Black eye for Biden: NBC TV reports that Crimea supports Russia
Along with Kiev's battered and retreating army in Bakhmut, the White House's fake narrative is collapsing. NBC journalists visited 'occupied' Crimea, only to find that the locals support Russia.
As I write these words the strategic Donbass city of Bakhmut (Artemovsk) is being taken by a private Russian military company mainly consisting of convicted criminals with little training. They’ve defeated some of Ukraine’s finest soldiers, including its most elite units, which enjoy real-time battlefield intelligence, weapons and supplies from NATO.
These facts speak volumes — NATO’s Ukrainian army can’t even stop a ragtag group of Russian convicts. From here on, it only gets worse for NATO and Kiev. But most western media won’t tell you this. They’ll continue to promote the lies and propaganda they’re fed from the White House and Pentagon.
Of all our government’s lies, those regarding Crimea have been crucial to NATO's false narrative. But last week the ‘stars aligned’ in a rare moment that induced one major American TV channel to actually tell the truth! As far as I can remember, this is a first for a major U.S. media company covering the conflict.
Imagine the horrified reaction in Washington, as well as in London and Brussels, when they saw NBC TV’s report that showed what all experienced and competent experts on Russia and Ukraine have long known — the people of the region of Crimea overwhelmingly support Russia.
Keir Simmons and his NBC team traveled to Crimea, and were shocked (!) to learn that the locals want to remain with Russia and not Zelensky’s NATO-backed regime. This was not what Mr Simmons had been told by his Pentagon sources, who push the false narrative that Crimea is groaning under ‘brutal Russian occupation’.
The regime in Kiev, urged on by NATO, has clearly defined its goal to conquer Crimea, to slaughter its defenders and eradicate or deport anyone who identifies as ‘Russian’, which is about 90% of the 2.4 million inhabitants.
And how has Mr Simmons been rewarded for his brave work that contradicts the White House’s narrative? Has he been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for speaking truth to power? No. Instead, he’s been placed on a notorious far-right Ukrainian hit list, “Mirotvorets”, which cooperates with secret police in NATO countries.
“Mirotvorets” is a threat to freedom of speech, freedom of the press and all principles of liberty that western civilization once cherished. Why does our government allow this? And what about other major media — why haven’t they stepped forward to condemn Mirotvorets as a far-right hate group and called for the FBI to investigate?
Such threats and harassment are all too common for journalists who dare tell the truth about Ukraine. The likes of Alina Lipp (Germany), Eva Bartlett (Canada), Patrick Lancaster (U.S.) and Graham Phillips (UK) have done the world a great service reporting from the Donbass. They’ve long told the truth about Crimea, well before Mr Simmons, and they’ve all paid a high price.
Today, all four of these brave journalists have been given refuge in Russia because they face persecution from their governments — even jail if they return home — for speaking the truth about Kiev’s crimes against ethnic Russians in Donbass. The NATO regimes can only maintain power through censorship and intimidation. They can’t withstand the blistering light of free speech and debate.
Why is the truth about Crimea now coming out in U.S. media? NBC bosses could easily have killed the report. But they didn’t. Perhaps it’s a fluke; or perhaps the censor was on vacation. Or might it reflect a power struggle among U.S. elites?
Indeed, some in Washington — let’s call them the ‘doves’ — understand the end is near for Kiev, and Americans need to be prepared for the inevitable. The U.S. is obsessed with planning, even in failure. Everything must be managed, nothing left to chance. Suitable excuses for failure must be offered, for example, TV journalists suddenly ‘discover’ that people in Crimea don’t want to be a part of Ukraine.
For now, however, the hawks in Washington remain in control, and call for more war. So, let’s not be overly optimistic about the chances for peace. Here’s the latest interview from America’s most prominent far-right militarist, Lt. General (ret.) Ben Hodges, who supports the conquest of Crimea and ethnic cleansing.
I take my hat off to Mr Simmons for his brave deed, and I wish I could also visit Crimea. Since I can’t at the moment, last month I reached out to Crimean journalist and political analyst, Sergei Yukhin. I asked him a number of questions and he offered much insight into the mood of the peninsula’s 2.4 million people.
Here’s what he had to say, uncut and unedited, except in some places where I added information in brackets in order to explain the context:
“The people of Crimea and Sevastopol are residents of a frontline region, so there’s a clear understanding of the ultimate sinister goals and objectives of NATO and its puppets in Kiev. The people have long been aware of these threats, which didn’t begin with the start of the Special Military Operation; in fact, these threats began back in early 2014, after the coup in Kiev, when punitive battalions and Ukrainian neo-Nazis planned to come to Crimea and carry out ethnic cleansing of the Russian population. That’s why the people of the Crimean peninsula voted to reunite with Russia [in spring 2014], in order to protect the future of our children and grandchildren from the geopolitical ambitions of NATO and its vassals in Kiev.
“Even during the Maidan coup [February 2014], the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol stood up, unified, to defend their land, history, and the Russian language. Resistance has been tremendous. Crimeans were always ready to fight the SBU [Kiev’s dread secret police and successor to the KGB] and other Ukrainian punitive agencies.
“The people of Crimea wanted an end to the program of forced Ukrainization. In 2014, we were alone to face the enemy, but today, all of huge Russia, its Army and Navy, are with us. If necessary, everyone in Crimea will stand up to defend our beloved peninsula, willing to sacrifice their lives.
“Our young people are patriotic, and many serve at the front, working as volunteers and helping the Russian army, as well as refugees. We can be sure that the youth of Crimea and Sevastopol will stand shoulder to shoulder with the older generations to repel any possible attack on the peninsula.
“A small percentage of Crimeans remain loyal to the Kiev regime. They are roughly between 1% to 3% of the total population. But this doesn’t impact the overall situation on the peninsula - the majority wants to remain with Russia.
“As for the local Tatars, the West's plans to divide Crimea’s multi-ethnic community have not succeeded. For the most part, Crimean Tatars have obtained Russian citizenship, and they’re successfully integrated into Russian society, and they support the country's leadership. Many fight against the Ukrainian Nazis.
“After Crimea rejoined Russia the local Tatars were rehabilitated by President Putin's decree, and apartments were given to the families of those who had been deported [during the Stalinist era]. Under Kiev’s rule, there was nothing of the sort - the Crimean Tatars were deceived, used and abused by Kiev politicians.
“The leadership of the so-called ‘Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People’ [an extremist organization banned in Russia that collaborates with the regime in Kiev] has tried to profit from the misfortunes of their countrymen. After Crimea's reunification with Russia, the Mejlis helped to organize the energy blockade [which Kiev started in 2014 in order to punish Crimea]. This brought much suffering on the peninsula’s residents, including the local Tatars, who won’t forgive the Mejlis for such treachery.”
I feel infinite disgust towards those who want to insult intelligences. A vaccine for lies. You are right to have titled your column in this way. I discovered you by accident and if I knew I was right, I needed to know I wasn't alone. Thank you thank you.
Thanks for the interesting article and good news, John! I am glad that sprouts of truth about the opinion of the inhabitants of Crimea have begun to break through the stony soil of the United States. This gives me hope that the United States will finally stop pumping deadly weapons into Ukraine, and nuclear war will never happen.