Michael Fallon - Prick at Large

[David Guyatt]

This propaganda report from the Indy starts lying in the very first paragraph by framing the piece by suggesting that Putin was responsible for "destablizing" Ukraine in the first place -- when we all know the US was responsible for this (the famous "fuck the EU" message of Victoria Nuland).

On a technicolour yawn scale, this gets 8/10:

Ukraine crisis: Russia is a threat to other Baltic states, warns Defence Secretary Michael Fallon



Fallon is worried Russia will use tactics used in Crimea against Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia

HEATHER SAUL

Thursday 19 February 2015

Vladimir Putin could repeat the tactics used to destabilise Ukraine in Baltic members of the Nato alliance, the Defence Secretary has warned.

Michael Fallon urged Nato to prepare to repulse Russian aggression in "whatever form it takes" as he acknowledged tensions between the alliance and Moscow were "warming up".
He spoke after Ukrainian Government forces retreated from a key strategic town which has been under siege by pro-Russian separatists for weeks.
Their departure from the town of Debaltseve followed fierce gun battles, despite a ceasefire agreed by both sides in Minsk last week. Rebels claim this truce does not apply to the town, which lies between the besieged cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko claimed his forces had fulfilled their duty in defending the town and called for UN peacekeepers to monitor the ceasefire in the east of the country.

READ MORE: KIEV'S TROOPS MAKE BITTER RETREAT FROM DEBALTSEVE
US WAITD TO SEE IF MINSK HOLDS BEFORE SENDING KIEV WEAPONS

In comments reported by The Times and The Daily Telegraph, Mr Fallon claimed there is a "real and present danger" Mr Putin could try to ignite tensions in former Soviet states such as Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Michael Fallon says that he is 'worried' about Vladimir Putin in the BalticsThat could involve irregular troops, cyber attacks and inflaming tensions with ethnic Russian minorities in nations seen as part of the country's "near abroad" by Moscow.
"He was testing Nato all last year, if you look at the number of flights and the maritime activity," said Mr Fallon.
"He flew two Russian bombers down the English Channel two weeks ago. We had to scramble jets very quickly to see them off. It's the first time since the height of the Cold War, it's the first time that's happened."
The Defence Secretary was referring to an incident where the UK summoned the Russian ambassador to the Foreign Office aftertwo Russian bombers flew over the English Channel, causing disruption to civil aviation.

The former British ambassador to Russia reportedly claimed this was Mr Putin's way of showing the UK "what we are taking on".
"That just shows you, you need to respond, each time he [Mr Putin] does something like that, you need to be ready to respond," Mr Fallon added.
Mr Fallon also voiced concerns over the sudden increase in Russia's defence spending, describing it as "clearly worrying".
Russia has always denied helping pro-Russian rebels and supplying them with weapons and troops.
He continued: "I'm worried about Putin. There's no effective control of the border, I'm worried about his pressure on the Baltics, the way he is testing Nato, the submarines and aircraft."
David Cameron has accused Russia of supplying arms to separatists in UkraineMr Fallon, who was speaking to journalists as he travelled to Sierra Leone, said it was not a new Cold War with Russia because the situation is already "pretty warm".
The Times reported that he said: "You have tanks and armour rolling across the Ukrainian border and you have an Estonian border guard being captured and not yet still returned.
"When you have jets being flown up the English Channel, when you have submarines in the North Sea, it looks to me like it's warming up."
He spoke after David Cameron called on Europe to demonstrate to Russia that it will suffer economic and financial consequences for "many years to come" if it does not stop destabilising Ukraine.
Pro-Russian rebels in the eastern Ukrainian city of Gorlivka launch missiles on WednesdayMr Cameron insisted Europe could not turn a "blind eye" to the Kremlin's actions.
Speaking during a visit to West Sussex, Mr Cameron underlined his intention to keep pressure on European Union partners to maintain the sanctions regime against Russia despite the ceasefire agreement.
Mr Cameron said: "Of course there's a temptation for every European country just to say 'Let's go on trading exactly as we have done with Russia, let's leave responsibility for what is happening in Ukraine to someone else and let's turn away'.
"I am afraid that would be a terrible mistake and Britain has been leading the argument in Europe saying Russia's behaviour in Ukraine has been completely unacceptable and consequences must follow that in terms of sanctions."

