In the News May 5

Situation in Europe and Ukraine

Serious Danger of War in Europe

U.S. European Command is conducting massive war exercises in Europe from May 1 to 27, code-named Defender Europe. The exercises involve 18,000 military personnel from 20 different countries. It is starting in Poland with some eight other countries involved deploying some 7,000 troops and 3,000 pieces of equipment. Besides Polish troops, forces from the U.S., France, Sweden, Germany, Denmark and Great Britain are also participating with the 5th Corps of the U.S. Armed Forces responsible for command and control.

As part of Defender Europe, Britain is sending around 8,000 of its troops to take part in exercises across eastern Europe and deploying dozens of tanks this summer to countries ranging from Finland to North Macedonia. It is the largest deployment in Europe since the end of the bipolar division of the world when the former Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The thousands of British troops will be joined by tens of thousands of troops from NATO and the “Joint Expeditionary Force Alliance,” which includes Finland and Sweden.

As well, NATO just concluded largescale cyber war games in Estonia, conducted, reports say, “with one eye on Russia.” The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence was the 10th edition of one of the world’s largest annual interactive cyber security drills. Over 2,000 participants from 32 countries formed teams and logged in remotely.

This is besides the concerted disinformation campaign being waged by the U.S./NATO countries on the crisis in Ukraine. Major news agencies, newspapers, radio, TV and social media invent and deliberately repeat baseless stories, calling their refutation “false news” or presenting those who refute them as doubtful sources. These are well-known methods used by those who engage in defamation and disinformation. Some of these agencies subsequently blithely admit that the lies were “myths” as the CBC did recently about a concocted story widely circulated, highly praising a Ukrainian aviator shooting down Russian planes. It was a “myth” the CBC said and went on to the next one without skipping a beat.

Once state media have no credibility, the people of the countries concerned are left at the mercy of their own beliefs without a voice of their own. The situation reveals the urgency of supporting credible sources whose aim is not to incite passions to benefit the narrow private interests of war profiteers. The peoples of the U.S./NATO countries must unite to create an anti-war voice which serves them.

TML Daily, posted May 5, 2022.

[BACK]