Provocations Against Russia – The Historical Context

April 4, 2023 7 minutes read

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Regis Tremblay
OPEDS

Russia marks the anniversary of the Great Patriotic War during World War Two every May 9th. Red Square in Moscow. More than 27 million Russians died in WW2, and more than 70,000 towns and cities were destroyed, but it was Russia that broke the back of the Nazi military machine.

Dateline: March 17, 2023

The USA and its vassals have been repeating the mantra that Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine was “unprovoked.” The controlled media repeat this endlessly in every article about the conflict in Ukraine. In order to expose this lie it is necessary to consider the historical context of what constitutes an “provocation.” This is the purpose of this article.

Let us begin with the 1917 Russian Revolution orchestrated and funded by the powerful financial actors in “The West.” Was this not a provocation and for what purpose?

On August 6th and 9th, 1945, Harry S. Truman dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, not to end the war, for Japan was already suing for peace, but to send a message to Stalin who was boss. Was this not a provocation?

On February 9, 1990, US Secretary of State James Baker promised Mikhail Gorbachev that “NATO would not move one inch eastward toward Russia."

The US broke that promise almost immediately in 1994 under Bill Clinton, expanding to 14 former Soviet Republics placing nuclear missiles in Poland and Romania.

Was this not a provocation?

In 1991, GHW Bush plotted the breakup of Russia. He dispatched NGOs, The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), George Soros’ Open Society Foundation and the Harvard economists, Larry Summers and Jeffrey Sachs, to impose the “shock therapy” on the Russian economy. This led to the privatization of Russia’s assets, the creation of a class of oligarchs, mass unemployment, the nonpayment of wages and pensions, violent crime, and millions of deaths.

Was this not a provocation?

In the 1996 election when the very unpopular Boris Yeltsin was expected to lose, President Bill Clinton invested millions of dollars in a widespread campaign to get “their man” Yeltsin elected. This was even boasted in the cover story of the Times magazine with Yeltsin and the statement in bold print, “Yanks to the Rescue.”

Was this not a provocation?

Yeltsin resigned the presidency on December 31, 1999, and appointed the unknown Vladimir Putin as acting president. Putin was later elected in March of 2000, and this spelled the end of the US attempt to rape and pillage the Russian economy and the theft of its resources. The US would not forget.

And then at the 2007 Munich Security Conference, Putin castigated the US for repeated violations of international law and the UN Charter. He made this speech with US Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman sitting in the front row. This speech made Vladimir Putin America’s Public Enemy #1.

Keeping in mind during these years was the US/NATO expansion surrounding Russia and the annual military exercises gaming a war with Russia. Each year these war games expanded exponentially in number, scope from the Black Sea to the Arctic.

Were these not provocations?

And what about the US orchestrated and funded 2014 coup d’état in Kiev, again with John McCain, Lyndsey Graham, Victoria Nuland and Ambassador Jeffrey Pyatt encouraging the crowds on the Maidan.

Was this not a provocation and a direct threat on Russia’s doorstep?

When Crimea voted in a referendum on March 16, 2014 to return to Russia, the US immediately claimed that Putin [had] invaded and annexed Crimea saying that Crimea rightfully belonged to Ukraine. But, this completely ignores the historical context of how and why Crimea was illegally deeded to Ukraine during the Soviet Era by Nikita Khrushchev.

Almost immediately after the Maidan coup, Ukraine began what is now a nine year war against Donetsk and Lugansk, two republics who opposed the coup and the US imposed Petro Poroshenko as president. This all-out war on the Donbass republics has resulted in some 14,000 deaths and massive damage to residential buildings, office buildings, churches, schools, hospitals and infrastructure.

These two republics are primarily ethnic Russians.

Was this not another direct provocation not only on the Russian speaking population but immediately on Russia’s border?

And then in an attempt to stop the war in Donbas, the Minsk Agreements were signed on September 5, 2014 between Russia, Ukraine, and the OSCE with Francois Hollande from France and Angela Merkel of Germany as mediators.

And then in 2022, Poroshenko, Merkel and Holland all admitted that the Minsk agreements were an attempt to buy time for Ukraine and a pro-Ukrainian, anti-Putin coalition to build up the US/NATO backed Ukrainian army.

Was this premeditated scam not another provocation of Russia?

Can anyone forget the massive Ukrainian buildup on the Donbas border in November 2021? Russia responded with an equally large force deployed to Russia’s borders.

Was this not a provocation?

And the following month, December 2021, President Putin presents Russia’s Security Guarantees to the US, NATO, the EU, and the OSCE which were completely ignored.

Two months later on February 24, 2022, Russia begins its Special Military Operation in Ukraine with three goals:

• to demilitarize Ukraine,
• to de-Nazify Ukraine
• to ensure a neutral Ukraine

Seven months later on September 26 the Nord Stream Pipelines were blown up.

One month later on October 8, the Kerch Bridge was attacked.

Were these not direct attacks and provocations?

During 2022, the US/NATO and EU began gaslighting the world with the possible nuclear escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. Russia responded that it would use everything in its nuclear arsenal to defend the country.
Was this not another ominous provocation?

October 2014, the US Navy established a naval base where an Aegis Ashore missile defense site has been constructed.

May, 2016 the US launches a missile defense base on Poland. There are some 10,000 US soldiers stationed on a rotational basis. Are these bases with thousands of soldiers and missile "defense" systems that can easily be converted to offensive systems provocations?

From the 1990’s to the present day, the US has unilaterally withdrawn from every nuclear arms treaty with Russia. Are these not provocations?

It is clear when one examines all of these belligerent, hostile actions and mendacious rhetoric and propaganda of the USA against President Putin and Russia that the USA and its vassals are the aggressors and provocateurs.

The rest of the world clearly recognizes the true colors of the imperial US hegemon and are now swiftly “Leaving the American Sector” for a better world based on multipolarity, the strict observance of International Law and the UN Charter, and the respect, dignity and sovereignty of all nations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR / SOURCE
Regis Tremblay is an American-born independent filmmaker living in Yalta, Crimea, of the Russian Federation. He maintains a blog at https://registremblay.com/blog/

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