by Stephen Lendman

Washington wants one of its main rivals marginalized, weakened, contained and isolated.

It wants its sovereign independence destroyed. It wants it made another vassal client state.

It wants control of its vast resources. It wants them plundered for profit. It wants ordinary Russians exploited as virtual serfs.

It risks nuclear war to achieve its imperial objectives. The threat of its outbreak was never greater.

Reasons are invented to bash Vladimir Putin irresponsibly - outrageous ones including:

• nonexistent Russian aggression in Ukraine;


• wrongful claims about invading and annexing Crimea - more on this below;


• wrongfully blaming Moscow for downing MH17;


• other US/Western/Kiev-sponsored false flags;


• Boris Nemtsov's murder; and


• absurd fears of Russian hordes invading neighboring countries.

Ola Cichowlas is a pro-Western propagandist masquerading as a journalist. She's a neocon Henry Jackson Society member.

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Reuters featured her latest disinformation piece "Lithuania prepares for a feared Russian invasion."

The whole world knows Russia won't invade Lithuania or any other country. Lithuanian officials know it.

Why would they prepare for nonexistent threats? They called restoring conscription a "necessity."

They fear "an incursion of Putin's 'little green men,' " says Cichowlas. They published a "manual to gird citizens for the possibility of invasion, occupation and armed conflict."

You can't make this stuff up. No one works harder for European peace, stability and mutual cooperation than Putin.

You'd never know it from irresponsible hyped threats like Cichowlas' propaganda piece.

Or The New York Times' latest anti-Putin editorial headlined "Murder? Pull Out the Kremlin Script."

Times editors claim Putin "storytellers" invent a "devious West…trying to create an opposition martyr and demonize Russia's leader."

They hype "Putin propaganda." They say it "will continue until, as in Soviet days, Russians cease believing anything the Kremlin says."

They ignore Putin's overwhelming popularity - likely the highest by far anywhere at 88%.

Obama hovers around 40%. Congressional support is about 18%.

Growing numbers of Americans believe nothing duplicitous politicians say.

Or rubbish media scoundrels feature - all propaganda all the time on issues mattering most and junk food news.

Irresponsible Russia bashing remains relentless. On March 16, the State Department headlined "One Year Later - Russia's Occupation of Crimea."

Washington refuses to recognize Crimea as legal Russian territory. Crimeans voted near unanimously to rejoin Russia a year ago - justifiably reversing a historic mistake.

Self-determination is a universally recognized right under international law. Not according to Washington.

The State Department wrongfully called Crimea's free, fair and open referendum a "sham" - a "clear violation of Ukrainian law and the Ukrainian constitution."

Fact: Ukraine's US-installed Nazi putschist regime has no legitimacy whatever.

Fact: It trashes rule of law principles. It rules by brute force.

Fact: Crimeans justifiably rejected its illegitimacy. They chose democracy over fascist dictatorship.

The State Department ludicrously said their referendum "was not voluntary, transparent or democratic." It wrongfully claims Russia "occup(ies)" Crimea.

Fact: Truth is polar opposite. Crimeans acted on their own accord. No one forced them. They overwhelmingly chose to rejoin Russia. No occupation exists.

Statements from Washington read like bad fiction. According to the State Department:

"A year ago, as covert Russian military forces took control of key government buildings and infrastructure, the population of Crimea was forced to go to the polls facing a false choice of either joining Russia or calling for Crimea's independence."

"Two days later, the Russian Federation attempted to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory, disrupting 70 years of international order and drawing the condemnation of free, democratic societies across the globe."

"Over the last year, the human rights situation in Crimea has deteriorated dramatically, with mounting repression of minority communities and faiths, in particular Crimean Tatars, and systematic denial of fundamental freedoms."

"Local residents have been detained, interrogated, and disappeared and NGOs and independent media have been driven out of the peninsula."

Fact: "Russian forces" took control of nothing.

Fact: Crimeans acted on their own volition. No one forced them to do anything.

Fact: They rejoined Russia voluntarily. No forced annexation occurred.

Fact: Claims about human rights abuses are Big Lies. Crimea a year later is much better off than under fascist dictatorship.

Russia International's Egor Piskunov visited Crimea on the anniversary of its rejoining Russia.

"So far all the locals that I spoke with here said they are confident with their choice and that they made the right decision by reuniting with Russia," he said.

"Everyone here is confident that the most important thing that they managed to achieve…was maintaining peace and order here in the region."

On March 14, hundreds of children (perhaps thousands) participated in a theatrical commemoration of rejoining Russia.

A February 2015 Russian Public Opinion Research Center poll found an overwhelming Crimean majority calling rejoining Russia a positive development.

If last year's referendum was repeated today, at least 90% of Crimeans would support being part of Russia.

Only 5% preferred remaining with Ukraine. An overwhelming 86% expressed satisfaction with life today in Russia's newest republic.

The State Department bashed what it called "Russia(n) attempts to validate its cynical and calculated 'liberation' of Crimea…"

It said anti-Russian sanctions "will remain in place as long as the occupation continues."

Crimea is official Russian territory - no different than all 50 states being part of America.

Washington keeping sanctions in place suggests maintaining them in perpetuity - continuing its longstanding political and economic war on Russia heading recklessly toward open confrontation.

Anti-Russian neocon US senators increase the possibility.

Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain (R. AZ) says Washington's trade embargo on Crimea won't end until it's returned to Ukraine.

Senator Chris Murphy (D. CT) won't support "sanctions relief until not only the Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine has ended, but they withdraw from Crimea as well."

Russian Crimean Affairs Minister Oleg Savelyev said many countries expressed interest in investing in Crimea.

America and rogue EU partners may end up odd ones out. Crimea is permanent Russian territory. US policy won't change things.

America has a choice. It can maintain political and economic war on Russia risking nuclear war or responsibly restore good relations.

It remains to be seen which way it goes. With lunatics running things, it's hard being optimistic.

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

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

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

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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