BEN MORGAN: Trump’s position on sanctions tightens, nuclear threats, and the battle for Donetsk intensifies
Last Monday, President Trump tightened his position on sanctions. Frustrated with Putin’s unwillingness to negotiate Trump announced a new deadline of 10-12 days rather than the original 50. The president stating that “There’s no reason to wait. If you know what the answer is going to be, why wait? And it would be sanctions and maybe tariffs, secondary tariffs.” The announcement was made during a press conference with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, while Trump was in Scotland.
Trump is clearly losing patience with Putin, describing the situation as follows “We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever.” The emotive nature of these statements is notable because historically Trump’s actions appear to be driven by emotion rather than analysis. It is likely that other statesmen and his advisors are highlighting Putin’s recalcitrance, and how this behaviour makes Trump look to the international community.
President Zelensky immediately thanked the US for their support, stating that “Right on time, when a lot can change through strength for real peace. I thank President Trump for his focus on saving lives and stopping this horrible war.” An important recognition that the escalation is good news for Ukraine because it is currently under enormous pressure in Donetsk.
Putin’s response was typically ‘cagey,’ the Russian leader stating that he wants a “lasting and stable peace” but reiterating that it must be on his terms. Putin’s terms include legal recognition of the territory annexed by Russia, disarming Ukraine and ensuring that the nation can never join NATO. The objective of these terms is to weaken Ukraine, re-modelling it as a ‘vassal state’ existing at Russia’s convenience.
A political exchange of nuclear rhetoric
The Deputy Chair of the Kremlin’s Security Committee, Dimitry Medvedev responded immediately to Trump’s statement with threatening social media posts. Medvedev took offence to Trump’s sanctions, seeing them as ultimatums and posted on X that “He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country.”
On Friday, Trump responded by announcing that two nuclear submarines had been ordered to deploy to ‘appropriate regions’ as a deterrent to Medvedev’s threats. Although any nuclear rhetoric is concerning, both threats are probably political theatre. Medvedev’s stream of threatening rhetoric has been a feature of Russian information operations throughout the war. Projecting strength for his domestic audience, and trying to scare Ukraine’s international supporters. A strategy that has been demonstrably successful to-date, both the US and Europe being cautious about supporting Ukraine because they are concerned about potential Russian escalation.
Now, Trump is escalating the information battle, ‘calling out’ Medvedev and demonstrating US resolve. Trump’s announcement is unlikely to have any practical implications because US Navy already maintains submarines positioned ready to strike Russia. Instead, Trump’s aim is to counter Russia’s constant nuclear threats and demonstrate his resolve to the Kremlin. It may also represent a change in Trump’s position regarding Russia, and that he is no longer awed by, or afraid of Putin.
Donetsk is now the crucial battle
Russia is attacking Ukraine in a broad arc that stretches about 1000km from the Dnipro River in the south west, through Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk to Sumy in the north east. In most places, Russian forces are holding the line and aggressively probing but not attacking in force. The exceptions are Sumy and Donetsk, and in these two locations an operational-level turning movement is underway. Russia attacking near Sumy to draw Ukraine’s forces away from the most important section of the front, Donetsk.
Donetsk is Ukraine’s eastern frontier, part of it was taken in 2014 and since the 2022 invasion Russia has captured more of the Oblast (region). But Ukraine still holds two large Donetsk cities, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Russia’s land campaign has focussed on the steps required to threaten, or capture these cities. Russian forces fought fierce battles to capture the Donetsk towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka because they are stepping stones towards Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Russian soldiers have invested Chasiv Yar and nearby Kostiantynivka for 18 months trying to capture these towns because their occupation enables an advance on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Then Russia shifted focus south, trying to outflank Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka by attacking Pokrovsk. An operation that has progressed for a year, without capturing the important town. Throughout this period Russia has innovated tactically, and we have seen the development and use of new tactics and weapons, like:
- Glide bombs.
