It’s been an exciting four days for us here at Monomakhos. More so for the rest of the world but we experienced our own bit of excitement as well. I’d like to think that all things being equal, it was just a coincidence that we became (how shall I say it?) temporarily unavailable.
Perhaps so.
But then again, several other websites that were pro-Russian were taken down as well. So were some of the bigfoot news organizations as well: RT and Sputnik for example are still unavailable. (The last I checked, they were still down.) As for the mainstream media, the coverage has been insufferable. Comically so. Even FOX News has reverted to reflexive war-mongering. And just as I thought that Sean Hannity had learned his lesson regarding neocon lies, like a dog he returns unthinkingly to his vomit.
Another reason I suspect that there was something nefarious behind our “unavailability” was the fact that up until three days ago, I could receive video footage of the hostilities on YouTube from both sides of the conflict. Now, all you can get is Ukrainian videos, some of which appear real but others which are laughable in their execution.
One especially, the “Ghost of Ukraine” (who supposedly shot down six Russian jets in one day), was in reality footage from a video game.
I have a lot to say but Gail and I have a lot to catch up on. Rest assured that we will write voluminously on this subject and we plan on making a video or two to address the current crisis.
In the meantime, we’d like to thank our IT people for working tirelessly behind the scenes to help right the Good Ship Monomakhos. A special shout-out to our dear friend Nick Stamatakis over at Helleniscope for informing many of you about our plight. Besides taking the time out from his busy schedule to inform you about our situation, he graciously published an excellent essay by Gail on the ecclesiastical crisis entitled “Wagging the Dog.” Please take the time to read it. https://www.helleniscope.com/2022/02/27/wagging-the-dog/)
We also thank you, as well, for your concern, as well as your patience. Please forgive us if we didn’t respond to every email but we do appreciate your thoughts.
This blog post will be a brief one, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a lot to say. We will return quickly enough.
Pax. And let us pray for a quick resolution to this conflict. As Patriarch Kirill has said, “there are dark forces” that must be dealt with in Ukraine. Much more will be said about NWO forces soon enough.
P.S. If you’d like to get a good take on our incredible gullibility, please take the time to read this essay by David Stockman: https://www.unz.com/article/the-land-where-history-died-part-1/
Glad y’all got everything sorted out!
Glad to see you guys back in action!
The first casualty in war is the truth.
The only way to know the truth is to be an eyewitness, and even then, what you observe may be hard to believe. We are entering a time when events will be incomprehensible but take heart for these will be the signs that our Lord is here.
Y’all ain’t seen ‘nuthin yet !
Interesting that FB will not allow that last linked article to be shared. Says it is abusive.
Do you mean the last link in “We Were Hacked?”
yes, it would not allow it to be shared on FB Messenger or posted to FB. But my account is still on “warning” status for disturbing the FB Godlike bots.
FB has gotten so bad.
Can “Sideways Infinitely Dead” get any worse, or is it just a matter of degree-levels of descent into the Center of the Earth to shake hands with the Cosmocrator, as they all pen that folk song about that intrepid individual inner-earth explorer, once the entire above-ground-sourced earth-mining-and-drilling operation implodes into Cataclysmic Infernal Abaddon?
I believe the answer is “Yes”.
Welcome back. Thanks to Helleniscope for sharing the news of your situation. They are sharing some good insights, including this one on “Why the hatred for Christian Russia by the globalists”
https://www.helleniscope.com/2022/02/28/why-the-hatred-for-christian-russia-by-the-globalists/
I also highly recommend the Oliver Stone documentary, “Ukraine on Fire” for insights on how this Ukraine mess got started. See: https://vimeo.com/332524840
Helleniscope is great.
Speaking of Helleniscope, I wanted the below video a couple of days ago before it was posted on Helleniscope. I highly recommend watching it, I’ve sent it to a couple of people to give them a much clearer (less MSM) picture about what has happened and why.
https://www.helleniscope.com/2022/02/28/professor-mearsheimer-the-whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth-on-ukraine/
Glad you’re visiting their site!
Yep! Helleniscope and Monomkahos are a great source for Orthodox news.
For those of us that have been spiritually nourished at Greek parishes and monasteries, it’s really hard to not want to keep fighting and you both have been good at exposing the rot.
And we appreciate the reasoned approach that you bring to this blog, Petros.
At the moment, the truth is obscured by the propaganda. However, much like the sun and the moon, the truth cannot be obscured for long.
The Duran is the best source of which I’m aware available to the general public. FoxNews, even Tucker, and Newsmax are all in with the DS.
