference held in Grozny, October 6th, 2018

POLITICS AND RELIGION, GOOD AND EVIL IN THE WORLD TODAY

When I look back on twenty years of political activism in the USA and more recently in Donbass, I must admit I sometimes wonder if it was worth it. I ask myself if I have actually done any good. "Good", both in the moral sense and as well as whether I've been effective. Whether I've done my share, made any actual difference. We all have a part to play, something that we can do. The question is whether we do what we can, or don't. Einstein said that the answers to all the world's problems lie in the space between what people do and what they could do, if they chose to, if they made the effort, took action instead of just talking about the world's problems, or worse, ignoring them.

But of course, if you take the responsibility, the risk, of taking action, you must be sure it is for the right cause. This brings up the question of good and evil. You have to know what they are to know which side you're on.  So, let's start by defining both "Good" and "Evil", as moral, philosophic and materialistic concepts. Should we start with Good or Evil? As Anton Chigurh might say, "Let's flip for it." I did. It came up tails. Evil.

Many people say that money is the root of all evil. They are ignorant, (and we'll get to that) aping the words of others, clueless as to the real quote, where it came from, or what it really means. The real quote is from the Bible, First Timothy 6:10, and it says "The love of money is the root of all evil", and that is what it means. Big difference.  So, how is the love of money expressed? Through greed and selfishness of course, and greed and selfishness are also symptoms of fear.

Scott Peck, the brilliant psychiatrist and theologian, wrote a book, People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil, in which he gave several excellent definitions of what evil really is. The first and most concise is simply "militant ignorance". Think about that for a moment, let it sink in. And ask yourself if there is a better, more all encompassing description than that for the USA in the 21st Century.  It is the definition of evil. There are other definitions and  indices of evil in his book, all of which are instructive. The title itself defines evil - "The People of the Lie". Is there a representative of the US government over the last 30 years for whom this title does not apply? The Bible, in John 8:44 describes the Devil, saying, "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies." Peck further defines evil as "a willingness to impose suffering on others, in order to avoid one's own spiritual growth." Again hauntingly familiar, a definition I am sure that the millions of suffering victims of the USA's 21st Century wars of aggression would readily agree with.

The modern history of the USA is one big lie. From the Warren Commission to 9/11, from Iraqi WMD's to Syrian chemical weapons, lies are the currency of the US government. And the worst kind of lies are self-deception, which allows people to continue to do evil, while pretending to themselves that they are good. The murder of Gaddafi and the destruction of Libya, under the excuse of Right-to-Protect ("R2P") is a perfect example. The "protection" that the US and NATO provided to Libya has led directly to an estimated minimum of 150,000 people in Libya, and a potential maximum of 360,000, with the mean average estimated at 250,000 people "protected" to death in Libya in the last 8 years. Under self righteous but demonstrably false premises. The same false premises have cost the lives of 2.4 million people in Iraq (NOT counting the 500,000 children killed by sanctions before the  2003 invasion, which Madeline Albright said were "worth it".)  Over a million are estimated to have been killed by US/NATO in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the death toll of the US instigated civil war against the legitimate government of Syria is estimated at 511,000 as of March 2018, and the toll continues to climb. These illegitimate wars of aggression, started by the USA and their lackey have killed over 4 million human beings in less than a decade, and these war continue today, based on the same lies with which they were started. The people of the lie, indeed...

So, let's begin our definition of evil by agreeing that those who commit, facilitate, allow or ignore the murder of millions of human beings is genuinely evil.

Hannah Arendt's book, Eichmann in Jerusalem : A Report on the Banality of Evil, also offers useful definitions and insights into what evil really is. She came away from Eichmann's trial struck by the banality, the stupidity, the utterly unremarkable and unoriginal character of a man who was also a willing functionary in a regime that was guilty in the mass murder of millions of people whose only "crime" was allowing themselves to be victims.  We can see the same banality in Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, in Boris Johnson and Teresa May, in Petro Poroshenko and Benjamin Netanyahu. Their pseudo intellect and their pseudo humanity. Another telltale sign of evil is cowardice - most of the leading German nazis chose suicide, and even murdered their entire families, rather than face justice and try to justify to the world what they were and what they had done. Or perhaps,it would be better to say that evil is a symptom of fear. It is, after all, far more difficult to be good than to be evil, especially in the world today, though perhaps it has always been thus.

Greed and stinginess are also symptoms of fear, and the ultimate goal of Capitalism can honestly be described in the vile maxim "All for me, and none for anybody else." In the USA today, the ultimate perversion of true Christianity is practiced by millions of affluent citizens under the contemptible name of "Prosperity Gospel". They say that they are rich because they are rewarded by God for being good, and poor people are poor because they are punished by God for their evil ways. This, of course, is the exact opposite of the true Gospel of Jesus, such as Matthew 19:24, " Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And Matthew 1:29, " "If you want to be perfect, go sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven."   When it comes to riches, it was the Devil who "took Jesus on a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the Earth, and all their riches, and said, "All this I will give to you if you will but fall down and worship me." Matthew 4:8. Among the venal scum who preach this false religion, giving to the poor is not a priority. They live in multi-million dollar mansions, own private jets and luxury cars and build "mega-churches" the size of sports stadiums, as opulent as any Roman colosseum. "Pastrix" Paula White even gave multi-millionaire ($147 million) "Bishop" T. D. Jakes a $200,000 Bentley convertible for his 50th birthday. The top 10 richest "pastors" in the world live in the USA, or Nigeria. These scum spend millions on their own obscenely extravagant lifestyles, while giving a tiny fraction of their proceeds to the poor. They are paid by the Devil that they worship.

Bono's ONE Foundation is another glaring example - Though his own net worth is close to $700 million, he started the ONE Foundation to "raise awareness" of extreme poverty in Africa and elsewhere. The foundation raised over $11 million in 2008, and gave less than 2% to actual programs to help the poor. The rest went to the already obscenely rich Bono and his yuppie underlings.  Of course, centi-millionaire Bono's fraud is chump change compared to the Clinton Foundation, "a charity fraud of epic proportions".   The Clinton Foundation entities are part of a network that has defrauded donors and created illegal private gains of approximately $100 billion in combined magnitude, and possibly more, since 23 October 1997."  Remember the quote about the love of money? It is the root of all evil. These phony preachers, these fake progressives, they love their money, are willing to steal food from starving children to buy their mansions and private jets, these паразиты, these parasites, are truly evil.

There is an old canard, sometimes taught in 3rd rate ethics or philosophy classes that asks, "Is it wrong for a man to steal medicine for his dying wife if he cannot afford to buy it?"  What a ridiculous question. The answer is so obvious to any decent human being - "No, it is wrong for there to be medicine that is unaffordable to people who need it." 

So, what is "good"?

As a Communist, my interpretation of what is right and good is that which is the greatest good for the greatest number of people, and by "good", I mean that which promotes the health and happiness, that which ensures the basic necessities of life and the opportunity for each individual to fulfill their human potential to the greatest degree. As I see it, to the extent that someone's actions diminish or interfere with this, they cannot be good. To the extent that they impose unnecessary suffering on others, they are evil. Every billionaire on this planet is evil. Their love of money has led them to amass unearned and unjustifiable fortunes without any consideration of others. No one can earn a billion dollars. That amount can only be stolen or swindled. No one can work so hard or be so brilliant that they could possibly earn such a sum. And it must be understood and remembered that a billion is one thousand million, and most billionaires are multi-billionaires, they have multi thousand millions. And yet children on this planet still starve, millions live without even the most basic requirements of life. There can be no moral justification for this.

Other than a belief in God and an afterlife to be determined by what we do in this one, the broader definition of "religion" is a belief in something greater than one's self, and a moral code that reflects that belief. I am an Orthodox Christian, and I do believe in God and an afterlife, but whether God exists or whether there is life after this one or not, either way, the definition of "good" remains the same. "The greatest good for the greatest number of people."  Certainly, this would be the right way to earn the approval of God and a good place in the afterlife, but even if this life is all we have, we should still work for the same goal - we must make it as good and fulfilling as possible for ourselves and for all who share this short cosmic miracle of life with us. After all, we are all in this together. So, religion is the moral code by which we judge good and evil, ourselves and others, and politics is the method we use to realize our ideals. Thus politics and religion are inextricably intertwined.