- Better and more effective battlefield drones, especially un-jammable ones that use fibre optic cables instead of radio connections.
- Turtle tanks.
- The refinement of Storm Z infantry tactics.
- Using infantry on motorcycles.
This experimentation has not resulted in a tactically significant victory though, and notably it has been 18 months since Russia captured any key terrain. Now a range of strategic factors are making Donetsk the campaign’s schwerepunkt, or the ‘decision point.’
Why this summer’s campaign is vital for Putin
Putin and his advisors understand that the economy is ‘running hot’ and cannot be propped up indefinitely. At the St Petersburg Economic Forum in June, Russian official sounded the alarm. Russia’s Minister for Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov warned that the country’s economy is “on the brink of recession.” While, Elvira Nabiullina, governor of the Russian Central Bank said that “We grew for two years at a fairly high pace because unused resources were activated,” and that “We need to understand that many of those resources have truly been exhausted.” Later, on 27 June Putin announced that Russia plans to cut military spending in 2026.
Russia’s economy is not going to collapse in the immediate future, but it cannot maintain the war at the current rate of expenditure. Notably, Russia cannot maintain the high incomes and death benefits that are keeping his frontline units manned. Putin is looking towards 2026 when he knows he will need to pause to rebuild his army and the economy. Therefore, the 2025 campaign season is the last window of opportunity to throw maximum force at Ukraine.
A window of opportunity that coincides with pressure to negotiate a ceasefire. Essentially, Putin knows his ability to use maximum force is running out and there is mounting international pressure to negotiate which may lead to more damaging sanctions. So, in the last months of summer we are likely to see more Russian activity as Putin tries to take advantage of this window of opportunity.
A tale of two towns – Why are Chasiv Yar and Pokrovsk so important?
Last week, Russia announced that it had captured Chasiv Yar. If Russia’s statement is confirmed it is a noteworthy victory because it provides an opportunity to advance on the important transport junction at Kostyantynivka, approx. 10 km to the west. And if Kostyantynivka is captured, Russia has a firm base and access to road and rail logistics infrastructure to support an advance towards Kramatorsk.
Pokrovsk is important because it sits on high-ground dominating the local area making it a good base for future operations. Its capture would provide Russia with options that can be summarised as follows:
- The town could be a base to advance north towards Kostiantynivka, then Sloviansk.
- A Russian force could use the E 50 Highway as an axis of advance east into Ukraine. And directly east of Pokrovsk is approx. 100 km of open country, the town of Pavlohrad being the only defensible physical barrier before the Dnipro River.
However, capturing Pokrovsk will be a tough battle. Currently, Russian forces are using their well-tested Storm-Z tactics to slowly and persistently inch forwards. Small units moving along streams, treelines and other ground that provides concealment supported by FPV drones, artillery and glide bombs.
Slowly but surely, they are advancing north and south of Pokrovsk, until they can interdict the E50 Highway. This road is important because it is the main supply route, and withdrawal route for Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk.
What will Russia’s next move be?
Currently, the campaign is reaching an important decision point. It is likely that Ukraine will surrender Chasiv Yar in the next few days and this opens new possibilities for Russia that are broadly summarised as follows:
- Switch main effort to Kostyantynivka.
- Concentrate on capturing Pokrovsk.
- A third option, probably closing the Siversk Salient.
The first option, concentrating on capturing Kostyantynivka could develop in a variety of ways. Russia may have the reserves available to maintain momentum and move straight from capturing Chasiv Yar into an assault or an envelopment of Kostyantynivka. The second of these options being the most likely based on historical precedent. Russia could also decide to ‘prop’ its forces at Chasiv Yar and direct resources to attacking from Toretsk, flattening the frontline and ensuring Russian forces attacking Kostyantynivka are supported on their southern flank.
