southfront--2020-03-20--Turkish-Deployed GNA Field Commander, And Al-Qaeda Member, Dies In Misrata

One of the field commanders of the Libyan Government of National Accord ’ s ( GNA ) forces , Ziyad Balam died in Misrata , on March 18th .
Ziyad Balam was one of the seven identified Ansar al-Sharia terrorists ( Al-Qaeda ) who committed an attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi in 2012 ( now only one of them still lives – Khalid al-Sharif ) .
After the attack on the embassy , Turkey recognized the Ansar al-Sharia group as terrorist .
As soon as Balam became the commander of the Omar Mukhtar brigade , which is part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Turkish side disappeared from all claims against him , and in 2014 , Turkish public health services assisted the wounded “ former ” terrorist .
In 2014 he was wounded in an alleged assassination attempt that failed .
After he was treated in Turkey , he often stayed in Istanbul especially between 2018 and 2020 .
After he returned to Misrata , he went to Tripoli and has never been back to Benghazi .
He has reportedly been active in the eastern part of Jufrah distict .
In April of last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last time arrived in Tripoli to fight on the side of the GNA , according to various sources , he has recently led all the same “ non-terrorists ” from Syria to Ain Zara .
On March 18th , he was wounded , after which he died in the hospital .
Balam was one of the over 6,000 militants that Turkey transported to Libya , to fight on behalf of the GNA and against Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar ’ s forces .
According to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights , because there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ankara started paying a lower salary .
Furthermore , the death toll allegedly sits at 129 .
Meanwhile , clashes in and around Tripoli appear to be slowing down , as the Libyan National Army ( LNA ) is enforcing a curfew and is deploying in cities around the approximately 95 % of Libyan territory under its protection to fight the spread of COVID-19 .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Five Syrian Militants Killed Fighting For Turkey In Libya

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One of the field commanders of the Libyan Government of National Accord’s (GNA) forces, Ziyad Balam died in Misrata, on March 18th.
Ziyad Balam was one of the seven identified Ansar al-Sharia terrorists (Al-Qaeda) who committed an attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi in 2012 (now only one of them still lives – Khalid al-Sharif).
After the attack on the embassy, Turkey recognized the Ansar al-Sharia group as terrorist.
As soon as Balam became the commander of the Omar Mukhtar brigade, which is part of the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, the Turkish side disappeared from all claims against him, and in 2014, Turkish public health services assisted the wounded “former” terrorist.
In 2014 he was wounded in an alleged assassination attempt that failed.
After he was treated in Turkey, he often stayed in Istanbul especially between 2018 and 2020.
After he returned to Misrata, he went to Tripoli and has never been back to Benghazi. He has reportedly been active in the eastern part of Jufrah distict.
In April of last, 2019, Balam, for the last time arrived in Tripoli to fight on the side of the GNA, according to various sources, he has recently led all the same “non-terrorists” from Syria to Ain Zara.
On March 18th, he was wounded, after which he died in the hospital.
#Libya– reports circulating in pro-#LNA accounts that Ziyad Belam/Balaam (leader of #SDB and prior to that, of Omar Mukhtar Brigade) was killed in clashes in Ain Zara, SE #Tripoli — Oded Berkowitz (@Oded121351) March 18, 2020
Balam was one of the over 6,000 militants that Turkey transported to Libya, to fight on behalf of the GNA and against Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s forces.
According to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, because there’s so many of them, Ankara started paying a lower salary.
Furthermore, the death toll allegedly sits at 129.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (#SOHR) said the number of pro-#Turkey Syrian militants killed as a result of military operations in #Libya has risen to 129. pic.twitter.com/xtP1qkRIh4 — M.LNA (@LNA2019M) March 19, 2020
Meanwhile, clashes in and around Tripoli appear to be slowing down, as the Libyan National Army (LNA) is enforcing a curfew and is deploying in cities around the approximately 95% of Libyan territory under its protection to fight the spread of COVID-19.
Heavy deployment of libya army units in all liberated cities under the democratically elected parliament ( 95% of libya ), to enforce the mandatory curfew imposed by the #COVID19 crisis comity .#LNA #HoR #Libya . pic.twitter.com/2LlZGbM2sa — M.LNA (@LNA2019M) March 19, 2020
Heavy deployment of libya army units in all liberated cities under the democratically elected parliament ( 95% of libya ), to enforce the mandatory curfew imposed by the #COVID19 crisis comity .#LNA #HoR #Libya . pic.twitter.com/1vladTS50R — M.LNA (@LNA2019M) March 19, 2020
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southfront--2020-03-20--In Video: Russian Military Helicopters In Action Over Northeastern Syria

Chopper crews have to be blessed with more courage than other aviators .
If they are targeted they don ’ @ @ @ @ @ outrun even the slowest of projectiles and can ’ t reach the altitude to be @ @ @ @ @ from that if they do get hit they have the glide ability of a grand @ @ @ @ @ and effective in this sort of conflict

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A close look at Russian military helicopters that provide cover for Russian operations in northeastern Syria.
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southfront--2020-03-20--Russia’s Nuclear Submarines To Be Equipped With New EW Buoy

The Russian Navy will be protected against adversary antisubmarine aircraft and drones .
Burak-M buoys will make a sea area impenetrable .
Communications by all channels will be jammed or greatly complicated by the new system .
“ Burak-M ” is referred to as electronic warfare systems ( EW ) .
The buoys operate according to a simple algorithm : first they are shot from a submarine towards the surface of the water , where they are activated and begin to work in jamming mode .
This allows the Russian Navy to reliably suppress all communication channels of sonar buoys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helicopters and enemy aircraft .
Countering such systems is important since in the Navy of the countries included in the NATO bloc , such buoy stations play an important role in operations to search for submarines , said the chairman of the Club of Sailors-Submariners of St. Petersburg , Captain First Rank Igor Kurdin .
Disrupted communications between the antisubmarine aircraft and the buoys make their use senseless and allows a submarine to escape .
The Russian Navy has not had such systems before , the expert said .
Turboprop Orion P-3 was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cold War and after it .
Close to 700 aircraft were produced .
Today Poseidon P-8 jet aircraft developed from passenger Boeing 737-800 is replacing Orion .
The new aircraft has upgraded onboard equipment and longer patrol time .
The speed allows the aircraft to quickly approach the position for submarine search .
The first P-8 were delivered to the US Navy in 2013 .
A total of 177 submarine hunters have to be procured .
Great Britain and India also procured Poseidon .
The Burak-M buoys have been in development since 1993 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & D phase , work on them likely began back in the late 80s .
Its effectiveness is also into question , since it appears to be using quite the outdated technology , that would likely only be effective against older anti-submarine aircraft .
The situation might be better with the Burak-M being deployed , but a technology that was conceived back in the 80s is more than unlikely to be entirely effective against most , if not all modern NATO weapons .
Izvestia furthermore reported that Burak-M will be also used by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 677 .
The submarines have to destroy warships and U-boats , engage in patrol , reconnaissance , and defend communications in brown waters .
They are armed with torpedoes and Kalibr cruise missiles .
The Burak-M system wasn ’ t designed to be equipped on such submarines , and it will most likely not be retrofitted to them .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Russian Company Repaired Four Nuclear Submarines Without The Necessary Licenses To Do So • U.S. To Develop New Nuclear-Armed Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile • US Navy ’ s $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One Deployment

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Russia’s Project 955 Borei-class & Project 667BDRM Delfin-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines are to deploy Burak-M EW Buoys, Russian media reported.
The Russian Navy will be protected against adversary antisubmarine aircraft and drones. Burak-M buoys will make a sea area impenetrable. Communications by all channels will be jammed or greatly complicated by the new system.
“Burak-M” is referred to as electronic warfare systems (EW). The buoys operate according to a simple algorithm: first they are shot from a submarine towards the surface of the water, where they are activated and begin to work in jamming mode. This allows the Russian Navy to reliably suppress all communication channels of sonar buoys – submarine detection stations that assist anti-submarine helicopters and enemy aircraft.
Countering such systems is important since in the Navy of the countries included in the NATO bloc, such buoy stations play an important role in operations to search for submarines, said the chairman of the Club of Sailors-Submariners of St. Petersburg, Captain First Rank Igor Kurdin.
“In particular, the United States has recently upgraded Orion antisubmarine aircraft. It is armed with magnetometers, acoustic and other equipment to detect submarines. The aircraft drops buoys in the area of a detected submarine. The equipment lowers hydrophones to a specific depth to determine the exact coordinates of the submarine,” he said.
Disrupted communications between the antisubmarine aircraft and the buoys make their use senseless and allows a submarine to escape. The Russian Navy has not had such systems before, the expert said.
Turboprop Orion P-3 was the main NATO antisubmarine aircraft in the Cold War and after it. Close to 700 aircraft were produced. Today Poseidon P-8 jet aircraft developed from passenger Boeing 737-800 is replacing Orion.
The new aircraft has upgraded onboard equipment and longer patrol time. The speed allows the aircraft to quickly approach the position for submarine search. The first P-8 were delivered to the US Navy in 2013. A total of 177 submarine hunters have to be procured. Great Britain and India also procured Poseidon.
The Burak-M buoys have been in development since 1993, and taking in mind the R&D phase, work on them likely began back in the late 80s.
Its effectiveness is also into question, since it appears to be using quite the outdated technology, that would likely only be effective against older anti-submarine aircraft.
The situation might be better with the Burak-M being deployed, but a technology that was conceived back in the 80s is more than unlikely to be entirely effective against most, if not all modern NATO weapons.
Izvestia furthermore reported that Burak-M will be also used by Lada-class diesel-electric submarines of projects 636.3 and 677. The submarines have to destroy warships and U-boats, engage in patrol, reconnaissance, and defend communications in brown waters. They are armed with torpedoes and Kalibr cruise missiles.
The Burak-M system wasn’t designed to be equipped on such submarines, and it will most likely not be retrofitted to them.
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southfront--2020-03-20--Your Support Is Vital To Keep SF Alive!

