Where to find relevant documents, videos, translations, and procurement statistics for the conflict that began with a Russian incursion in February, 2022
Greg. Very good work. I have read many books about this conflict and listed some in my above (or below) post. Here:
The Ukraine War (2024) by Glenn Diesen, Provoked (2025) by Scott Horton, and War with Russia (2020) by Stephen F. Cohen, and for earlier looks at Ukraine history and the coup, Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III (2014) by Stephen Lendman, Ukraine Over the Edge (2015) by Gordon Hahn, Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands (2015) by Richard Sakwa, and Ukraine in the Crossfire (2017) by Chris Kaspar de Ploeg.
I'm 2nd generation Ukraine American, my mom's parents from Kyiv. Though they were Jewish and did not feel particularly included in the local politics. They spoke Yiddish, Russian, very funny English, and Hebrew for services. I read history in college and continued with goings on about Russia and Ukraine especially since the break up of the Soviet Union.
To me it's plain, it's a U.S. now 11-year project that should have been stopped by UN or ICC or some such. Cynical, Insidious, sadistic -- comes to mind about it. The coordination of U.S. media and secret services to mold the Russiagate conspiracy was most impressive, as was the selling of the shipment of arms and the Hollywood character development of Zelensky. If you haven't, read Walter Lippman's Shadow Public and Edward Bernays Crystallizing Public Opinion, certainly given them a go.
I also recommend "War with Russia" by Stephen Cohen. Also read "Moon of Alabama" for years. He had daily briefs. I believe the host of that website was former German intelligence. One commenter , steel_pineapple on March 5 posted, "Many Americans have forgotten that it was the US that helped overthrow the legitimate Ukrainian government in 2014, plunging the country into turmoil for years to come, Elon Musk has said.
He posted a clip on X of U.S. Senator Chris Murphy discussing Washington’s role during the 2013-2014 Euromaidan protests in Kiev. The video featured the Democrat admitting that the US had “not sat on the sidelines” during the unrest. Murphy also recalled that “we have been very much involved,” with top US lawmakers and officials attending the protests on the Maidan Square too. He further explained that “the Obama administration passed sanctions [against Ukrainian officials]… I really think that the clear position of the United States has in part been what has helped lead to this change in regime.”
I miss the “peace negotiations in Istanbul” under the mediation of Bennet in spring 2022, which were stopped by B. Johnson under pressure from the USA.
I agree the blowing up of the pipeline should be included as it did in fact occur and there is at least some circumstantial evidence the West did it. Not sure there is enough evidence to make a decision on who caused it in the timeline. Maybe that is why MT omitted it.
I agree. The stoppage of negotiations was a telling moment that indicated the Biden administration's misguided intentions. NATO's EU members were all willing to "fight for democracy" as long as the US continued to foot the bill. The war was a result of the delusion and hubris of the western allies in their attempt to annex and control Ukraine in some twisted scheme to keep Russia relegated to a second tier role. Putin was not your average bear.
Yes, can we have in particular the full transcript of the supposed interview where David Arakhamia claims Boris Johnson persuaded Zelensky to withdraw from negotiations? I can't seem to find this, though news articles reference it.
Great time line of this senseless war what is apparent is the US reneged on our promise to the Russians that Ukraine would never be part of nato and that NATO troops would not be stationed inside the Ukraine. The other troubling part was the coup by the Obama admin by Victoria Nuland removing a Ukrainian president. Our actions gave Putin the excuse to invade Ukraine to fulfill his ambition to rebuilt the old soviet empire.
I'm with you right until the end. There was never any proof that Putin wanted to rebuild anything like the Soviet Union, a prospect he said was as unintelligent. Even when Donbas leaders repeatedly asked the Kremlin to repatriate them, from 2014 onward, Putin and Medvedev said, no. Only when the attacks on eastern regions intensified through the end of 2021 and into February 2022 (when over 4000 UN ceasefire violations were committed by the Kyiv regime), did Russia intercede, on behalf of the 4 (Russian) Ukraine regions, and on behalf of its own security. This is not expansion. The U.S. shipment of $100 billion in arms created the imperative to finally repatriate those regions. That's it. Russia never wanted to enter Ukraine, and waited 8 years to do so. If the shoe was on the other foot, and this was China sponsoring a coup that overthrew Mexico's leader then arming radical militias right up against the U.S. border, would the U.S. wait 8 years to intervene? The U.S. would have gone in there in 8 minutes.