If successful, the second option, pushing resources towards Pokrovsk would secure an important logistics hub that could support an advance north towards Kostyantynivka and Kramatorsk. However, at operational-level capturing Pokrovsk also opens a new opportunity for Russia because the town could be used to open a new axis of advance west into Ukrainian terrain. Therefore, if Pokrovsk is captured Ukraine faces a dilemma because its location allows Russia to threaten two option for manoeuvre, both of which need to be blocked.
The third option, involves Russian forces at Chasiv Yar ‘propping’ and flattening the Siversk Salient and ensuring a force attacking Kostyantynivka is supported on its northern flank, or possibly by passing the town and attacking Kramatorsk directly.
If I was commanding Russian forces, and Chasiv Yar is captured, I would pursue the first option. Reinforcing the success at Chasiv Yar by maintaining forward momentum on the Kostyantynivka axis.
However, it is sensible to ‘prop’ at Chasiv Yar letting forces in the Toretsk Salient catch up, flatten the frontline, and secure the southern flank of the assault on Kostyantynivka. This cautious approach balances maintenance of momentum against the practical reality of taking Kostyantynivka. Notably, I would not dissipate resources by attacking Pokrovsk, preferring to concentrate on making Kostyantynivka untenable for Ukraine rather than risk over-extending my forces.
But what will the Russians do?
Based on their operations to-date, it seems most likely that Russia will continue to maintain a ‘full court press,’ attacking along the Donetsk front, dissipating their combat power rather than concentrating at one point. History demonstrates that after capturing a town, Russia cannot follow through and exploit the situation. Instead, Russian forces tend to stop, hold and wait. Therefore, I think that although the potential for rapid changes in the campaign exists, it is most likely that the frontline will stay relatively static in the next few weeks.
Conclusion
On 8 August, Trump’s deadline runs out and Putin has not demonstrated any willingness to modify his terms for negotiation. Additionally, Russian ground forces appear to have captured Chasiv Yar, a small but useful victory. Therefore, it is likely that Putin will call Trump’s bluff, so the next question is how the US responds.
In my opinion, Trump’s reaction to Medvedev’s threats is a subtle indication that the president’s appreciation of the situation is changing. Trump is buoyed by his recent success in Iran, and the praise he received from partners and allies for hampering that nation’s nuclear programme, and for making Israel comply with the ceasefire.
In conclusion, next week we should expect to see more strong political rhetoric, and on 8 August do not be surprised to see a set of tough new US sanctions being imposed on countries supporting Russia.
Ben Morgan is a bored Gen Xer, a former Officer in NZDF and TDBs Military Blogger – his work is on substack
I will be amazed if Russia bends the knee. I very much doubt the US will impose meaningful sanctions on India or China, and certainly not for any length of time. Companies like Apple, Amazon and Nike etc as well as big pharma (who are dependent on cheap bulk drugs and/or labour) will not allow it.
I’d be very surprised if Trump provides more support for Ukraine; he’s simply too deeply in love with Putin and Xi.
The only one Trump is deeply ini love with is himself. and the international system of trade and empire that keeps $billions flowing to people like himself. Putin and Xi are in the same mold. Unfortunately for the rest of us and the planetary biosphere the world is not big enough for all these empires to co-exist.
When the spotlight turns to the starvation in Gaza, Trump pivots to Russia. First he shortens his 50-day deadline to the 8th of August and hopes that people watch the events in Ukraine as that date approaches. Then he throws in a nuclear response for immediate effect.
Tariffs on countries taking Russian oil will likely be just an extension of Trump’s wider tariff programme. Countries gain a plus or minus on the President’s whims. China and India are as likely to receive a higher rate for being BRICS members or having a large negative trade balance with the US, than they are for importing Russian oil. Trump can frame it as the later, though. As for sanctioning Russia, is there anything left?
Ukraine is being Gazarised
What a fuckwit thing to write, Pat.
There are diferences, of course there is, Ukraine has air defences, Gaza has none.
