Russia taking villages in Donetsk, Europeans buying Russian energy, and Biden Administration supposedly wants to prevent a Trump Administration from stopping support to Ukraine
Donetsk War Memorial (via Pixabay)
Russia is proceeding militarily in the Donetsk region:
Russian Forces Take Control of Village in Ukraine’s Donetsk Region
April 29, 2024
Russian forces have taken the village of Semenivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Russia’s defense ministry said Monday.
The ministry announced Sunday the capture of Novobakhmutivka, another village … https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/russia-war-ukraine/2024/04/29/id/1162737/
Russia has slowly been making territorial gains.
For about a decade, many in the Donbas region (which includes Donetsk) have called for Russia to defend them from Ukraine and/or annex them out of Ukraine.
Russia has since done that.
Here are parts of three items posted here in 2014:
Russia is moving forward with its plans and Vladimir Putin is taking steps to make his hoped for Eurasian Union a reality. I am certain that he would as much of Ukraine as he can get (he wants all of it), and must be pleased that Donetsk wants to vote to join Russia. (Thiel B. Russian forces storm Ukraine bases in Crimea and residents of Donetsk take to the streets calling for a vote to join Russia; cruise missile threat to USA? COGwriter, March 22, 2014)
Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine, to influence, dominate, and ultimately control. He is repeatedly taking steps in order to increase Russian influence there.
As far as how it will ultimately end, that is not impossible to predict. The Bible tells of the rise of a European Beast power and a Eurasian power.
Ukraine is geographically in the middle of that.
Some/much of Ukraine will likely temporarily align with the European power. Even Russia appears prophesied to cooperate with it for some time (cf. Revelation 13:4,8).
The historian Herodotus claimed that there were six different tribes/families of Medes.
Herodotus identified the tribes of the Medes as Busae, Parataceni/Paratakeni, Struchates/Strukhates, Arizanti, Budii, and the Magi (Herodotus: A New and Literal Version with a Geographical and General Index by Henry Cary. Histories, book 1, chapter 101. Translated by Henry Cary. Harper, 1896. Original from the University of Virginia, Digitized Jan 23, 2009, p. 46).
Some of the Russians themselves appear to have been from the Medes. Notice the following:
Today the people who constituted the empire of the Medes may be found in western Russia, specifically the Ukraine and Volhynia. (White C. The Great German Nation: Origins and Destiny. AuthorHouse, 2007, p. 285)
But how are we to explain the name Russia? The old-fashioned view was to derive the word from the Rhoxolani. This, however, has long been abandoned. One thing is certain, namely, that these Rhoxolani were of Oriental descent, a Medic or Iranic tribe. They disappear from history, having, like so many other tribes — as, for instance, the Pechenegs and the Khozars—been swallowed up by the huge waves of immigration which overflowed the country (Morfill WR. Russia. Published 1890 by T.F. Unwin, London).
There are many disputes among academics as to who derived from whom, thus it is not completely clear, for example, that the Rhoxolani were Medes who went to Russia.
The Bible has several end time prophecies concerning the Medes (Isaiah 13:17-19) and the kings of the Medes (Jeremiah 51:11, 28-29) that involve military action and point to Russian involvement (Jeremiah 50:41-43; Daniel 11:44).
Various ones in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russia, and elsewhere are part of the descendants of the Medes, as likely are some in Moldova and perhaps elsewhere.
If the Rhoxolani were Medes, then it would seem to be consistent with certain biblical prophecies.
While some/many in Ukraine descended from the Medes, so have some/many in Russia.
The Bible shows that those who are the “kings of the Medes” will turn against the final European Babylonian power:
11 Make the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it is the vengeance of the Lord,
The vengeance for His temple.
12 Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon;
Make the guard strong,
Set up the watchmen,
Prepare the ambushes.
For the Lord has both devised and done
What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon. (Jeremiah 51:11-12)28 Prepare against her the nations,With the kings of the Medes,Its governors and all its rulers,All the land of his dominion. 29 And the land will tremble and sorrow;For every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon,To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant. 30 The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting,They have remained in their strongholds;Their might has failed,They became like women;They have burned her dwelling places,The bars of her gate are broken. 31 One runner will run to meet another,And one messenger to meet another,To show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides; 32 The passages are blocked,The reeds they have burned with fire,And the men of war are terrified.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor When it is time to thresh her;Yet a little while And the time of her harvest will come.” (Jeremiah 51:28-33)
Historically, the old Worldwide Church of God believed that many in Ukraine descended from Madia (see Countries and Their Biblical Names ), the Medes. Various Russians are also descendents of Madia.