[David Guyatt]

From the Russian Sputnik:

Scaremonger: UK Defence Secretary Accused of Derision Over Baltic Threat

© Flickr/ UK Ministry of Defence

EUROPE13:12 20.02.2015(updated 13:40 20.02.2015)
213861

British military experts have poured scorn over the UK Defence Secretary's claim that the Baltic States could be the next targets for Russia. The news comes as senior British parliamentarians accused the EU of "sleep-walking" into the current crisis in Ukraine.
The British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon suggested that the former Soviet states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia could be next to face a Russian-backed campaign to destabilise them.

© FLICKR/ PAVEL PETROSYAN

Flying on the Edge: British Media Abuzz Over Russian Bombers

Fallon's comments came after another two British RAF fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian bombers close to UK airspace. Fallon said this was a further example of Russia testing NATO's capabilities in Europe, following the crisis in Ukraine.He said that previous sorties into NATO territory proved that Russia could even flex its muscles in the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Fallon told journalists: "It's a very real and present danger. He [President Putin] was testing NATO all last year, if you look at the number of flights and the maritime activity.
He flew two Russian bombers down the English Channel two weeks ago. We had to scramble jets very quickly to see them off. It's the first time since the height of the Cold War, it's the first time that's happened. That just shows you, you need to respond, each time he [Mr Putin] does something like that, you need to be ready to respond."
Russia was quick to rebut Fallon's claims. "The person who could say this is unlikely to understand what kind of substance he is talking about," Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

Peskov says that Britain's Defense Secretary Michael Fallon doesn't understand what he was saying http://t.co/Fvo9WtTIjP #EU cc @20committee
EUFundedProEUTroll (@EUFundedEUTroll) February 19, 2015

Lukashevich: "Comments of Mr Fallon are beyond diplomatic ethics. Characterization of Russia completely intolerable" http://t.co/SMgtu6RbVr
Paul Lookman (@PaulRobert2) February 19, 2015

Missing the Point
Fallon's comments have been met with derision among academics and military experts in Britain, who say his comments show a lack of knowledge of NATO capabilities.
Sarah Lain, a Research Fellow at the UK's Royal United Services Institute, told Sputnik: "I think it's probably missing the point. There's lots to look at in Ukraine, and the likelihood of that spreading to the Baltic States is probably a risk too big for Russia.
"In NATOs' view, they've never said to Ukraine you will be a member'. Similarly, this thing happened with Georgia; there was never any promise of membership. Russia has had this historical narrative about NATO enlargement and encroachment on their backyard."

© FLICKR/ EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

EU, UK Sleep-Walk' Into Ukrainian Crisis House of Lords Committee

Historically, NATO heavily backed by the United States has sought to spread its influence further eastward, despite an agreement after the reunification of Germany, that it would not encroach on the former Warsaw Pact nations. At the time, former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev was assured by (then) US Secretary of State Baker there would be "no extension of NATO's jurisdiction one inch to the east".Since then, the onward march of NATO eastward has continued unabashed with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Albania, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia all joining the Washington-led military coalition.
Lain told Sputnik: "This is about Ukraine. I think the Baltic States aren't really the point. It's also part of NATO's examination of itself. It's suddenly become much more relevant than it was, because of what's going on in Ukraine. So it's a lot of talk from NATO about how it's very important to European security, which is true, but it hasn't really updated itself in line with what's happened since it was formed."
EU Sleepwalking Into Ukraine Crisis
Her comments come on the day the British House of Lords issued a report saying the European Union had totally misunderstood the situation in Ukraine, when it started negotiations with Yanukovich over joining the EU which precipitated the Maidan protests and led to the western-backed Poroshenko government seizing power in Kiev.

The House of Lords European Union committee said: "there has been a strong element of sleep-walking' into the current crisis, with Member States being taken by surprise by events in Ukraine."
"In the long term, the EU, Member States and Russia must learn to live with each other as neighbours, as important players in the United Nations, and as regional powers. Dialogue between the EU and Russia has to be maintained, particularly on the many issues of shared strategic interest, such as a common economic space and a new European security architecture. The EU should also develop a coherent policy approach towards the Eurasian Union," the report said.






Read more: http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150220/1...z3SHni2MSb

[David Guyatt]

Propaganda puke.

Belch.

If You Can't Make It Fake It: UK Claims Russian Missiles in Ukraine

© Sputnik/ Mikhail Fomichev

EUROPE16:34 19.02.2015(updated 17:57 19.02.2015)
7048358

The snapshots of the truck-mounted SA-22 Pantsir surface-to-air missile system appeared on the web and on social networks, but for some strange reason the time and date they were taken differed from what appears on these very same photos published earlier.