Without its air defences and western supplied weapons, Ukraine would look like Gaza.
I have yet to see Russian soldiers laying down food and humanitarian aid as bait then gunning down the civilians who come for it
I have yet to see Ukrainian babies dying of starvation by the deliberate acts of the Kremlin
The Gazans have nowhere to go , they’re like goldfish in a lethal bowl
The same people whom are responsible for Gaza are also responsible for Ukraine.
Drone footage reveals Ukrainian cities are being Gazarised
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_PVGKdlT4I
Russia’s glide bombs have left a devastating mark on Ukraine, turning once-thriving towns into scenes of utter destruction. Drone footage shows the staggering damage inflicted on Ukrainian cities by Russian air bombs and artillery after war reached their streets. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, with hospitals, schools, and apartment blocks reduced to rubble under relentless Russian bombing and artillery attacks.
We take you through the haunting aftermath in cities like Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Vovchansk, and Mariinka — all now symbols of the Russia impact on civilian life and infrastructure. The scale of destruction is staggering, with countless destroyed buildings and destroyed cities scattered across eastern Ukraine.
Devastation in Russian cities Pat. They voted to leave the neoNazi state. Used as fortresses by Ukraine, civilians as human shields.
“Devastation in Russian cities Pat. They voted to leave the neoNazi state”
Interesting answer.
So let me try to understand this;
So according to you, Nick. These former Ukrainian cities are now Russian cities? So it’s alright that Russia Gazarised them?
And the residents of these cities voted for that?
Just trying to make sense of your words here Nick.
And your human shields excuse for this devastation?
“Used as fortresses by Ukraine, civilians as human shields”.
And the human shields?
What happened to them?
Are we to presume that they are buried under the rubble just like in Gaza?
Russia is copying Israel’s tactics of flattening cities. And killing civilians.
And copying the Zionist propaganda to justify it.
Good to know.
Pat, the citizens of the Donbass fought for their independence for years against Ukraines ultra nationalists. They only existed in “Ukraine” because of Soviet era administrative borders. Crazed Marxists like yourself.
I see you don’t like facts Pat.
Nick J August 6, 2025 At 6:42 pm
I see you don’t like facts Pat.
Nick J August 6, 2025 At 7:06 am
Pat, the citizens of the Donbass fought for their independence for years against Ukraines ultra nationalists. They only existed in “Ukraine” because of Soviet era administrative borders. Crazed Marxists like yourself.
I’m sorry Nick, but there str no facts in there.
Ukrainians only existed because of Soviet administrative borders?
Really?
The Zionists claim there is no such thing as Palestinians as well.
Human shiields, they voted for this, they don’t exist are only an administrative error.
You are really getting into the swing of this Zionist propaganda thing.
It has stopped working for them, and it has stopped working for you.
Pat is a shill for zionism. He defended ISIS destroying Syria.
Mohammed Khan August 7, 2025 At 8:30 am
Pat is a shill for zionism……
Mo, I didn’t see you in Egypt as part of the Kiwi contingent on the Global March to Gaza.as we were being hunted in the back alleys of Cairo to avoid being captured by the Egyptian police and baltageya,
From Kia Ora Gaza:
4,000 PEOPLE TRIED TO MARCH FROM EGYPT TO GAZA; EGYPT STOPPED THEM
https://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2025/07/09/4000-people-tried-to-march-from-egypt-to-gaza-egypt-stopped-them/
In Mid-June, Thousands Of Activists From Over 80 Countries including 24 from Aotearoa Set Out From El Arish For Rafah…..
Mohammed Khan August 7, 2025 At 8:30 am
……He defended ISIS destroying Syria
Just more sd hominem lies from a pseudononymous Kremlin troll.
After Netanyahu, the Assad regime was the biggest murderer of Palestinians in the world.
The ones who destroyed Syria were the Assad regime and its Russian imperialst and fundamentalist fascist Iranian allies.
