by Stephen Lendman

Propaganda war on Russia rages. It exceeds the worst of Cold War bluster.

Scurrilous reporting is featured. Media scoundrels scream Russian aggression. Putin is outrageously compared to Hitler.

Hypocrisy is shameless. It's shocking. It's disgusting. Western-supported neo-Nazi putschists usurped power in Kiev.

It was the most brazen post-WW II coup. Legitimate Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was blamed for their crimes. They continue. They're ignored.

Headlines call them democrats. Incendiary conditions exist. Open conflict is threatened.

Right Sector leader Dmitry Yarosh is unapologetically fascist. "I'll be fighting Jews and Russians til I die," he said.

He has presidential aspirations. He'll run to head Ukraine in so-called May elections. They'll be farcical when held. They'll be illegitimate.

Russia issued an international arrest warrant for Yarosh. He publicly supports terrorism. According to Russia's Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin:

"The investigators believe (he) has been publicly calling upon anti-Russian forces for extreme actions and terror on the territory of Russia."

Doku Umarov is Russia's most wanted terrorist. Yarosh urged him to "activate his fight (and) take a unique opportunity to win" against Russia.

He issued an ultimatum. He demands access to Ukraine's military arsenals. Itar Tass said he "doesn't rule out more decisive action on Ukraine if the government doesn't comply with (his) demands."

He and likeminded fascists run Ukraine. Washington supports them. So do EU partners. Media scoundrels ignore their lawlessness. Ukraine's crisis escalates.

Dubious reports circulate. On March 7, Time magazine headlined "Ukrainian Base in Crimea Resists Russian Raid."

It claimed Russian troops attempt to seize the base failed. It cited an anonymous Kiev coup d'etat defense ministry spokesman saying:

"The base is now in full control of the Ukrainian armed forces."

He claimed two Russian military trucks rammed the base's gate. Several dozen Russian troops were allegedly involved, he said.

"Russian forces...surround(ed) all of the Ukrainian bases in Crimea and barricade(d) their servicemen inside," said Time.

"By slamming through the gates with a military vehicle, the Russian forces initiated an escalation of the ongoing conflict over Crimea between Russia and Ukraine that could easily have led to bloodshed and a full-scale war."

"It not was immediately clear why the Russians withdrew," Time added. Its report was polar opposite truth.

Haaretz hyped the story. It headlined "Russian soldiers storm Ukrainian military base in Crimea."

They "demanded the Ukrainian soldiers surrender."

Russia flatly denies its troops are active in Crimea. Claims otherwise are false. Haaretz said Moscow doubled its forces to 30,000.

No verifiable proof suggests it. Big Lies substitute for truth. They proliferate daily.

AP covered the so-called storming incident. No shots were fired. No injuries were reported.

Allegedly Crimean self-defense forces were involved. Russian troops had nothing to do with what supposedly happened.

Don't expect media scoundrels to explain. Vicious propaganda continues daily. Russian voices are largely drowned out.

On March 6, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow won't "remain indifferent" in Crimea. It's "the country on which the Russian world rests upon" for help.

Support for Putin grows, he added. He called it "unique." He's on the right side of resolving the Crimean crisis. He wants it achieved diplomatically.

Russia's only Crimean-based forces relate to its Black Sea Fleet. Russian/Ukrainian 1997 Friendship Treaty terms authorize numbers up to 25,000.

About 16,000 are present. They're deployed legitimately. Claims otherwise are false. Neocon Washington Post editors pillory Russia.

On March 7, they headlined "The West must resist Mr. Putin's gambits in Ukraine."

They lied claiming Russia invaded. Putin "floated another radical measure: Russian annexation of Crimea," they bellowed.

They lied again claiming Moscow controls Crimea's parliament. They ignored overwhelming public sentiment.

Crimeans reject Kiev fascists. On March 16, they'll vote up or down on whether to secede, declare independence, or join the Russian Federation.

They're legally entitled to do it. A previous article explained. Claims otherwise are false. WaPo editors support Kiev fascist putschists. Russia bashing is relentless.

Out-of-control propaganda substitutes for legitimate reporting and opinion. It's vicious. It's relentless. WaPo readers are carpet-bombed with lies, damn lies, misinformation.