Von Clauswitz famously said, "War is not an independent phenomenon, it is the continuation of politics carried out by different means." So, if war is politics carried out by different means, then politics is war carried out by different means. And make no mistake, our world is at war, the final war, Armageddon, the final conflict between good and evil, life and death. This war has the very real potential to annihilate not only all human life but also the very biosphere, all complex life on our planet. We are here, now, to choose our side and do our part in this war. We all have a part to play, and we all choose our side. Neutrality is not an option. Indifference is not an option. Evil is winning, death is winning, and all those who do nothing are on that side.

The open warfare in Donbass and Syria are only the most obvious flashpoints in this global war between good and evil, life and death. And every choice we make, our every act or failure to act, effects this war and its ultimate outcome. Unless we can drastically change the current trajectory of human activity, we ourselves may not see the end of Humanity, but our children will. Life is what we make it, what all of us together make it for all of us together. Evil is powerful, but it is small, and it is afraid. We can defeat it, if we choose correctly our own moral code and then live by it in real terms, come what may, if we cross that space between what we do and what we could do, we can find the answers to all the world's problems.

Let's go!

Alex King EXPOSED! A Rat Poisoned in a Toilet

   Is  the drug dealing pimp "Alex King" from London, who recently rat poisoned himself in a 

   Salibury toilet the same "Alex King" from London behind "Glasnost Gone"?  Highly Likely!

When did Monty Python take over MI-5 and Scotland Yard? Seems like it was a while ago, but this latest comedy sketch is really over the top. Yet another Salisbury poisoning, this time featuring a Russian/Israeli hooker and her husband, "Alex King", who either is, or at least shares the same name with, a rabidly anti-Russian propagandist and professional liar, "Alex King", who produces 100% bullshit on Twitter and Youtube under the pseudonym "Glasnost Gone".  If it turns out to be the same Alex King/Glasnost Gone, it is guaranteed that he and his hooker wife did it to themselves as a ploy for publicity, attention and money. With, of course, the connivance of the British government and press, either before or probably after the fact.

Is the same name a coincidence? Maybe, but I doubt it. And I bet that the Alex King who produces vile tripe as "Glasnost Gone" is the same dude found foaming on the floor of a men's room in a Salisbury pizzaria. This dude, and his hooker wife -

The ex-Russian, now Israeli citizen, Anna Shapiro, is billed by The Sun as an "ex-model". Well, exactly what agency was she represented by? Let's see some pics from her professional portfolio, some ads her photo was in, some magazine covers. No, seriously. Let's see. 

You could have seen many more of her photos like the one above in this article by The Sun, but it has now been deleted. Note the (lack of) professionalism and production values of the photo above as well as her fake tits and lips, and her 5 o'clock shadow. "Model"? Hooker. This may well be the girl heard romping with Petrov and Boshirov in the hotel when the Skripals were actually poisoned. 

Hell, maybe she did it.

"The Sun" is the British equivalent of The Weekly World News in the U.S. The Sun is the sine qua non, ne plus ultra, the abso-fucking-lutely perfect example of Fleet Street perfidy. Fleet Street, the heart and birthplace of British "journalism", is known for the barber, Sweeny Todd, and for its "yellow journalism" which I prefer to simply call "Urinalism", because it's yellow, and hardly fit to wipe the floor of the toilet upon which Alex King was found. Sweeny Todd was known for doing to his customers what Fleet Street "journalists" do to the truth. Just like the Alex King who produces pro-nazi, anti-Russian propaganda under the name "Glasnost Gone". I'm betting both Alex's are  100% the same. Highly likely, indeed.

And if so...

Alex King has been working for years as an anti-Russian propagandist. He started out as a fanboy of Nadia Shevchenko, the convicted murderer, mental case and triple turn-coat. When she was imprisoned by the Kiev regime, after being a "Hero of Ukraine" and member of the Ukrainian Verkona Rada national parliament, King's fervor waned, and he began his career as a junior Bellingcat wanna-be, creating demonstrably false propaganda vids pretending to show "Russian occupation" of Ukraine. His videos have never been taken seriously by ANY real media, and after spending the last few years begging for financial support for his work, he has finally hit the big time. (On the floor of a men's toilet in Salisbury. Congrats, Alex, must be your destiny...)

It is easy enough to imagine the conversation - King's new hooker wife lays down the law - "You start bringing in more money, or I'm going back to work!" In desperation, King comes up with a plan - "We'll go to Salisbury, have dinner, I'll have a (non-fatal) portion of rat poison for dessert, go to the toilet, where you'll find me writhing on the floor, we'll blame Putin himself, and be rich and famous, like Bellingcat or Pussy Riot". His loving wife responds, "OK, but you better take enough poison to make it look good".

       They Blamed Putin Himself... So did The Sun.

How can I know this? Well, me and "Glasnost Gone Alex King" go way back. He has made multiple propaganda hitpiece videos about me, as well as about other corespondents working in Donbass. His aim is to try to disrupt the financial support we get from friends and supporters in the West, and he's actually trying to get the British government to charge Graham Phillips with terrorism. He uses lies, innuendo, fake editing and sensationalistic bullshit to try to shut down open and honest reporting from Donbass. So, the Alex King who is behind Glasnost Gone is a lying, attention-seeking, under-handed low-life scumbag, just like the Alex King found in the Salisbury toilet.  Coincidence?
Maybe, maybe not.

I've been in touch with Graham about the case, and he does not think it is the same Alex King, pointing out that Glasnost Gone has continued "tweeting" even as the Alex found in the toilet was supposedly still in a coma. True, but it is, indeed, possible, and therefore highly likely, that other accomplices have the password to the Glasnost Gone Twitter account too, and could be tweeting in his stead, trying to salvage the reputation of their last meal ticket by pretending it is a different Alex King. On the day after King was taken from the toilet to the hospital, there were 32 "Tweets" by the Glasnost Gone account. Only one single post mentioned the Salisbury incident, even as the incident was still making headline news around the world. Posted about 14 hours after the first reports, while King was still in the hospital, supposedly still in a coma, it says "For God's sake, STOP talking about #Salisbury". I wonder why. What did Glasnost know that even the cops didn't, less than fourteen hours after the "poisoning" ? (NOTE - Twitter time stamp on first reports of the incident around 12:45 PM Sept 16th, Glasnost post below, 03:12 AM Sept 17th.)

The Glasnost Gone Alex King has never published a photo of himself, or even used his own voice to narrate his propaganda videos. For someone who claims to be showing "the truth", he certainly takes every precaution to hide his identity and guard his anonymity. Almost as if he had something in his past he didn't want known.  Like, perhaps being a coke dealer and a pimp? One and the same?
Is it Proven? No.  Is it Possible? Yes.  So... HIGHLY LIKELY!!!

Sure, there is more than one Alex King from London, just as there are several Russell Bentley's in London too. But it is easy to tell that none of those Russell Bentley's is the one who fought nazis in Donbass. On the other hand, the "Toilet Alex King" and the "Twitter Alex King" do have an uncanny number of similarities - Rabid anti-Russian? Check. Professional liar? Check. Attention-seeking weasel? Check. Craven ass-kisser and obsequious lickspittle to those with money or power? Check. (See Glasnost tweets to Judith Gough, UK ambassador to Ukraine.) Tries to destroy the reputation and livelihood of others by lies and innuendo? Check. Weird infatuation with masculine looking Slavic women? Check. Is it all a coincidence? Let's check!

We could ask the Metropolitan Police, "London's Finest", but considering the fact that they have a 90% failure rate in solving crimes, this mystery might be beyond their capabilities. How about the British press? Surely with all this coverage, some industrious reporter would mention that King was a full-time paid anti-Russian propagandist. No mention of it, as of yet. But the poisoning story is already unraveling on its own. The Telegraph has already published the seamy backstory of King and his wife, the fraud, the sex parties, the fake names ( Alex King/Alex Ainley - Anna Shapiro/Chana Shapiro/Anna Webb) the failed businesses, and the surprisingly candid comment from the local cops-

Wiltshire Police issued a statement on Tuesday night saying their illness was “not being treated as suspicious” but that inquiries were continuing. A police source said: “The only thing we can say is the majority of the newspaper’s report can be ignored.”