Isis were a symptom that arose out of the Assad genocide, after The Assad regime had murdered all the leftist and progressive forces. Just as the ultra Nationalist Azov Battalion are a sypmtom of Russian imperialism and colonialism and in reaction to the Holodomor.
Do I support these groups. No I don’t, but in Syria and Ukraine after the progressives and Leftists were slaughtered, if they wanted to fight their oppressors, or even if they just wanted to survive the genocide being committed by Assad, fighters joined these groups. Same with the Taliban, in Afghanistan, Same with Islamic Jihad in Gaza, same with the Communist Party in Vietnam.
Jolani/Sharaa as an example, first radicalised by the Iraq war, he left Syria to fight in Iraq against the US. Returned to Syria to lead the forces that successfully overthrew the Assad regime after 14 years of defeats and genocide.
Mohammed Khan August 7, 2025 At 8:30 am
Pat is a shill for zionism. He defended ISIS destroying Syria.
Pat O’Dea August 9, 2025 At 8:30 am
Mohammed Khan is a shill for Russian imperialism. He defended Assad destroying Syria.
What is the difference between these two assertions?
One has facts to back it. The other is pure bullshit, with nothing to back it.
On the third anniversary of Russia’s military intervention in Syria, an independent monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Russian air strikes and artillery shells have killed 18,000 people, including nearly 8,000 civilians,,,,
But the Kremlin says it killed significantly more.
The head of its parliamentary defence committee announced on Sunday that it had killed 85,000 people, calling them all “terrorists”. Russia also claims it has not killed a single civilian in Syria over the last three years…..
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/russia-killed-thousands-civilians-syria-civil-war-military-intervention-a8562901.html
No doubt Mo and the other Kremlin trolls would dispute that 18,000 or 85,000 Syrians were killed by Russian forces over that period.
I would dispute whether they were all terrorists.
How about things that can’t be denied or disputed?
The undeniable images of the Syrian city of Aleppo reduced to rubble by Russian bombing, the undeniable images of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol reduced to rubble by Russian bombing?
Everyone on earth with a smart phone has seen the sickening video footage of Russian rockets slamming into civilian apartment blocks in Kyiv the Ukrainean capital.
Where did the Zionists get the notion that they could flatten Gaza and get away with it?
Before Gaza there was Homs;
Drone footage of Homs in Syria shows utter devastation – video
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2016/feb/04/drone-footage-homs-syria-utter-devastation-video
….The footage taken by Russia Works shows nearly every building has been destroyed. Homs, the third largest city in Syria, was dubbed the “capital of the revolution”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9cDP-UdP3E
y?
Unlike Mo, and the other pseudononymous Kremlin trolls, I have been to Gaza, and have visited Syria and spoken with its people I witnessed the Assad regime with my own eyes close up, and know how much it was hated. The genocide committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people, was aided and abetted by Iran and its proxies, and by the Russian Federation and its mercenaries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQni3qn6GIU&t=2s
The Zionists thought they could carry out the same sort of atrocities and the same genocidal level of destruction, and no one would complain, or even notice.
Watch Zionist TV and YouTube channels, Israeli propagandists are constantly complaining that Assad and the Russian Federation carried out the same level of atrocities and destruction and didn’t suffer the same level of international approbrium that Israel has.
Western Leftist apologists for Russian imperialism and Assad fascism can take a lot of the blame for that.
“subtle indication that the president’s appreciation of the situation is changing. ”
Trump changes his opinion as often as he changes his socks. He is not one to count on. Europe might be a bit wishy-washy, but they are a much better bet.
See Russia just captured two British army colonels and an MI5 man. Carry on, nothing to see in our media.
Yeah, well, maybe.
Maybe if the AI can get the computer generated image of the fictional colonels to move about and talk and walk or better yet give an interview, that would be tremendous. But I think we will have to wait a bit till the technology gets that good. But two stars out of ten for trying.