Your Support Is Vital To Keep SF Alive!

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March is nearing its end. We want to say a big thank you to all of you, who contributed to SouthFront in previous weeks. Thanks to your timely and constant support, SouthFront Team has been overcoming challenges that we face in our troubled times, and get to you with new content on key military, security and diplomatic developments around the world.
Since the start of March, we have collected about a half of the monthly budged needed to continue our work next month. SouthFront is a crowdfunded endeavour. Our work is possible thanks only to your regular support.
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southfront--2020-03-20--Escobar: “China Locked In Hybrid War With US”

Among the myriad , earth-shattering geopolitical effects of coronavirus , one is already graphically evident .
China has re-positioned itself .
For the first time since the start of Deng Xiaoping ’ s reforms in 1978 , Beijing openly regards the US as a threat , as stated a month ago by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference during the peak of the fight against coronavirus .
Beijing is carefully , incrementally shaping the narrative that , from the beginning of the coronovirus attack , the leadership knew it was under a hybrid war attack .
Xi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He said , on the record , that this was war .
And , as a counter-attack , a “ people ’ s war ” had to be launched .
Moreover , he described the virus as a demon or devil .
Xi is a Confucianist .
Unlike some other ancient Chinese thinkers , Confucius was loath to discuss supernatural forces and judgment in the afterlife .
However , in a Chinese cultural context , devil means “ white devils ” or “ foreign devils ” : in Mandarin , in Cantonese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement in code .
When Zhao Lijian , a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry , voiced in an incandescent tweet the possibility that “ it might be US Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan ” – the first blast to this effect to come from a top official – Beijing was sending up a trial balloon signaliing that the gloves were finally off .
Zhao Lijian made a direct connection with the Military Games in Wuhan in October 2019 , which included a delegation of 300 US military .
He directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when asked last week whether some deaths by coronavirus had been discovered posthumously in the US , replied that “ some cases have actually been diagnosed this way in the US today.
” Zhao ’ s explosive conclusion is that Covid-19 was already in effect in the US before being identified in Wuhan – due to the by now fully documented inability of US to test and verify differences compared with the flu .
Adding all that to the fact that coronavirus genome variations in Iran and Italy were sequenced and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the variety that infected Wuhan , Chinese media are now openly asking questions and drawing a connection with the shutting down in August last year of the “ unsafe ” military bioweapon lab at Fort Detrick , the Military Games , and the Wuhan epidemic .
Some of these questions had been asked – with no response – inside the US itself .
Extra questions linger about the opaque Event 201 in New York on October 18 , 2019 : a rehearsal for a worldwide pandemic caused by a deadly virus – which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coincidence happened one month before the outbreak in Wuhan .
Event 201 was sponsored by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , the World Economic Forum ( WEF ) , the CIA , Bloomberg , John Hopkins Foundation and the UN .
The World Military Games opened in Wuhan on the exact same day .
Irrespective of its origin , which is still not conclusively established , as much as Trump tweets about the “ Chinese virus , ” Covid-19 already poses immensely serious questions about biopolitics ( where ’ s Foucault when we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The working hypothesis of coronavirus as a very powerful but not Armageddon-provoking bio-weapon unveils it as a perfect vehicle for widespread social control – on a global scale .
Just as a fully masked Xi visiting the Wuhan frontline last week was a graphic demonstration to the whole planet that China , with immense sacrifice , is winning the “ people ‘ s war ” against Covid-19 , Russia , in a Sun Tzu move on Riyadh whose end result was a much cheaper barrel of oil , helped for all practical purposes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese economy .
This is how a strategic partnership works .
The chessboard is changing at breakneck speed .
Once Beijing identified coronavirus as a bio-weapon attack the “ people ’ s war ” was launched with the full force of the state .
Methodically .
On a “ whatever it takes ” basis .
Now we are entering a new stage , which will be used by Beijing to substantially recalibrate the interaction with the West , and under very different frameworks when it comes to the US and the EU .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Air China flight to Italy carrying 2,300 big boxes full of masks bearing the script , “ We are waves from the same sea , leaves from the same tree , flowers from the same garden.
” China also sent a hefty humanitarian package to Iran , significantly aboard eight flights from Mahan Air – an airline under illegal , unilateral Trump administration sanctions .
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic could not have been more explicit : “ The only country that can help us is China .
By now , you all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That was a fairy tale on paper.
” Under harsh sanctions and demonized since forever , Cuba is still able to perform breakthroughs – even on biotechnology .
The anti-viral Heberon – or Interferon Alpha 2b – a therapeutic , not a vaccine , has been used with great success in the treatment of coronavirus .
A joint venture in China is producing an inhalable version , and at least 15 nations are already interested in importing the therapeutic .
Now compare all of the above with the Trump administration offering $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at biotech firm Curevac , based in Thuringia , on an experimental vaccine against Covid-19 , to have it as a vaccine “ only for the United States.
” Sandro Mezzadra , co-author with Brett Neilson of the seminal , is already trying to conceptualize where we stand now in terms of fighting Covid-19 .
We are facing a choice between a Malthusian strand – inspired by social Darwinism – “ led by the Johnson-Trump-Bolsonaro axis ” and , on the other side , a strand pointing to the “ requalification of public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exemplified by China , South Korea and Italy .
There are key lessons to be learned from South Korea , Taiwan and Singapore .
The stark option , Mezzadra notes , is between a “ natural population selection , ” with thousands of dead , and “ defending society ” by employing “ variable degrees of authoritarianism and social control.
” It ’ s easy to imagine who stands to benefit from this social re-engineering , a 21st century remix of Poe ’ s The Masque of the Red Death .
Amid so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Italy to offer us Tiepolo-style shades of light .
Italy chose the Wuhan option , with immensely serious consequences for its already fragile economy .
Quarantined Italians remarkably reacted by singing on their balconies : a true act of metaphysical revolt .
Not to mention the poetic justice of the actual St. Corona ( “ crown ” in Latin ) being buried in the city of Anzu since the 9th century .
St. Corona was a Christian killed under Marcus Aurelius in 165 AD , and has been for centuries one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trillions of dollars raining from the sky by an act of divine Fed mercy were able to cure Covid-19 .
G-7 “ leaders ” had to resort to a videoconference to realize how clueless they are – even as China ’ s fight against coronavirus gave the West a head start of several weeks .
Shanghai-based Dr. Zhang Wenhong , one of China ’ s top infectious disease experts , whose analyses have been spot on so far , now says China has emerged from the darkest days in the “ people ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he does not think this will be over by summer .
Now extrapolate what he ’ s saying to the Western world .
It ’ s not even spring yet , and we already know it takes a virus to mercilessly shatter the Goddess of the Market .
Last Friday , Goldman Sachs told no fewer than 1,500 corporations that there was no systemic risk .
That was false .
New York banking sources told me the truth : systemic risk became way more severe in 2020 than in 1979 , 1987 or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the $ 1.5 quadrillion derivative market would collapse .
As the sources put it , history had never before seen anything like the Fed ’ s intervention via its little understood elimination of commercial bank reserve requirements , unleashing a potential unlimited expansion of credit to prevent a derivative implosion stemming from a total commodity and stock market collapse of all stocks around the world .
Those bankers thought it would work , but as we know by now all the sound and fury signified nothing .
The ghost of a derivative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the previous possibility , the shutting down of the Strait of Hormuz – remains .
We are still barely starting to understand the consequences of Covid-19 for the future of neoliberal turbo-capitalism .
What ’ s certain is that the whole global economy has been hit by an insidious , literally invisible circuit breaker .
This may be just a “ coincidence.
” Or this may be , as some are boldly arguing , part of a possible , massive psy-op creating the perfect geopolitlcal and social engineering environment for full-spectrum dominance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down the road , with immense , inbuilt human and economic sacrifice , with or without a reboot of the world-system , a more pressing question remains : will imperial elites still choose to keep waging full-spectrum-dominance hybrid war against China ?

