Ho ho ho, Biden admin suffers security breach and "intelligence" leak exposing their lies, lying about Ukraine prospects, etc.

[Apollonian]

Ingraham/FOX News comments on the latest leaks and breach of "intell" and breach of security by creepy Joe admin

Security leaks have been on I-net for good while

 

[Apollonian]

Of course?--"leaker" of embarrassing "intell" is "racist" gun-advocate, says liberals--what else?​

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Pentagon leaks linked to young gun enthusiast who worked at military base – report​

Link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/pentagon-leaks-linked-young-gun-051038221.html

Julian Borger in Washington
Thu, April 13, 2023 at 12:10 AM CDT

The man responsible for the leak of hundreds of classified Pentagon documents is reported to be a young, racist gun enthusiast who worked on a military base, and who was seeking to impress two dozen fellow members of an internet chat group.
The Washington Post interviewed a teenage member of the group, who described the man, referred to by the initials “OG”, from their online correspondence, and shared photographs and videos. The Post also viewed a video of a man identified as OG at a shooting range with a large rifle.
“He yells a series of racial and antisemitic slurs into the camera, then fires several rounds at a target,” the report said. OG told fellow members of the same internet group that he worked on a military base, which was not named in the report, where his job involved viewing large amounts of classified information.
Related: Pentagon leaks: key revelations of classified documents
The leaked documents have laid bare secrets about Ukraine’s preparations for a spring counter-offensive, US spying on allies such as Ukraine, South Korea and Israel, and the tensions between Washington and allied capitals over arming Kyiv.
There is increasing evidence that the leak was not an intelligence operation by a state actor aiming to discredit the US, but more likely the consequence of a Pentagon policy of granting top secret security clearances to huge numbers of service members, civilians and contractors. The number of employees and contractors in the entire US government with top secret clearance is about 1.25 million.
OG appears to have acted as a leader on a server originally set up in 2020 on the Discord messaging platform by a small group of gun enthusiasts and gamers. The group went by several names, but most often it was known as Thug Shaker Central. Starting last year, OG is reported to have posted the documents on a channel on the server he named “Bear vs Pig”, a reference to the Ukraine war but also a viral video showing pigs fighting off a black bear.
According to the teenage member of the group interviewed by the Post, OG “had a dark view of the government”, portraying the government, and particularly law enforcement and the intelligence agencies, as a repressive force. He ranted about “government overreach”.
The Post said details were confirmed anonymously by other members of the group, and that it had viewed a total 300 photographs of classified documents, three times the number previously thought to be circulating.
The origins of the leaks on Thug Shaker Central was first reported on Sunday by the Bellingcat investigative journalism group, which also interviewed the same member, who is under 18.
However, the Washington Post said the teen member, who had been in touch with OG “in the past few days” had yet to be interviewed by any federal law enforcement officials by the time of publication on Wednesday night, even though the justice department began a criminal investigation and an FBI manhunt was launched at the beginning of the week. The defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has vowed to “turn over every rock” in pursuit of the leaker.
OG’s current whereabouts are unknown. The teenage group member told the Post he “seemed very confused and lost as to what to do”.
“He’s fully aware of what’s happening and what the consequences may be,” he said. “He’s just not sure on how to go about solving this situation … He seems pretty distraught about it.”
In his final message to his fellow group members, OG told them to “keep low and delete any information that could possibly relate to him”, including any copies of the classified documents.
Russia has so far offered a muted response to the leaks. The deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, suggested on Wednesday that the leak might be a US disinformation ploy. “Since the US is a party to the conflict and is essentially waging a hybrid war against us, it is possible that such techniques are being used to deceive their opponent, the Russian Federation,” Ryabkov told Russian news agencies.
The Ukrainian government is assessing the possible damage from the disclosures. The files give details of 12 newly formed brigades, equipped with western battle tanks and armoured vehicles, which are likely to lead the assault against dug-in Russian positions. “For sure, people are not happy,” one official admitted on Wednesday. “Ukraine was criticised last year for not being a trustworthy partner. At the beginning of the invasion, we weren’t provided with weapons because of this lack of trust. We lost a lot of territory and people as a result. This perception was wrong. And now this leakage happens from the US side.”
It was too early to say whether the leak would affect planning for Ukraine’s counter-offensive, now at an advanced stage, the official indicated. The attack is widely expected to take place in the south of the country, and possibly in the east as well. Ukraine’s goal is to break the land corridor connecting Crimea with Donetsk province and to evict the Russians from the occupied city of Melitopol and the port of Berdiansk.