© SPUTNIK/ VALERIY MELNIKOV

No Signs of Russian Military Activity Detected on Border With Ukraine

British diplomats released photographs on Wednesday of what they described as Russia's advanced anti-aircraft artillery system allegedly being used in eastern Ukraine, saying it was further proof of Russia's military involvement in the conflict.The snapshots of the truck-mounted SA-22 Pantsir surface-to-air missile system appeared on the web and on social networks, but for some strange reason the time and date they were taken differed from what appears on these very same photos published earlier.

Presence of SA-22 in #Ukraine is more proof of direct #Russian military involvement in the conflict UK Perm Rep 1/2 pic.twitter.com/2xAxu1zTbg
UK Delegation, NATO (@UKNATO) 18 февраля 2015

Moreover, there is no visual proof that either the missiles were Russian or whether they were snapped on Ukrainian soil.

© NATO

NATO Unable to Provide Proof of Alleged Russian Troops in Ukraine - Moscow

"The presence of the SA-22 in eastern Ukraine is yet more proof of direct Russian military involvement in the conflict," the British ambassador to NATO, Adam Thomson, said in releasing the pictures via Twitter.He then urged Russia to "fully implement its Minsk commitments," and move its weapons out of Ukraine, referring to a truce agreement signed last week in Minsk.
One of the photographs where the time and place it was taken are missing, offers a general picture of the Pantsir complex, while three others, dated December 24 and February 4 and 5, indicate they were made in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Shakhtarsk and Donetsk.

© AP PHOTO/ SUE OGROCKI

Oops! US Warmonger Busted on Presenting 2008 Photo as 'Evidence of Russian Invasion in Ukraine'

The links initially led to totally unrelated web pages but eventually brought us to the web page of Britain's Jane's Information Group and the Armament Research Services expert group.The photos shown there feature a truck-mounted missile complex, reminiscent of the Pantsir SA-22. Finding out just when and where those photos were actually taken proved a mission impossible.
Further linked was the webpage of the Billingcat investigative journalism group and showed a KAMAZ truck with a Pantsir-like unit sitting on top. The photo, made on a misty day against the backdrop of a concrete wall and some trees, only says, without elaborating, that it was taken in Shakhtarsk.

© AP PHOTO/ DMITRY LOVETSKY

OSCE Head Confirms No Russian Troops in Donbas

Which is surprising, because the very same photograph, which appeared on other websites, indicates it was taken on January 23 in Russia's very own Rostov region.In a similar story, a Guardian journalist behind a report claiming Russian forces shelled Ukrainian positions from within the Russian Federation turned out to be a research fellow with CENTRIC, a UK based security and intelligence organization based at Sheffield University with close links to the British intelligence community.
Eliot Higgins co-wrote an article Tuesday along with Guardian Diplomatic Editor Julian Borger under the headline "Russia shelled Ukrainians from within its own territory, says study".
The article details the work of "the Bellingcat investigative journalism group" but fails to mention that Higgins is the founder of the Bellingcat group and partly wrote the study he was reporting on for The Guardian.The article makes no reference to Higgin's links to the group.
CENTRIC's website boasts that the organization works in "close collaboration in security research and activity started between Sheffield Hallam University and Law Enforcement Agencies" and whose board comprises of individuals from UK policing and the British intelligence community.
Such "material proof" of Russia's military involvement in the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine has been the butt of many jokes in the West itself.
Russia, for its part, has consistently denied repeated Western accusations of it allegedly supplying arms to independence supporters in eastern Ukraine.






Read more: http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150219/1...z3SHoTv8Ux

[David Guyatt]

I love the Putin-Tsipras agreement that will have Russian gas via Turkey to Greece and thence on to the rest of Europe. It rather makes Greece a vital part of Europe's long term economic survival. So clever.

WEEKEND EDITION FEBRUARY 20-22, 2015




Is Putin's Next Big Play for Greece?