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Written by Pepe Escobar; Originally appeared on asiatimes.com
Among the myriad, earth-shattering geopolitical effects of coronavirus, one is already graphically evident. China has re-positioned itself. For the first time since the start of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in 1978, Beijing openly regards the US as a threat, as stated a month ago by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference during the peak of the fight against coronavirus.
Beijing is carefully, incrementally shaping the narrative that, from the beginning of the coronovirus attack, the leadership knew it was under a hybrid war attack. Xi’s terminology is a major clue. He said, on the record, that this was war. And, as a counter-attack, a “people’s war” had to be launched.
Moreover, he described the virus as a demon or devil. Xi is a Confucianist. Unlike some other ancient Chinese thinkers, Confucius was loath to discuss supernatural forces and judgment in the afterlife. However, in a Chinese cultural context, devil means “white devils” or “foreign devils”: guailo in Mandarin, gweilo in Cantonese. This was Xi delivering a powerful statement in code.
When Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, voiced in an incandescent tweet the possibility that “it might be US Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan” – the first blast to this effect to come from a top official – Beijing was sending up a trial balloon signaliing that the gloves were finally off. Zhao Lijian made a direct connection with the Military Games in Wuhan in October 2019, which included a delegation of 300 US military.
He directly quoted US CDC director Robert Redfield who, when asked last week whether some deaths by coronavirus had been discovered posthumously in the US, replied that “some cases have actually been diagnosed this way in the US today.”
Zhao’s explosive conclusion is that Covid-19 was already in effect in the US before being identified in Wuhan – due to the by now fully documented inability of US to test and verify differences compared with the flu.
Adding all that to the fact that coronavirus genome variations in Iran and Italy were sequenced and it was revealed they do not belong to the variety that infected Wuhan, Chinese media are now openly asking questions and drawing a connection with the shutting down in August last year of the “unsafe” military bioweapon lab at Fort Detrick, the Military Games, and the Wuhan epidemic. Some of these questions had been asked – with no response – inside the US itself.
Extra questions linger about the opaque Event 201 in New York on October 18, 2019: a rehearsal for a worldwide pandemic caused by a deadly virus – which happened to be coronavirus. This magnificent coincidence happened one month before the outbreak in Wuhan.
Event 201 was sponsored by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Economic Forum (WEF), the CIA, Bloomberg, John Hopkins Foundation and the UN. The World Military Games opened in Wuhan on the exact same day.
Irrespective of its origin, which is still not conclusively established, as much as Trump tweets about the “Chinese virus,” Covid-19 already poses immensely serious questions about biopolitics (where’s Foucault when we need him?) and bio-terror.
The working hypothesis of coronavirus as a very powerful but not Armageddon-provoking bio-weapon unveils it as a perfect vehicle for widespread social control – on a global scale.
Cuba rises as a biotech power
Just as a fully masked Xi visiting the Wuhan frontline last week was a graphic demonstration to the whole planet that China, with immense sacrifice, is winning the “people‘s war” against Covid-19, Russia, in a Sun Tzu move on Riyadh whose end result was a much cheaper barrel of oil, helped for all practical purposes to kick-start the inevitable recovery of the Chinese economy. This is how a strategic partnership works.
The chessboard is changing at breakneck speed. Once Beijing identified coronavirus as a bio-weapon attack the “people’s war” was launched with the full force of the state. Methodically. On a “whatever it takes” basis. Now we are entering a new stage, which will be used by Beijing to substantially recalibrate the interaction with the West, and under very different frameworks when it comes to the US and the EU.
Soft power is paramount. Beijing sent an Air China flight to Italy carrying 2,300 big boxes full of masks bearing the script, “We are waves from the same sea, leaves from the same tree, flowers from the same garden.” China also sent a hefty humanitarian package to Iran, significantly aboard eight flights from Mahan Air – an airline under illegal, unilateral Trump administration sanctions.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic could not have been more explicit: “The only country that can help us is China. By now, you all understood that European solidarity does not exist. That was a fairy tale on paper.”
Under harsh sanctions and demonized since forever, Cuba is still able to perform breakthroughs – even on biotechnology. The anti-viral Heberon – or Interferon Alpha 2b – a therapeutic, not a vaccine, has been used with great success in the treatment of coronavirus. A joint venture in China is producing an inhalable version, and at least 15 nations are already interested in importing the therapeutic.
Now compare all of the above with the Trump administration offering $1 billion to poach German scientists working at biotech firm Curevac, based in Thuringia, on an experimental vaccine against Covid-19, to have it as a vaccine “only for the United States.”
Social engineering psy-op?
Sandro Mezzadra, co-author with Brett Neilson of the seminal The Politics of Operations: Excavating Contemporary Capitalism, is already trying to conceptualize where we stand now in terms of fighting Covid-19.
We are facing a choice between a Malthusian strand – inspired by social Darwinism – “led by the Johnson-Trump-Bolsonaro axis” and, on the other side, a strand pointing to the “requalification of public health as a fundamental tool,” exemplified by China, South Korea and Italy. There are key lessons to be learned from South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.
The stark option, Mezzadra notes, is between a “natural population selection,” with thousands of dead, and “defending society” by employing “variable degrees of authoritarianism and social control.” It’s easy to imagine who stands to benefit from this social re-engineering, a 21st century remix of Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death.
Amid so much doom and gloom, count on Italy to offer us Tiepolo-style shades of light. Italy chose the Wuhan option, with immensely serious consequences for its already fragile economy. Quarantined Italians remarkably reacted by singing on their balconies: a true act of metaphysical revolt.
Not to mention the poetic justice of the actual St. Corona (“crown” in Latin) being buried in the city of Anzu since the 9th century. St. Corona was a Christian killed under Marcus Aurelius in 165 AD, and has been for centuries one of the patron saints of pandemics.
Not even trillions of dollars raining from the sky by an act of divine Fed mercy were able to cure Covid-19. G-7 “leaders” had to resort to a videoconference to realize how clueless they are – even as China’s fight against coronavirus gave the West a head start of several weeks.
Shanghai-based Dr. Zhang Wenhong, one of China’s top infectious disease experts, whose analyses have been spot on so far, now says China has emerged from the darkest days in the “people’s war” against Covid-19. But he does not think this will be over by summer. Now extrapolate what he’s saying to the Western world.
It’s not even spring yet, and we already know it takes a virus to mercilessly shatter the Goddess of the Market. Last Friday, Goldman Sachs told no fewer than 1,500 corporations that there was no systemic risk. That was false.
New York banking sources told me the truth: systemic risk became way more severe in 2020 than in 1979, 1987 or 2008 because of the hugely heightened danger that the $1.5 quadrillion derivative market would collapse.
As the sources put it, history had never before seen anything like the Fed’s intervention via its little understood elimination of commercial bank reserve requirements, unleashing a potential unlimited expansion of credit to prevent a derivative implosion stemming from a total commodity and stock market collapse of all stocks around the world.
Those bankers thought it would work, but as we know by now all the sound and fury signified nothing. The ghost of a derivative implosion – in this case not caused by the previous possibility, the shutting down of the Strait of Hormuz – remains.
We are still barely starting to understand the consequences of Covid-19 for the future of neoliberal turbo-capitalism. What’s certain is that the whole global economy has been hit by an insidious, literally invisible circuit breaker. This may be just a “coincidence.” Or this may be, as some are boldly arguing, part of a possible, massive psy-op creating the perfect geopolitlcal and social engineering environment for full-spectrum dominance.
Additionally, along the hard slog down the road, with immense, inbuilt human and economic sacrifice, with or without a reboot of the world-system, a more pressing question remains: will imperial elites still choose to keep waging full-spectrum-dominance hybrid war against China?


