larry johnson speaks about the ukie war;

Russia’s response to Ukraine’s spate of terrorist attacks over the weekend is best captured by the phrase, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” This means that revenge is often more satisfying or effective when it is delayed, carefully planned, and not acted on in the heat of emotion.

As I noted in my previous piece, Russia’s military doctrine vis-a-vis Ukraine has been, until now, described as a Special Military Operation. In response to the drone attacks on Russia’s strategic bomber bases, Putin has now characterized the military mission as a Counterterrorism Operation. When the Russian government states that it is treating Ukraine as a “counterterrorism operation,” it signifies a strategic shift in rhetoric, tactics and the legal framework, allowing for expanded military and domestic security measures. Most in the West forget that Russia fought a ten-year counterterrorism war in Chechnya, prevailing in the end by exterminating the threat posed by Salafist muslims.

Under Russian law, declaring a counterterrorism operation grants authorities the power to:

• Restrict Movement: Impose curfews and control over civilian movement in designated areas.
• Control Communications: Monitor and limit media and personal communications.
• Conduct Searches: Carry out searches and detentions without standard judicial oversight.

By framing its military actions as counterterrorism, Russia aims to escalate its use of military force: This means intensified military operations against Ukraine going forward. Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, today announced that Russia would no longer sit for negotiations with Ukraine about ending the war. Instead, Russia would confine its diplomatic efforts to “working delegations” that will address technical issues such as freeing POWS and returning the corpses of Ukrainian soldiers. No more Istanbul. That process is now kaput...........more.......