"No country has invaded and then annexed part of a neighbor since Saddam Hussein’s Iraq sought to swallow Kuwait in 1990," said WaPo editors.

"No such land grab has happened in Europe since the 1930s. A Russian annexation of Crimea would be an extraordinary violation of international treaties and the UN Charter."

"If tolerated by the world, it would open the way for aggression by many other powers with claims on their neighbors, including China."

Responsible editors would denounce this rubbish. Likeminded publishers wouldn't touch it.

WaPo features it. Russian bashing continues. It's ongoing daily. It's way over-the-top and then some.

WaPo long ago was was a respected broadsheet. Its publisher and editors fell from grace. Watergate-type exposes are strictly verboten.

Conflicts of interest are rife. WaPo editors changed from Nixon's nemesis to imperial America's cheerleader.

Doing so lost them all credibility. Their reporting almost makes yellow journalism look good by comparison.

Wall Street Journal editors match them blow-for-blow. Murdoch publications march in lockstep.

They feature demagogic, warmongering propaganda. Managed news misinformation substitutes for legitimate reporting and opinion. Daily editions are polar opposite what readers deserve.

On March 6, Journal editors headlined "Putin Escalates." He invaded Crimea, they claim. "He escalated the crisis," they said.

"The Kremlin's latest provocation took the form of a vote - unanimous, of course - by the Crimean parliament to join Russia, along with the promise of a referendum on March 16 to validate the move."

"The new parliament also wants to seize Ukrainian state assets on the peninsula."

According to JournalThink, Crimea's legitimate government seized power by force.

At the same time, they cheerlead Kiev fascist putschists. They call them democrats. Their analysis is polar opposite truth.

They lied claiming "Russian troops have seized the Crimean port of Kerch." More lies followed. Armed men threatened a UN envoy, they claimed.

Russian soldiers "surrounded...Ukrainian military facilities," they said. They "demand(ed) their defection," they added.

Russian soldiers operate on their bases. They're uninvolved in events outside them.

Putin reserves the right to use them to protect Russian nationals if needed. He hasn't done it so far.

Claims of Russia's military involvement on Crimean streets are bald-faced lies. Journal editors feature them.

Obama's most egregious crimes are ignored. Fingers point the wrong way. It's standard scoundrel media practice.

"What price will the US and its European allies impose on Mr. Putin's revanchism," asked Journal editors?

"So far, not much," they said. They urge much stiffer action. They wrongfully accused Putin of "aggression."

He "will not stop" with Crimea, they claimed. "(A) West that allows itself to be treated with contempt by one aggressive regime will be treated with contempt by others," they added.

Journal editors and likeminded ones feature this type rubbish daily. Why readers believe it, they'll have to explain.

It doesn't pass the smell test and then some. It's standard scoundrel media disinformation.

The Weekly Standard is a right-wing rag. It's called "the neocon bible" for good reason. It's way over-the-top.

In 1997, its editor, William Kristol, co-founded the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). The Foreign Policy Initiative is its current incarnation. It supports war. It deplores peace.

Its March 17 edition featured Eric Edelman. From 2005 - 2009, he was Bush undersecretary of defense for policy.

He headlined "Confronting Putin's Invasion." He called his agenda "mendacious." He lied saying so.

He called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a "poster child" of "duplicity."

Obama's "failed efforts at reset are now obvious for all the most deluded to see," he added.

He lied accusing Russia of invading Ukraine. "(I)f Putin can pull off a smash and grab operation against Crimea without being made to pay a serious and significant price, other will draw their own conclusions," he claimed.

A litany of other lies followed. Likeminded ideologues and naive readers alone buy it. "What is to be done," he asked?

He barely stopped short of urging war. He wants "a more targeted NATO military assistance program."

He wants a "strengthen(ed) NATO deterrent posture…" He wants "ground combat forces (in) former Warsaw Pact states..."

He wants "NATO military power closer to (Russia's) borders..." He wants increased defense spending. America already outspends the rest of the world combined.

His commentary sounds like he supports prepping for WW III. Lunatics like him infest Washington. They influence administration policy.

All bets are off it their advice is followed. Crisis could escalate to open conflict. Global war could follow.

Imagine what no responsible leader would risk. Imagine no one in Washington of that caliber. Imagine the worst possible outcomes. Imagine what should scare hell out of everyone.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

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