Covid-19 Global Lockdown

Let ’ s try a little thought experiment .
Just for fun .
To pass the time while we ’ re indefinitely locked down inside our homes , compulsively checking the Covid-19 “ active cases ” and “ total death ” count , washing our hands every twenty minutes , and attempting not to touch our faces .
Before we do , though , I want to make it clear that I believe this Covid-19 thing is real , and is probably the deadliest threat to humanity in the history of deadly threats to humanity .
According to the data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s only a matter of days , or hours , until nearly everyone on earth is infected and is either dying in agony and alone or suffering mild , common cold-like symptoms , or absolutely no symptoms whatsoever .
I feel that I need to state this clearly , before we do our thought experiment , because I don ’ t want anyone mistakenly thinking that I ’ m one of those probably Russian-backed Nazis who are going around saying , “ it ’ s just the flu , ” or who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and martial law , or who are otherwise doubting or questioning the wisdom of locking down the entire world ( and likely triggering a new Great Depression ) on account of the discovery of some glorified bug .
Obviously , this is not just the flu .
Thousands of people are dying from it .
OK , sure , the flu kills many more than that , hundreds of thousands of people annually , but this Covid-19 virus is totally new , and not like any of the other millions of viruses that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the experts are saying it will probably kill , or seriously sicken , or briefly inconvenience , millions or even billions of people if we don ’ t lock down entire countries and terrorize everyone into submission .
Which , don ’ t get me wrong , I ’ m all for that … this is not the time to be questioning anything the corporate media and the authorities tell us .
This is a time to pull together , turn our minds off , and follow orders .
OK , sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be skeptical , but we ’ re in a goddamn global state of emergency !
Idris Elba is infected for Chrissakes !
Sorry … I ’ m getting a little emotional .
I ’ m a big-time Idris Elba fan .
The point is , I ’ m not a Covid-denialist , or a conspiracy theorist , or one of those devious Chinese or Russian dissension-sowers .
I know for a fact that this pandemic is real , and warrants whatever “ emergency measures ” our governments , global corporations , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
No , I ’ m not an epidemiologist , but I have a close friend who knows a guy who dated a woman who dated a doctor who personally knows another doctor who works in a hospital in Italy somewhere , and she ( i.e.
, my friend , not the doctor in Italy ) posted something on Facebook yesterday that was way too long to read completely but was a gut-wrenching account of how Covid-19 is killing Kuwaiti babies in their incubators !
Or maybe it was Italian babies .
Like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to read .
Also , did you see the story about the baby that was born infected ?
!
Or the stories about the people in their 30s and 40s who were more or less in perfect health ( except for , you know , cancer or whatever ) who died from ( or with ) the Covid plague ?
!
And what about all those charts and graphs ?
!
And those pictures of people in hazmat suits ?
!
And those Italians singing Turandot on their balconies ?
!
Doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ break down and cry over the sheer humanity of it all ?
!
No , there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Covid-19 is the deadliest global pandemic humankind has ever faced , and that we have no choice but to cancel everything , confine everyone inside their home , wreck the entire global economy , force working class people even further into debt , pour trillions into the investment banks , cancel elections , censor the Internet , and otherwise implement a global police state .
But what if it wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this wasn ’ t the deadliest global pandemic humankind has ever faced ?
( I ’ m just posing the question as a thought experiment , so please don ’ t report me to the WHO , or the CDC , or FEMA , or whoever . )
What if this new coronavirus was just another coronavirus like all the other coronaviruses that people die from ( or with ) all the time ?
What if the fact that this one is “ new ” didn ’ t really mean all that much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because coronaviruses are always mutating , and every year there are a lot of new variants ?
Relax , OK ?
I know this one is different , and totally unlike anything ever encountered by virologists in the history of virology .
Remember , this is just a thought experiment .
These are just hypothetical questions .
Here ’ s another hypothetical question .
What if all the scary statistics we ’ ve been seeing ( e.g.
, the death rates , the explosion of “ cases , ” etc . )
weren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather , were , like other statistics , based on things like sample groups , and dependent on a host of factors and variables , which you kind of need to know to make sense of anything ?
Say , for example , you tested everyone that died of acute respiratory failure on a given day in your Italian hospital , and you discovered that , let ’ s say , five of those patients had been infected with Covid-19 .
So you feed that number to the WHO , and they add @ @ @ @ @ @ @ count , regardless of whether the folks who died had terminal cancer , or heart disease , or had also been infected with the common flu , or some other type of coronavirus .
That would probably skew your “ death ” count , wouldn ’ t it ?
Or , say you wanted to test for the virus to keep track of all the “ active cases ” and generate an infection rate , but you can ’ t test hundreds of millions of people , because no one has that many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turns up sick , or thinks they ’ re sick and demands to be tested , or who touched someone sick who you already tested ( though you ’ re not even sure that your test is accurate ) and you come up with , let ’ s say , ten positive results .
So you feed that number to the WHO , and they add it to the “ active cases ” count , regardless of the fact that everyone knows the real number is likely twenty times higher .
OK , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases ” number and your “ total deaths ” number and you do the math ( keeping in mind that your “ total deaths ” include those cancer and heart failure people ) , and you end up grossly underestimating your “ infection rate ” and “ active cases , ” and grossly overestimating your “ death rate ” and the number of “ total deaths.
” Just hypothetically , you understand .
I am not suggesting this is actually happening .
I certainly don ’ t want to get censored by Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ innocuous technical glitch ) for posting “ Covid misinformation , ” or tempt the Wikipedia “ editors ” to rush back to my Wikipedia page and label me a dangerous “ conspiracy theorist ” … or , you know , get myself preventatively quarantined .
It probably won ’ t come to that anyway , i.e.
, rounding up “ infected persons , ” “ possibly infected persons , ” and “ disruptive ” and “ uncooperative persons , ” and quarantining us in , like , “ camps , ” or wherever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the suspension of our civil rights , the manipulation of facts and figures , the muzzling of dissent , the illegal surveillance , governments legislating by decree , the soldiers , the quarantines , and all the rest of it … all these measures are temporary , and are being taken for our own good , and purely out of an “ abundance of caution.
” I mean , it ’ s not like the global capitalist empire was right in the middle of a War on Populism ( a war that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) and wanted to take this opportunity to crank up some disaster capitalism , terrorize the global public into a frenzy of selfish and irrational panic , and just flex its muscles to remind everybody what could happen if we all keep screwing around by voting for “ populists , ” tearing up Paris , leaving the European Union , and otherwise interfering with the forward march of global capitalism .
No , it certainly isn ’ t like that .
It is an actual plague that is probably going to kill you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do exactly what you ’ re told .
So , forget this little thought experiment , and prepare yourself for global lockdown .
It probably won ’ t be so bad … unless they decide they need to run the part of exercise where it goes on too long , and people get squirrelly , and start rebelling , and looting , and otherwise not cooperating , and the military is eventually forced to deploy those Urban Unrest Suppression Vehicles , and those Anti-Domestic-Terror Forces , and … OK , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ d better take my pills and get back to Facebook .
Oh , and … I should probably check up on Idris !
And see if Berlin has gone to “ Level 3 , ” in which case I ’ ll need to find whatever online application I need to fill out in order to leave my house .

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Written by CJ Hopkins; Originally appeared at Off-Guardian
Let’s try a little thought experiment. Just for fun. To pass the time while we’re indefinitely locked down inside our homes, compulsively checking the Covid-19 “active cases” and “total death” count, washing our hands every twenty minutes, and attempting not to touch our faces.
Before we do, though, I want to make it clear that I believe this Covid-19 thing is real, and is probably the deadliest threat to humanity in the history of deadly threats to humanity.
According to the data I’ve been seeing, it’s only a matter of days, or hours, until nearly everyone on earth is infected and is either dying in agony and alone or suffering mild, common cold-like symptoms, or absolutely no symptoms whatsoever.
I feel that I need to state this clearly, before we do our thought experiment, because I don’t want anyone mistakenly thinking that I’m one of those probably Russian-backed Nazis who are going around saying, “it’s just the flu,” or who are spreading dangerous conspiracy theories about bio-weapons and martial law, or who are otherwise doubting or questioning the wisdom of locking down the entire world (and likely triggering a new Great Depression) on account of the discovery of some glorified bug.
Obviously, this is not just the flu. Thousands of people are dying from it. OK, sure, the flu kills many more than that, hundreds of thousands of people annually, but this Covid-19 virus is totally new, and not like any of the other millions of viruses that are going around all the time, and the experts are saying it will probably kill, or seriously sicken, or briefly inconvenience, millions or even billions of people if we don’t lock down entire countries and terrorize everyone into submission.
Which, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for that … this is not the time to be questioning anything the corporate media and the authorities tell us. This is a time to pull together, turn our minds off, and follow orders. OK, sure, normally, it’s good to be skeptical, but we’re in a goddamn global state of emergency! Idris Elba is infected for Chrissakes!
Sorry … I’m getting a little emotional. I’m a big-time Idris Elba fan. The point is, I’m not a Covid-denialist, or a conspiracy theorist, or one of those devious Chinese or Russian dissension-sowers. I know for a fact that this pandemic is real, and warrants whatever “emergency measures” our governments, global corporations, and intelligence agencies want to impose on us.
No, I’m not an epidemiologist, but I have a close friend who knows a guy who dated a woman who dated a doctor who personally knows another doctor who works in a hospital in Italy somewhere, and she (i.e., my friend, not the doctor in Italy) posted something on Facebook yesterday that was way too long to read completely but was a gut-wrenching account of how Covid-19 is killing Kuwaiti babies in their incubators!
Or maybe it was Italian babies. Like I said, it was too long to read.
Also, did you see the story about the baby that was born infected?! Or the stories about the people in their 30s and 40s who were more or less in perfect health (except for, you know, cancer or whatever) who died from (or with) the Covid plague?! And what about all those charts and graphs?! And those pictures of people in hazmat suits?! And those Italians singing Turandot on their balconies?! Doesn’t that just make you want to break down and cry over the sheer humanity of it all?!
No, there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Covid-19 is the deadliest global pandemic humankind has ever faced, and that we have no choice but to cancel everything, confine everyone inside their home, wreck the entire global economy, force working class people even further into debt, pour trillions into the investment banks, cancel elections, censor the Internet, and otherwise implement a global police state.
But what if it wasn’t? Just hypothetically. What if this wasn’t the deadliest global pandemic humankind has ever faced? (I’m just posing the question as a thought experiment, so please don’t report me to the WHO, or the CDC, or FEMA, or whoever.) What if this new coronavirus was just another coronavirus like all the other coronaviruses that people die from (or with) all the time? What if the fact that this one is “new” didn’t really mean all that much, or possibly anything at all, because coronaviruses are always mutating, and every year there are a lot of new variants?
Relax, OK? I know this one is different, and totally unlike anything ever encountered by virologists in the history of virology. Remember, this is just a thought experiment. These are just hypothetical questions.
Here’s another hypothetical question. What if all the scary statistics we’ve been seeing (e.g., the death rates, the explosion of “cases,” etc.) weren’t unquestionable scientific facts, but rather, were, like other statistics, based on things like sample groups, and dependent on a host of factors and variables, which you kind of need to know to make sense of anything?
Say, for example, you tested everyone that died of acute respiratory failure on a given day in your Italian hospital, and you discovered that, let’s say, five of those patients had been infected with Covid-19. So you feed that number to the WHO, and they add it to the “total deaths” count, regardless of whether the folks who died had terminal cancer, or heart disease, or had also been infected with the common flu, or some other type of coronavirus. That would probably skew your “death” count, wouldn’t it?
Or, say you wanted to test for the virus to keep track of all the “active cases” and generate an infection rate, but you can’t test hundreds of millions of people, because no one has that many tests So, you test everyone who turns up sick, or thinks they’re sick and demands to be tested, or who touched someone sick who you already tested (though you’re not even sure that your test is accurate) and you come up with, let’s say, ten positive results. So you feed that number to the WHO, and they add it to the “active cases” count, regardless of the fact that everyone knows the real number is likely twenty times higher.
OK, so now you take your “active cases” number and your “total deaths” number and you do the math (keeping in mind that your “total deaths” include those cancer and heart failure people), and you end up grossly underestimating your “infection rate” and “active cases,” and grossly overestimating your “death rate” and the number of “total deaths.”
Just hypothetically, you understand. I am not suggesting this is actually happening. I certainly don’t want to get censored by Facebook (or accidentally censored by some totally innocuous technical glitch) for posting “Covid misinformation,” or tempt the Wikipedia “editors” to rush back to my Wikipedia page and label me a dangerous “conspiracy theorist” … or, you know, get myself preventatively quarantined.
It probably won’t come to that anyway, i.e., rounding up “infected persons,” “possibly infected persons,” and “disruptive” and “uncooperative persons,” and quarantining us in, like, “camps,” or wherever. All this state of emergency stuff, the suspension of our civil rights, the manipulation of facts and figures, the muzzling of dissent, the illegal surveillance, governments legislating by decree, the soldiers, the quarantines, and all the rest of it … all these measures are temporary, and are being taken for our own good, and purely out of an “abundance of caution.”
I mean, it’s not like the global capitalist empire was right in the middle of a War on Populism (a war that it has been losing up to now) and wanted to take this opportunity to crank up some disaster capitalism, terrorize the global public into a frenzy of selfish and irrational panic, and just flex its muscles to remind everybody what could happen if we all keep screwing around by voting for “populists,” tearing up Paris, leaving the European Union, and otherwise interfering with the forward march of global capitalism.
No, it certainly isn’t like that. It is an actual plague that is probably going to kill you and your entire family if you don’t do exactly what you’re told. So, forget this little thought experiment, and prepare yourself for global lockdown. It probably won’t be so bad … unless they decide they need to run the part of exercise where it goes on too long, and people get squirrelly, and start rebelling, and looting, and otherwise not cooperating, and the military is eventually forced to deploy those Urban Unrest Suppression Vehicles, and those Anti-Domestic-Terror Forces, and …
OK, I’m getting all worked up again. I’d better take my pills and get back to Facebook. Oh, and … I should probably check up on Idris! And see if Berlin has gone to “Level 3,” in which case I’ll need to find whatever online application I need to fill out in order to leave my house.
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southfront--2020-03-20--Chaos In Italy: Military Trucks Used To Take Coffins With People Dying Of Coronavirus