 

[Apollonian]

FOX News/Ingraham analyzes the amazing "leaks" of serious "intell" exposing creepy Joe admin incompetence and malfeasance (like lying)

 

[Apollonian]

Commentary fm FOX News/Carlson on "leaks" by the 21 yr old who disclosed Jew S A has troops in Ukraine, lying, etc., and the Jews-media takes side of lying traitorous gov. against the leaker

 

[Apollonian]

MAGA-world is rushing to defend Jack Teixeira, the accused Pentagon leaker who allegedly dumped secret documents online to impress his teenage gamer buddies​

Link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/maga-world-rushing-defend-jack-221759874.html

John Haltiwanger
Fri, April 14, 2023 at 5:17 PM CDT

Jack Teixeira, 21, has been charged in connection with the leak of secret Pentagon documents.Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

• Trump's allies are rushing to the defense of the accused Pentagon leaker.
• MTG suggested Jack Teixeira is being singled out for being "white, male, christian, and antiwar."
• The leak represents the worst military intelligence breach in roughly a decade.

Prominent figures associated with former President Donald Trump and the far right have rushed to the defense of Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman who has been charged in connection with the leak of dozens of secret Pentagon documents. To them, Teixeira is a martyr for revealing the truth about the stalemated war in Ukraine to the American people.
But accounts of why he allegedly shared the secrets paint a more complicated picture.
Rather than a feeling of grand patriotism, Teixeira was largely driven by a desire to inform and impress the mostly teenage gamers he befriended online, according to accounts by those friends reported by the Washington Post and New York Times. Known to them mostly as OG, he didn't intend for the documents to be shared across the internet to provoke a broad public debate about continued US support for the war or the gathering and dissemination of US intelligence. He also reportedly expressed racist and antisemitic views in discussions with his gamer friends.
Teixeira was arraigned in federal court Friday in Boston and has not entered a plea. The documents that made their way out of the gamer chat have included revelations about the Ukraine's war against Russian invaders, to which the US has provided extensive support. To prominent far right voices like Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, that makes Teixeira a truth-exposer who's being unfairly prosecuted.
"Teixeira is white, male, christian, and antiwar. That makes him an enemy to the Biden regime. And he told the truth about troops being on the ground in Ukraine and a lot more," Greene said in a tweet. In another, Greene said that "many are calling Jake Teixeira a hero for pulling back the flimsy transparent curtain and revealing what we suspected all along."
Insider asked a spokesperson for Greene whether she's aware of the reports indicating Teixeira made anti-Semitic remarks and reportedly did not intend for these documents to reach anyone beyond the gamers in his Discord group.
"You seem to be putting words in Congresswoman Greene's mouth," Greene's spokesperson, Nick Dyer, said in response. "Shame on you. You aren't a journalist, you are a Democrat activist working as a Biden administration propagandist," he added.