Well, the coppers seem pretty confident that they've gotten to the bottom of this particular case. Congratulations, Bobbies! 10% plus one! And now even the illustrious BBC seems to have figured out that Alex King is a fraud. The question remains - is the rat poisoned in the toilet fraud Alex King the same as the Glasnost Gone pro-nazi disinfo fraud Alex King? 

Here's how to find out - you can ask Glasnost Gone himself on Twitter (If you have an account. I'm banned.) or leave a question in the comment section of his Youtube videos.  Or you might ask the BBC's Daniel Sandford.  He seems to know quite a bit about the rat poisoned King, perhaps he knows the Glasnost Gone King as well. Both Sandford and Glasnost King are pro-nazi propagandists who have covered the coup in Ukraine. (With bullshit.) Would they know each other, and would Sandford know if the two Kings are one and the same? Highly likely! And I know for a fact that Sam Bright (Ex-BBC) knows Glasnost Alex, and can say whether it is the same or different Alex Kings. Again, if you have a Twitter account, ASK HIM. Let's ask, and keep asking till we get a clear answer.

We can follow the example of British "justice", convict Glasnost King on the basis of "highly likely", and then once having found him guilty, then kindly give him the opportunity to prove he's not a drug dealer and a pimp, if he can. Otherwise, guilty as charged. Hey, it's the English Way!

I say that Toilet Alex King and Glasnost Alex King are the same person, but it is possible that I am wrong.  If I am wrong, and they are two completely different lying, scamming scumbag frauds, well, I guess I might owe them both an apology.  But that's NOT highly likely to happen.

UNSC Stalemate and The Great Game

I just finished watching the live kabuki theater of the UNSC September 11th meeting on Syria, broadcast by Sputnik News.    As usual, the immeasurable hypocrisy of France, UK and US, (FUKUS) along with the craven obsequiousness of Western states like Poland and Sweden, and other minions like Kuwait,  were on public display along with the latest opportunistic treachery by Turkey's weasel king, Erdogan. I also observed the mealy-mouthed condolences of the UNSC representatives about 9/11's 17th anniversary, as every one of them pretended not to know that beyond any question, 9/11 was a false flag terrorist operation by the  US "deep state" committed against their own citizens.  Even as they discuss the parameters of another equally as horrid false flag terrorist operation like so many that have been committed repeatedly against the citizens of Syria. By the exact same people.

The writing is on the wall - If Syria and Russia continue to prosecute the operation against US-backed terrorists in Syria, the US and their lackeys threaten to attack Syria, and the US will unleash their Ukro-nazi attack dogs against the Donbass Republics. The implication being that if Syria and Russia desist from the operation to clear Idlib and Syria from the last few remaining abscesses of US-backed terrorism in Syria, the perilous situation will be de-escalated, and US control of Idlib and their terrorists there will become the status quo. Again, for a while. Ostensibly, in return, the big ukrop attack on Donbass Republics will also be shelved, at least for the moment. Or so they seem to be implying.

Of course, as usual, the FUKUS powers are lying, as they did today and as they always do. If the staged false flag attacks, and the coordinated attacks against Syria (and international law) take place as a result, all bets are once again off. The FUKUS powers have proven long ago, and time and again, that their word is worth nothing, they are not "agreement-capable". Syria and their allies could agree to allow the terrorist stronghold of Idlib to continue to fester, and FUKUS could still instruct their allies to carry out the false flag, with attacks on Syria and Donbass to follow anyway. But as of tonight, 12 hours after the UNSC meeting, it appears that perhaps the deal is done - the latest reports from Southfront are about SAA operations in Der Izzor, not Idlib, and SANA News reports are still from yesterday, about the ISIS/White Helmets false flag videos. But as of tonight, the false flag in Idlib has not yet been raised. And as of tonight, there are no more reports about air strikes on Idlib.

The hostage millions (3 million) civilian citizens of Idlib are now bargaining chips, along with the 6 million citizens of the Donbass. It is only realistic to call us both "pawns", which is what they and we are. In "The Great Game" of geopolitics, a city, a few million people mean little compared to the future of the alliances of the East and West. All human suffering is subjective and relative.

Politics is a long game.

Those who move the chess pieces, who move the pawns in The Great Game, do not feel the pain of the innocent victims in Idlib or Donetsk, they cannot, and perhaps it is for the best. Perhaps... 

Vladimir Putin's first priority is and always must be the safety and security of the Russian Federation. This comes before and above considerations about the people or the States of Syria or the Donbass Republics. Without the existence of the Russian Federation, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Donbass Republics would already long ago have ceased to exist. If those who have stood by us and ensured our survival for so long are now forced to use us as bargaining chips, so be it. Putin has proven himself time and again to be a brilliant tactician, a shrewd bargainer who achieves his objectives with a minimum of bloodshed and suffering. With or without Syria or the Donbass Republics, Russia can and must survive. Without Russia, our small Republics have no chance against the Fourth Reich. Without Russia, neither does the world.

But the Western fascists care nothing about a few million souls, suffering or sacrificed, here or there, as has been proven by their criminal actions time and again, and openly admitted by the likes of Madeline Albright and Zbignew Brizinsky.  The DPR is my country, and these are my people, and if need be, I will die alongside them. If the Donbass Republics must be sacrificed to ensure the survival of the Russian Federation, we are ready to make that sacrifice, as our Grandparents did, by the millions, and as we will if we must, to preserve the Russian Federation, the Slavic People, our people, the best and only hope for the future of Humanity. But you can bet we will die fighting, and we will take as many nazis as we can with us when we go.  We ask only that the leaders and the people of the Russian Federation and the world, make sure our sacrifice is worth it. Hoka Hey.

To be clear, Neither I nor the people of the Donbass Republics think Russia will desert us. We have Vladimir Putin's word, and Putin don't lie. We have also seen the Russian military equipment and manpower lined up, out in the open, just a few Km from the Russian/DPR border crossing at Uspenka. But Russians never tip their hand. For every piece they show, there are twenty more that you don't see.  If the ukrop army does make an attack on the Donbass Republics, it will be the last move that army ever makes, a ukrop Waterloo, a neo-nazi Dien Bien Phu. But if the US and their lackeys make another unjustified, baseless and illegal attack on Syria, based on false pretenses, it can only be expected that they will do the same with their neo-nazi attack dogs in Ukraine. In which case, all these rabid nazi dogs will be cured. And there is only one cure for rabies.

Nor should the citizens of Idlib think that Russia or the SAA will abandon them to the tender mercies of the US-backed cannibal terrorists who now hold them hostage and murder their children for false flag videos. We are coming, and the terrorists in Syria too, will be tried and punished for their crimes, and they too will be cured of their rabies. As will their masters, directors and supporters.

The people of Idlib, the citizens whose families have lived there for generations, have much in common with the people of the Donbass Republics - we are victims of a war started by foreigners that became brother against brother, and has lingered on for years now. Above all, the people of Idlib and the people of Donbass have the same enemy.  we know it, and we know who it is. Do you?

I say to everyone who is reading this - our enemy is your enemy too. The exact same people and powers that fill our lives with strife, with sadness, struggle, misery and danger, who threaten our lives, our futures, who diminish the quality of life in every way, every day.  What they are doing to us, they are doing to you today, every day. And you know it. So what are you going to do about it?

Putin's 3 Front War - Donbass, Syria and the Russian Federation

                                                            DONBASS

The situation in Donbass remains tense. Our Army remains strong and cohesive, ready for whatever comes, but the political situation is in flux, and highly unstable at the moment. Elections are still scheduled for November. Since the assassination of Alexander Zakharchenko ten days ago, military units in the Republics have been on high alert. Information on reinforcements of the 12,000 strong Ukrainian Army, along with the openly nazi Azov Battalion as well as NATO soldiers, instructors and commanders moving into the Mariupol area are also reasons for serious concern. Provocations by ukrop units all along the Front continue to escalate, particularly the use of snipers against front line Novorussian troops and artillery and incendiaries against civilians in front line areas.

