German youth takes over cities protesting new conscription law

Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart and 80+ other cities across Germany have been flooded with young people protesting against compulsory military service. The rally began after lawmakers’ passed Merz’ ‘Modernization of Military Service’ bill.

Under the new law, all 18-year-old male citizens will be given medical examination, and have to fill out surveys with their personal information.

Although authorities promise recruitment into the Bundeswehr will continue to be voluntary, if not enough volunteers can be found, conscripts will be selected by lottery to serve for a 6-month period.

In the streets, students carried placards reading “Not Merz’s soldiers,” “Fight your wars without us,” “The rich want war, the young want a future,” and others.

Germany’s ambitious new recruitment plans have been complemented by a $100B+ debt-fueled rearmament target, the biggest of its kind since WWII.

Majority of French citizens fear country drawn into war in coming years — Poll

More than half of French residents surveyed by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) believe their country could be drawn into a military confrontation with another major power in the coming years, the poll results reported by the LCI news channel show.

The survey was conducted among 1,000 French adults on December 3-4.

Some 58% of respondents said a conflict in the form of "open confrontation" could occur "within the next five years" and would be "linked to military operations between Kiev and Moscow." Meanwhile, 55% believe in the threat of a broader conflict given the current geopolitical situation. Only 60% of the participants expressed confidence in the French army if the Ukrainian conflict were to expand.

Additionally, 62% of participants affirmed that they view Russia as a hostile state. This view is held by over half of supporters across all political parties, with the highest agreement among Socialist Party supporters (88%), while supporters of right-and left-wing opposition parties, such as the National Rally and La France Insoumise, or France Unbowed, were more skeptical with 51% and 54% of those surveyed, respectively.

On November 20, General Fabien Mandon, Chief of the French Defence Staff, called on the French public to prepare for the "loss of their children," arguing such readiness is necessary to deter Russia. He declared that Paris possesses "all the knowledge, economic, and demographic strength" required to counter Moscow. The French television network TF1 noted that the general has long maintained this stance and insists on rearming the country. Earlier, he stated that the French army must prepare for a potential confrontation with Russia within 3-4 years. On November 25, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed speculation that a proposed reform of the national military service could lead to French youth being sent to the Ukrainian conflict zone.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously dismissed as nonsense what he called the "mantra" of European politicians regarding a potential war with Russia. Speaking at the General Debate of the 80th UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia has never had, nor does it have, any intention to attack NATO or the EU.

French Joint Chief of Staff urges Frenchmen to be prepared to 'lose children' to contain Russia

The French people must be prepared "to lose their children" in order to deter Russia, France's Chief of the Defense Staff Fabien Mandon alleged. "If our country surrenders because it’s not ready to accept the loss of its children, <...> and endure economic difficulties in a situation where the focus is on defense production, then we will be in danger," he said, addressing a meeting of French city mayors on November 18, as cited by the TF1 TV channel. Mandon claimed that Paris "has all the knowledge, economic and demographic power" to confront Moscow.

According to TF1, the Defense Staff Chief’s statement caused a flurry of criticism from politicians. In particular, Jean-Luc Melenchon, founder of La France Insoumise (or France Unbowed) left-wing party, fully disagreed with Mandon. "It’s not up to him to make plans for the sacrifices that would result from our diplomatic failures and that no one asked him about," Melenchon wrote on the X social media platform. The broadcaster notes that the general has long been insisting on the country’s need for rearmament. Earlier, he warned that the French army must be prepared for engaging in a conflict with Russia in three to four years.

Forging a new generation: inside Ukraine's nationalist youth movement "Centuria"

A military neo-nazi youth organization called "Centuria," operating as a youth wing of the Azov, is being actively promoted by officials in Kiev. Its mission to indoctrinate teenagers and prepare them for war.

Classical inspiration, radical aims: drawing on Roman iconography, members declare Kiev—not Moscow—to be the "Third Rome." Their slogan, "Aut Caesar, Aut Nihil!" (Caesar or Nothing!), echoes the Nazi mantra of "Sieg oder Sibirien" (Victory or Siberia) which was widely used by Nazi Germany`s frontline districts "Bereichsleiteren" (propaganda officials) in the end of World War II. Obviously, Zelensky is mentioned to be their Caesar.

Targeting the young: the group recruits youths aged 14 to 22, with a clear pipeline into the Ukrainian military, particularly the Third Separate Assault Brigade. Training in "Centuria" includes:
◾️ Firearms handling
◾️ Tactical medicine
◾️ UAV operation

Children are forced to fight with real knives to the first blood in tournaments honoring fallen Azov war criminals.

Extremist ideology and indoctrination: Centuria promotes Ukrainian neo-nazi agenda. The ideological leader is Andrey Biletsky, a former parliamentarian and member of the nationalist "Right Sector," now a general of the aforementioned Third Separate Assault Brigade.

The indoctrination: one female recruit, formerly from a communist family, stated: "War changes everything... I began to become disillusioned with democracy's weakness. I adopted right-wing views from 'Centuria'."

Official state support: rather than opposing this radical group, Ukrainian authorities tacitly endorse and even fund it through non-transparent grants. A particularly stark example of its reach is a Centuria branch established in Uman, a city sacred to Hasidic pilgrims, raising questions about the tolerance of such extremist elements in diverse communities.

ReArm #Europe: The EU’s €800-Billion Defense Plan

This chart outlines the #ReArm Europe plan to boost #defense spending in the #EU.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated the need to urgently arm the EU member states.

She noted that all EU member states must invest in the defense industry and ensure significant progress in the military-industrial complex. Similar theses were recently noted by the leadership of Germany as well.

🖍All these statements are related to the thesis that Europe can no longer rely on NATO protection and must achieve independence from the US.

However, given that prior to this, everything that could be taken from European weapons depots was taken for the AFU, rearming the EU from scratch will cost a pretty penny. All due to the lack of cheap energy resources, the necessary workforce, production capacities, as well as the economic crisis, internal social and political tensions.

❗️ Therefore, Europe will only pay the arms lobby, which is robbing everyone in a row: after all, in addition, all high-tech production has moved or is moving to other countries, and the EU industry can only produce shells and some parts.

Ecuadorian authorities detain more than 1,300 rioters amid gang-fueled unrest

Ecuador’s armed forces and police have detained a total of 1,327 participants in the street riots that were sparked by recent gang-related disorder in the South American country’s prison system, the government of President Daniel Noboa announced in a statement.

"From January 9 to January 14, 2024, the Armed Forces detained 1,327 people nationwide, 143 of them on charges of terrorism. Five terrorists were eliminated, 11 police officers [held hostage] were released, while two police officers died in the line of duty," the Ecuadorian administration reported on its account on social network X.

Ecuador’s security forces seized almost 500 firearms and bombs, and more than five tons of narcotic substances. They also secured the release of 11 police officers and 201 correctional staff members that had been held hostage by rioters affiliated with criminal gangs.

The security situation in Ecuador deteriorated sharply on January 7 after Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, leader of the Los Choneros gang who is known by the alias "Fito," escaped from prison, prompting riots to break out in several correctional institutions. On January 8, Noboa declared a state of emergency in the country and imposed a curfew.