'Treating him like Osama bin Laden'​

Teixeira, who worked as an IT specialist at Otis Air Force Base in Massachusetts and had top secret clearance, initially shared images of the documents in a private group on Discord a messaging platform popular with gamers, per the Post. The documents eventually trickled out of that Discord group, known as Thug Shaker Central, making their way other online and social media platforms like Twitter, Telegram, and 4chan.
After the leaks were first reported on by the New York Times, the US government scrambled to locate the source and Teixeira was arrested roughly a week later. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Teixeira was taken into custody "without incident."
Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has echoed the Kremlin's propaganda on Ukraine, on Thursday night said that Teixeira was being treated worse than Osama bin Laden, the Al Qaeda terrorist leader who was killed during a Navy SEAL raid in 2011.
"Tonight, the news media are celebrating the capture of the kid who told Americans what's actually happening in Ukraine," Carlson said. "They are treating him like Osama bin Laden, maybe even worse actually, because, unlike Al Qaeda, apparently, this kid is a racist."
While making the case that Ukraine was actually losing the war, Carlson shared bogus casualty figures from an altered version of one of the leaked documents that misleadingly slashed the number of estimated Russian casualties in the war. Even as he shared the discredited information, Carlson lamented that the "telling the truth is the only real sin" in Washington.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. in a tweet suggested that Teixeira would be a "hero" to the "media & to the left if he leaked that the Trump Administration was waging an unlawful war against a nuclear super-power without the knowledge of the people or the approval of Congress." Trump Jr. was seemingly and falsely implying that the US was waging a war in Ukraine. Though the US has supplied Ukraine with billions in security aid, including weapons, it does not have troops directly involved in the fight against Russia; one secret document revealed that in late February 14 US special operations troops were in Ukraine, and US officials insist they are not involved in combat.
The emerging effort by the far right to defend Teixeira connects to a broader campaign by Republicans, particularly Trump, to undermine US support for Kyiv. Trump, considered to be the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination, has railed against US aid to Ukraine amid Russia's unprovoked invasion.

The leaks could hurt Ukraine on the battlefield​

The leak of the documents allegedly perpetrated by Teixeira represents the worst US military intelligence breach in roughly a decade. The Pentagon said the leaks post a serious risk to US national security.
The secret documents offered details on US spying on friends and foes alike, many of which pertained to the war in Ukraine. Some of the documents pointed to weaknesses in Ukraine's air defenses and expressed a lack of confidence in its ability to launch a successful counteroffensive this spring. Other documents exposed the extent of US intelligence on Russia's military and intelligence apparatus, revealing that the US has been able to warn Kyiv about upcoming Russian strikes.
In many ways, one of the biggest stories surrounding the leak is the fact it happened at all. It's an embarrassment for the US that raises questions about its ability to safeguard its secrets, and places Washington in an unsettling position with allies — particularly those it shares intelligence with. The Biden administration has signaled that it's taken steps to limit how sensitive information is shared.
"I'm not concerned about the leak. I'm concerned that it happened," President Joe Biden told reporters on Thursday.
That said, military experts have still expressed serious concerns that the leak could hurt Ukraine on the battlefield by offering Russia information on the assessed shortcomings of Ukrainian forces. Moscow could also potentially take steps to limit the US's ability to eavesdrop on its military and intelligence agencies, making it harder to predict what Russia will do next on the battlefield in Ukraine and beyond.
"This is not the first time classified documents have been leaked but it is one of the few times in recent history where the documents may have included information about ongoing military operations. That would make this doubly harmful," retired US Army Brig. Gen. Kevin Ryan, a former defense attaché to Russia, told Insider earlier this week.

Read the original article on Business Insider [see https://www.businessinsider.com/maga-world-defends-jack-teixeira-the-accused-pentagon-leaker-2023-4/]

 

[Apollonian]

How why the "leaker," Teixeira, is a hero, exposing the traitors running proxy war against Russkies

 

[Apollonian]

Col. Douglas Macgregor: "Bakhmut Is A Catastrophe [For Ukraine]... F-16s Won't Make A Difference"​

BY TYLER DURDEN
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2023 - 08:00 PM

Link: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopoliti...atastrophe-ukraine-f-16s-wont-make-difference

Russia turned Bakhmut into the graveyard of Ukrainian military power, Col. Douglas MacGregor (ret.) explains 'what comes next' in his latest opinion piece at The American Conservative:

Until the fighting begins, national military strategy developed in peacetime shapes thinking about warfare and its objectives. Then the fighting creates a new logic of its own. Strategy is adjusted. Objectives change. The battle for Bakhmut illustrates this point very well.
When General Sergey Vladimirovich Surovikin, commander of Russian aerospace forces, assumed command of the Russian military in the Ukrainian theater last year, President Vladimir Putin and his senior military advisors concluded that their original assumptions about the war were wrong. Washington had proved incurably hostile to Moscow’s offers to negotiate, and the ground force Moscow had committed to compel Kiev to negotiate had proved too small.
Surovikin was given wide latitude to streamline command relationships and reorganize the theater. Most importantly, Surovikin was also given the freedom of action to implement a defensive strategy that maximized the use of stand-off attack or strike systems while Russian ground forces expanded in size and striking power. The Bakhmut “Meatgrinder” was the result.
When it became clear that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government regarded Bakhmut as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russian military power, Surovikin turned Bakhmut into the graveyard of Ukrainian military power. From the fall of 2022 onward, Surovikin exploited Zalenskiy’s obsession with Bakhmut to engage in a bloody tug-of-war for control of the city. As a result, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers died in Bakhmut and many more were wounded.
Surovkin’s performance is reminiscent of another Russian military officer: General Aleksei Antonov. As the first deputy chief of the Soviet general staff, Surovikin was, in Western parlance, the director of strategic planning. When Stalin demanded a new summer offensive in a May 1943 meeting, Antonov, the son and grandson of imperial Russian army officers, argued for a defensive strategy. Antonov insisted that Hitler, if allowed, would inevitably attack the Soviet defenses in the Kursk salient and waste German resources doing so.
Stalin, like Hitler, believed that wars were won with offensive action, not defensive operations.
Stalin was unmoved by Soviet losses. Antonov presented his arguments for the defensive strategy in a climate of fear, knowing that contradicting Stalin could cost him his life. To the surprise of Marshals Aleksandr Vasilevsky and Georgy Zhukov, who were present at the meeting, Stalin relented and approved Antonov’s operational concept. The rest, as historians say, is history.
If President Putin and his senior military leaders wanted outside evidence for Surovikin’s strategic success in Bakhmut, a Western admission appears to provide it: Washington and her European allies seem to think that a frozen conflict—in which fighting pauses but neither side is victorious, nor does either side agree that the war is officially over—could be the most politically palatable long-term outcome for NATO. In other words, Zelensky’s supporters no longer believe in the myth of Ukrainian victory.
The question on everyone’s mind is, what’s next?
In Washington, conventional wisdom dictates that Ukrainian forces launch a counteroffensive to retake Southern Ukraine. Of course, conventional wisdom is frequently high on convention and low on wisdom. On the assumption that Ukraine’s black earth will dry sufficiently to support ground maneuver forces before mid-June, Ukrainian forces will strike Russian defenses on multiple axes and win back control of Southern Ukraine in late May or June. Roughly 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers training in Great Britain, Germany, and other NATO member states are expected to return to Ukraine and provide the foundation for the Ukrainian counterattack force.
General Valery Gerasimov, who now commands the Russian forces in the Ukrainian theater, knows what to expect, and he is undoubtedly preparing for the Ukrainian offensive. The partial mobilization of Russian forces means that Russian ground forces are now much larger than they have been since the mid-1980s.
Given the paucity of ammunition available to adequately supply one operational axis, it seems unlikely that a Ukrainian offensive involving two or more axes could succeed in penetrating Russian defenses. Persistent overhead surveillance makes it nearly impossible for Ukrainian forces to move through the twenty- to twenty-five-kilometer security zone and close with Russian forces before Ukrainian formations take significant losses.
Once Ukraine’s offensive resources are exhausted Russia will likely take the offense. There is no incentive to delay Russian offensive operations. As Ukrainian forces repeatedly demonstrate, paralysis is always temporary. Infrastructure and equipment are repaired. Manpower is conscripted to rebuild destroyed formations. If Russia is to achieve its aim of demilitarizing Ukraine, Gerasimov surely knows he must still close with and complete the destruction of the Ukrainian ground forces that remain.
Why not spare the people of Ukraine further bloodletting and negotiate with Moscow for peace while Ukraine still possesses an army? Unfortunately, to be effective, diplomacy requires mutual respect, and Washington’s effusive hatred for Russia makes diplomacy impossible. That hatred is rivaled only by the arrogance of much of the ruling class, who denigrate Russian military power largely because U.S. forces have been lucky enough to avoid conflict with a major power since the Korean War. More sober-minded leaders in Washington, Paris, Berlin, and other NATO capitols should urge a different course of action.
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Finally, we note that Col. MacGregor sat down with host Charlie Kirk about the grave situation in Ukraine today, as well as an in-depth discussion of current geopolitical picture relating the US and NATO.