On March 19th , in Italy , in the city of Bergamo , province of Lombardy , authorities refused to accept patients with coronavirus .
The local crematorium is reportedly full of corpses .
On March 18th , Italy had the most victims to coronavirus in a single day out of any country .
475 cases ended fatally .
Most were from Lombardy , where Bergamo is located .
Funeral homes are overloaded with work there , according to the local press .
Corpses are being moved out by military trucks .
A video shared online by the residents of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trucks that drive through the streets of the city at night and load coffins into the cemetery .
Earlier , authorities in Bergamo asked for help from neighboring regions in the cremation of the dead , as the local crematorium can not cope with the situation .
Several municipalities in the neighboring province of Monza , in Modena and Emilia-Romagna , agreed to help .
An Italian military spokesman confirmed on March 19th that 15 trucks and 50 soldiers were sent to deliver corpses to neighboring provinces .
About 60 coffins were delivered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ German outlet Bild .
The head of Lombardy , Attilio Fontana , reported the final collapse of the health system in his province due to an extremely large number of patients .
And Italians appear to not adhere to the quarantine .
Tracking their mobile phones has proven that 40 % of Bergamo ’ s population is still more than 300 meters away from their own home , as quarantine requires .
Meanwhile , the death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy rose in the last 24 hours by 427 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths so far registered in China .
This was a slight improvement from the day before , and the newly infected as a percentage value of the total also appears to be decreasing , which could potentially mean that the infection peak is drawing near .
In the US , in some areas the situation appears to be spiraling out of control due to panic over the coronavirus .
The mayor of Baltimore is begging residents to stop shooting one another to allow doctors and nurses to focus on saving coronavirus patients and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement on March 18th , the Mayor Jack Young said : For those of you who want to continue to shoot and kill people of this city , we ’ re not going to tolerate it .
We ’ re going to come after you and we ’ re going to get you .
We can not clog up our hospitals and their beds with people that are being shot senselessly because we ’ re going to need those beds for people infected with the coronavirus .
And it could be your mother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relatives .
So take that into consideration , ” he said .
The US has upwards of 14,000 coronavirus cases , with over 200 fatalities as of the early hours of March 20th .
China , which has recorded 80,967 infections and upwards of 3,200 deaths , on March 18th and 19th reported not a single domestically-transmitted case .
It said that new cases are a result of travelers from the US and Europe .
On March 19th , China recorded 39 confirmed Covid-19 cases , all of them people coming from abroad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The total number of imported infections now stands at 228 , raising real fears of the second wave of the disease .
The coronavirus crisis is also revealing some notable factors for various systems , business fields and groups .
Such as the collapse of the healthcare system in Italy , and many other countries .
Globalists are also taking advantage of the crisis to push their own agenda .
It also plays right into the hands of climate change activists , as it has reportedly improved the overall environment notable , since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business structures are also facing a collapse due to the situation with the lockdowns in various places .
As an example , it turned out that 90 % of fishing ships that operate in northern Russian waters are doing so from foreign ports .
Fishermen warned of the risk of stopping fishing in the Barents Sea .
Russian vessels catching in the Northern Basin may stop fishing due to quarantine closure of foreign ports .
If the lockdown lasts until May , Russian fishermen might lose up to 70 billion rubles ( $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the fishery in the Northern Fisheries Basin is produced by 80 vessels , which are referred to as the so-called non-entry vessels at Russian ports .
These are new vessels bought abroad , as well as those that are being repaired and serviced at foreign ports , since Russia does not have suitable infrastructure .
To enter Russian ports , they need to go through the appropriate customs clearance .
A full customs clearance of one vessel costs about $ 650,000 and takes an average of ten days , and the cheaper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for three days , an average of $ 50,000 .
Most crews are now completing their voyages , which lasted three months , and , they will not be able to continue working or their labor productivity will be “ extremely low ” .
This is one example , of many various businesses that depend on various “ tricks ” to operate effectively , and cheaply , and the current situation caused by the coronavirus is heavily impacting their operation in a very negative way .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ War : WSJ