I have never heard Putin nor any other Russian official express any desire whatsoever to rebuild the Soviet Empire. In fact, during Putin's speech at the May 9 Victory day celebration of 2023 he stated "anyone who doesn't miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it back has no head."
May I ask why no mention of the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline? By all official accounts this was a direct part of the war. If you believe either official narrative it was first blamed on Russia and now Ukraine.
There is simply no way to rationalize leaving out the Nord Stream bombing on the grounds that it isn’t directly part of and related to the war in Ukraine.
It was also the biggest act of war outside of Ukraine in the European continent: the largest act of ecological terrorism ever. The most critical piece of energy infrastructure ever destroyed in the 21st century.
This timeline should include the attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as well as some of the IAEA statements that didn’t attribute blame to either side but thanked Russia for their professionalism in protecting the IAEA team and trying to keep the situation under control. (September 1st 2022, reference here - https://www.rt.com/russia/562010-un-thanks-russia-nuclear-safety/amp/
)
Russia had control over the plant at the time it was being hit by drones. The West and Ukraine blamed Russia claiming they were bombing their own troops with artillery and drones while at the same time claiming Russia was using the plant to store military vehicles and material.
- note that it was very difficult to actually find the clip and the source for what I mentioned using google. I had to use Yandex to find this RT article and also a tweet with the video of the UN spokesperson thanking specifically Russia for protecting the members of the IAEA team.
This is literally erased from western mainstream media. Try it yourself, dear reader. Use google to search “UN thanks russia nuclear power plant” and you will find nothing.
“The UN is appreciates Russia’s efforts to safeguard the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team that came to inspect the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, on Thursday.
That's according to the secretary-general’s chief spokesman, who was speaking after the Russian Defense Ministry said it was ‘bewildered’ at the lack of reaction to an alleged Ukrainian attempt to seize the facility by force.
‘We are glad that the Russian Federation did what it needed to do to keep our inspectors safe,’ Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a briefing in New York, when asked about Moscow’s comments.”
September 1st 2022. Incredibly hard to find this using google unless you put “RT” into the search.
Western media reports in the NYT and elsewhere would often highlight that there were attacks on this nuclear power plant, but neglect to mention that it was the Ukrainians attacking a Russian-controlled plant, rather than the other way around. The city of Zaporizhzhia was still occupied by Ukraine, while the power plant was a couple of km away.
I second this, please interview or reference the Canadian Ukrainian professor Ivan Katchanovski. He is indisputably the best independent expert on the topic of the Maidan shootings. He predicted the outcome of the court case and documented it very closely and has written about it extensively.
Two significant (HUGE) elisions in this timeline, both easily available in public records. The first is Putin’s confirmed request to Clinton that Russia be admitted into NATO (I believe he also asked this of Obama) so as to secure a security alliance from ‘Vladivostok to Lisbon’. Both times, after mild curiosity by US leaders, we declined. Perhaps most importantly there is no mention of the Istanbul Communique, agreed to by Putin and Zelensky’s negotiators, pending U.S. approval. The terms were highly favorable to Ukraine. See Jeffrey Sachs who advised both sides for the facts of this. The war was effectively over in mid April 2022. You also left out Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 treaties, the latter which was approved by the UN Security Council. These omissions are significant and can cause a lot of damage. Please consider this.
Also and essentially here is proof that Gorbachev and Scheverdnadze were promised nato would not expand ‘one inch eastward’ in exchange for allowing a reunited Germany into NAto (a gigantic concession by Russia given they had fought two land wars with Germany both times sending armies into Russia through Ukraine.
I don’t have copies of the Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 treaties or the ratification of The UN Security Council but they should be easy to find. I will also find links to the negotiations in Belarus and Istanbul which led to the Istanbul Communique. As for Putin’s offer to join NATO, I should be able to find that also. But it’s a sign of the tornado of propaganda and the blackout of so many of these facts of simple history that these elements are so little known. Let me get into it…
Finally, this should be at the top of this history: George Kennan, the father of the containment strategy which was US policy against the Soviet Union for 40 years, despairing at the U.S. determination to expand NATO under Clinton and later Bush and Obama. He said ‘we fought forty years against the Communists in Russia and these are the heroes who overthrew them. NATO expansion will drive the world further apart and end in war.’ Pretty smart guy. Solzhenitsyn, no friend of the Reds, said the same, as did Kissinger.