I do not claim to have any "inside information" other than what I am told by my friends and comrades who are currently serving at the Front, and that which I can observe myself firsthand around Donetsk. But the Mariupol build-up is strange to me for several reasons. First, there is nothing of value, strategically, militarily or even economically between Mariupol and Donetsk. There are only two major roads between Mariupol and Donetsk, and one of them is already in ukrop territory. With the exception of a few small villages, the area between Mariupol and Donetsk is farmland and woodlands.

Second, a ukrop attack on Donetsk from Mariupol would entail a 100 Km advance in the open, along a single poorly maintained, but certainly well defended (by DPR Army) road, almost all of which would be within 20 Km of the Russian border. If Russia were to respond with artillery to this attack, they could wipe out the entire ukrop assault force without having to actually even cross the border. (Remember Debaltsevo?) So, in my opinion, the Mariupol build-up is either a ruse to get the DPR to commit manpower and resources to defend a few small villages and defensive positions, or a provocation to try to get the Russians to become openly militarily involved inside DPR 

(So-called "Ukrainian" territory.)

A - Southernmost DPR defensive positions at Shyrokino

B - Main DPR/RF border crossing at Uspenka

Red Line - Contact line of UAF and LDPR

Grey Line - Russian Border

Gold Lines - Main Roads

Scale - I----------------------I = 50 Km

(Google Maps, used under fair use doctrine)

The ukrop army holds positions on the very outskirts of all major Republican cities - Donetsk, Lugansk, Makeevka, Yasynuvata and Gorlovka. The center of Donetsk city, where I am right now, is less than 10 Km from ukrop positions, which have also been heavily reinforced over the previous months. The same goes for the other cities. Why would the ukrops make a major assault across 100 Km of open country, when, if they can break through our front line positions, they can literally be in the center of our major (and strategic) cities in an hour or two?

It is the US military that controls and directs the Ukrainian Armed Forces, therefore, the UAF will be used to pursue US strategic goals, not Ukrainian tactical objectives. The Ukrainian civil war has always been a proxy war fought by the US against Russia. The main objective has always been to unite world opinion against Russian "aggression", in order to justify the continuation and escalation of the economic, information and military war against Russia by NATO and Western powers. An attack into the major cities of the Republics will allow the ukrops to protect themselves from Russian artillery and airstrikes by using the civilian populations as human shields, even as they begin "cleansing" and "punishment" operations against these civilians.

Military operations in urban areas are highly destructive and time consuming, allowing the US and Ukraine the time to make "humanitarian" appeals for direct military involvement in Ukraine by NATO or the UN. Russian intervention against ukrop atrocities will be framed as "aggression" against Ukraine. As the battles for the cities drag on, the ukrop einsatzgruppen will be able to round up and exterminate many of those they see as potential resistance inside the Republics.

I believe the US/ukrop attack plan will begin with a feigned attack from Mariupol, which will either draw Russia directly into the war immediately, or require a military response by DRP forces, which will put our troops in the open, along the same road, which also happens to be within range of ukrop artillery. If Russia responds, the ukrop attack force can withdraw back to defensive positions in Mariupol, as reserves, and the main offensive will begin against our cities, in which case proximity to our civilians will afford the attackers some protection from Russian retribution. If Russia doesn't respond with artillery strikes from within its own borders or direct military action inside the Republics, the DPR will be forced to confront the ukrop assault force using troops and equipment drawn from our already outnumbered defensive lines. Which again facilitates a ukrop assault into the hearts of our densely populated cities.

The obvious tactical solution is an overwhelming preemptive attack by LDPR and Russian forces prior to the commencement of the ukrop offensive. The combined forces of Russia and the Republics are capable of eliminating the festering military threat of the Ukrainian Army in a matter of a few days, if not hours. But this has grave strategic and political consequences that are impossible to fully calculate. None the less, Vladimir Putin has given the people of Donbass his word that "Russia will always be with you", and as he learned as a kid in the streets of Leningrad, "If a fight is inevitably, it is better to hit first." The people of Donbass trust Putin, and we agree.

                                                                 SYRIA

The situation in Syria continues to escalate and is headed for either the final elimination of US-backed ISIS terrorists or a new and much larger conflagration. The SAA and the Russian air force have ignored the "warning" by Trump not to attack the final Idlib stronghold of the terrorists, and the naval stand-off in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea also continues. Syria and Donbass are both frontline flashpoints in the same war, and if one is ignited, the other will immediately follow. As the US actually has zero legal or political right to occupy or attack Syria or the Russian defenders there, it is reasonable to expect a military attack in Donbass to precede a confrontation in Syria between the Western powers and Russia. This will give the West a chance to attempt to induce world public opinion to support a military confrontation with Russia in Ukraine and in Syria, with the "Russian aggression" canard.

If by mistake or intentionally, things in the Syria zone are escalated by either side, it will be the "GO" signal for the ukrop military assault on Donbass, thus forcing Russia immediately into a two front war. But I believe the plan of Ukraine's Western masters is to begin in Donbass as an excuse to escalate in Syria.

Current DPR intelligence (which is very good) indicates that the ukrop offensive will commence on September 14th. That's less than one week from today. Mark your calendar, and prepare. It is by now obvious that Trump is just another fascist tool, willing to start a world war in order to perpetuate US imperialism, in connivance with other fascist powers, particularly UK and Israel, along with their NATO henchmen. It is now too late to hope for any meaningful protest, much less any actual resistance, from the cowardly and brain-washed citizens of these regimes. They cannot and will not stop their rogue masters from starting this war, and it will be left to Russia and its allies to end it. By whatever means necessary. As goes Syria, so goes Donbass, and as I have said since 2015, "As goes Donbass, so goes the world."

                                             The Russian Federation

In case of a failure of the military option and a failure to turn world opinion against Russia and towards support for a world war against Russia, the imperialist regimes are now executing a "soft power" attack against Putin and the RF in the form of widespread protests against the Medvedev clique's proposed raising of the retirement age ("pension reform") in Russia. These protests have led to street protests and a significant decline in public support for Putin,

at a crucial time.

This issue is a red herring - as of yet, the retirement age has not been raised - The plan would see the age raised gradually from 60 to 65 for men, and from 55 to 63 for women. But the mere suggestion of such a plan, based on the economic reality of a reduced number of workers and a growing number of retirees, has already caused minor but significant nation-wide protests, led by western-backed traitors like Alexi Navalny and Igor Girkin, along with Russian nationalists and even the Russian Communist Party.

That Navalny and Girkin support the protest should, by itself, be enough to convince even the most ignorant Russian citizen of its treachery, and it is a sad and dangerous day when so-called "Russian nationalists" are too dimwitted to understand that these protests are organized and encouraged by Russia's worst enemies. That the KPRF (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) has cynically promoted the protest in order to attempt to raise it's own insignificant popular support at the expense of the Putin government is a betrayal not only of Russia but of history and Communist principles as well.

I have long considered the KPRF to be an irrelevant and impotent organization whose internal contradictions, poor leadership and self-serving opportunism have put the once great Party on the periphery of Russian politics and left it unworthy of trust or respect. And I say this as a Communist myself. Rather than these protests gaining any real political support for the KPRF, their collaboration with traitors like Navalny and Girkin will, and certainly should, be the final nail in the coffin of their political stature. These are "communists" like Gorbachev and Yeltsin, not Communists like Lenin and Stalin or the Communists of the Red Army who saved and freed Russia and the world from fascism 75 years ago. Encouraging and promoting this protest is abject treachery at a time when the Russian Federation and its future are under siege and in peril, similar to what Russians and the USSR faced in 1939.

It is also, on the part of the pensioners affected, nothing better than self-centered idiocy. They should ask their contemporaries in Libya, Syria and Ukraine how similar protests, engineered by similar western-backed traitors turned out. Sowing discord in Russia today will lead them to enjoy the same retirement that pensioners enjoy in Libya, and Ukraine.

