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Polaris of Enlightenment

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/world/russia-bans-american-journalists/

World

Russia bans American journalists

The new cold war

Published 30 August 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Five New York Times journalists are on the list.
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About 20 American journalists have been added to the list of Americans banned from entering Russia.

“We remind the current US authorities of the inevitability of punishment for hostile actions”, writes the Russian Foreign Ministry.

At least 23 journalists from the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, among others, as well as several US officials, lawyers and leading representatives of military-industrial companies, are targeted.

The State Department justifies the bans says they are “in response to the Russophobic course pursued by the Biden administration with the declared goal of ‘inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow’”.

According to the ministry, the journalists “leading liberal-globalist publications involved in the production and dissemination of ‘fakes’ about Russia and the Russian armed forces”.

The Wall Street Journal’s Emma Tucker is one of the people on the list and said in a commentary that “The Putin regime is farcically consistent in its all-out assault on free press and truth. This laughable list of targets is no exception”.

Protracted censorship war

Russia’s decision comes shortly after the US announced new sanctions against more than 400 companies accused of supporting Russia during the war against Ukraine – companies based in Russia, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, which allegedly helped Russia evade previous sanctions.

Recently, the US also announced that it is preparing further arms deliveries to Ukraine, which is seen by Russia as a provocation and an escalation of the situation.

In parallel with the war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia, there has also been a long-running “censorship war” – where Russian media have been blocked in the West at various times – to which Moscow has responded by censoring a large number of Western media.

In many cases, this has made it difficult for interested parties to access the “other side’s perspective” without using VPN services and similar measures to circumvent the blocks.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/europe/poland-says-no-to-joint-eu-army/

Europe

Poland says no to joint EU army

The new cold war

Published yesterday 12:58
– By Editorial Staff
Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski believes that a common European army will not become a reality.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and EU leader Ursula von der Leyen are two of several leaders who have recently called for the creation of a common European army.

However, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski dismisses such a solution, stating that “it will not happen”.

– I think we should be careful with this term because different people understand different things. If you understand by it the unification of national armies, it will not happen, Sikorsk explained in an interview with Telewizja Polska at the weekend.

Poland’s foreign minister also dismissed the idea of an EU peacekeeping force in Ukraine after a possible future ceasefire.

– This is not a consideration because Poland’s duty to NATO is to protect the eastern flank, i.e., its own territory, he said.

However, the minister is in favor of EU countries rearming their own armies and developing their defense capabilities. According to Sikorski, Poland has long been pushing for the EU to relax funding rules so that member states can more easily invest in defense without violating the set budget rules.

“A threat to the existence of NATO”

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Zelensky declared that a “European army” must be created and argued that “decades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending” – after US Vice President JD Vance harshly criticized European countries and their leaders.

However, the idea is not Zelensky’s, nor is it new – in 2019, for example, French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel argued that an EU army should be established and that Europe must start pursuing a policy of “strategic autonomy” from Washington.

Even Italian politicians have argued that the EU cannot have a credible foreign policy without a common military.

The idea of forming a pan-European army as an alternative to the US-led military pact began to circulate some 20 years ago – an idea then US Defense Secretary William Cohen described as “a threat to the very existence of NATO”.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finnish-security-service-severed-sea-cables-likely-accidental/

Finland

Finnish security service: Severed sea cables likely accidental

The new cold war

Published 23 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The seized tanker Eagle S.
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Finnish authorities are expected to conclude shortly the preliminary investigation against the tanker Eagle S, accused of causing damage to the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia, as well as to several telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea.

Suspicions were initially directed at the Eagle S, which was alleged to have deliberately dragged its anchor along the seabed, thereby damaging the cables.

Finnish authorities boarded the vessel and started questioning the crew. However, Customs announced that no criminal investigation will be opened against the crew, as they are not deemed to have willfully violated any sanctions.

So far, no other evidence has been presented to suggest that the crew intentionally caused the damage. The National Bureau of Investigation has stated that the active preliminary phase of the investigation will soon be completed, reports Helsingin Sanomat via TT.

Despite this, suspicions of gross sabotage against the Eagle S remain. The ship is still seized, and a Finnish court has rejected the owner’s request to release it.

Lack of evidence

Russia has consistently dismissed Western claims that Russian ships deliberately sabotaged the submarine cables as “baseless”. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova argues that the US-led NATO military pact is creating myths to justify an increased presence in the Baltic Sea and to limit Russian oil exports.

It should be noted that no concrete evidence linking Russia to the incident has been presented to date, according to Helsingin Sanomat, citing five sources familiar with the investigation. The information was also confirmed to Hufvudstadsbladet by a source in the Finnish state administration with insight into the case.