I have heard (through the Duran) that macron and others admitted that they had no intention of honoring Minsk 2. And that Minsk 1 did not include Russia at all. I have never seen proof but have looked for it. Maybe someone knows where to find it?
Zelensky ran as the peace candidate committed to honoring the Minsk agreements. The text of both Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 (which was ratified by the UN Security Council and which text can be found on the UN website) are essential to read. As disappointing as it is to say this, the Trump administration appears to be more knowledgable and unbiased about the history of Ukraine/Russia than the chroniclers at this website.
Amazing that Podesta appears here in ‘93 as senior advisor to Clinton, and 30 years later overseeing climate funds distribution under President Biden. A few notable stops along the way, too… Civilian government at work.
I’ve always felt that two people armed with exactly the same information will arrive at the same conclusion. This approach is excellent, Matt. Keep it up.
This is awesome. Saved in my archives until the Regime buys Substack and disappears it.
Reading this timeline cements the point that we have a warmongering neocon base that is aligned with the donor class, managerial class, corporatist oligarchy that has morphed a bit over the years as being globalist rather than nationalist.
These fucks are much more of a threat to world destruction than is Putin.
Everyone should own a copy of Scott Horton's excruciatingly sourced doorstop of a tome Provoked, which begins with our promise to Russia right after the Berlin Wall fell that NATO would not advance toward Russia. The book contains 500 pages of references. All of those primary sources should be archived. Glenn Diesen's book about the background of the conflict is also very important.
I think this chronology would be improved by including: (a) one or two, pre-2022 USA legacy media stories discrediting the Azov Battalion as Nazi supported by the Ukrainian government; (b) juxtaposed with post-invasion legacy media stories donning Azov as "heroes"; (c) demographic data showing the eastern Ukraine is largely ethnic Russian, speaking Russian; (d) documents/press stories on Azov and Ukrainian paramilitaries persecution of ethnic Russians; (e) Obama-Biden administration involvement/influence in the Ukrainian government, including Hunter Biden's meaningless post with the Ukrainian energy company.
Excellent article thanks for the very helpful compilation of documents and timeline. No doubt you've had to be selective for brevity. I think it's good to keep this timeline mainly focused on specific political acts/ agreements etc. but some of the events which I think led to "manufactured consent" of western nations, and on the other side those which stiffened Russian resolve, are absent. From the Russian perspective, the assassination early in the war of Darya Dugina; the use of a bomb planted in a truck to blow up the Kerch bridge; the banning of the Russian Orthodox Church and public use of Russian language in Ukraine. The response both in Ukraine and the West to demonise Russian culture, novelists, artists from the past. The dehumanisation of Russian as "orcs" and "mongols" ie not "true slavs" etc. which links in to the Bandera/Nazi issue. The list is long. In terms of "manufacturing consent" in the west, the Bucha Massacre (for which no list of massacred people seen on the news video has been provided, and the timeline and journalist eyewitness account cast doubt on the Ukrainian story). But I know you can't put everything in one article. Maybe a separate article on some of these socio-cultural conflicts.
I think in addition to brevity, one has to weigh the evidence for probative value against unfair prejudice to a rational search for the truth. So that maybe the writers' reason for leaving some of the more explosive and inflammatory events out.
Thanks so much to everyone for your fantastic support and suggestions. A lot of good ones. You will be seeing some updates.
Greg. Very good work. I have read many books about this conflict and listed some in my above (or below) post. Here:
The Ukraine War (2024) by Glenn Diesen, Provoked (2025) by Scott Horton, and War with Russia (2020) by Stephen F. Cohen, and for earlier looks at Ukraine history and the coup, Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III (2014) by Stephen Lendman, Ukraine Over the Edge (2015) by Gordon Hahn, Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands (2015) by Richard Sakwa, and Ukraine in the Crossfire (2017) by Chris Kaspar de Ploeg.
I'm 2nd generation Ukraine American, my mom's parents from Kyiv. Though they were Jewish and did not feel particularly included in the local politics. They spoke Yiddish, Russian, very funny English, and Hebrew for services. I read history in college and continued with goings on about Russia and Ukraine especially since the break up of the Soviet Union.
To me it's plain, it's a U.S. now 11-year project that should have been stopped by UN or ICC or some such. Cynical, Insidious, sadistic -- comes to mind about it. The coordination of U.S. media and secret services to mold the Russiagate conspiracy was most impressive, as was the selling of the shipment of arms and the Hollywood character development of Zelensky. If you haven't, read Walter Lippman's Shadow Public and Edward Bernays Crystallizing Public Opinion, certainly given them a go.