Perhaps someone should inform them that today, as they agitate against their government because of a proposal to raise their retirement age to 63 or 65, in the "wealthy and free" USA, the retirement age is currently 66, with plans to raise it even higher. They should also be aware that the social security system in the USA is bankrupt, with no hope of actually covering the debt owed to people who paid into the fund a portion of their paychecks for all their working lives. The fund wad looted by Bill Clinton in the 1990's, transferred to the general fund, where it was stolen and squandered, and replaced with worthless IOU's. Those in Russia who join these protests are no better than the fools and traitors who protested at Maidan in Kiev four years ago, and they fail to understand that if they continue, they too will suffer the same fate.

It has been said that the three greatest leaders of the Russian People were all named "Vladimir". Vladimir the Great, who founded Russia a thousand years ago, Vladimir Lenin, who founded the Soviet Union one hundred years ago, and Vladimir Putin who saved modern Russia from the abyss, about ten years ago. I agree. There is no other person in Russia who could lead and protect the Russian People better than, or even half as well, as Vladimir Putin. To agitate against him now, is the most stupid, treacherous and dangerous thing Russian citizens can do.

And if the "pension reform" imbroglio is really so important, there is a reasonable solution, which is already being implemented, and does not endanger the political stability of the Russian Federation, and will produce an open, honest and democratic answer to the pension question. Суть времени, the Essence of Time Movement in Russia, has already begun collecting signatures on a petition to put the pension question to a vote in a nation-wide referendum. What could possibly be more democratic, open and fair than that? It really is the perfect solution, and should be supported (and signed!) by every patriotic Russian with any sense at all.

This petition, thanks to Sergey Kurginyan and Суть времени, is already being circulated. If it fails to garner the required number of signatures, it will prove the pension question is a minor issue, and the protests are being blown out of proportion by foreign enemies and domestic traitors to further their own ends, whose goals are to foment protest and discord in Russia, and actually have nothing to do with the question of pensions. If it does obtain the required number of signatures, it will be put to a vote, and all Russians can decide. Either way, the petition and subsequent possible referendum render all further protests on the issue moot. Any further protests in the streets, when a reasonable, effective and peaceful alternative exists, prove conclusively that anyone participating in those protests, whether through malice or stupidity or even simply short-sighted self interest, is a true danger to the future of Russia, in what is already a very dangerous time. And they should be treated accordingly.

 

Joaquin Flores

thanks brother, the real scoop looks like the intro that we won't run, but th...

11:39 AM (4 hours ago)

Joaquin Flores

3:42 PM (15 minutes ago)

Russell Bentley <russellbbentley@gmail.com>

3:57 PM (0 minutes ago)

The Answer to More Questions from "The Saker"

 Andy Raevski has once again written another pompous pile of drivel on the occasion of the death of another DPR Hero.  As with his tripe on the occasions of the deaths of Motorola and Givi, he again has "questions", about the "major, massive, problem with the DNR/LNR security services"... "Whether this is pure incompetence or treason", he doesn't know.  Again, with the "incompetence and treason", as if taken straight from the pages of the Kiev Post or RFE/RL. Or as if projecting his own character onto the Army and special services of the DPR.

 Raevski, who claims to have once been a "soldier" in the Swiss Army, apparently finds the concepts of personal courage and a willingness to risk one's life to be utterly beyond his comprehension. A "soldier" in the Swiss Army, eh? Isn't that a bit like playing quarterback for the Boston Red Sox? The Swiss Army has never been in a war, or even a battle, unless you count the two times they were called out to crush worker's strikes in 1875 and 1918. Apparently, he's the kind of "soldier" who fails to understand that in real war, real soldiers die.

 Simply taking a look at Raevski's maudlin and self-pitying writing style gives a glimpse into his (lack of) character. He is clearly a creature whose craven worldview extends no further than his own comfort, self-interest and ego.

And the motherfucker just couldn't pass up taking a jab at me (from behind the safety of his computer keyboard) calling me "hysterical" and an "ignorant amateur" in his whining rant about the murder of Alexander Vladimirovich Zaharchenko, the Leader of our Republic, my Comrade and Commander, a man with whom I shared mutual respect. We were in the Army together. I knew him and he knew me. Like I said, mutual respect. My Comrade, who had just died.

  What I tried to explain to Andy, twice, when Motorola died, and again when Givi died, (both of whom I also served with at the airport) which apparently Andy is incapable of understanding, and too stupid to learn, is that real men, real soldiers, do not take every precaution to avoid danger at all costs and at every turn. Real men, unlike Raevski, are willing to face danger head on, to risk their lives, knowing they may some day have to die for their Republic and their principles. Men like Alexander Vladimirovich Zaharchenko, Arsen Pavlov and Mikhael Tolstykh, and all the Defenders of Donbass do not hide from danger, we face it and confront it. That is the only way to defeat it. The ONLY way, and we know that some of us will die doing so. It goes with the job, of being a soldier, and of being a Man.

 Every civilian, every Babushka and little kid, every young mother, also faces danger and death in the Donbass Republics, every day. (And every Grandma and little kid here has more courage than Raevski ever will.) Shall the soldiers and leaders take precautions that ordinary citizens cannot? Or should we stand and show those we defend that we are not afraid to face the same dangers that they do, thus encouraging them as well?

 Raevski, a simpering coward, safely ensconced in his self-proclaimed "belly of the beast", is incapable of even imagining, much less emulating, the courage of the men whose names he is not worthy to speak. The people of Donbass know war and danger, and we are simply not afraid. Unlike the traitors and cowards who ran from Donbass when war came, (and as Raevski did from his own personal failures) the citizens of the DPR stand firm in place, come what may, face the dangers of war, and the Defenders willingly put themselves in harm's way, we "run where the brave dare not go", with full understanding of the risks and consequences. Cowards hate the brave. Hate them.

 For this impudent swine to insult me again, at a time of deep mourning and heightened danger, is truly an example of what a piece of shit he is. His behind the back poison pen campaign against me and my Comrades, also show his utter lack of courage, principles and basic human decency. His autocratic censorship of dissenting views, his literal advocacy of ignorance, and his pompous self-importance are all indicative of what kind of creature he really is. He will never write, much less do, anything real against the "Anglozionist Empire" he pretends to oppose. He is controlled opposition, a Judas Goat, pretending to defy the very rulers whose boots he secretly licks.

 So, go ahead,"The Saker", keep spreading your drivel to your circle jerk of sycophants and credulous ass-kissers, you tub of shit, you whimpering dilettante, you nutless house husband, keep talking shit about me and the real men who stand our ground where the danger is, we who do for real what you pretend to do. We have your measure, you fucking maggot, and we will face the dangers and defeat them, without the likes of you. Or we will die in the effort. As real soldiers sometimes do.

There's your answer. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for another funeral...

26 Answers to 25 Questions from Communists and Antifa in the West.

Below is a recent interview I did with a US Communist. The questions are good, the answers are (perhaps painfully) honest. REAL Communism means internationalism, solidarity, egalitarianism, and above all, a willingness to fight, to sacrifice, for Socialism. And what is "Socialism"?

Socialism means everybody has the right to the necessities of life - food, housing, energy, transportation, medical care. It also means that they have access to the tools needed to fulfill their potential as human beings - education and work that reflects their abilities, at a living wage that enables them to live and procreate, support a family. The limit on how poor the citizen of a Socialist society can be, and should be, paid for by a limit on how a rich a citizen of that society can be. Below are the questions and the answers I have given to them, which they may or may not like...

Questions about Russian "imperialism", labor unions in DPR, the 2nd Amendment, censorship of Alex Jones, tearing down Confederate monuments, "ultra-nationalists" fighting in the ranks of the NAF, my time in prison, identity politics and many other interesting subjects. With answers in my usual blunt and absolutely honest style. 

I am a Cosmic Cowboy, a Radical Redneck, both from the Left on some issues, on the Right on others. I am not doctrinaire, I support what I consider to be correct and true. A lot of people from the "Left" and from the "Right" do not like me for that. It reminds me of my favorite joke -

A guy goes to a job interview. They discuss education, experience, goals, etc. As many interviewers often do, he asks, "What do you think is your biggest weakness?" The guy replies, "Sometimes I am too honest." The interviewer exclaims, "I don't think being too honest is a weakness!" The guy replies, "I don't give a fuck what you think."

