Independent Chinese Voices from Ukraine

UPDATE added below on February 28

The following quotations have been taken from Chinese sources reporting what Chinese residents in Ukraine experienced these days. Both reports quoted seem to be published on China mainland channels while official voices from Beijing are reluctant to take sides in the conflict.

面对突如其来恶化的局势，乔丽娅表示很无奈，正如她此前在视频中所言，“很多年的兄弟，今天闹到这一步是为了什么？”而2014年开始，俄乌关系就开始走向下坡路。

Faced with the sudden deterioration of the situation, Qiao Liya expressed her helplessness. As she said in the video before, "Brothers for many years, why are you making trouble today?" Since 2014, the relationship between Russia and Ukraine has begun to decline.

乔丽娅表示，俄乌两国其实大部分人并不希望有战争。

Julia said that in fact, most people in Russia and Ukraine do not want war.

直到2月24日，王旭觉得在乌克兰的一切都在正常进行，尽管与俄罗斯矛盾已经持续了若干年。

Until February 24, Wang Xu felt that everything in Ukraine was going on normally, even though the conflict with Russia had been going on for several years.

2022年1月14日，新华社刚刚刊发了一篇题为《2021年中乌务实合作取得丰硕成果——访中国驻乌克兰大使范先荣》的文章，范先荣在接受采访时表示，“2021年中乌务实合作在双边贸易、生产投资、交通往来等多方面亮点纷呈。面对新冠肺炎疫情冲击，双边务实合作展现出强劲韧性和巨大潜力”。

On January 14, 2022, Xinhua News Agency just published an article entitled "China-Ukraine Practical Cooperation Achieves Fruitful Results in 2021 - Interview with Fan Xianrong, Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine", Fan Xianrong said in an interview, "In mid-2021, Ukraine's pragmatic cooperation has many bright spots in bilateral trade, production investment, transportation exchanges, etc. In the face of the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, bilateral pragmatic cooperation has shown strong resilience and great potential."

This morning, it became clear to the world that Western allies in the US and EU are standing together against Russia [The Guardian - Timeline of War]:

The United Nations Security Council held a meeting on the 27th and voted to pass Resolution 2623, which was requested by the United States and others to hold an emergency special UN General Assembly on the situation in Ukraine. Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, attended the meeting, abstained from voting in the relevant voting, and made an explanation of China's voting position.

The resolution didn't pass as was expected from the beginning. China, however, did not openly take sides in favor of Russia which is its strategic partner in many aspects. On February 28, China's news agency XINHUA confirms Beijing's unchanged position in the matter.

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How Russia Can Foil Sanctions on Payment Transactions

Here are some quotations from a Chinese article on how Russia may foil the US policy of using payment networks to sanction Russia.

俄罗斯国家杜马金融市场委员会成员鲍里斯·卡申曾公开表示，中国是俄罗斯的战略伙伴，俄罗斯在创建本国独立支付系统方面的主要伙伴是中国银联。中国银联的发展对俄罗斯有借鉴作用。 在这样的背景下，俄罗斯成立了俄罗斯国家支付卡公司（NSPK）和Mir支付系统。 俄罗斯是Visa与万事达卡的第三大市场，两巨头并不愿意退出俄罗斯市场，为了持续在俄罗斯经营业务，两巨头也接入了俄罗斯国家支付卡公司（NSPK）。

Boris Kashin, a member of the Russian State Duma Financial Market Committee, has publicly stated that China is Russia's strategic partner, and Russia's main partner in creating its own independent payment system is China UnionPay. The development of China UnionPay can serve as a reference for Russia. In this context, Russia established the Russian National Payment Card Company (NSPK) and the Mir payment system. Russia is the third largest market for Visa and Mastercard. The two giants are reluctant to withdraw from the Russian market. In order to continue their business in Russia, the two giants have also joined the Russian National Payment Card Company (NSPK).

即将满20岁的中国银联现在也已经是国际三大卡组织之一了，也成为了一个覆盖全球180个国家和地区的国际头部银行卡清算组织。 美好生活离不开支付服务，我们感叹的同时也要致敬老一辈政治家的远见卓识，拥有独立自主的支付网络，避免了国际政治的波及影响、保障了我们民生发展的长期稳定。

China UnionPay, which is about to turn 20 years old, is now one of the three major international card organizations, and it has also become an international leading bank card clearing organization covering 180 countries and regions around the world. A good life is inseparable from payment services. While we lament [about daily business], we also pay tribute to the foresight and prudence of the older generation of [China's] politicians. Having an independent payment network avoids the influence of international politics and ensures the long-term stability of our people’s livelihood development.

Visa和万事达卡已被纳入美国国会批准的《通过制裁法案》(CAATSA)，以对抗美国的对手。该法案允许华盛顿对那些被视为敌视美国或忠于敌视美国的政权的企业和个人实施惩罚。 虽然当下乌克兰局势越演越烈，但当下再使用支付网络来制裁已经准备充分的俄罗斯或许会“失灵”。 一是俄罗斯官方加强了对俄境外国际卡组织的支付系统工作的严管。要求境外支付系统每季度向俄罗斯中央银行特别账户缴纳日平均交易利润25%的保证费。 二是所有的卡组织包括Visa、万事达卡均要接入俄罗斯国家支付卡公司（NSPK），这是一个集中式的本地数据处理中心，俄罗斯当地的信用卡交易都是转接NSPK处理，美国单方面无法进行干预。

Visa and Mastercard have been included in the Passing Sanctions Act (CAATSA) approved by the U.S. Congress to counter U.S. adversaries. The bill allows Washington to impose penalties on businesses and individuals deemed hostile to the United States or loyal to a regime hostile to the United States. Although the situation in Ukraine is getting worse and worse, the use of payment networks to sanction Russia, which is already well-prepared, may fail. First, Russian officials have strengthened strict control over the payment systems of international card organizations outside Russia. The foreign payment system is required to pay a guarantee fee of 25% of the average daily trading profit to the special account of the Russian Central Bank on a quarterly basis. Second, all card organizations, including Visa and MasterCard, must be connected to the Russian National Payment Card Company (NSPK), which is a centralized local data processing center. Local credit card transactions in Russia are processed by NSPK, and the United States' unilateral intervention is not possible.

- News of the Day -

More EU countries – including France, Italy and Greece – have said they would back a ban on Russia using the Swift global payments network in an attempt to pile further pressure on the country after its invasion of Ukraine.

Cyprus and Hungary also said they would support such a measure.

The move, which it is hoped would hit Russian trade by making it harder for companies in the country to do business, is being considered to escalate sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s regime.

Germany seems to be reluctant on this matter because a Swift ban could damage western economies as well, according to Germany's liberal finance minister Lindner.

Putin Blew the Fuse on Ukraine

Video Update on February 25: Putin addresses the Ukrainian people in a bizarre speech:


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This morning, Russia's Putin blew the fuse with what appears to be an extensive war on Ukraine.

As reported in a war timeline, only recently provided by "The Guardian", the Russian paper "Novaya Gazeta" dared to oppose the Kremlin's official justification for the attack on Ukraine. Punctual regional protests are being reported from Russia by other western media.

Quotations taken from an article published by Forbes:
" After months of troop buildups, attempted blackmail by Russian President Vladimir Putin to get policy concessions, failed diplomacy, and Russian lies about their peaceful intentions, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began early Thursday morning. Russia has massed some 150,000 troops along Ukraine's borders, according to US estimates based on satellite imagery. Ukraine does not have the military might to stop the invasion."

"There are diverse ways this conflict could impact global supply chains."
=> link to the Forbes article

The pro-Republican US TV station "Fox News" had to make it clear to Yankee Doodle Donald Trump who attacked whom: It's not the US that attacked Ukraine.

Putin « let the cat out of the bag »

Путин « выпустил кота из мешка »


Update included: «The World of Thoughts of a Young Chekist»

Russia's President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine in what Russia calls a "peace-keeping mission", shortly after recognising these regions as independent. He thereby accelerated a crisis the West fears could unleash a major war. [US media some minutes ago]

《风暴眼》被激活
« Eye of the Storm » now activated
[SINA Finance 新浪财经 22-02-2022]
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the "Donetsk People's Republic" and "Luhansk People's Republic", as well as the treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between Russia and these two "republics".

The Donbass is covering an area of about 60,000 square kilometers. It was subsumed into Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The region is the largest coal base in Ukraine and was one of the most important heavy industry centers in the former Soviet Union. It has deep ties with Russia in terms of history, language, culture, ethnicity and economy.



Complete speech of Vladimir Putin in English, streamed and live translated by the Russian TV station RT:




The World of Thoughts of a Young Chekist

I lately rediscovered some brilliant novel from Russia which happened to make part of my favorite reading stuff in the days of my youth. It is about mysterious incidents in one of the mining regions of Ural in the years of reconstruction that followed World War II. It might, as well, intrigue young Russians in their dreams to become valuable members of the Soviet society and defend their country as a "Chekist", a member of state intelligence NKWD which later became KGB.

On the basis of a gripping plot, the novel comes up with the convincing description of some controversial figures who are running a rather small Siberian mining community. This community unexpectedly becomes the scene of unexplainable accidents and rising mistrust against one of its community members, a once well-reputed activist and convinced Communist. The plot under the main plot, however, is an intrusion by Western agents who are trying to explore the potential of industrial and mining facilities in the Ural region and in view of business interests that might offer big future wins, as soon as private business could be restored to replace failing Soviet economy. Then, pre-revolutionary owner rights should be renewed.

A fictive enquiry protocol at the end of the book is referring to real proceedings that I found quoted elsewhere. That protocol could give an idea of dangers targeting Russia from politically connected Western capitalists.

Therefore, only some years after World War II, a new adage of mistrust against Russia's former allies entered the political scene and became the basis of thoughts for highly motivated Soviet youths who dreamed of a career in the intelligence branch, as was the case with young Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

Russia De-Escalates - Really ?

This morning a worried world woke up and met with Russia's claim having reduced its troops near the Ukrainian border. While some western voices looked upon that declaration as a first sign of de-escalation, others suspected a measure of deception. NATO secretary general Stoltenberg, for example, mentioned the fact that a withdrawal of troops is less important if their material still remains near the assumed battle-field.

What Stoltenberg means might be illustrated by the following view on detected military air traffic on February 5, dicussed as an alleged manning of heavy military units near the border to Ukraine with troops from eastern Russia. Such operation could be carried out within hours and in both directions.

Not yet on the retreat, if already present on the battle field: Armata T-14 upgrade !