I also recommend "War with Russia" by Stephen Cohen. Also read "Moon of Alabama" for years. He had daily briefs. I believe the host of that website was former German intelligence. One commenter , steel_pineapple on March 5 posted, "Many Americans have forgotten that it was the US that helped overthrow the legitimate Ukrainian government in 2014, plunging the country into turmoil for years to come, Elon Musk has said.
He posted a clip on X of U.S. Senator Chris Murphy discussing Washington’s role during the 2013-2014 Euromaidan protests in Kiev. The video featured the Democrat admitting that the US had “not sat on the sidelines” during the unrest. Murphy also recalled that “we have been very much involved,” with top US lawmakers and officials attending the protests on the Maidan Square too. He further explained that “the Obama administration passed sanctions [against Ukrainian officials]… I really think that the clear position of the United States has in part been what has helped lead to this change in regime.”
This is so awesome. A billion readers. Adding detailed comments overwhelming the main stream media and the intelligence agencies!
I miss the “peace negotiations in Istanbul” under the mediation of Bennet in spring 2022, which were stopped by B. Johnson under pressure from the USA.
Fair point. Thanks for this.
I agree the blowing up of the pipeline should be included as it did in fact occur and there is at least some circumstantial evidence the West did it. Not sure there is enough evidence to make a decision on who caused it in the timeline. Maybe that is why MT omitted it.
Great. Send your documentary proof to MT so he can add it.
I agree. The stoppage of negotiations was a telling moment that indicated the Biden administration's misguided intentions. NATO's EU members were all willing to "fight for democracy" as long as the US continued to foot the bill. The war was a result of the delusion and hubris of the western allies in their attempt to annex and control Ukraine in some twisted scheme to keep Russia relegated to a second tier role. Putin was not your average bear.
I have updated the timeline to include this. Thank you.
I don't see anything about these peace negotiations or Boris Johnson flying to Ukraine to stop them.
Yes, can we have in particular the full transcript of the supposed interview where David Arakhamia claims Boris Johnson persuaded Zelensky to withdraw from negotiations? I can't seem to find this, though news articles reference it.
Great time line of this senseless war what is apparent is the US reneged on our promise to the Russians that Ukraine would never be part of nato and that NATO troops would not be stationed inside the Ukraine. The other troubling part was the coup by the Obama admin by Victoria Nuland removing a Ukrainian president. Our actions gave Putin the excuse to invade Ukraine to fulfill his ambition to rebuilt the old soviet empire.
I'm with you right until the end. There was never any proof that Putin wanted to rebuild anything like the Soviet Union, a prospect he said was as unintelligent. Even when Donbas leaders repeatedly asked the Kremlin to repatriate them, from 2014 onward, Putin and Medvedev said, no. Only when the attacks on eastern regions intensified through the end of 2021 and into February 2022 (when over 4000 UN ceasefire violations were committed by the Kyiv regime), did Russia intercede, on behalf of the 4 (Russian) Ukraine regions, and on behalf of its own security. This is not expansion. The U.S. shipment of $100 billion in arms created the imperative to finally repatriate those regions. That's it. Russia never wanted to enter Ukraine, and waited 8 years to do so. If the shoe was on the other foot, and this was China sponsoring a coup that overthrew Mexico's leader then arming radical militias right up against the U.S. border, would the U.S. wait 8 years to intervene? The U.S. would have gone in there in 8 minutes.
I have never heard Putin nor any other Russian official express any desire whatsoever to rebuild the Soviet Empire. In fact, during Putin's speech at the May 9 Victory day celebration of 2023 he stated "anyone who doesn't miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it back has no head."
Not according to Nato https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2025/02/24/us-ukraine-russia-europe
And, yet, Ukraine is not now and never has been a member of NATO.
That’s because it would start WWIii that’s Russia red line in the sand. Obviously you missed the point.
What a ridiculous gaslighting comment.
Whether it matters or not or whether we agree with it he invaded to prevent Ukraine joining nato.
May I ask why no mention of the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline? By all official accounts this was a direct part of the war. If you believe either official narrative it was first blamed on Russia and now Ukraine.
There is simply no way to rationalize leaving out the Nord Stream bombing on the grounds that it isn’t directly part of and related to the war in Ukraine.
It was also the biggest act of war outside of Ukraine in the European continent: the largest act of ecological terrorism ever. The most critical piece of energy infrastructure ever destroyed in the 21st century.