============================================================

Question 1: What is the immediate military situation for Novorussia? We know the military battle lines have stabilized to a certain degree, as Novorussia has held onto the territories of Lughansk, and Donetsk, who's borders extend all the way south to the Sea of Azov, east of Mariupol. Are there still constant border skirmishes like there were in the earlier years of the war, or has the fighting calmed down somewhat?

The military situation is currently stable, which means the center of the city is relatively safe, but there is still shooting on the front line positions every day. Civilian areas near the front are also still shelled on a regular (almost daily) basis. The threat of a major ukrop offensive is still very real. Most people here believe that the war will not end without one more major battle. That battle will begin with a major military offensive by the ukrop army against the entire Novorussian Front, and it will end only with the liberation and

de-nazification of all of Ukraine. And the USA.

Question 2: Have the people of Donbass adjusted to the current borders, or are they still focused on gaining most of eastern Ukraine back, like when the war first started in 2014?

We have friends and family in the cities of Eastern Ukraine now under nazi control. They suffer.

Our ultimate goal is to de-nazify all of Ukraine, one way or another.

Question 3: What would you say would be the percentage of the population in Novorussia who want to their territory to become part of the Russian Federation? Is it higher than the percentage of people who want to stay strictly independent from both Ukraine and Russia? Are there also people there who want to remain part of Ukraine but without the current government?

I believe most people here would like to see Ukraine return to it's historic place as a strong independent ally of Russia. Ukrainians are rightly proud of their history and culture, which is closely intertwined with Russia's. The goal is to drive the nazis from power, liberate all of Ukraine, punish the war criminals, and return to being a democratic nation closely allied with Russia, as Ukraine has been for the last 1,000 years.

Question 4: The Ukrainian nationalists have recently released a video of them harassing gypsies, destroying their homes and tents, and it seems like Azov Battalion and Praviy Sektor are ramping up their ethnic cleansing. Is it also your view that the ethnic cleansing is increasing, or have these crimes been occurring at the same rate the whole time and it just hasn't been exposed until recently? Do you have any stories of more things like this happening?

The crimes of nazis like Pravy Sektor and Azov are ongoing. And they are truly horrific. Human trafficking and organ trafficking are rampant in areas under their control. Kiev is now the child prostitution capitol of Europe. Hardcore nazis from Western Ukraine consider the people of Donbass to be Russians, and sub-human, and act accordingly. NAF prisoners held by nazis are tortured and murdered on a regular basis.

It should be duly noted that ukrop nazis, and nazis in general, prefer to attack unarmed people.

Question 5: You have espoused that you are a communist in many of your previous interviews. What do you personally, and your organization, Essence of Time, define Communism and Socialism as, and how does this apply to Novorussia? Many communists in the west have the criticism that private property and most normal apparatuses of the capitalist mode of production still function in Donbass. How would you reply to or reconcile with this criticism?

To be honest, I laugh at most "Communists" in the West. The vast majority are cowards, hypocrites and poseurs, whose "communism" goes no further than buying a Che Guevara T-shirt from Amazon, and maybe reading a book or two from which to endlessly quote. The fact that they sit in the West, doing nothing but criticizing us here is a perfect example. They spend more time criticizing their comrades than actually fighting real fascists. Ask any group of "Communists" in the West how many have actually killed a nazi. I have.

People whose "contribution" is nothing more than criticizing those who have done a thousandfold more than they ever will are beneath contempt. When I was in Cuba in 1995, I had a very enlightening discussion with a Cuban Army captain. I said I was a Socialist, and she said she was a Communist. I asked what the difference was, and she replied, "A Communist is someone who is willing to fight for Socialism." Being willing to fight means being willing to die. By this measure, there are very, very few Communists in the West. But I and my comrades in Essence of Time have earned the right to call ourselves Communists. It's high time those who call themselves "Communists" in the West, especially the US, do the same.

Medical care and education are free in the DPR. Food, energy, housing, transportation and communication are a fraction of the cost of what they are in the West, but are as good or better in quality. It's a good start. This is the Socialism we have fought for, and won. Those who have done the same or better are perhaps qualified to criticize or advise us. Those who have not should shut the fuck up and get to work, unless, as is too often the case, they are too stupid to learn from our example. Then they should just shut the fuck up.

Question 6: When one researches the war in Donbass via conventional sources on the internet such as Wikipedia, there are listed a number of military units fighting on the side of the Novorussian army which are very right wing, such as National Bolsheviks, Russian National Unity, and Serbian Chetniks, all groups which most socialists and communists are vehemently opposed to. For many leftists in the west, this is something which turns them off to supporting the struggle in Donetsk and Lughansk. Many of them (western marxists) admit that there are indeed Nazis on the side of the Ukrainians, but also claim there are Nazis and ultranationalists on the Novorussian side as well. To what degree do these right wing military units operate, and what comments do you have about this? Many will see this as the most important question in the interview.

There have been a few (perhaps 2 dozen, total, out of an army of 60,000) "nationalists" in the ranks of the NAF, all foreigners, mostly in the early days of the war, but they are all gone now. No one I served with at the Front would ever serve beside someone with a nazi tattoo or point of view.  We would probably have killed them. There are Cossacks and even Monarchists in the NAF, but they are in no way fascist or ultra-nationalist. And they stand beside real Communists here, in battle, against real nazis, as brothers in arms.

Anyone who claims there are nazis or ultra-nationalists fighting for the Donbass Republics is an idiot, a liar, or both. It is as stupid a saying "Communism is as bad as nazism." They use this as their excuse for their failure to support one of the most communist and progressive revolutionary movements in the world today. Again, cowardice and hypocrisy, and again, unwarranted and unqualified criticism from people who not only have never done shit, but don't even know what the fuck they are talking about, criticizing those who have actually fought fascism and won.

Question 7. The Donbass region has a rich history of socialist ideals and anti fascist mentalities. The Stakhanovite movement was birthed there, Donbass put up a heroic resistance against the German Nazis during WWII, and up until recently, Odessa was known as a heavily multicultural city where hundreds of different nationalities could live among each other in peace. To what degree do you think the Novorussian population is enthusiastic about socialism past the point of nostalgia or national pride from the USSR days?

Donetsk too, is one of the most multi-cultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.  When John Hughes founded his steel mill and coal mines here in 1869, he sent out advertisements all over the world for people to come get a good job with fair pay. People from over 100 nations responded and moved to Donetsk, then called  "Yuzovka". The Donbass region has historically been one of the most staunchly Communist areas of the entire USSR. The people here have what it takes to be real Communists - a deep understanding of the theory and history, their own history of struggle, sacrifice, and victory, and real world experience of the rewards of Socialism as well as the evils of Capitalism and fascism. And they are willing to fight when they have to. I would say that even with its imperfections, the Donbass Republics are the vanguard and best example of what Communist people can do in the world today.

Question 8: We know that some factories in Donbass have been nationalized. How widespread is this nationalization, and do you see this spreading to all other sectors of the economy?

Some factories and businesses have been expropriated from oligarchs and nationalized. The DPR economy in general is geared towards benefiting society rather than enriching the wealthy class. It is an ongoing process.  I will say that the quality of life is better here for the average worker than it is anywhere in the US or even most of the EU. This is because the government is responsive to the will of the people.

Question 9: How do you reconcile Donbass having a state religion (Eastern Orthodoxy) with communist principles? In the Soviet Union and in most Eastern Bloc countries during the cold war, religion was discouraged. Do you feel that this was a mistake? What are your views on liberation theology?

Jesus Christ was the first Communist. He shared what he had equally with others, drove the money changers from the temple with a whip, and gave his life for what he believed in. I have three close personal friends here who are Orthodox priests. All have served in the DPR Army, as soldiers. As the saying goes, "There are no atheists in foxholes". Some of the greatest anti-fascists in modern history have been men of God - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, the Berrigan brothers, and above all, Hassan Nasrallah. Soldiers.