Click on the link to see the computer generated image of the British colonels
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/false-claim-of-uk-colonels-captured-in-ukraine-spreads/
The initial report was published on 4 August by EADaily, a Russian outlet that regularly echoes official Kremlin narratives. It claimed that “Colonels Edward Blake and Richard Carroll” were detained by Russian special forces during a covert mission inside Ukraine. The piece alleged that both officers were classified as “illegal combatants” and suggested the UK had attempted to cover up their presence by first stating they were in London, then claiming they were visiting Second World War battlefields.
The article also included a single photograph that purported to show the two officers in uniform, you can see it below.
That image is demonstrably fake.
Analysis of the photograph shows clear signs of artificial generation. There are visual inconsistencies in the hands, faces, and background. These anomalies are consistent with artefacts produced by AI image-generation tools. No other photos of the alleged officers exist, and their names do not appear in any Ministry of Defence public records, honours lists, or military directories.
FFS Pat, you are citing the UK Defense Journal. To quote Sir Humphrey, “Well they would say that wouldn’t they”.
The sources Pat uses are a constant source of unintentional comedy gold…
stand_alone_complex August 6, 2025 At 4:19 pm
The sources Pat uses are a constant source of unintentional comedy gold…
Shoot the messenger if you like. But until the Russian Federation can parade these fictional computer generated UK generals before the world’s media, you just all look like fools.
My guess?
We will never hear of these non existent generals ever again.
You anonymous Kremlin trolls are so boringly predictable. What’s the bet you will invent some ridiculous cover story, to explain their mysterious non-appearance ever again.
Here, let me write it for you:
‘Captured UK generals killed in Ukraine airstrike. Unfortunately this airstrike was so devastating our Russian forensic investigators could not recover even one toenail for DNA indentification.’
You want comedy gold Stand_alone_simplex?
How about this?
Ukraine offers Russia. a complete prisoner swap of all capturerd Russian officers for just one computer generated general.
LOL
Jeezuss you are a moron, did I say that Russia had captured MI6 agents? No. What i said was, “The sources Pat uses are a constant source of unintentional comedy gold…”, you often use US/UK MIC publications to prove your point, which makes you look like a fool. I mean if I gave you a link to an actual Ukrainian socialists view of the war would you even read it?
Serious question Pat: Do you have Aspergers? Because you really aren’t a big picture kind of guy…
So you admit that these images are obvious fakes, then?
You know and I know, that anyone who looks at these images can see that they’re AI generated
So if that’s the case, it doesn’t really matter who reports on the story, Distancing yourself from Nick’s story, you are sort of admitting you know this is non-story, and that these fake images will soon be shelved, never to be mentioned again..
(Not even by Nick J).
No wonder the folks over at the standard think you are a fucktard Pat, its because the facts shown by your attitude, and complete idiocy have proven them to be right.
Guess its only a matter of time before it happens here, when that happens you will only have the moon to howl at.
And I didn’t say the images were fake, unlike you, I am reserving judgement until more information comes to light. I’m guessing all your shoes have Velcro straps instead of laces…
Changing your story s.a.c.?
First you say you weren’t commenting on the images, just critising the sources. Now you say you are commenting on the images bur reserving your judgement. I think you will be reserving your judgement for a very long time. The computer generated generals are not much more than glorified cartoons. They are so embarrassingly bad they will never be mentioned again. At least not by you guys. I mighht keep the link tho. just to bring it up now and then to annoy you.