How was this omitted?
This timeline should include the attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as well as some of the IAEA statements that didn’t attribute blame to either side but thanked Russia for their professionalism in protecting the IAEA team and trying to keep the situation under control. (September 1st 2022, reference here - https://www.rt.com/russia/562010-un-thanks-russia-nuclear-safety/amp/
)
Russia had control over the plant at the time it was being hit by drones. The West and Ukraine blamed Russia claiming they were bombing their own troops with artillery and drones while at the same time claiming Russia was using the plant to store military vehicles and material.
There is also a clip of a UN spokesperson thanking Russia in front of cameras which I will include here - https://x.com/boweschay/status/1565454409424949251?s=46&t=LR9C9AMXhKRIf-h2odHlxA
- note that it was very difficult to actually find the clip and the source for what I mentioned using google. I had to use Yandex to find this RT article and also a tweet with the video of the UN spokesperson thanking specifically Russia for protecting the members of the IAEA team.
This is literally erased from western mainstream media. Try it yourself, dear reader. Use google to search “UN thanks russia nuclear power plant” and you will find nothing.
Then use Yandex to search the exact same terms. First result is the RT article exactly on the topic - https://www.rt.com/russia/562010-un-thanks-russia-nuclear-safety/amp/
“The UN is appreciates Russia’s efforts to safeguard the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team that came to inspect the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, on Thursday.
That's according to the secretary-general’s chief spokesman, who was speaking after the Russian Defense Ministry said it was ‘bewildered’ at the lack of reaction to an alleged Ukrainian attempt to seize the facility by force.
‘We are glad that the Russian Federation did what it needed to do to keep our inspectors safe,’ Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a briefing in New York, when asked about Moscow’s comments.”
September 1st 2022. Incredibly hard to find this using google unless you put “RT” into the search.
Appreciate this. Great feedback. I’ll be updating a few things.
Western media reports in the NYT and elsewhere would often highlight that there were attacks on this nuclear power plant, but neglect to mention that it was the Ukrainians attacking a Russian-controlled plant, rather than the other way around. The city of Zaporizhzhia was still occupied by Ukraine, while the power plant was a couple of km away.
A discussion about who was shooting whom from rooftops in Maidan on Feb 20, 2014 ... I think ... would be a valuable addition to this piece.
I second this, please interview or reference the Canadian Ukrainian professor Ivan Katchanovski. He is indisputably the best independent expert on the topic of the Maidan shootings. He predicted the outcome of the court case and documented it very closely and has written about it extensively.
Two significant (HUGE) elisions in this timeline, both easily available in public records. The first is Putin’s confirmed request to Clinton that Russia be admitted into NATO (I believe he also asked this of Obama) so as to secure a security alliance from ‘Vladivostok to Lisbon’. Both times, after mild curiosity by US leaders, we declined. Perhaps most importantly there is no mention of the Istanbul Communique, agreed to by Putin and Zelensky’s negotiators, pending U.S. approval. The terms were highly favorable to Ukraine. See Jeffrey Sachs who advised both sides for the facts of this. The war was effectively over in mid April 2022. You also left out Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 treaties, the latter which was approved by the UN Security Council. These omissions are significant and can cause a lot of damage. Please consider this.
Also and essentially here is proof that Gorbachev and Scheverdnadze were promised nato would not expand ‘one inch eastward’ in exchange for allowing a reunited Germany into NAto (a gigantic concession by Russia given they had fought two land wars with Germany both times sending armies into Russia through Ukraine.
I think the writers are asking us for the documents that support the evidence as well. So if you have it, it would be great to add it.
https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/russia-programs/2017-12-12/nato-expansion-what-gorbachev-heard-western-leaders-early
I don’t have copies of the Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 treaties or the ratification of The UN Security Council but they should be easy to find. I will also find links to the negotiations in Belarus and Istanbul which led to the Istanbul Communique. As for Putin’s offer to join NATO, I should be able to find that also. But it’s a sign of the tornado of propaganda and the blackout of so many of these facts of simple history that these elements are so little known. Let me get into it…
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/talks-could-have-ended-war-ukraine
Finally, this should be at the top of this history: George Kennan, the father of the containment strategy which was US policy against the Soviet Union for 40 years, despairing at the U.S. determination to expand NATO under Clinton and later Bush and Obama. He said ‘we fought forty years against the Communists in Russia and these are the heroes who overthrew them. NATO expansion will drive the world further apart and end in war.’ Pretty smart guy. Solzhenitsyn, no friend of the Reds, said the same, as did Kissinger.