Barack Obama, the President of the USA, while encouraging sanctions, has repeatedly said the USA will not intervene militarily:
President Barack Obama again ruled out U.S. military action, saying there must be a diplomatic solution. But he said he would reaffirm U.S. commitment to NATO allies in the region at a summit next week.
“We are not taking military action to solve the Ukrainian problem. What we’re doing is to mobilize the international community to apply pressure on Russia,” he told reporters at the White House. https://bangordailynews.com/2014/08/28/news/world-news/obama-us-will-seek-diplomatic-resolution-not-military-action-to-russian-intervention-in-ukraine/
Russia, the Europeans, and the Ukrainians know this. (Thiel B. Vladimir Putin points to statehood for eastern Ukraine; Six tribes of the Medes. COGwriter, August 31, 2014)
As the USA has its own elections, the West and the United Nations has condemned the elections in Donetsk and Luhansk/Lugansk …
Russia is pleased with the results of the elections in eastern Ukraine. Russia is attempting to figure out how to best handle this. In my view, while Russia does have some concerns about the West and sanctions, it really is trying to figure out how to get the public in eastern Ukraine and Moldova on its side.
Part of the reason for that is because Russia wants more and more nations to support its upcoming Eurasian Union. The Bible itself tells of a type of Eurasian confederation (Jeremiah 50:41-42; Revelation 16:12-14) as well as a confederation of the “kings of the Medes” (Jeremiah 51:11,28). Russia wants both to form.
Here is one view of the recent history of the Donetsk movement:
The Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR or LNR) (Russian: Луганская народная республика, Luganskaya narodnaya respublika) is a self-proclaimed state in eastern Ukraine, bordering the Russian Federation, the (also self-proclaimed) Donetsk People’s Republic, and Ukraine itself. Following the Euromaidan protest movement and the impeachment of President Viktor Yanukovich in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, local Antimaidan and pro-Russian protests intensified, culminating in the proclamation of the Lugansk People’s Republic on 27 April 2014. The authorities of the Republic later held a referendum on 11 May to seek legitimacy for the proclamation, and subsequently declared independence on 12 May 2014. On 24 May 2014, the self-proclaimed government agreed to a merger with the Donetsk People’s Republic into an unrecognized confederation known as the Federal State of Novorossiya. The Republic is recognised only by South Ossetia, which itself only has limited international recognition. Ukraine classifies the Republic as a terrorist organisation.
The northern part of Luhansk Oblast, which is predominantly Ukrainian-speaking, has remained under Ukrainian control. Although the LPR lost control of much of the Oblast, and currently control less than half of their territorial claim, the Ukrainian government estimates that 64.4% of the population of the Oblast (about a million and a half) live under separatist rule. (Lugansk People’s Republic, Wikipedia, viewed 11/03/14)
It appears that the DPR wants to basically be independent, wants Kiev-related troops to go away, wants to make its own economic deals, and probably will want to either officially join Russia or at least join its upcoming Eurasian Union.
(As I have mentioned before, biblically, because of prophecies involving the Medes (Jeremiah 51:11-32), some of which are in Ukraine, and those in the “north and east” in Daniel 11:44, it would seem that Russia would be closer to at least parts of Ukraine (like some of the eastern portions of it) in the end than many realize. (Thiel B. West condemns Donetsk and Luhansk elections; USA holds its own election that some wonder where it will lead to. COGwriter, November 4, 2014)
Earlier in 2022, just prior to Russia’s ‘special military operation’ into Ukraine, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
The situation between Russia and Ukraine has again heated up, although it has been tense since the Euromaiden protests and Russia’s annexation of Crimea. There was later a separation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church. Is war prophesied for Russia and Ukraine? Are prophecies in the Bible associated with the ‘kings of the Medes’ and a power from the “north country” related to any in Russia and Ukraine? Is a confederation of powers from the north, east, and central Asia prophesied to destroy the coming end time European Babylon? Will the destruction be reminiscent of what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? How is the King of the North and who will destroy him? Do those in Russia and Ukraine have a hope of salvation? Will Russia and powers of the east be involved in the gathering in Armageddon as prophesied in Revelation 16? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues.
Here is a link to our video: Russia, Ukraine, Babylonian Europe, and Prophecy.
And yes, more territory once controlled by Ukraine is part of Russia, as there are millions in Ukraine’s original territory that do support Russia.
Despite calls for Europe to boycott all Russian energy, Europe, while making cuts, is still buying Russia energy:
29 April 2024
More than two years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, its gas is still flowing into Europe.
While the European Union has greatly reduced the amount of gas it imports from Russia, the hydrocarbon is still powering some European homes and businesses and boosting Kremlin revenues as a result.
When the war began, European leaders were forced to reckon with a long-established dependence on both Russian gas and oil. Gas was a particular problem, as in 2021, 34% of the EU’s gas came from Russia.
Countries in Central and Eastern Europe were especially dependent. When the EU mooted a ban, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was quick to voice his opposition. “Europe has deliberately exempted energy supplies from Russia from sanctions. At the moment, Europe’s supply of energy for heat generation, mobility, power supply and industry cannot be secured in any other way,” he said. …
According to EU data, the share of Russian pipeline gas member states imported fell from 40% of the total in 2021 to about 8% in 2023. However, when Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is included — natural gas cooled down to liquid form so it can be transported by ship — the total share of Russian gas in the EU’s total last year was 15%. …
Russia is now the EU’s second-biggest LNG supplier. LNG imports from Russia accounted for 16% of the EU’s total LNG supply in 2023, a 40% increase compared with the amount Russia sold to the EU in 2021.
Import volumes in 2023 were slightly down from 2022, but data from the first quarter of 2024 shows that Russian LNG exports to Europe have risen again by 5% year-on-year. France, Spain and Belgium have been particularly big importers. Those three countries accounted for 87% of the LNG that came into the EU in 2023. …
Pipeline gas from Russia is also still coming into the EU. Although the Nord Stream pipelines are not operational and the Yamal pipeline no longer brings Russian gas to Europe, Russian gas still flows into Austria’s Baumgarten gas hub via pipelines that cross Ukraine. The Austrian state-owned OMV energy company has a contract with Russian gas company Gazprom until 2040.
In February, Austria confirmed that 98% of its gas imports in December 2023 were from Russia. https://www.dw.com/en/war-in-ukraine-why-is-the-eu-still-buying-russian-gas/a-68925869
The Russian economy has held and in certain ways has improved (see ZH: European Council President Calls On Europe To Switch To A War Economy). Notice also the following:
- Russia’s economy is expected to grow faster than all advanced economies this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
- Russia is expected to grow 3.2% in 2024, the IMF said in its latest World Economic Outlook published Tuesday, exceeding the forecast growth rates for the world’s advanced economies, including the U.S.
- The forecast will be galling for Western nations which have sought to economically isolate and punish Russia for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/17/russia-forecast-to-grow-faster-than-advanced-economies-in-2024-imf.html
Now, the Biden Administration is concerned that US policy towards Ukraine could change if Donald Trump were to win the November 2024 election. ZeroHedge reported the following:
Biden Looks To Prevent Future President From Ending Ukraine War With 10-Year Agreement
April 29, 2024
Soon on the heels of President Biden last week signing into law a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine’s defense, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday indicated that he’s working with Washington on a bilateral security agreement which would last ten years.
“We are already working on a specific text,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “Our goal is to make this agreement the strongest of all.” …
But ultimately a key purpose in locking such a long-term deal in would be to keep it immune from potential interference by a future Trump administration.
Below is what The Wall Street Journal spelled out last year:
The goal is to make sure Ukraine will be strong enough in the future to deter Russia from attacking it again. More immediately, Ukraine’s Western allies hope to discourage the Kremlin from thinking it can wait out the Biden administration for a potentially more sympathetic successor in the White House.
Western officials are looking for ways to lock in pledges of support and limit future governments’ abilities to backtrack, amid fears in European capitals that Donald Trump, if he recaptures the White House, would seek to scale back aid. Trump has a wide lead in early polling in the Republican presidential primary field, but soundly lost the 2020 election to President Biden and has been indicted in four criminal cases in state and federal courts.
We and others have previously underscored that NATO and G7 countries are desperately trying to “Trump-proof” future aid to Ukraine and the effort to counter Russia.
Let me add that it would take the US Senate to approve such a treaty between the USA and Ukraine for it to be so binding that it could not legally be overturned.
Irrespective of who may win the November election, biblical prophecies will be fulfilled.
And, that includes prophecies for Russia, Ukraine, Europe, and the USA.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end? There is also a video sermon available: Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy as are two video sermonettes Russia, Ukraine, Babylonian Europe, and Prophecy and Ukraine in Prophecy?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?
Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day? Is Ezekiel 38 about to be fulfilled? Are we close to the battle with Gog and Magog? Four related videos are available: Ezekiel 38 Gog and Magog War: Is it Soon?, Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now?, Russia, Iran, Syria, & the Bible (Code), and Gog, Magog, Vladimir Putin, and Ezekiel 38?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
 |
Tweet |
|