NATO Contrives Russian Threats in the Baltic

by OLIVER TICKELL
London.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will "launch a campaign of undercover attacks to destabilise the Baltic states on Nato's eastern flank", the Telegraph reports today along with all other mainstream news media.
How do we know this? Because the UK's Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said so. Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia watch out the Russian peril is fast coming your way.
"There are lots of worries", Fallon told the newspaper. "I'm worried about Putin. There's no effective control of the border, I'm worried about his pressure on the Baltics, the way he is testing NATO, the submarines and aircraft … They are modernising their conventional forces, they are modernising their nuclear forces and they are testing NATO, so we need to respond."
Covert attack by Russia on the Baltic states is "a very real and present danger", Fallon insisted. Now where did we hear that before? Ah yes. On 16th December 1998 President Bill Clinton said that that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein presented "a clear and present danger" to the stability of the Persian Gulf and the safety of people everywhere.
We all know where that led: the Iraq war followed a few years later. We also know that the claim was a monstrous untruth: Saddam had no chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. So why should we believe Fallon now? Where is his evidence? He has none. When you already know the truth, who needs evidence?
Fallon and NATO should keep their eyes on the ball
But while Fallon's attention is focused on the imaginary threat to the Baltic states, there is another country that really could be at risk' and not because of cyber-attack, invasion by green men' or a campaign of destabilisation emanating from the Kremlin.
No, the EU, the European Central Bank, the IMF and European finance ministers have already been doing all the destabilisation that's needed forcing Greece into a deep programme of austerity that has seen the economy shrink by 25% over five years, the closure of vital public services, mass unemployment and the forced sell-off of public assets.
And now the Greeks and their newly elected Syriza government have had enough. This week the Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras flatly refused to renew the €240 billion bailout' package, which comes with all the austerity strings, and he today advanced proposals for a six-month assistance package' free of harsh conditions to give Greece time to renegotiate its debt.
The standoff continues, and will be decided tomorrow by EU finance ministers. It's not looking good: Germany has already stated that the Greek proposal "does not meet the conditions". But if the finance minsters don't agree, then what?
You guessed it: Tsipras will turn to Russia. Earlier this month Tsipras and Putin agreed on a range of bilateral ties, including the construction of a pipeline that would carry Russian natural gas from the Turkish border across Greece to the other countries of southern Europe.
This follows the re-routing of the South Stream' pipeline, which had been due to cross Bulgaria but was effectively blocked by the EU's retrospective application of energy market rules, under heavy pressure from the USA. Last November and December Putin negotiated the pipeline's realignment across Turkey with Turkish President Erdogan right up to the Greek border.
Following the agreement between Putin and Tsipras, which came complete with an invitation to Moscow on Victory over the Nazis day, 9th May, the pipeline link to the major countries of southern Europe is now complete, at least on paper. And once it's built, Greece will effectively control and profit from that gas supply, and take a strategic position in Europe's energy landscape.
But Greece is a NATO member!
Greece's increasingly warm relationship with Russia is already causing concern among other EU and NATO countries. German Defense Minister Ursula von Der Leyen has said that Greece was "putting at risk its position in the NATO alliance with its approach to Russia."
This provoked a fierce retort from Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos who branded the attack as "unacceptable and extortionate" noting that "Greece was always on the side of the Allies when they pushed back German occupation troops."
"Statements that replace the EU and NATO's institutional bodies are unacceptable as blackmailing", he added. "They undermine the European institutions except if Germany's aim is to dissolve the European Union and the NATO."
So if Tsipras's refinancing proposal is refused tomorrow will Greece quit NATO and the EU, to join the Eurasian Union? Not if Mr Putin gets his way: Greece is worth much more to Russia as an ally within the EU and NATO than outside where it can veto more trade sanctions against Russia, block the TTIP and CETA trade deals with the USA and Canada, and oppose NATO's increasing belligerence from within.
But we could see Greece simply renouncing its manifestly unpayable and unjust €320 billion national debt, and quitting the Eurozone straitjacket while receiving an emergency liquidity package from Russia to support the launch of the New Drachma.
In fact, we could see a re-run of important elements of the Ukraine play of December 2013, when Russia offered a support package under which it would buy $15 billion in bonds from Ukraine, supporting its collapsing currency, and supply it with deeply discounted gas £268 per cubic metre rather than the maarket price of $400.
A $15 billion purchase of New Drachma denominated Greek bonds would be a superb launch for Greece's new currency, and would firmly cement Greece's long term alliance with Russia, providing it with a valuable long term bridgehead into both the EU and NATO.
This move would also give inspiration and confidence to progressive political movements across Europe that take inspiration from Syriza's fight for economic justice in Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, the UK and beyond and bear the powerful message: there is an alternative.
And while NATO, the EU, the USA and their loyal servants, among them the UK's Michael Fallon, deliberately whip up a fictitious threat in the Baltic, ignoring the real danger they face to the south, the masterly Mr Putin would once again make fools of them all.
Oliver Tickell edits The Ecologist.