1/ Russia won't invade Europe because it's too weak to do so, says the imprisoned Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin. He dismisses talk of a Russian attack on the Baltic states or elsewhere, pointing out that Russia can't even defeat Ukraine after four and a half years of war. ⬇️
2/ Girkin evidently has access to Russian TV in his jail for ex-security officers, and writes about his reaction to a recent interview with Vladimir Putin: 3/ "I saw excerpts from Vladimir Vladimirovich's interview with FSO [Federal Protective Service] officers posing as media correspondents. It's quite funny, by the way, when FSO officers try to impersonate journalists. 4/ "Well, what can I say... To my deep regret, Russia truly cannot attack Europe, because Russia cannot defeat Ukraine alone in four and a half years, and there seems to be no end in sight. 5/ "How could we, excuse me, attack Europe? With such forces, with such an army, with such a wonderful Supreme Commander-in-Chief! 6/ "So, no, of course, we cannot attack Europe. While Europe is effectively attacking us, supplying so-called Ukraine with weapons, ammunition, advisers, money, and everything necessary, we are, unfortunately, incapable of attacking Europe. 7/ "In this, our Supreme Commander-in-Chief has deceived no one, neither us nor the foreigners. As for everything else, it's still quite amusing to watch how, on Planet Pink Ponies, they pretend there's no war, that Ukraine is attacking us, while we're not waging any war. 8/ "So, [you ask,] "How can this be? And why are they attacking us?" Unfortunately, we're at war. This war has been going on for over four and a half years. It shows no signs of ending. It's no surprise that the enemy on the other side is attacking us. 9/ "What's surprising is that, in the fifth year of the war, we've allowed massive bombing of our cities — daily, with massive losses, with extensive destruction, including to our military-industrial complex, something our Supreme Commander-in-Chief modestly keeps silent about. 10/ "That's surprising. Everything else—not so. As for the statements about negotiations, unfortunately, the enemy has no reason to negotiate with us now, because they're gaining ground. If Ukraine couldn't massively bomb Russia for four years, now they can, and increasingly so. 11/ "Accordingly, their conditions naturally become more stringent. Naturally, they develop the illusion that Russia can be defeated. 12/ "And naturally, even Moscow's softened rhetoric – now ready to meet with the man who, until recently, was called an impostor and illegitimate president, and who was said to have no one to meet with – is met with no understanding from so-called Ukraine. 13/ "As for Trump's statements about wanting someone to meet with someone, it's the same fog, the same nonsense, the same lie it always was. The United States has supported, continues to support, and will continue to support so-called Ukraine in its war against Russia. 14/ "Attempts to portray the United States and Trump personally as some kind of friend or honest broker are just as much a lie as the one Trump himself spouts, only this time aimed at us. 15/ "There's no hope that the United States will contribute in any way to ending this war unless it benefits them, and it doesn't. They want a controlled defeat for Russia. 16/ "They want the war to continue until Russia meets all demands—and they will be extremely harsh, not so much from so-called Ukraine as from the United States." /end Source: t.me