However, I don’t think even the boys over at The Duran appreciate the full significance of what’s happening. Everyone who is euro-centric must be going through a sort of surreal dysphoria or derealization. Even those like the guys at The Duran who recognize full well that the sanctions levied will blowback terribly against the Europeans (and to a lesser extent America) are saying that US/NATO has finally realized its dream of evicting the Russians from Europe. That, however, is disconnected from reality.
As it stands, given Russian conquest of the Ukraine, Russia will supply over 50% of Europe’s gas, oil and grain as a result of its “intervention”. The Europeans have been shown incapable of doing anything about it even in the face of an assault on one of their Eastern European colonies. This is the fact with which even the most Russophile of euro-centeric folks have not come to terms. Far from being “evicted from Europe”, the Russians have conquered the largest European country and maintained their energy export dominance unchallenged.
The economic grief that the unfolding events will unleash will likely topple European governments in the mid-term. The Russians would not have gone into the whole of the Ukraine if they did not have guarantees from the Chinese that they would step in to stabilize the ruble if necessary and dramatically increase consumption of Russian gas, oil and grain in the event that Europe grew a pair.
In the mid to long term, this is a disaster for the West.
I see this as, on the economic level, all the more reason for us to become more self-sufficient as a country. Covid and the supply chain issues were the front door and now perhaps we are about to walk into the house.
I hope that you’re right, Misha. I hope that you’re right. (If not, God help us all.)
Misha, what’s your take on The Saker?
I find his analysis to be pretty good.
Glad you’re back. Is the comments section working? I tried posting something a little while ago and it disappeared. Highly recommend Oliver Stone’s “Ukraine on Fire” documentary for insights on the globalist hand in turning Ukraine against Russia.
Anything is possible.
So far, the eastern NATO bloc (ne: Eastern Bloc) will not get involved in the current festivities even with pressure, threats, bribes and carrots. To do otherwise is certain suicide. In the event hilarity ensues, these countries will invite Russian forces to roll into Berlin unopposed.
Then the house of cards will blow away as the orchestrators will scramble with damage control, blame game and other diversionary tactics. Such fun ! What a show !
I see this as a lose/lose situation for the EU, NATO and the US. Unless desperation forces WW3 and still the result will be even more painful with the Russians enjoying their kaffee am Gendarmenmarkt.
Maybe Ukraine will now realized they were duped by the West. They dangled the idea of joining NATO in front of them and as soon as Russia made their move, Ukraine asked for help and they were give a resounding *crickets*
This has only shown that America will use and discard you (we already knew that), and, NATO is a paper tiger.
ML,
That is the only thing that gives me some cause for pause about the unfolding events – the very real danger of a limited nuclear exchange. Russia has a gracious plenty tactical nukes. The West is playing as hard as they dare at this point. Assaults on central banks, currencies and means of transfer (like SWIFT) were things used sparingly, if at all, even against Nazi Germany during WWII. The gravity of that assault probably cannot be overestimated. However, I’m sure that the Russians assumed the West would do its worst, short of direct military intervention, and that would include any and all economic means it could muster. Thus it is no coincidence that Russia fortified its position with the Chinese before undertaking this little operation. It’s all been gamed out and they’re satisfied with the possible results they see, short of mutually assured destruction.
But that is the question mark. Truly unhinged behavior is emanating from the West including the persecution of all things Russian and the impassioned mad rantings of the Wicked B*tch of the West (Mdme Hildebeast) appealing to Putin’s inner circle to oust him. That is dangerous and irresponsible. There was talk of sending NATO fighter jets to the Ukraine. There has been talk of a no fly zone. All of this nonsense is a direct invitation to WWIII.
The danger is that the clearer headed political physicists even in the elite establishment have to realize that Putin is checkmating them through conquering the Ukraine while maintaining energy and grain export dominance of Europe. NSII is almost irrelevant, as are the sanctions. By every reliable indication I’m getting the Russians and the forces of the two eastern republics, together, have lost about 300 soldiers total in the current operations. The Ukrainians have lost upwards of a thousand. But the relative lack of Ukrainian losses is due to the Russian army’s pussyfooting in order to strategically encircle their cities and armies and avoid as much as possible damage to the infrastructure.
In short, the Russians are going through the Ukrainians like a hot knife through butter and the West is completely impotent to stop or even retard any of it. And that must utterly terrify Western leaders. That is why they have the entire media, not just the MSM, lying in hyper wartime propaganda 24/7. All the fake stories are truly, breathtakingly Orwellian and it just goes to show how broad and deep the rot is in the West. I’m re-evaluating my hopes that the West can be saved because of this. The self-delusion is so severe and so widespread that collapse may be inevitable regardless of who runs Congress or the Oval Office. A stark disillusionment cannot be avoided at this point.
