Very Good Summary.

Alexander uses a good term--liberating. Spot on. 

This is exactly what Putin said today to the congress of young scientists. 

«Наши так называемые – во всяком случае мы их так называли – партнеры думали, что подсадили нас на такую технологическую иглу и мы никогда с нее не слезем. А благодаря усилиям таких людей, как вы, ваши коллеги, оказалось, что это возможно. И не просто возможно, а происходит довольно быстро»

Translation:  “Our so-called – at least that’s what we called them – partners thought that they had hooked us on such a technological needle and we would never get off it. And thanks to the efforts of people like you, your colleagues, it turned out that this is possible. And not only is it possible, but it happens quite quickly.”

Difficult to add anything to it.  

Brian Is Doing What Brian Does...

Demolishing a BS. A very good review. 

And yes, by now reading this "China's supplies to Russia" or "Iranian Shaheed Drones" is bordering on preposterous. As I am on record for years--Western "journalism" and "political science" schools produce primarily imbeciles in the last 20 years.

Brian Gets Into The Neck Of The Woods...

 ... of Poland's rearmament issue and some operational issues of Bakhmut. 

Definitely is worth watching.
 

Across The Net.

First, serious. Brian Berletic wrote a very good piece on tanks and crews' training and explains the whole fantasy about NATO tanks at New Eastern Outlook. 

The idea that the West transferring their main battle tanks to Ukraine will be a “game changer” is rooted in the myth of Western main battle tanks being “superior” to their Russian counterparts. In turn, this myth is owed to their performance in Iraq in 1991 and again during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 where modern US and British main battle tanks went up against Soviet-era export versions of the T-72. Not only do several experienced US military officers warn against this misconception, the performance of Western main battle tanks in recent conflicts tells a much different story.

Considering Brian's Marine background, he provides some excellent insights into the combat training requirements for tank formations' operations and explains the primarily PR nature of the whole (another phase of NATO wunerwaffen) issue. 

Meanwhile, Omsk's massive Military-Industrial sector is short 2,000 people. It is in Russian:

The gist: need for everyone, from lower laborers, to welders, tool and die makers, operators of lathes and mills, CNC Operators, Software Engineers etc. Salaries for Software Engineers--R 170,000, for CNC operators, tool and die makers, machining centers operators--starting from R 100,000, all include hefty benefits package. It is a hint on the massive expansion of weapons production and this is, mind you, when all kinds of trolls will try to make a point--NOT Moscow or region. Speaking of which. 

Russia's favorite Aussies go to Barnaul (the capital of Altai Region, essentially) and show how Russia "suffers" from sanctions. 

And if you ask me, who the toughest people in the United States are today, my answer will be--the boards of directors of Burger King and KFC. Russians love them those chicken nuggets. Just watch the video and enjoy.

Larry Asks The Question...

 ... if it is the endgame for Ukraine in Bakhmut. 

While Western pundits (I think shills is a more apt description) and media continue to insist that Ukraine is pounding the snot out of Russia, the facts on the ground in Soledar and Bahkmut tell a different story.

Then proceeds to demolish Western "analysts". It is the end game at this operational direction and it has severe strategic implications for 404. Like this--I love this--funny meme. 

So, don't be surprised with appointment of Gerasimov as overall commander of SMO. Recall what Georgy Zhukov was, starting from his position of the Chief of General Staff in 1941, throughout WW II. Most of his time he was a representative of Stavka, coordinating all kinds of battles from Stalingrad, to Kursk, to Operation Bagration. In the end he was given a command of a monstrously powerful 1st Belorussian Front and in this capacity he took Berlin. So, Gerasimov's "move" is pretty standard. 

Also, take a look at Brian's very good spread on Western propaganda. 

And I will be addressing this today too, including the issue of "industrial warfare" as presented by Colonel Alex Vershinin of British Army in the now much talked about RUSI Report from June 2022 about the industrial warfare. I am sad, very sad;)) I warned about industrial warfare since the inception of this blog in 2014 and then wrote 3 books on that well before any Western military "think-tank" knew what they were doing. I warned about it! They never knew what they were dealing with. Now they know, but it is too late. Will we see Winter Offensive? We'll see.

Of Note.

So, Mr. Shoigu said these key words: 

During a Russian Defense Ministry meeting on Wednesday, Shoigu proposed a number of measures to strengthen the security of the Russian Federation, including creating a special grouping of troops on the country’s northwestern border and expanding Russia’s armed forces to amount to 1.5 million servicemen in total, with some 695,000 of them being contract soldiers. ... Shoigu went on to suggest creating a number of new military groupings, including five new artillery divisions, eight bomber aviation regiments, and one fighter regiment, as well as six army aviation brigades. 