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On March 19th, in Italy, in the city of Bergamo, province of Lombardy, authorities refused to accept patients with coronavirus.
The local crematorium is reportedly full of corpses.
On March 18th, Italy had the most victims to coronavirus in a single day out of any country. 475 cases ended fatally.
Most were from Lombardy, where Bergamo is located. Funeral homes are overloaded with work there, according to the local press.
Corpses are being moved out by military trucks.
A video shared online by the residents of Bergamo shows a long line of military trucks that drive through the streets of the city at night and load coffins into the cemetery.
Earlier, authorities in Bergamo asked for help from neighboring regions in the cremation of the dead, as the local crematorium cannot cope with the situation. Several municipalities in the neighboring province of Monza, in Modena and Emilia-Romagna, agreed to help.
An Italian military spokesman confirmed on March 19th that 15 trucks and 50 soldiers were sent to deliver corpses to neighboring provinces. About 60 coffins were delivered to the surrounding crematoriums, according to German outlet Bild.
The head of Lombardy, Attilio Fontana, reported the final collapse of the health system in his province due to an extremely large number of patients.
“Unfortunately, the number of infected people is not decreasing. In the near future we will not be able to provide treatment for patients,” he said. Fontana called on citizens to observe a curfew: “Every exit from the apartment is a risk to you and others, we demand this sacrifice in order to save human lives.”
And Italians appear to not adhere to the quarantine. Tracking their mobile phones has proven that 40% of Bergamo’s population is still more than 300 meters away from their own home, as quarantine requires.
Meanwhile, the death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy rose in the last 24 hours by 427 to 3,405, overtaking the total number of deaths so far registered in China.
This was a slight improvement from the day before, and the newly infected as a percentage value of the total also appears to be decreasing, which could potentially mean that the infection peak is drawing near.
In the US, in some areas the situation appears to be spiraling out of control due to panic over the coronavirus.
The mayor of Baltimore is begging residents to stop shooting one another to allow doctors and nurses to focus on saving coronavirus patients and not gunshot wound victims.
In a statement on March 18th, the Mayor Jack Young said:
“I want to reiterate how completely unacceptable the level of violence is that we have seen recently. We will not stand for mass shootings and an increase in crime.
For those of you who want to continue to shoot and kill people of this city, we’re not going to tolerate it. We’re going to come after you and we’re going to get you.
We cannot clog up our hospitals and their beds with people that are being shot senselessly because we’re going to need those beds for people infected with the coronavirus.
And it could be your mother, your grandmother or one of your relatives. So take that into consideration,” he said.
The US has upwards of 14,000 coronavirus cases, with over 200 fatalities as of the early hours of March 20th.
China, which has recorded 80,967 infections and upwards of 3,200 deaths, on March 18th and 19th reported not a single domestically-transmitted case.
It said that new cases are a result of travelers from the US and Europe.
On March 19th, China recorded 39 confirmed Covid-19 cases, all of them people coming from abroad, the National Health Commission said. The total number of imported infections now stands at 228, raising real fears of the second wave of the disease.
The coronavirus crisis is also revealing some notable factors for various systems, business fields and groups.
Such as the collapse of the healthcare system in Italy, and many other countries.
Globalists are also taking advantage of the crisis to push their own agenda. It also plays right into the hands of climate change activists, as it has reportedly improved the overall environment notable, since most people are on lockdown.
Various business structures are also facing a collapse due to the situation with the lockdowns in various places.
As an example, it turned out that 90% of fishing ships that operate in northern Russian waters are doing so from foreign ports.
Fishermen warned of the risk of stopping fishing in the Barents Sea. Russian vessels catching in the Northern Basin may stop fishing due to quarantine closure of foreign ports. If the lockdown lasts until May, Russian fishermen might lose up to 70 billion rubles ($900 million).
Almost 90% of the fishery in the Northern Fisheries Basin is produced by 80 vessels, which are referred to as the so-called non-entry vessels at Russian ports.
These are new vessels bought abroad, as well as those that are being repaired and serviced at foreign ports, since Russia does not have suitable infrastructure.
To enter Russian ports, they need to go through the appropriate customs clearance. A full customs clearance of one vessel costs about $650,000 and takes an average of ten days, and the cheaper option, the so-called temporary import, for three days, an average of $50,000.
Most crews are now completing their voyages, which lasted three months, and, they will not be able to continue working or their labor productivity will be “extremely low”.
This is one example, of many various businesses that depend on various “tricks” to operate effectively, and cheaply, and the current situation caused by the coronavirus is heavily impacting their operation in a very negative way.
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
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southfront--2020-03-20--U.S. Plans To Sanction Russia For Saudi-launched Oil War: WSJ

On March 19th , US President Donald Trump said that he would get involved in oil price wars between Saudi Arabia and Russia “ at the appropriate time.
” He further added that low gasoline prices were good for consumers even as they hurt the industry .
“ We are trying to find some kind of a medium ground , ” Trump told reporters at a White House press conference , Reuters reported .
“ It ’ s very devastating to Russia because when you look at it , their whole economy is based on that and we have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s very devastating to Russia .
I would say it is very bad for Saudi Arabia but they ’ re in a fight , they ’ re in a fight on price , they ’ re in a fight on output .
At the appropriate time I ’ ll get involved , ” he said .
Russia ’ s economy is notably less dependent on oil exports than Saudia Arabia ’ s .
Still Russia ’ s ruble is struggling .
The low oil prices are also devastating to US crude producers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudi Arabia and Russia and will likely spur consolidation of the industry .
According to the WSJ , the Trump administration is considering a diplomatic intervention in the Saudi-Russia oil price war to get the Saudis to cut oil production in an effort to stabilize markets .
The US also is weighing possible sanctions against Russia , although the details are not known .
The new strategy reportedly follows lobbying from US oil companies asking the US to ramp up its diplomatic intervention in the oil markets .
On March 19th , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buy an initial 30 million barrels of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve , part of a wider plan to fill the stockpile .
However , the plan requires congressional approval .
After Trump made his statement that a possible intervention may happen , West Texas Intermediate made an epic recovery , with their largest one day climb in history .
The front-month April West Texas Intermediate crude rose $ 4.85 , or 23.8 % , to settle at $ 25.22 a barrel .
That was the largest one-day , front-month percentage climb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to March 1983 , according to Dow Jones Market Data .
Global benchmark May Brent crude rose $ 3.59 , or 14.4 % , to $ 28.47 a barrel .
On March 18th , the contract fell $ 3.85 , or over 13 % , to finish at $ 24.88 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe , for its lowest settlement since May 8 , 2003 .
“ A fair bit of short covering ensued after President Trump suggested he may tackle the oil crisis by brokering a deal between Moscow and Riyadh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategist at AxiCorp , said in a note .
“ Buying oil for the strategic reserve is a very constructive measure to help some U.S. producers avoid collapse amid the international price war , ” said Per Magnus Nysveen , head of analysis at Oslo-based energy research firm Rystad Energy .
“ Global oil demand is falling at an unprecedented pace…Saudi Arabia and Russia remain at the focal point of the price plunge , but the negative demand shock to the market may define the next several weeks , ” said Helima Croft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RBC Capital Markets .
The Trump administration still , very apparently blames Russia for the oil war between Moscow and Riyadh , despite quite evidently the Kingdom beginning the spat that ’ s hurting both economies , alongside most other economies on the globe .
The Russian ruble has been steadily losing value , but recovered part of it at the opening on March 20th , as it was sitting at 81 rubles for $ 1 at the opening on March 19th .
Oil-producing nations failed to reach an agreement in early March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Saudis and Russians have been locked in a price war that has roiled energy and equity markets .
This takes place at the time when coronavirus has locked most of Europe and many other countries , and the MSM even found time to blame the Kremlin for the entire hysteria around it .
MORE ON THE TOPIC :

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On March 19th, US President Donald Trump said that he would get involved in oil price wars between Saudi Arabia and Russia “at the appropriate time.”
He further added that low gasoline prices were good for consumers even as they hurt the industry.
“We are trying to find some kind of a medium ground,” Trump told reporters at a White House press conference, Reuters reported. “It’s very devastating to Russia because when you look at it, their whole economy is based on that and we have the lowest oil prices in decades so it’s very devastating to Russia. I would say it is very bad for Saudi Arabia but they’re in a fight, they’re in a fight on price, they’re in a fight on output. At the appropriate time I’ll get involved,” he said.
Russia’s economy is notably less dependent on oil exports than Saudia Arabia’s. Still Russia’s ruble is struggling.
The low oil prices are also devastating to US crude producers who have higher costs than those in Saudi Arabia and Russia and will likely spur consolidation of the industry.
According to the WSJ, the Trump administration is considering a diplomatic intervention in the Saudi-Russia oil price war to get the Saudis to cut oil production in an effort to stabilize markets.
The US also is weighing possible sanctions against Russia, although the details are not known. The new strategy reportedly follows lobbying from US oil companies asking the US to ramp up its diplomatic intervention in the oil markets.
On March 19th, the US Energy Department announced a solicitation to buy an initial 30 million barrels of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, part of a wider plan to fill the stockpile. However, the plan requires congressional approval.
After Trump made his statement that a possible intervention may happen, West Texas Intermediate made an epic recovery, with their largest one day climb in history.
The front-month April West Texas Intermediate crude rose $4.85, or 23.8%, to settle at $25.22 a barrel. That was the largest one-day, front-month percentage climb on record based on data going back to March 1983, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
Global benchmark May Brent crude rose $3.59, or 14.4%, to $28.47 a barrel. On March 18th, the contract fell $3.85, or over 13%, to finish at $24.88 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe, for its lowest settlement since May 8, 2003.
“A fair bit of short covering ensued after President Trump suggested he may tackle the oil crisis by brokering a deal between Moscow and Riyadh,” Stephen Innes, chief market strategist at AxiCorp, said in a note. “Buying oil for the strategic reserve is a very constructive measure to help some U.S. producers avoid collapse amid the international price war,” said Per Magnus Nysveen, head of analysis at Oslo-based energy research firm Rystad Energy. “Global oil demand is falling at an unprecedented pace…Saudi Arabia and Russia remain at the focal point of the price plunge, but the negative demand shock to the market may define the next several weeks,” said Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets.
The Trump administration still, very apparently blames Russia for the oil war between Moscow and Riyadh, despite quite evidently the Kingdom beginning the spat that’s hurting both economies, alongside most other economies on the globe.
“Of course, it’s a low [oil] price, we would like to see it higher,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly said on a conference call on March 17th, though he did not suggest a deal with the OPEC and its allies, led by Russia.
The Russian ruble has been steadily losing value, but recovered part of it at the opening on March 20th, as it was sitting at 81 rubles for $1 at the opening on March 19th.
Oil-producing nations failed to reach an agreement in early March to further curb oil production levels, and Saudis and Russians have been locked in a price war that has roiled energy and equity markets.
“Saudi Arabia appears determined to continue ongoing efforts to boost exports in a bid to pressure Russia and seize market share from higher cost producers,” said Fraser. “While US shale is expected to see slowdowns on a lagged basis, Canada may see more immediate losses as much of the country’s output faces both higher breakeven costs and lower product value relative to US production.”
This takes place at the time when coronavirus has locked most of Europe and many other countries, and the MSM even found time to blame the Kremlin for the entire hysteria around it.
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southfront--2020-03-20--Erdogan Forces Remove Earth Mounds From M4 Highway After Idlib “Moderates” Kill 2 Turkish Soldiers