Essence of Time considers the anti-religious aspect of the USSR to have been one of its biggest mistakes. I see no contradiction between Communism and religion. Although I do look at organized religion with some suspicion, I consider the Russian Orthodox Church to be the most trustworthy and least corrupt of any major sect of Christianity. And it is NOT the "state religion". We don't have one. There are Jews, Muslims, Catholic and Protestant worshipers and places of worship in Donetsk.

Question 10: You have mentioned in a video you made for people who want to come to Donbass that jobs there are scarce. If people are unemployed in Donbass does that mean that they are forced out onto the street like they are in the United States and other capitalist countries? Do you have a right to a job in Donbass, and, if not, does the state take adequate care of you until you find one? To what extent does homelessness exist in Donbass?

There is no homelessness in the Donbass Republics. None. Everyone here has a place to live, given by the state. If they can't pay their electric bill, the electricity is not turned off. Many people are employed by the state doing work such as cleaning streets or tending public gardens. It is not necessary work, but it improves the quality of life for everybody here, and the salary, while small, is enough to live on. I will say it again - the quality of life for the average worker here is better than anywhere in the West, and it continues to improve. And doing so under siege conditions.

Question 11: How active are labor unions in Donetsk and Lughansk? The Ukrainian nationalists burned down the trade unions house in the famous Odessa massacre, do you think this was incidental, or do you think it corresponds with Nazi ideology and how the NSDAP historically crushed union power in Germany?

I do not really know what the status of labor unions is in the Donbass Republics is, but I know they exist and have political and economic power. Particularly among the coal miners.

Question 12: What rights do citizens living in Donbass have? We know that Aleksey Mozgovoy professed a stated goal for Novorussia that included the right to education and healthcare. What progress towards this goal has been achieved in the region?

Education and medical care are free and of excellent quality. Sometimes people must buy their own medicine, but it costs a small fraction of what it would cost in the West.

Question 13: How would you respond to the claim that rebel control of the Donbass region is evidence of Russian imperialism? Also, what is your view of Russia generally? It is known that Russia is a capitalist state since the early 1990's, but do you view them as imperialist? Why or why not?

Again, only idiots and liars speak of "Russian imperialism". The people of Donbass are defending themselves against a foreign installed fascist regime. Russia helps us. Russia has many imperfections, but imperialism is not one of them. The USSR improved the quality of life in every single place where they exerted influence, they did not colonize these places and extract profits or resources. Just as in Donbass today, where the Russian Federation gives much more to support Donbass than they receive in return. Certainly the same can be said of Russia's support for Syria. While Russia does have serious problems,  I would say the quality of life overall is better there than in the West, and while the quality of life continues to improve in Russia, it continues to decline in the West.

Question 14: What are the differences between the Lughansk and Donetsk governments? Do they have differing views on what rights their citizens should have? Are there different laws in each respective region? Is the political and military structure between the two united?

Although the two Republics are separate entities, they are united militarily, politically and economically. The legal and social structures are very similar, if not identical.

Question 15: It has been 3 years since you conducted the interview with Vice correspondent Simon Ostrovsky. How do you reflect on this interview? What is your view of Vice's portrayal of the Ukrainian situation? Have you watched the Russian Roulette series on Vice, and what do you think of it?

Ostrovsky is a textbook example of a "presstitute" - a professional liar whose job is to conceal and obscure the truth, which he does for money. Vice News is a disinfo and propaganda machine funded by George Soros. There is not a single major Western "news" agency that can be trusted. Not one. But Ostrovsky's interview of me has been viewed over 400,000 times, with an almost 10 to 1 ratio of thumbs up to thumbs down. In spite of his best (or worst) efforts, the video was a big success for me and the DPR.

Question 16: Events in the United States have been heating up for a number of years now, and today it is normal for the "Alt Right" to gather in the streets with the Ku Klux Klan and hold torchlight rallies like Azov and Praviy Sektor do in Ukraine. Many socialists and anti fascists here have been starting a new socialist gun culture in the United States with the Socialist Rifle Association, Redneck Revolt, and The John Brown Gun Club. Do you feel that this is an appropriate response to events? Should the left be prepared for the worst, or do you think the government will eventually solve these contradictions in American politics and culture? Furthermore, is it appropriate for leftists to trust that the government will quell the fascist flame if it begins to burn?

The fascist flame has been burning in the USA since before you or I or anyone reading this article were born. And the US government and the people who own it are the ones who lit it and keep it burning. They are the mortal enemies of the American people, and of Humanity at large. It is long past time for a revolution in the USA. The oligarchy and government are corrupt beyond any hope of redemption. It is time to tear it down and start over. As for guns - yes, everyone should own and know how to use one, but there is a HUGE difference between having one and actually using one for what the 2nd Amendment intended. But again, the poseur problem - a coward with a gun is worse than useless. Many say they are ready to "fight", but in practice, they don't like danger. I would estimate that the number of US gun owners from the Left or the Right who would ever do more than talk, who would actually challenge the government's monopoly on violence, who would do in the US what we have actually done here, is probably about one in a thousand. If the truth hurts, prove me wrong.

The Essence of Time combat unit had about 50 soldiers when I joined it in December 2014. We have suffered 11 killed in action, and 15 seriously (permanently) wounded since then. That is a 50% casualty rate. We fought at some of the hottest positions on the entire Donbass Front, including the airport, Spartak and Avdeevka. We have never retreated or lost a position, even in the face of 20 to 1 odds. That is exactly what it means to be a real Communist.

And I will also give some gun advice - The US government will not enact wide scale gun confiscation. They don't have to. When the time comes, and it will, the government will simply shut off the supply of ammunition. Ammo is much, much more difficult to produce at home than a firearm is. A firearm without ammo is just a club. Stock up while you still can.

Question 17: What are your views on communist gun ownership generally? Did you own a gun while you lived in the US? Are there laws restricting firearm ownership in Donbass where you live/do you have to be in the army or militia to own one?

Only fools and cowards are against the 2nd Amendment. They are willing to be disarmed, defenseless, against the US military and police, the most corrupt and genuinely fascist organizations on Earth. They are nothing more than willing slaves, unworthy to be called Communists.

I am a strong proponent of the right to bear arms. It is simply the right to self-defense. I owned and carried guns most of my adult life, regardless of the law. Again, carrying a gun is just a pose unless you're ready and willing to use it, and I mean use it against armed enemies who will be shooting at you.  It is legal and possible for people to own guns here, even outside the police and Army. I myself have a Makarov and AK (and plenty of ammo for both.) The requirements are simply common sense - you must have a clean criminal record, pass a psychological exam, and have a secure place to store your guns. There is still a very real threat of a major ukrop offensive, so the percentage of people here who own guns is probably as high or higher than in the US.

Question 18: What is your opinion on censorship? Do you think that leftists should be against the censoring of Alex Jones because it will eventually come around to the left like in the McCarthy era? In this current moment, in terms of realpolitik, is it better to censor the right wingers using the government, or just allow them to be seen out in the open, and prepare to fight them?

Only fools, cowards and those with something to hide advocate or support censorship, of Alex Jones or anyone else, because it ALWAYS eventually comes around. Who is qualified to decide what people should be "allowed" to hear, see or read? Nobody is, and I say fuck anybody that says they are. Yes, Alex Jones is a charlatan, but he has also been correct on many issues. I'd say he's more correct, well intentioned and respectable than ANY of the stupid scumbags, from the Right or the Left, who advocate or support   censorship. Censorship is, always has been and always will be, the tool of the oppressor. Anyone who supports it also, wittingly or not, also a tool of the oppressor. Period.

Russian mass media has political TV programs airing daily, and they often allow open fascists to debate normal people and even try to sell their ideas. To allow fascists, fools, liars and various assholes to have their say is actually the best way to fight them, by allowing them to discredit themselves. Even if the general public is stupid enough to fall for fascist ideas (as is the case in the USA, but not Russia) education is the remedy, and censorship is the exact opposite of education.

Question 19: You once mentioned that you had spent time in prison in America, for what were you incarcerated and for how long? Did you find that you grew as a person during this time/did you learn anything about yourself or humanity while you were locked up?

