The Total Hybrid War By Richard Miller (London)

The Russians are getting nervous, and angry like giant bears, about US treatment, such as throw-away remarks made by Joe Biden, off programming. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the West of launching a “total, hybrid war” against his country, saying that a recent wave of sanctions aim to “exterminate” its economy, and hence destroy the nation. The West should head the warning here, since Putin has said before that he is quite prepared for an apocalyptic battle to the death against what he perceives as the enemies of Russia attempting to destroy it, since, Russians will go to Heaven. Really, should the West fight this country over … what … the Ukraine? What about all of the other wars going on in the world which are ignored by the mainstream media, such as the Yemeni Civil War, the largest humanitarian crisis today, with 20.1 million people requiring food assistance?

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/yemen

https://www.rt.com/russia/552736-lavrov-west-total-war/

“Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the West of launching a “total, hybrid war” against his country, saying that a recent wave of sanctions aim to “exterminate” its economy.

The comments came during a meeting of the Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund in Moscow on Friday, where Lavrov said Western retaliation to Russia’s attack on Ukraine last month amounted to a form of “war.”

“Today it has been declared a real hybrid war, a total war,” he said, adding that the latter term “was used by Hitler's Germany” and “is now voiced by many European politicians when they talk about what they want to do with the Russian Federation.”

The goals are not hidden, they declared them publicly – to destroy, break, exterminate, strangle the Russian economy and Russia as a whole.

The minister suggested the sanctions would not have the intended effect of isolating Russia’s economy, noting that “the majority of the countries in the world are interested in an equal interstate cooperation based on the key principles of the UN Charter.” He urged members of the Diplomacy Fund to take note of nations that have declined to join the “anti-Russian hysteria,” despite pressure from the United States and a number of allied powers. 

Those countries include both China and India, which have refused to cut ties with Moscow over its military operation in Ukraine, though both have urged an end to the fighting and a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Beijing has explicitly stated that it would not budge on its relations with Russia, insisting that it maintains an “independent” stance on the Ukraine conflict, while India has scaled up trade with Moscow in recent weeks, agreeing to purchase Russian crude oil at a discount earlier this month.”

https://www.rt.com/business/552667-ukraine-conflict-food-riots/

“The conflict in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia from Western countries are driving up global food prices, as Black Sea ports used to export grain remain blocked. The situation could lead to hunger and food rioting in poor countries, where food security depends on imports, the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told the Guardian on Thursday.

“I think we should be very worried. The impact on food prices and hunger this year and next could be substantial. Food and energy are the two biggest items in the consumption baskets of poor people all over the world,” Okonjo-Iweala said, adding that “it is poor countries and poor people within poor countries that will suffer the most.”

Okonjo-Iweala specified that Russia and Ukraine provide 24% of global supplies of wheat, noting that food imports from the Black Sea region were crucial for survival for 35 African countries.

The WTO official urged food-producing countries not to make the same mistakes that were made with vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic, when rich nations hoarded supplies, leaving poorer countries waiting to get doses.

“It is a natural reaction to keep what you have – we saw that with vaccines. But we shouldn’t make the same mistake with food… We must make sure we learn the lessons from vaccines and previous food crises. I am not sure we can fully mitigate the impact of the war in Ukraine because the numbers involved are huge, but we can mitigate some of it,” she noted.

Okonjo-Iweala expressed concern that Ukraine would not be able to kick off this year’s planting season on time due to the conflict. This is problematic, she noted, as Ukraine normally supplies half the wheat to the World Food Programme, the UN department that provides emergency supplies to countries.

“If we don’t think about how to mitigate the impact of the war that will be another catastrophe not just this year but next year,” she stressed, noting that food riots comparable to those in the late 2000s could start if prices grow further. In order to avoid escalation, she said the WTO is urging its 164 members not to impose export restrictions on food.

In a push to isolate Russia over its military operation in Ukraine, a number of WTO members, including the US, the UK, EU and Canada have imposed tariffs on Russia, slashing its most-favored trade partner status and calling on the trade body to kick Russia out altogether. However, according to Okonjo-Iweala, this is unlikely to happen, because the process would be too complicated and require 75% of members to approve.”