Last night , Turkish forces started removing earth mounds created by Idlib militant groups on the M4 highway in order to prevent joint Turkish-Russian patrols agreed in Moscow earlier in March .
Under the deal , a buffer zone has to be created along the M4 highway covering the entire area from the west of Saraqib to the western countryside of Jisr al-Shughur .
So far , this deal has resulted in little progress besides the establishment of the ceasefire regime .
Terrorists keep positions in the ‘ buffer zone ” and the highway remains blocked by radicals .
Russian-Turkish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , Turkish forces started conducting some efforts to change this situation only after 2 Turkish troops were killed in an IED attack on their convoy in western Idlib on March 19 .
The attack was conducted by Turkey ’ s lovely proxy groups operating in the area .
However , the marital spat between Turkey and its al-Qaeda-linked proxies is in fact not so big .
Here you can see Turkish service members alongside supporters of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ( the terrorist group linked with al-Qaeda ) near the village of Nayrab @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ISIS Threat Revives In Eastern Syria .
Idlib Militants Kill Each Other Over Security Zone Deal Contradictions

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Last night, Turkish forces started removing earth mounds created by Idlib militant groups on the M4 highway in order to prevent joint Turkish-Russian patrols agreed in Moscow earlier in March.
الجيش التركي يزيل السواتر الترابية من على اتستراد "M4" (حلب – اللاذقية) بالتزامن مع انشاء عدة نقاط على الاتستراد وتعزيزات عسكرية.#سوريا #ادلب pic.twitter.com/dwzG7T1ziq — Mohamad Rasheed محمد رشيد (@mohmad_rasheed) March 19, 2020
Under the deal, a buffer zone has to be created along the M4 highway covering the entire area from the west of Saraqib to the western countryside of Jisr al-Shughur. So far, this deal has resulted in little progress besides the establishment of the ceasefire regime. Terrorists keep positions in the ‘buffer zone” and the highway remains blocked by radicals. Russian-Turkish patrols have not been launched yet.
However, Turkish forces started conducting some efforts to change this situation only after 2 Turkish troops were killed in an IED attack on their convoy in western Idlib on March 19. The attack was conducted by Turkey’s lovely proxy groups operating in the area.
However, the marital spat between Turkey and its al-Qaeda-linked proxies is in fact not so big. Here you can see Turkish service members alongside supporters of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (the terrorist group linked with al-Qaeda) near the village of Nayrab.
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southfront--2020-03-20--The Saker: “There is a ticking time bomb in the Ukraine”

Written by The Saker ; Originally appeared at The Unz Review Between the fallout of the murder of General Soleimani and the coronovirus , the Ukraine has been somewhat forgotten , which is understandable , but also potentially dangerous .
The “ young and dynamic ” President Zelenskii has more or less been forgotten , especially by the legacy corporate ziomedia .
This does not , however , mean that the situation there did not evolve or , in fact , that it is not becoming extremely dangerous .
So for those who did not keep an eye on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what has been going on : First , Zelenskii has proven to be a total ZERO .
Simply put , neither he not his team can get anything done , anything at all .
I really mean , nothing at all .
Second , while initially the victory of Zelenskii seem to indicate that the Ukronazis had suffered a crushing defeat , it now is completely obvious that Zelenskii lacks the will , or the means , or both , to tackle this huge problem .
Now the Ukronazis are back in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily basis , but the man is simply unable to react and reassert his authority .
Third , in social and economic terms , the Ukraine is in free fall .
Following years of chaos and corruption the Ukraine is now a deindustrialized country which can sell only three things : men ( for menial jobs in Poland and in the EU ) , women ( prostitution ) and its “ black soil ” ( chernozem ) .
Once the land is sold , it will give the Ukrainian budget enough money to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a few more month , maybe a year or so .
After that – it ’ s show over , curtain down , lights off and everybody go home… Fourth , it is pretty clear who the kingmaker of the Ukraine is : Arsen Avakov , the “ eternal ” ( by Ukrainian standards ) Minister of the Interior .
He not only has real firepower , he also seems to be able to turn the Ukronazi “ spigot ” on and off depending on his personal needs and circumstances .
Unlike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me as a Nazi at all , in fact , I would say that he is non-ideological – he is all about “ pure power ” .
This makes him a much more desirable “ partner ” for the Empire than real nutcases .
Fifth , while the Minsk Agreements are still more or less on the agenda , at least officially , the Ukronazis have been vocal enough in their protests to basically completely stall any meaningful negotiations .
Yes , prisoners will probably be exchanged , but beyond that I see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For all practical purposes , the regime in Kiev has made it very clear : there will be no negotiations with the Donbass , which simply means that there will be no negotiated solution .
It ’ s that simple , really .
Six , COVID19 has hit the Ukraine very , very hard .
The problem is that the authorities , which fully knew that they had no means to do anything meaningful began by thumping their chests and saying that there were no cases in the Ukraine only to then suddenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the true information is seeping out : Ukrainians hospitals are full of cases , mostly un-diagnosed , and many have already died .
Officially , and as of right now , there are only 14 confirmed cases in the Ukraine , and only two fatalities .
But absolutely everybody knows that these numbers are totally fictional and that the real number of cases remains unknown due to a lack of testing kits , not a lack of cases .
MDs in Ukrainian hospitals are sounding the alarms , but nobody is listening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even worse by the fact that there are not credible alternatives to Zelenskii .
There IS an opposition in the Ukraine , the typical Ukronazis nutcases and the generally pro-Russian politicians who are categorically and absolutely unacceptable to the ( much larger ) Ukronazi opposition .
Thus , there does not appear to be any political solution or alternative to the current regime .
Right now , the two politicians who appear to be the most competent are Vadim Rabinovich and Elena Lukash .
These two are very sharp and , frankly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have a power base powerful enough to take on the Nazis .
Finally , there is Viktor Medvechuk whose main quality is also his biggest weakness : he is considered close to Putin .
These are all rather smart and courageous figures , but compared to the power of an Arsen Avakov – they are just soap bubbles .
Will that change in the future ?
Maybe , but not in the foreseeable future .
When a country enters a dramatic and deep systematic crisis , something must inevitably eventually give .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply because there is no political force of personality which could inspire people to rally and struggle for change .
Most Ukrainians are both absolutely exhausted and absolutely desperate .
They are into the “ survival mode ” which history has taught them and they simply wait .
Frankly , I can ’ t blame them .
My advise to all my Ukrainian contacts has been “ get out of there while you can ” , but if you can ’ t get out , then going into a survival mode is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukronazis feel energized and they are back with a vengeance demanding that the Ukraine finally be transformed into the Banderastan they have been dreaming about for generations ( except they don ’ t use the word “ Banderastan ” but prefer the expression “ Banderstat ” .
Their strength is in their unity and firepower .
Their main weakness is that most Ukrainians hate them .
A most dangerous combination .
Some observers have suggested that a coup might take place .
I doubt it because I don ’ t see any person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Avakov would be ideal , but he is *already* in power , he does not need a coup at all .
Furthermore , if an openly Ukronazi regime replaces Zelenskii , this will only further deepen the distress of the general population .
The truth is both as simple as it is terrible : there is no solution for the Ukraine .
None whatsoever .
So what could happen next ?
The basic ingredients are pretty predictable : protests , civil unrest , violence and , eventually , a break-up of the Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this could be avoided , but in order to do this , at the very least , the following basic conditions have to be met : • The West and Russians must work together in a major reconstruction effort to rebuild the entire country , not only the war-devastated Donbass • The regime in Kiev must be acceptable to all three : the West , Russia and the Ukrainian people • The Ukronazis need to be disarmed and , when needed , either jailed or expelled As you can immediately tell , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have begun thinking about this issue , see , for example , this very interesting report from the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group ( EASLG ) : https : //securityconference.org/assets/02_Dokumente/03_Materialien/EASLG_Statement_Ukraine_FINAL.pdf , in particular , take a good look at the “ Economic Steps ” and “ Political Steps ” suggested in this report .
The fact that a guy like Gen ( Ret ) Breedlove , former SACEUR and rabid Russia-hater , could sign this document is , by itself , quite amazing .
However , with the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic AND a brutal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planet , I expect the western nations to simply lose interest in the Ukraine : they will be too busy scrambling to recover from the political fallout of the SARS-CoV-2 crisis .
As for Russia , there is absolutely no way that she will agree to foot the bill for the reconstruction of the Ukraine , nor will she provide the forces needed to get rid of the Ukronazis .
Which means that for the foreseeable future , the Ukraine will be mostly left on its own .
Russia will , of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , SARS-CoV-2 testing kits have already arrived from Russia ) while distributing Russian passports to anyone wanting one ( the vast majority of the people of Novorussia ) .
The SARS-CoV-2/COVID19 pandemic will have huge political repercussions worldwide because in this specific case , not only will the AngloZionist propaganda machine not be able to hide the truth from the people ( if anything , all sorts of fake news and crazy rumors will have more “ street cred ” than what the politicians tell us ) , but the consequences of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including at home .
So Trump can go on in each of his pressers about how everything in the USA is “ the best ” , “ the greatest ” and “ the mightiest ” , but the truth is that the this virus will reveal not only the total inability of the private sector to save the day , it will also reveal how utterly dysfunctional the US , along most other western states really are ( no , Walmart and Amazon will not save the day ) .
No wonder the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ involved ” they all are – they are simply trying to cover their rear end for the inevitable “ lessons learned ” moment coming for all .
Maybe at some point in the future will see most US Americans reconsider what they think they know about Socialism and Libertarianism , especially when it becomes clear how different the reaction to the virus was in China and Russia compared to the EU or US .
But what will be only embarrassing for US politicians will , barring some kind of miracle , hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what we have seen up until now .
For the time being , the Ukronazis are explaining that the Nazi salute is just perfect for this situation : not only do hands not touch , but the palm of the saluting head is facing the sun , which is hygienically good ( that , and a lot of Nazis are pagans , sun worship is common amongst them ) .
Right now , in what are still the early stages of the pandemic , almost nobody is paying attention ( most folks in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security , any and all form of security , must always be to be effective ) .
Right now , the bigger danger comes from the Ukrainians returning home from abroad .
But this will soon change , and the danger will become Ukrainians leaving the Ukraine .
At this point the EU countries will have to turn to the Kremlin for a common response to what promises to be a major disaster .