I plead guilty to possession of 500 kilograms of cannabis in 1996. I was the only one of the defendants who did not "co-operate" with the Feds, so I got more time than anyone, even the "kingpin". I got 63 months, 5 years, 3 months. I escaped on August 31st, 1999 for 2,848 days, almost 8 years. I was eventually snitched out and was returned to finish my bit in a maximum security prison.  I finished my prison sentence in 2008, and did 4 years parole.

I was a professional cannabis smuggler for about 7 years. I would move loads from Mexico to the northern USA, Minnesota, Kansas City, Seattle. I made about a quarter of a million dollars per year, and gave about 30% of it away to worthy causes. I was also one of the leading activists in the marijuana legalization movement, and used quite a bit of my money to further that cause. I would also say that the legalization of cannabis is the best, if not the only, way that life in the USA has improved in the last 30 years. I am proud to have played a part in that.

I learned a lot in prison. I learned that people like me, who refused to snitch for a sentence reduction are about 1 in 100. I read hundreds of books and studied Sociology in an inmate college education program.  In the maximum security prison I was in (SEA-TAC FDC) I actually got along better with the Blacks, Latinos, Muslims and Native Americans than I did with the Whites. It was a culturally enriching experience, though I personally do not recommend going just for the culture. But if you have to go, make the most of it.

Question 20: What cultural aspects does the United States share with Donbass? Do people there like the same type of music, movies, and so on? Do people there like to drink and smoke like they do here in America?

I'd say that people here actually drink and smoke a bit more than in the US. It is a traditional Eastern European cultural thing, as well as a reaction to the stress of being in a war zone. The GOOD people in the USA are the same as the good people here, they work towards a better world for all, and they actually WORK towards the goal, not just talk. But among the populations as a whole, the people of Donbass, are much smarter, braver, better educated and better mannered, and have much higher moral and cultural standards than people in the US or the West.

The people here also have a much better grasp of politics and history, and  many more of my Russian friends have read Jack London,  Fennimore Cooper, Mark Twain and other American literary classics than have my friends in the US. And while not perfect, the cultural and political solidarity here is far, far stronger and more advanced than anything in the West. I consider identity politics to be THE major cause of this critical failure of solidarity in what passes for progressive forces in the West.

Question 21: What are your views on identity politics in leftist circles? Should class struggle against the capitalists be the primary duty of communists and socialists, or should they spend an equal amount of time on various other social issues, such as racism, sexism, and homophobia?

Identity politics is an excellent way to identify idiots and provocateurs. It is the single biggest failure of "the Left" in modern history. There is only one war, the class war. Fuck every single selfish piece of shit who advocates rights only for their own sub-group of Humanity. That some groups have genuinely been more oppressed than others is beyond dispute, but giving them special privileges is as stupid as it is immoral and counter-productive. Yes, Black lives matter, but it is a fact that more White people are murdered by police than Blacks, and their lives matter every bit as much. Women, Gays, and racial minorities who are only interested in their own rights are no better than corporations that are only interested in their own profits. There can be no question that Native Americans are the most oppressed and aggrieved minority in the US today. Anyone who doesn't stand up for their rights at least as much as their own is a hypocrite. The only way to fight for your rights is to fight for everyone's rights, along with anyone brave and dedicated enough to stand beside you for the same cause. It is the ONLY way.

People get, and deserve, only the rights they fight for themselves, and it is rankest hypocrisy to demand rights for yourself that you do not support for others. The robber baron Jay Gould once said "I can hire half the working class to kill the other half."  Identity politics is people doing exactly that filthy job for free. Class solidarity is the most important weapon in the fight against modern fascism. It is the ONLY weapon that can win this war for the future of humanity, and identity politics is solidarity's worst enemy.

Identity politics is just another form of "me first" racism, censorship, oppression, and even worse, it is a form of infantilism, in that oppressed people are asking their oppressors to make things right for them, usually at the expense of some other oppressed sub-group. The last time I had any hope for politics in the USA was when there was some talk of a Ralph Nader/Ron Paul coalition. It never happened. The Right has balls, but no brains, the Left has brains but no balls. Until the Right and Left unite, there will be no progress whatsoever. Communism means above all, egalitarianism. Anyone who advocates identity politics and calls themselves a Communist should be bitch-slapped.

Question 22: What are your views on confederate statues being down, since you are from a state that was part of the confederacy (Texas)? Do you think the act of taking down the statues in effect masks the fact that the US is still a racist country, with or without the statues being there?

I think it is a meaningless distraction, a waste, a symbolic circle jerk, done by poseurs whom pretend to be tough and pretend to be doing something by fighting inanimate objects. If it wasn't so stupid and wasteful, it would be laughable. What kind of clowns fight a symbol when they could and should be fighting the real thing? Take a look at who tears down statues in the 21st Century - US soldiers in Iraq, neo-nazis in Kiev and Poland, and ISIS in Iraq and Syria. All misguided dipshits trying to re-write history. Who wants to be like them?

Question 23: Do you think people spend too much time ruminating about the Soviet Union in the west? Should people spend more of their time trying to build a new socialist project?

People must understand the theory and history of Communism and the USSR. They need to understand the mistakes and successes, in order to re-build Communism and a new USSR 2.0. The Essence of Time Movement is doing both, exactly, today. In fact, I consider EoT to be the most important Communist organization in Russia today. The KPRF and even KPDPR are both deeply marginalized by their own internal contradictions and shortcomings. (As are ALL the Communist Parties in the US.) EoT's plan is the best I have seen. Everyone who calls themselves a Communist should be familiar with it. It is the real deal. You can learn about it here - http://eu.eot.su/language/en/

Question 24: Who is your favorite Marxist philosopher, and who is your favorite Marxist pragmatist/strategist?

It is hard to pick a favorite. Ho Chi Minh and Che Guevara were two of my earliest influences. Big Bill Haywood, Eugene Debs, James Connolly were (and still are) some of my early heroes, and if not strictly "Marxist", they were true Communists, willing to fight for Socialism and justice. I read Antonio Gramsci's "Prison Notebooks" when I was in prison. Mao and Fidel, of course, Lenin and Stalin. Lenny Wulff's "Science of Revolution" was also influential (free PDF here.)

The greatest living Marxist writer in the USA today is undoubtedly Michael Parenti.  I especially recommend "Blackshirts and Reds" (free pdf download here.) and "Dirty Truths". As I have often said about Parenti, he's like Noam Chomsky, but Parenti is smarter, a much better writer, and, unlike Chomskey,  has some balls.

Question 25: Why do you think fascism was able to arise in such an open fashion in Kiev?

It must be understood that the Maidan coup was not a spontaneous event.  Beyond Victoria Newland's $5 billion, beyond the "Orange Revolution" of 2004-2005, beyond operation Gladio, the roots of the Maidan coup are in Bandera's OUN-B and UPA, pro-nazi armies during the German occupation of Ukraine in WW2. These were (and are) hardcore nazis, mass murderers, war criminals and rabid anti-communists. They form the central core of Ukraine's military and political structure today. The original members of Bandera's organizations have had generations to brainwash their offspring and to prepare for the moment when they could seize power.

These groups have been (and still are) supported, directed and manipulated by US and NATO, with financing, training, arms and instruction. The Maidan coup is in line with the "rebellions" in Libya and Syria.

Real Communists can learn a lot from what we have done in the Donetsk Republics. We have defended our homes and our families against a national military power using every weapon at their disposal - tanks, artillery, rockets, aviation, terrorism. And we have fought them to a standstill. Four years later, the Republics still exist, and we are still free. But this war is not just in Donbass, it is global, and it is not finished.

The greatest enemy of the American People, and of the future of Humanity itself, is the US government and the genuinely fascist kleptocrats who own and control it.  They are right now, today, implementing a plan to rule the world, enslave those who are profitable or useful to them, and exterminate the rest of us. There is no escape, and the time for talking is over. You will not defeat your mortal enemy by voting, or writing letters to your government "representatives", by lively and deep conversations in the local pub, or by hitting the "Like" button on Facebook. You have only 2 options - Fight or die. Victory or Death. Get busy.