"...the truth is Bakhmut was a catastrophe and everyone knows it... people know the Ukrainians can't win and now we're acting desperately at every turn - send them F-16s, send them whatever we have; Truth is none of that is going to make any difference... the real risk now is that fools in Washington will talk about direct intervention..."

Click the image below to go to YouTube directly (video not embeddable) for this critically frank interview: [see site link, above, top]

 

[Apollonian]

BOMBSHELL EVIDENCE: Russia Presents Documents Confirming US Experimentation With Avian Flu Pathogens, With Lethality Rate of up to 40% In Humans at Biolab in Ukraine​

Link: https://conservativeroof.com/bombsh...ans-at-biolab-in-ukraine/?utm_source=substack

Not too long ago, Mitt Romney issued threats towards former Rep.Tulsi Gabbard, who had raised concerns about US funding of biolabs in Ukraine.
In March 2022, Senator Mitt Romney accused former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard of spreading “treasonous lies” for simply talking about the biolabs in Ukraine funded by the United States.
“There are 25+ US-funded biolabs in Ukraine which if breached would release and spread deadly pathogens to US/world,” she said at the time.
“We must take action now to prevent disaster. US/Russia/Ukraine/NATO/UN/EU must implement a ceasefire now around these labs until they’re secured and pathogens destroyed,” she added.
Tulsi Gabbard made her statement based on testimony from the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs in Eurasia, Victoria Nuland.
During her testimony before a US Senate committee, Victoria Nuland openly acknowledged the existence of biological research labs in Ukraine.
Within a span of a few hours, Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary, dismissed the reports of biolabs in Ukraine as fake news propagated by Russia.
The Democrat-fake news-media complex then attacked anyone who talked about the biolabs in Ukraine.
Mitt Romney lashed out at Tulsi Gabbard, saying, “Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives.”
And then, in a significant turn of events, Russia released seized documents from Ukraine, revealing evidence of US military biolabs operating in Ukraine.
Russia made the accusations in front of the United Nations General Assembly.
acknowledging the existence of 46 biolabs in Ukraine, funded by the United States.
This is after months of lies and denials by Democrats, the Biden regime and their fake news mainstream media!
And now, Russia is leveling accusations against the United States, alleging the experimentation with Avian flu pathogens at a US biolab in Ukraine, with a potential lethality rate of up to 40% in humans.

On Friday, Russian officials made their findings public:

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation continues to analyse the military and biological activities of the U.S. and its allies in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world.
We noted earlier that during the special military operation, documentary evidence was obtained confirming that employees of the Biosphere Reserve in Askania Nova, Kherson region, were studying the migration routes of migratory birds and selecting and transferring biological material abroad.
The task force of the Russian Ministry of Defence together with officers of the Federal Security Service and Rosselkhoznadzor have confirmed the collection and certification of avian influenza virus strains with a high potential for epidemic spread and the ability to cross the species barrier, particularly the H5N8 strain, whose lethality in human transmission can reach 40%. Remember that 1% of new coronavirus infections result in death.
Despite efforts by the Reserve’s staff to destroy the biomaterials by cutting off the power to the refrigeration units and destroying the cryopreservoir with liquid nitrogen, specialists from the 48th Central Research Institute of the Russian Ministry of Defence found traces of genetic material of highly pathogenic avian influenza, Newcastle disease virus, and avuloviruses even in the samples that had undergone decomposition.
According to the employees who remained in the Reserve, the Ukrainian side offered them a large cash reward for removing or destroying the research results.
Documents seized in the Reserve’s veterinary laboratory confirm the involvement of the Kharkov Institute of Veterinary Medicine in the work of the American UP-8 and P-444 Projects and preparations for the Flu-Fly-Way project.
Their goal was to evaluate the circumstances in which the transmission of diseases associated with economically significant infections may become uncontrollable, result in economic harm, and constitute a threat to food security.
It is necessary to emphasize that once more that the U.S. Department of Defense, an organisation that has nothing to do with the research of bird migratory routes, commissioned the projects.

