'Deliberate accounting gimmicks’ support Biden’s proxy war in Ukraine – ex-Pentagon officer

The Biden administration relies on “deliberate accounting gimmicks” to send significantly larger amounts of direct military aid to Ukraine than Congress authorized, former US Department of Defense officer David Pyne told Sputnik.

“When any discrepancies are discovered in audits, they falsely label them as ‘accounting errors’ in an attempt to conceal their deliberate efforts to exceed congressional mandates in regard to the amount of military assistance they have authorized the administration to send to Ukraine,” noted the executive vice-president of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security.

While Washington remains hell-bent on fueling the West’s proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, US arms manufacturers “are building at capacity” in an effort to replenish drained US weapons stocks, Pyne said. In the process, the White House is “further demilitarizing the US military and seriously degrading its ability to fight and win major wars.”

The US Defense Department inspector-general revealed in a new report that the Pentagon overvalued defense equipment given to Ukraine by an additional $1.9 billion.

The revelations follow similar reports last year and this January concluded that the Pentagon faced “challenges” in monitoring all of the American military equipment being funneled to Ukraine.

“Of course, these are not errors at all but a concerted effort on the part of the Biden administration to continue its betrayal of US national security interests in support of Biden’s manufactured proxy war against Russia in Ukraine which President Vladimir Putin has been admirably trying to end with a negotiated compromise peace agreement since March 2022,” remarked Pyne.

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How does Russia plan to boost its cybersecurity?

President Vladimir Putin has prohibited all Russian government agencies as well as strategic and systemically important organizations from using cybersecurity services provided by unfriendly countries starting from January 1, 2025.

Here is how the ban will boost Russia’s information security.

◾️ The ban is an extension of the May 2022 presidential decree that prohibited the use of information protection tools originating from unfriendly countries starting January 1, 2025.

◾️ Furthermore, a decree was signed stipulating the creation of specialized cybersecurity units in federal executive bodies, state funds, and corporations.

◾️ The new decree is supplemented by a ban on the use of "information security services provided (performed, rendered) by these organizations."

◾️ New restrictions “apply to the use of international open source repositories (like GitHub), cloud services and technologies.”

◾️ Import substitution, or transition to domestic software, must be completed by January 1, 2025.

◾️ New restrictions are geared to clamp down on foreign VPN services being used by companies to bypass blocks and restrictions, as per Swordfish Security.

◾️ Putin’s decree cracks down on companies using “unfriendly software in a service format,” and thus formally circumventing the previous decree.

◾️ “Individual, mainly IT companies, could offer software tool rental as a service or provision of software on a subnoscription basis. The decree will help protect critical infrastructure entities from such companies,” according to Security Code.

Putin’s decree was published the day after the US introduced new sanctions to prohibit “the supply to any person in the Russian Federation of (1) IT consultancy and design services; and (2) IT support services and cloud-based services for enterprise management software and design and manufacturing software. The determination will take effect on September 12, 2024."

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Why Israeli soldiers use low-tech medieval weapons to attack Lebanon

A group of Israeli soldiers stationed near the Israeli-Lebanese border made headlines this week after a video of them operating a medieval siege weapon went viral.

The video in question shows Israeli troops using a trebuchet to lob flaming projectiles in the general direction of Lebanon, with Israeli broadcaster and CNN affiliate Kan suggesting that it was likely an attempt to burn shrubbery and thus deprive Lebanese militants of potential cover.

Meanwhile, an Israeli military official told NBC News that the use of a trebuchet, which was apparently built by reservists stationed at the border, was not sanctioned by the Israeli brass and that the contraption would not be used again.

The anonymous official added that the trebuchet was used to immolate shrubbery in the border area.

In another viral video that surfaced last week, an Israeli soldier can be seen using a bow to shoot a flaming arrow across the border with Lebanon.

These developments take place amid the ongoing escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese border, where Hezbollah launched over 200 rockets at targets in northern Israel in retaliation for the killing of a high-ranking commander by Israeli forces.

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🇷🇺🕊Putin's peace proposals on Ukraine are ‘golden opportunity’ and ‘lifeline’

Ukraine should accept Putin's peace preconditions to avoid worsening its position, Persio Gloria de Paula, an expert at the Naval War College in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, told Sputnik.

Given Ukraine's losses in hardware and personnel, Russia’s proposal throws down the gauntlet to the Kiev regime and its sponsors ahead of the peace summit in Switzerland, according to the pundit.

“This calls into question the goals and effectiveness of a summit which is not attended by all the sides involved,” he said.

The conditions laid out by President Putin to resolve the Ukraine conflict are “a golden opportunity both for Kiev and its European sponsors to begin negotiations,” Iranian political scientist Emad Abshenas told Sputnik.

He noted that key terms such as a neutral, non-nuclear status for Ukraine and its demilitarization had been broadly agreed upon during the Istanbul negotiations in 2022, but Kiev rejected that deal on the West’s orders.