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Written by The Saker; Originally appeared at The Unz Review
Between the fallout of the murder of General Soleimani and the coronovirus, the Ukraine has been somewhat forgotten, which is understandable, but also potentially dangerous. The “young and dynamic” President Zelenskii has more or less been forgotten, especially by the legacy corporate ziomedia. This does not, however, mean that the situation there did not evolve or, in fact, that it is not becoming extremely dangerous. So for those who did not keep an eye on the Ukraine, here is a short summary of what has been going on:
Summary of developments
First, Zelenskii has proven to be a total ZERO. Simply put, neither he not his team can get anything done, anything at all. I really mean nothing, nothing at all.
Second, while initially the victory of Zelenskii seem to indicate that the Ukronazis had suffered a crushing defeat, it now is completely obvious that Zelenskii lacks the will, or the means, or both, to tackle this huge problem. Now the Ukronazis are back in force, they provoke Zelenskii on a daily basis, but the man is simply unable to react and reassert his authority.
Third, in social and economic terms, the Ukraine is in free fall. Following years of chaos and corruption the Ukraine is now a deindustrialized country which can sell only three things: men (for menial jobs in Poland and in the EU), women (prostitution) and its “black soil” (chernozem). Once the land is sold, it will give the Ukrainian budget enough money to keep up the appearance of a state for a few more month, maybe a year or so. After that – it’s show over, curtain down, lights off and everybody go home…
Fourth, it is pretty clear who the kingmaker of the Ukraine is: Arsen Avakov, the “eternal” (by Ukrainian standards) Minister of the Interior. He not only has real firepower, he also seems to be able to turn the Ukronazi “spigot” on and off depending on his personal needs and circumstances. Unlike the bona fide nutcases, Avakov does not strike me as a Nazi at all, in fact, I would say that he is non-ideological – he is all about “pure power”. This makes him a much more desirable “partner” for the Empire than real nutcases.
Fifth, while the Minsk Agreements are still more or less on the agenda, at least officially, the Ukronazis have been vocal enough in their protests to basically completely stall any meaningful negotiations. Yes, prisoners will probably be exchanged, but beyond that I see any real progress as exceedingly unlikely. For all practical purposes, the regime in Kiev has made it very clear: there will be no negotiations with the Donbass, which simply means that there will be no negotiated solution. It’s that simple, really.
Six, COVID19 has hit the Ukraine very, very hard. The problem is that the authorities, which fully knew that they had no means to do anything meaningful began by thumping their chests and saying that there were no cases in the Ukraine only to then suddenly decree drastic quarantine measures. And yet, the true information is seeping out: Ukrainians hospitals are full of cases, mostly un-diagnosed, and many have already died. Officially, and as of right now, there are only 14 confirmed cases in the Ukraine, and only two fatalities. But absolutely everybody knows that these numbers are totally fictional and that the real number of cases remains unknown due to a lack of testing kits, not a lack of cases. MDs in Ukrainian hospitals are sounding the alarms, but nobody is listening.
Seventh, the situation is made even worse by the fact that there are not credible alternatives to Zelenskii. There IS an opposition in the Ukraine, the typical Ukronazis nutcases and the generally pro-Russian politicians who are categorically and absolutely unacceptable to the (much larger) Ukronazi opposition. Thus, there does not appear to be any political solution or alternative to the current regime. Right now, the two politicians who appear to be the most competent are Vadim Rabinovich and Elena Lukash. These two are very sharp and, frankly, very courageous, but they don’t have a power base powerful enough to take on the Nazis. Finally, there is Viktor Medvechuk whose main quality is also his biggest weakness: he is considered close to Putin. These are all rather smart and courageous figures, but compared to the power of an Arsen Avakov – they are just soap bubbles. Will that change in the future? Maybe, but not in the foreseeable future.
Possible scenarios
When a country enters a dramatic and deep systematic crisis, something must inevitably eventually give. Right now there are relatively few protests simply because there is no political force of personality which could inspire people to rally and struggle for change. Most Ukrainians are both absolutely exhausted and absolutely desperate. They are into the “survival mode” which history has taught them and they simply wait. Frankly, I can’t blame them. My advise to all my Ukrainian contacts has been “get out of there while you can”, but if you can’t get out, then going into a survival mode is the only option.
Right now, the Ukronazis feel energized and they are back with a vengeance demanding that the Ukraine finally be transformed into the Banderastan they have been dreaming about for generations (except they don’t use the word “Banderastan” but prefer the expression “Banderstat”. Their strength is in their unity and firepower. Their main weakness is that most Ukrainians hate them. A most dangerous combination.
Some observers have suggested that a coup might take place. I doubt it because I don’t see any person capable of leading such a coup. Avakov would be ideal, but he is *already* in power, he does not need a coup at all. Furthermore, if an openly Ukronazi regime replaces Zelenskii, this will only further deepen the distress of the general population.
The truth is both as simple as it is terrible: there is no solution for the Ukraine. None whatsoever.
So what could happen next?
The basic ingredients are pretty predictable: protests, civil unrest, violence and, eventually, a break-up of the Ukraine into several entities.
In theory, this could be avoided, but in order to do this, at the very least, the following basic conditions have to be met:
The West and Russians must work together in a major reconstruction effort to rebuild the entire country, not only the war-devastated Donbass The regime in Kiev must be acceptable to all three: the West, Russia and the Ukrainian people The Ukronazis need to be disarmed and, when needed, either jailed or expelled
As you can immediately tell, this is not happening.
Yes, some have begun thinking about this issue, see, for example, this very interesting report from the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group (EASLG): https://securityconference.org/assets/02_Dokumente/03_Materialien/EASLG_Statement_Ukraine_FINAL.pdf, in particular, take a good look at the “Economic Steps” and “Political Steps” suggested in this report. The fact that a guy like Gen (Ret) Breedlove, former SACEUR and rabid Russia-hater, could sign this document is, by itself, quite amazing.
However, with the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic AND a brutal oil war threatening most economies of our planet, I expect the western nations to simply lose interest in the Ukraine: they will be too busy scrambling to recover from the political fallout of the SARS-CoV-2 crisis. As for Russia, there is absolutely no way that she will agree to foot the bill for the reconstruction of the Ukraine, nor will she provide the forces needed to get rid of the Ukronazis. Which means that for the foreseeable future, the Ukraine will be mostly left on its own. Russia will, of course, continue to support Novorussia (for example, SARS-CoV-2 testing kits have already arrived from Russia) while distributing Russian passports to anyone wanting one (the vast majority of the people of Novorussia).
Conclusion
The SARS-CoV-2/COVID19 pandemic will have huge political repercussions worldwide because in this specific case, not only will the AngloZionist propaganda machine not be able to hide the truth from the people (if anything, all sorts of fake news and crazy rumors will have more “street cred” than what the politicians tell us), but the consequences of this crisis will be felt everywhere, including at home. So Trump can go on in each of his pressers about how everything in the USA is “the best”, “the greatest” and “the mightiest”, but the truth is that the this virus will reveal not only the total inability of the private sector to save the day, it will also reveal how utterly dysfunctional the US, along most other western states really are (no, Walmart and Amazon will not save the day). No wonder the western politicians are scrambling to show how “involved” they all are – they are simply trying to cover their rear end for the inevitable “lessons learned” moment coming for all. Maybe at some point in the future will see most US Americans reconsider what they think they know about Socialism and Libertarianism, especially when it becomes clear how different the reaction to the virus was in China and Russia compared to the EU or US.
But what will be only embarrassing for US politicians will, barring some kind of miracle, hit the Ukraine with consequences far worse than what we have seen up until now.
For the time being, the Ukronazis are explaining that the Nazi salute is just perfect for this situation: not only do hands not touch, but the palm of the saluting head is facing the sun, which is hygienically good (that, and a lot of Nazis are pagans, sun worship is common amongst them).
Right now, in what are still the early stages of the pandemic, almost nobody is paying attention (most folks in the West have yet to understand that security, any and all form of security, must always be collective to be effective). Right now, the bigger danger comes from the Ukrainians returning home from abroad. But this will soon change, and the danger will become Ukrainians leaving the Ukraine. At this point the EU countries will have to turn to the Kremlin for a common response to what promises to be a major disaster.
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