In all of that, it is unlikely that they are willing to lose. And they have exhausted their arsenal other than with things designed to provoke a nuclear response from Russia.
As my YiaYia would say:
Μάτια δεκατέσσερα ? Eyes Fourteen ..
Be observant. We are watched.
George and Gail, prayers of protection to you both with thanks for All your efforts.
And prayers for you, my friend, and for all you do.
George, Gail, I’m looking forward to ya’lls (hopeful) commentary on what the Russia-Ukraine conflict means for the Orthodox world.
– Will it push Ukrainians into the arms of the OCU?
– Will Russia dismantle the OCU?
– Will this prove Bartholomew and Theodoros right about “Russian expansion”?
My worry is that this has pushed the other Churches that were less enthused about Bartholomew right into his arms and that he (Bartholomew) will use this to justify his evil-doings, this includes the upcoming Holy Week chrismation. I would also be very unsurprised to see them kick Russian monks off of Athos, Elpidophoros is there now and that is never a good sign.
Looking forward to the thoughts of Monomakhos on these topics!
Remember how many lined the streets against him when he visited Ukraine and the handful or so that were there to support him? Even the schismatics have tired of him.
Touché. Good point.
I pray this is still their sentiment. I’m sure a portion of Ukrainians are happy Russia has come, but through the fog of war and western media it’s hard to tell.
If this is a physical consequence to a spiritual problem (which Fr. Peter spoke about), I would think Patriarch Bartholomew should be getting his house in order for fear of what’s going to happen next.
Petros, you asked:
– Will it push Ukrainians into the arms of the OCU?
——– Maybe Half, or at least a significant minority, of Ukrainians are not really into war with Russia, not really into joining the EU or NATO, etc. Probably a lot of them belong to the UOC-MP. So in effect you are asking whether the conflict will push that minority into a strong enough position that they would rather join the OCU than stay in the UOC-MP. People’s own feelings are kind of hard to predict, like how they react to different circumstances.
– Will Russia dismantle the OCU?
——————– Russia can’t realistically dismantle the OCU even if it does denazification and occupies the whole country. One reason is because the OCU is not inherently Nazi. Another is that the Russian Federation has a large enough extent of freedom of religion that even if Russia preferred for the OCU to dissolve, it can’t actually do that successfully. We aren’t in the days of Stalin where the government can just announce some major Church structure illegal or something. A huge percent of Ukrainians (30%?) belong to the OCU.
– Will this prove Bartholomew and Theodoros right about “Russian expansion”?
The problem with this is that we are talking about two different situations, so it’s like comparing apples (Ukraine conflict) and oranges (African situation). CP Bartholomew and AP Theodoros never called the UOC-MP an expansion into Ukraine, since it was always there for the last 300+ – 500+ years. Rather, they considered the Russian Exarchate in Africa to be an expansion. In that case, the CP was in a sense expanding in fact its claims over all EOs and over Ukraine: It announced that it was following its new teaching of CP Supremacy over all EOs and using this power to reinstall KP./Met. Philaret. It also claimed to revoke its 17th century transfer of Kyiv to the MP. The MP did not recognize these decisions by the CP and the AP’s recognition of the CP’s decision, and suspended communion with both. Then, not recognizing the AP anymore, the MP made an Exarchate for those in Africa who wanted to join the MP. Typically, these clergy already had been working with the MP. The MP had been doing missionary work there already.
So it makes sense that you can consider it an “expansion”, but whether that expansion is viewed as good or bad depends on your analysis of the situation. For example, would it be good or bad for Russia to missionize Subsaharan Africa? How much missionary would had the AP already done among Subsaharan Africans? When the AP recognized the OCU, would it be good or bad for African clergy to want to leave the AP to avoid the OCU?
The only way for you to say that it proves the CP and AP right would be for you to say that the MP was wrong religiously to expand into Africa and for you to connect this to the current Ukraine conflict. This is because missionary work was the way that the MP expanded there. But since it’s pretty hard to say that Russia missionizing Africa is bad, this argument doesn’t really work very well.
Looks like the OCA website was hacked.
This conflict is pretty sad overall. On the main OCA page, I see stuff about the OCA being sad about the conflict in Ukraine. Then when I click on the articles, it says:
However, after a while, the site and the links work again. Is there someone hacking the site who doesn’t want a quick end to the war? Certainly everyone should want a quick end to it. Maybe it’s someone just hacking “Russian” websites (OCA has Russian heritage), or else they are hacking because statements on the OCA page seem to include things against the Russian state on the topic.
Some of the pages and titles on the main site: