One year ago, on February 24, Russia and its Parliament, the Duma and President Vladimir Putin launched what they called the "special military operation" in Ukraine. At that time Workers' Weekly issued a statement reporting on the "lies and disinformation from the US, Britain, NATO and other Western powers" that were at "fever pitch" and which continue to this day. The statement raised that the question which was central, to which these lies and disinformation drew a veil, is who is it that has been and is threatening the peace in Europe? Their statements and that of their media were silent then, and still are today on Russia's strategic interests on its border with Ukraine and its reasons for recognising and defending the Donbas region and the Donetsk and Lugansk republics. These self-declared republics were coming under attack from the Ukrainian regime and backed by the Anglo-US/NATO and had been since 2014. By then thousands of Ukrainians had been killed in Eastern Ukraine by the Ukrainian army before the Russia's military operation and as is well known the US and Britain had blocked the Ukrainian regime from implementing the Minsk agreements that Ukraine had signed and were recognised by the UN. They could have helped end the conflict giving the Donetsk and Lugansk republics autonomy within Ukraine.

In trying to justify their position and claim that Russia had breached international law the Anglo-US/NATO powers and the Ukrainian regime had to claim there was no provocation to Russia. This they could not do without their lies and disinformation. This is why they kept saying Russia was "unprovoked" and invaded "a peaceful, free, sovereign independent and friendly country". However, Russia was being threatened on its borders, as well as Russian nationals in Ukraine in the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as well as Crimea that had never accepted the Maidan coup as a legitimate form of government. The Crimean population had voted to secede to the Russian Federation in 2014 following the coup in Kyiv. There was from 2014 a military stand off with the Ukrainian Russophobic regime which was being trained, armed and backed by Anglo-US and NATO. In other words, their claims that Russia was not provoked was an historical fraud of the first order to try and stop people understanding the level of Anglo-US and EU and NATO interventions in Ukraine aimed against Russia. Ukraine's "sovereignty" had in fact been previously violated by the so-called "colour revolution" of 2004, and the consequences of the February 2014 Maidan coup that overthrew the elected government in Kyiv had compromised the sovereignty of Ukraine bringing to power a pro-NATO Russophobic regime supporting the neo-Nazis in Ukraine.

It can be seen that over the last year little has changed except that hundreds of thousands of people, both military and civilian, on both sides of the conflict have now been killed. The Anglo-US and NATO powers have done everything to continue their lies and disinformation to stop a peaceful resolution of the conflict, whilst at the same time they have done everything to escalate the conflict and wage it as a proxy war against Russia for their own ends. The US and its allies have continued to impose trade sanctions and seize all Russian assets creating economic hardship across the world and on the poorest countries and peoples whilst making huge profits for the Anglo-US gas and oil oligopolies whilst paying lip service to the environmental concerns of the people.

The Anglo-US warmongers openly claim that they can impose "strategic defeat" on Russia whilst using the people of Ukraine as the cannon fodder for their aims. Also, the Anglo-US powers have been confronting China and think nothing of the hypocrisy of their stand on China's sovereignty with their staged provocation over Taiwan. This is the dangerous arrogance of the Anglo-US powers and their warmongering record over decades, in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and South America. At the same time, for the peace-loving people it makes the question of finding a peaceful solution to the problems of the Ukraine war even more urgent as these Anglo-US/NATO powers risk escalating the Ukraine conflict out of control.

The question which is central to this conflict remains: lifting the veil on NATO's proxy war in Ukraine against Russia. This exposes and reveals that the US-led NATO, with its close ally Britain, are the real block to peace. Like the tens of thousands of people in Europe, the people of Britain are further opposing the warmongering, lies and disinformation and continuing to take stands and actions for peace. They are taking up the challenge of uniting in action in opposition to the warmongering path of the US/NATO aggressive alliance, giving rise to a new consciousness on the urgent necessity for an Anti-War Government.

No to the US/NATO-provoked war in Europe!
Peace Negotiations Now!
No to NATO! No to War!
Fight for an Anti-War Government!

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