Whatever happened to the computer generated generals, sure you remember them. Is your judgement still reserved? circa 2028
Again, putting words into my mouth, talking to you IRL must be like talking to a toddler. I have consistently remained firm on my stance, i am reserving judgement on ALL sources of information until more is known. However, there is comedy gold in your “source”. The UKDJ is basically an online advertorial for the British Arms Industry, you know the organisations that supply technology and armaments to the Middle East, especially the Saudis and Israel, that are then used to kill Muslims in places like Gaza, the West Bank, and Yemen. And yet here you are citing them as “proof” that you know more than anyone else, and I don’t think you realise its not the mike drop moment you think it is. It just high lights that you do NOT do even do the slightest bit of due diligence when you start throwing links around like confetti, just so you can THINK that you are right. So tell us, where did you get your credentials at debunking AI images? When, where, and how did you become such an expert? You are taking the words of mouthpieces of Arms Dealers? You really are shit as an Anti-War activist aren’t you?
stand_alone_complex August 8, 2025 At 2:48 pm
…..I am reserving judgement until more information comes to light. I’m guessing all your shoes have Velcro straps instead of laces.
I guess that your guess, that new information on this image will come to light, will never happen.
And you guess wrong. (again). I have slippers for around the house, but as an electrician I have to wear steel cap work boots with quite complex lacing. And yes I will admit that they are a bit of a time consuming challenge for me to get them on in a hurry, and Velco straps would be better. Thanks for that piece of sartorial advice.
Here, I have some advice for you,
Have you never heard the saying’ ‘When you are in a hole, stop digging’?
Saying you are reserving your judgement shows that you are not as stupid as Nick J. who accepts these images as real. Good for you for trying to distance yourself from this obvious agiprop bullshit.
But still, reserving judgement? That’s only slightly less silly.
I invite everyone to look at the image of the ‘Captured Colonels’, check out the glaringly obvious AI generation. And ask yourselves if you would reserve your judgement on their auhenticity.
From
…..It is unmistakably AI-generated, and there are multiple clear indicators that confirm its inauthenticity. The most obvious is the text on the passports, which appears convincing from a distance but falls apart under scrutiny. Although the covers mimic British passport styling in colour and layout, the writing is gibberish and lacks any legible or coherent wording. This is a common failure point in AI-generated images. Systems can reproduce the visual impression of documents but consistently struggle to generate real-world text. The clipboard in front of the two men shows a similar issue, with meaningless marks arranged to look like data columns but containing no readable or structured content…..
The gibberish on the passports and documents is only the most obvious indicator of AI generation.
I would invite anyone to look at this image, and you would have to conclude that someone would still have to be pretty thick to ‘reserve their judgement’ as to their authenticity. Either that or completely dishonest as to what they really think.
That level of dishonesty is typical of trolls.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/false-claim-of-uk-colonels-captured-in-ukraine-spreads/
stand_alone_complex August 8, 2025 At 2:48 pm
No wonder the folks over at the standard think you are a fucktard Pat,…
“You have enemies? Good!
It means you stood for something” Winston Churchill
You reserve your jugement on an obvious fake, Lynn Prentice and the Labour Party reserve their judgement on an obvious genocide.
You are all cowards.
Oh my, the bravery needed to to be the “great white saviour”, we poor minorities thank you you for your service.
On second thoughts. If Russia tried to animate these images, it would be even funnier.
I would be willing to bet the result would be hilarious.
The danger here, is that some teenage hacker might get hold of the source code and have them giving Putin a blow job.
Medvedev was warning Trump that a decapitation strike would not work in Russia due to the Dead Hand. This is a system whose existence has been confirmed that will send launch codes to Russian missiles if the command and control system is destroyed in a first strike. Ironically according to Russian nuclear doctrine indication of a first strike would be moving submarines nearer to Russia to reduce the time to impact for the missiles. The attack on Russian strategic bombers a few weeks back is also an indication of a first strike under the doctrine. It is these and other easily misunderstood actions that are risking annihilation. Also given Trump’s actions in Iran , why would Putin take negotiations with him seriously? Trump needs Putin to come to the table so he can disengage and replenish missile and other stocks run down in Ukraine, Israel and Iran before pivoting toward China. If Putin ignores his threats Trump is likely to Attack Iran again which wont actually benefit the US and certainly not Israel, but will allow Trump to distract from his failure. Putin has calculated he can win on the battlefield over the next 12 months and has no need to negotiate.