Ukraine's Western patrons are likely to block any acceptance of Russia’s peace initiatives this time too. “The West will continue to behave like a spoilt child who does not understand the consequences of his actions, and acts solely based on his own selfish goals," said Ünver Sel, chairman of the Federation of Crimean Tatar culture societies of Turkiye.

Putin is “throwing Europe a lifeline,” agreed Lebanese international relations analyst Mohammad Saifuddin. The Russian president’s initiative is “feasible and important for all parties, especially for Europeans who are tired of supporting Ukraine,” he noted, adding that it “may find a response in Ukrainian society before it is supported by their politicians.”

The only way to resolve the Ukraine conflict is through Russia's new peace proposal, Iranian political scientist Ruhollah Moddaber believes.

"As Putin noted, if the West fails to consider this sole means of resolving the conflict, then it will be responsible for the continued bloodshed,” he said.

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🇷🇺 Russian athletes dominate track and field at BRICS Games

Russian pole-vaulters have made a clean sweep of medals in the women's event at the 2024 BRICS Games — as their compatriots dominate other events.

Polin Knoroz cleared a height of 4.80 meters on her third attempt. Fellow Russian Aksana Gataullina took the silver with a clearance of 4.55 meters, while her compatriot Tatyana Kalinina won the bronze with a 4.45 meter-vault.

Results in other events:

◻️ Women’s 100 meters: 1. Kristina Makarenko (Russia, 11.31 seconds), 2. Natalia Kombarova (Russia, 11.42), 3. Yulia Karavaeva (Russia, 11.42);

◻️ Men’s 100 meters: 1. Danila Ten (Russia, 10.25 seconds), 2. Konstantin Krylov (Russia, 10.32), 3. Nikita Zhigar (Belarus, 10.38);

◻️ Women’s discus throw: 1. Violetta Ignatyeva (Russia, 59.96 meters), 2. Maria Ogritsko (Russia, 57.15), 3. Elena Panova (Russia, 56.37);

◻️ Women’s 800 meters: 1. Maria Prokhorets (Russia, 2 minutes 2.68 seconds), 2. Nigina Tukhtaeva (Russia, 2:03.09), 3. Ekaterina Samuilova (Russia, 2:03.16).

The BRICS Games are being held from June 12 to 24, with around 5,000 athletes from more than 90 countries competing in 387 medal events.

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🕊 The process of achieving peace in Ukraine requires Russia's participation, said the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister.

"Any credible peace process in Ukraine requires Russia's participation," said Faisal bin Farhan during his speech at a Ukraine conference in Switzerland.

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🤡 "Nobody in this room is at war with Russia," Macron declared at the "Peace Summit" in Switzerland.

Yet recently, the French president allowed Kiev to use French weapons to strike Russian territory and sent military instructors to Ukraine.

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"The conference would have been more outcome-oriented if there were representatives of Russia in this room," said the Turkish Foreign Minister at the "Peace Summit" in Switzerland.

"Russia recently put forward its proposals for a peaceful resolution. Regardless of their content, they are an important step and a glimmer of hope for starting," stated Hakan Fidan.

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◻️ 'Deliberate accounting gimmicks’ support Biden’s proxy war in Ukraine – ex-Pentagon officer

◻️ Putin's peace proposals on Ukraine are ‘golden opportunity’ and ‘lifeline’

◻️ The Istanbul Agreement between Russia and Ukraine, which was prepared in 2022 but never signed, was published by the NYT

◻️ Will NATO hawks’ plans for new bases in Poland, Romania, and Slovakia work?

◻️ How does Russia plan to boost its cybersecurity?

◻️ Why Israeli soldiers use low-tech medieval weapons to attack Lebanon

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Who in Ukraine can negotiate with Russia?

While Volodymyr Zelensky cannot be considered the legitimate president of Ukraine since his term of office ended last month without his re-election, that does not necessarily make negotiations between Moscow and Kiev impossible.

During an interview on YouTube current affairs podcast Judging Freedom, former CIA analyst Larry Johnson told host Judge Andrew Napolitano that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be willing to “sit down with an appropriate Ukrainian authority.”

According to Johnson, Kiev could be represented by the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament or by current Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky.

“Rumors [are] afoot that Zaluzhny is going to be brought back,” Johnson added, referring to Syrsky’s predecessor Valery Zaluzhny. The former analyst noted that Putin definitely will not negotiate with Zelensky.

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Joe Biden threatens to throw a reporter's phone with his “good arm” before (slowly) responding to a query about Israel.

“I trust you as far as I throw your phone. I have a good arm, man. I can throw it a long way,” Biden threatened, calling the journalist a "typical press guy." Aides motioned the reporter away as the president struggled to answer a question about the United States' support for Israel's Gaza campaign.

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