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/02/opinion/foreign-affairs-now-a-word-from-x.html
https://x.com/Glenn_Diesen/status/1895686431013556395
https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-russia-may-have-make-ukraine-deal-one-day-partners-cheated-past-2022-12-09/
I have heard (through the Duran) that macron and others admitted that they had no intention of honoring Minsk 2. And that Minsk 1 did not include Russia at all. I have never seen proof but have looked for it. Maybe someone knows where to find it?
Zelensky ran as the peace candidate committed to honoring the Minsk agreements. The text of both Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 (which was ratified by the UN Security Council and which text can be found on the UN website) are essential to read. As disappointing as it is to say this, the Trump administration appears to be more knowledgable and unbiased about the history of Ukraine/Russia than the chroniclers at this website.
https://press.un.org/en/2015/sc11785.doc.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/04/ex-nato-head-says-putin-wanted-to-join-alliance-early-on-in-his-rule
https://newcoldwar.org/text-of-the-minsk-2-ceasefire-agreement/
Amazing that Podesta appears here in ‘93 as senior advisor to Clinton, and 30 years later overseeing climate funds distribution under President Biden. A few notable stops along the way, too… Civilian government at work.
Reminded me of this about Podesta’s art
https://open.substack.com/pub/martyrmade/p/anatomy-of-a-conspiracy-theory?r=1e5u7u&utm_medium=ios
O, forgot that. Ugh.
I’ve always felt that two people armed with exactly the same information will arrive at the same conclusion. This approach is excellent, Matt. Keep it up.
This is awesome. Saved in my archives until the Regime buys Substack and disappears it.
Reading this timeline cements the point that we have a warmongering neocon base that is aligned with the donor class, managerial class, corporatist oligarchy that has morphed a bit over the years as being globalist rather than nationalist.
These fucks are much more of a threat to world destruction than is Putin.
It’s pretty well infiltrated already. Samizdat still got mimeo’d and distributed, though.
Please add the negotiations in Istanbul after the war's start.
Everyone should own a copy of Scott Horton's excruciatingly sourced doorstop of a tome Provoked, which begins with our promise to Russia right after the Berlin Wall fell that NATO would not advance toward Russia. The book contains 500 pages of references. All of those primary sources should be archived. Glenn Diesen's book about the background of the conflict is also very important.
500 pages of references lmfao
Yep, that's Scott Horton for ya. Love him.
I think this chronology would be improved by including: (a) one or two, pre-2022 USA legacy media stories discrediting the Azov Battalion as Nazi supported by the Ukrainian government; (b) juxtaposed with post-invasion legacy media stories donning Azov as "heroes"; (c) demographic data showing the eastern Ukraine is largely ethnic Russian, speaking Russian; (d) documents/press stories on Azov and Ukrainian paramilitaries persecution of ethnic Russians; (e) Obama-Biden administration involvement/influence in the Ukrainian government, including Hunter Biden's meaningless post with the Ukrainian energy company.
Excellent article thanks for the very helpful compilation of documents and timeline. No doubt you've had to be selective for brevity. I think it's good to keep this timeline mainly focused on specific political acts/ agreements etc. but some of the events which I think led to "manufactured consent" of western nations, and on the other side those which stiffened Russian resolve, are absent. From the Russian perspective, the assassination early in the war of Darya Dugina; the use of a bomb planted in a truck to blow up the Kerch bridge; the banning of the Russian Orthodox Church and public use of Russian language in Ukraine. The response both in Ukraine and the West to demonise Russian culture, novelists, artists from the past. The dehumanisation of Russian as "orcs" and "mongols" ie not "true slavs" etc. which links in to the Bandera/Nazi issue. The list is long. In terms of "manufacturing consent" in the west, the Bucha Massacre (for which no list of massacred people seen on the news video has been provided, and the timeline and journalist eyewitness account cast doubt on the Ukrainian story). But I know you can't put everything in one article. Maybe a separate article on some of these socio-cultural conflicts.
I think in addition to brevity, one has to weigh the evidence for probative value against unfair prejudice to a rational search for the truth. So that maybe the writers' reason for leaving some of the more explosive and inflammatory events out.
I can see both sides. I have less faith in the West than most here. I love this idea, Matt. It will be a great tool going forward.
What a treasure trove of timely material. This should be published a tome of modern times. I like Project 451 a lot!