Alan August 5, 2025 At 5:49 pm
“…Putin has calculated he can win on the battlefield over the next 12 months and has no need to negotiate.”
You could replace Putin’s name with Netanyahu in that sentence.
Extermination, or withdrawl that is Putin’s choice.
Netanyahu has more chance of exterminating the Palestinian people of Gaza in the next 12 months than Putin has of exterminating the Ukrainian people in the same period. Ukraine has a much bigger population and territory than Gaza, if Putin chooses to follow Netanyahu’s example it will take him at least ten years to win a genocidal war of extermination against the Ukrainian people using conventional weapons.
Putin is wrong, he cannot win on the battlefield, which is why he has turned to aerial bombardment of cities,
The modern airforce is like the old time calvary, they cannot hold ground, they do not win wars, only boots on the ground can do that. What the soviets learnt in Afghanistan, what the Americans learnt in Vietnam, and Afghanistan, Is that a popular insurgency can never be beaten, except by committing genocidal warfare against the entire civilian population that sustains that popular insurgency.
When the US was losing the war in Vietnam and it was clear that there was no chance of a US victory, Nixon contemplated dropping a nuclear bomb on Hanoi. Nuclear weapons are misnamed, they are not weapons of mass destruction, WMDs, the mass destruction that nuclear weapons cause is an unwanted side affect. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass genocide. WMGs. The Americans made that calculation and chose to withdraw.
Netanyahu made that calculation, and chose genocide, Just like Putin Netanyahu has no need to negotiate.
The question you have to ask yourself Alan is this;, Is Putin planning a full scale genocidal war against the people of Ukraine, to achieve his victory, and how long will that take realistically?
Not 12 months that’s for sure.
The story so far.
China and the US make preparations for war in the Pacific
Kremlin threatens war with the US
Trump repositions nukes to threaten Russia
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/01/trump-nuclear-submarines-russia-ukraine
Israel flattens Gaza, Russia flattens Ukraine.
Imperialism like capitalism is an economic system. Getting steam up in the 18th Century, Imperialists quickly circled the globe seeking out the super profits that imperialism yeilds. From those early heady days, sometime in the early part of the 20th Century even the whole world was not big enough for imperialism to endlessly expand into. Not only were there no more colonies to conquer, the imperialists found themselves up against each other. in wars with rival economic and military empires with the same idea of endless economic expansion and growth.
As Greenpeace say, ‘Endless growth on a finite planet is impossible’.
Not only is imperialism still intent on colonising countries, and warring with its rivals, imperialism is colonising the climate and biosphere.
Genocidal wars, biosphere collapse, extinction events.
https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-is-the-sixth-mass-extinction-and-what-can-we-do-about-it
We are not living in the late stage of capitalistm.
We are living in the late stage of everything.
We just haven’t realised it yet.
The story so far…the empire is crumbling, but it is still too powerful for Russia or China to take on. Best Russia and China can do, is defend themselves against whatever proxy militaries the empire throws at them. But project power like the empire does, attack the empire at its heart – the USA – either head on, and or, with proxy militaries, no sign of such empire-like activity can be seen. Closest the world ever got to this was the USSR and the Cuban missile crisis of the early 1960’s. Neither Russia or China is the USSR, let alone the USA.
Respect your thoughts on Palestine, Pat, but thankfully, Ukraine is not enduring the sheer horror befalling Gaza/Palestine.
+100
I appreciate the seemingly in depth knowledge that Ben Morgan shares in these posts. Recall under-desk drills and picking up on the anxiety and fear of the adults, during Cuban missile crisis. Now here we are again, Russia alluding to their nuclear capability, US moving nuclear subs to send a warning to Russia. Brinkmanship that makes me ask, how fragile is our human tenure on Earth.