In the meantime, Finland and Estonia continue to work on repairs to the damaged cables. Fingrid, Finland’s national grid operator, has requested a court to seize the Eagle S to secure claims for damages related to Estlink 2.

Meanwhile, NATO has increased its presence in the Baltic Sea region in what it describes as “a precautionary measure against potential threats to critical infrastructure”. The other day, Operation Baltic Sentry was launched to patrol and protect important underwater structures such as gas pipelines and internet cables.

The Finnish authorities stress that the investigation into Eagle S is expected to be completed shortly.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-mep-wants-to-defeat-the-kremlin/

Sweden

Swedish MEP wants to “defeat” the Kremlin

The new cold war

Published 16 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Emma Wiesner is one of many Swedish leaders who have recently started using increasingly aggressive rhetoric.
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In a short period of time, the rhetoric of Swedish leaders has become increasingly belligerent and aggressive, while diplomacy and dialogue are rarely put forward as a viable option.

Emma Wiesner, MEP for the Center Party, is one of those accused of fueling the conflict, openly posting on social media about how “we” should “defeat” the Kremlin.

The fact that Swedish politicians’ attitude towards Russia has become even more hostile in recent months was made abundantly clear at Folk och Försvar’s national conference in Sälen this past weekend. At the conference, Ulf Kristersson declared that Sweden is certainly not currently at war – but emphasized that “there is no peace either”.

The Swedish Minister of Defense, Pål Jonson, gave a similar message, declaring that supporting Kiev in the war was no longer a “choice” – but a “duty”.

– This is a war with profound global consequences that further weakens the rules-based world order… We must assume that Russia will pose a very serious threat to us and our allies for the foreseeable future, he said.

Emma Wiesner of the Center Party is one of those who has joined the war rhetoric and believes that the Russian leadership must be defeated.

“It is completely unreasonable that Russian ships transporting Putin’s gas through the Arctic are given maintenance in EU ports. It is high time to extend sanctions to Russian LNG – we cannot defeat the Kremlin regime until we cut off the flow of money to the war chest”, she writes on X.

“Ukraine’s cause is ours”

However, it is not clear how and at what cost the Kremlin will be defeated or what role Sweden will play in this, and critics point out that sanctions against Russia have so far not produced the desired results.

“You seem angry, but it won’t help you ‘defeat the regime in the Kremlin’, the only thing that can happen with your advice is that we dig ourselves even deeper into economic misery in Europe. But of course, as an MEP, you’re not exactly in the same boat as the rest of us”, commented one annoyed user.

Wiesner has previously declared that “Ukraine’s cause is ours” and that a Russian victory on the battlefield cannot be accepted under any circumstances as it would lead to a “fundamentally different Europe” than today.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-armed-forces-unveil-drone-swarms-can-be-as-many-as-needed/

Sweden

Swedish Armed Forces unveil drone swarms: “Can be as many as needed”

The new cold war

Published 15 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The drones are described as "trucks" that can carry both weapons and cameras.
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The Swedish Armed Forces have been working on a new drone project over the past year, under great secrecy, together with weapons manufacturer Saab, where large swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles will be used in military operations.

–They can be as many as needed – thousands, if desired, says Saab CEO Micael Johansson

The main focus has been on developing new software that is said to enable the drones to form swarms and perform tasks almost automatically, without any operator having to control each individual aircraft in detail.

– It’s not about piloting drones, you give them a mission on an iPad or mobile phone, then the drone swarm goes out and does this, the Saab top executive told TT during a press conference, explaining that a soldier can learn the system in a few days.

A possible drone mission could be to monitor a road by flying over it and transmitting images or video from the site, while scouting for enemies that the drones can also identify. By using hundreds or thousands of drones, very large areas can be monitored in this way, and if a few drones are disrupted, this also has little impact.

Although this has not been part of the project so far, it is also possible that in the future the drones will be armed and used to attack enemy forces.

– You can update this software and do amazing things in the long run, says Micael Johansson.

Should not make their own decisions

According to Army Chief of Staff Jonny Lindfors, the drones should be considered “trucks” – and it is up to the decision-makers to decide what cargo they should carry.

– But the basic principle that still applies is that in an armed operation there should be a human being making the decisions, he says.

Swedish soldiers have already started training with the new system and it will also be used in the NATO exercise Arctic Strike in March. The Swedish Armed Forces are also in the process of acquiring tens of thousands of drones, but they won’t say how much the new system will cost.

Sweden’s Minister of Defense Pål Jonson (M) is careful to point out, however, that a project of this kind usually takes about five years to complete – and that it is “uniquely fast” that the software has been developed in just one year.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com