 

[Apollonian]

Cluster Munitions Transfer Shows How US, Ukraine Have Grown Desperate Amid Conflict​

by Ian DeMartino | Sputnik
July 9th 2023, 1:56 pm

Link: https://www.infowars.com/posts/clus...s-ukraine-have-grown-desperate-amid-conflict/

Biden's decision to send weapons prohibited by other nations shows the phrase 'international rules-based order' has no standing in reality.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden confirmed his administration would send Ukraine cluster munitions as part of a new $800 million military aid package. Cluster munitions are banned by more than 120 countries, including most NATO members.

The US’ decision to deploy cluster munitions to Ukraine highlights Washington’s constant “double standard” on weapons use, activist and political commentator Phil Kelly has said.


“[The transfer of cluster munitions shows] the double standards that the United States and its Western puppets engage in. We often hear the phrase international rules-based order. That has no standing in reality,” Kelly told Radio Sputnik’s Political Misfits.

“It is a meaningless phrase concocted by the United States which basically means that when other countries commit a crime, [they can] be held accountable for crimes against humanity or war crimes but we cannot because we set the rules that we operate with.”

The decision by the Biden administration shows that the situation is getting desperate for Ukraine and its NATO backers.
https://www.infowarsstore.com/speci...tm_medium=Text+Link&utm_content=bonebrothtext
“The sheer lack of information we are getting about [the Ukrainian counteroffensive] shows that it has been an absolute catastrophic failure,” Kelly said. “So supplying these munitions also displays sheer desperation. […] Europe’s own arsenals are so depleted, the Salvation Army could probably march upon Paris and conquer mainland Europe without a shot being fired.”

To underline his point, Kelly pointed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s increasing attempts to draw NATO forces into a war with Russia.

“[Ukraine] is also burning through its human resources. That’s why Zelensky is not just asking for German tanks, American tanks and F-16s. He is starting to talk about sending the sons and daughters of European nations to come fight in Ukraine. They are losing a generation in a war it cannot win,” Kelly said.


Kelly said that fighting a losing conflict is “great news if you are an arms manufacturer in the US, [but] it’s not such great news if you are a Ukrainian looking to attain a livable future.”

“They really are burning their future and if we are not careful we are going to be dragged into the abyss with them,” he added.

At the heart of the conflict, Kelly says, is the arrogance the West operated with after the end of the Cold War: “the West, rather than reflect and think how the world could move forward, there was a turbocharged arrogance on steroids.”

“[They are] finding out that there are leaders across the world, whether that be [President] Lula [da Silva] in Brazil or President Xi [Jinping] in China, that are standing up to the arrogance and the aggressiveness of Western leaders and pushing back. So history didn’t end when the Soviet Union collapsed, the West is starting to learn this.”

Kelly pointed to increasing talk of de-dollarization and a growing desire to see the end of US hegemony around the world, adding that he hopes “that will be the lesson that will dawn upon leaders in Europe and Washington DC.”

 

[Apollonian]

Wallace Admits UK, Allies Were Building Ukraine's Military Capability Before Conflict​

17 hours ago (Updated: 17 hours ago)

Link: https://sputnikglobe.com/20230712/w...ry-capability-before-conflict-1111830909.html

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday that the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Sweden had been investing in Ukraine and building up the country's military capabilities before the start of the conflict in February 2022.
"Ultimately culturally it is accepted that Ukraine will join NATO. When that happens is either condition-based. Also, before ...[the conflict started in February, 2022], Britain with Sweden, Canada, the United States were investing in Ukraine and building their capabilities," Wallace said at a news conference during the NATO summit in Vilnius.

World
Minsk Agreements Helped Ukraine Beef Up Its Military, Merkel Tells Russian Pranksters

20 February, 16:10 GMT
In 2014-2015, Ukraine negotiated a series of measures with Russia, France and Germany known as the Minsk Agreements aimed at a political resolution of conflict in Donbass. In February of this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that he told former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron that Kiev never intended to fulfill the Minsk Agreements. Merkel said that the deal had been merely an attempt to give Ukraine time to gain strength ahead of a full-scale military confrontation.