How about  5 (Five) new naval infantry divisions (!!! holy-molly), three motor-rifle divisions, two air-assault division, a number of brigades will be transformed into divisions, among other measures. This is NOT about VSU, which is primarily a spent force right now and Russia slowly, in economical way, annihilates the remnants of Ukraine's mobilization "potential". No, this is about NATO and where it will be moved back. Recall December 2021 Ultimatum? This is about NATO and finishing off US "hegemony", which is being finished as I type it. 

Here is something to consider:

China’s imports of oil, pipeline gas, LNG, and coal from Russia have hit a total of $68 billion since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, up from $41 billion for the same period last year, as Western buyers shun or have banned imports of many Russian energy products, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.  

You also heard about India, right? 

For India, the reorientation of Russian economic diplomacy toward the Asian region presents huge business opportunities. Who would have thought nine months ago that Russia was going to be the largest supplier of oil to India, leapfrogging Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the US? According to Reuters, India purchased about 40% of all export volumes of Russian Urals grade oil transported by sea in November, when European countries accounted for 25%, Turkey 15% and China 5%. The figures speak for themselves: in November, while Russia supplied 909,000.4 barrels of crude oil to India per day, the corresponding figures were for Iraq (861,000.4), Saudi Arabia (570,000.9), and the US (405,000.5) Suffice it to say that when Modi upfront listed energy as his talking point with Putin, it reconfirms that India is giving a wide berth to the G7’s hare-brained scheme to impose a price cap on Russian oil exports.

And Eurasian dynamics is such that even with consuming EU's, grossly inadequate, resources, the US is no competition to an emerging military and economic giant of BRICS and associated members. But grasping at the last straw is what makes Washington MO and Russia is fully ready. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will provide $1.85 billion in military aid to Ukraine, rolling out funding for a Patriot missile battery as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington for his first known trip out of his country since Russia invaded in February. The White House announcement came just hours before Zelenskyy landed at Joint Base Andrews, just outside the capital. The package includes $1 billion in weapons and equipment from Pentagon stocks, including the Patriot battery for the first time, and $850 million in funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Part of the USAI will be used to fund a satellite communications system, which likely will include the crucial SpaceX Starlink satellite network system owned by Elon Musk.

As I am on record--Patriot's, including PAC3 version, record is dismal, as is of all other types of NATO weapon systems availed to Kiev regime, and the only way NATO can avoid of a single battery of Patriot PAC3 to be annihilated immediately is to deploy it in the midst of civilian infrastructure--a MO of VSU--such as apartment blocks, kindergartens and other buildings of such a nature. As is reported:

The decision to send the Patriot battery comes despite threats from Russia’s Foreign Ministry that the delivery of the advanced surface-to-air missile system would be considered a provocative step and that the Patriot and any crews accompanying it would be a legitimate target for Moscow’s military. But the White House is pushing back against the notion that delivery of the Patriot amounts to an escalation of U.S. involvement on behalf of Ukraine. A senior administration official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity, said that Biden has been clear that his administration would “lean forward” in supporting Ukraine but it is “not seeking to engage in direct war with Russia.”

As I am also on record--the only war the US can fight against Russia is a nuclear one, but we all know what it means, so the semantics game and usual media spin form Washington are already unfolding. Russia, however, has no illusions about West's intentions. So, in a larger scheme of things all this is not significant in relation to the overall situation at the front in former Ukraine or to the economic collapse in progress in the EU and, to a certain degree, in the US. 

Here Brian Berletic gives a good explanation on how Western media obfuscate, a euphemism for outright lying, a dire situation for VSU in Bakhmut. 

I am telling you--one can literally develop a cottage industry of debunking shit of Western media and make a living just on that alone. But, we need to constantly keep our eyes on a bigger prize. Could the biggest of them be a destruction of NATO as such, not just rolling it back to the borders of 1997? Possible. Some European clowns begin to get the idea. 

French President Emmanuel Macron has reiterated his belief that the conflict in Ukraine will inevitably be resolved at the negotiating table, and that the West and NATO in particular will have to come up with security guarantees not only for Kiev, but Moscow as well, to secure a lasting peace. “The day of peace will involve discussions. First and foremost for guarantees to Ukraine, for its territorial integrity, its long-term security. But also for Russia, as a party that it will be to an armistice and peace treaty,” Macron said in an interview with the TF1 and LCI channels broadcast on Tuesday.

But the term "negotiations" as perceived by Russia now has a much more menacing for the combined West connotation--a dictation of the terms of surrender. Even this event tells the story.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said on Tuesday that Ukraine “is not an ally” of his country and warned against bringing “war” to the Balkans. “Ukraine is not an ally. It’s being forcibly made into one. It was cynically granted the status of an EU candidate. That’s what the EU is today: squalor, zero.” Talking to reporters, he also hit out against Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic for his proposal to have Ukrainian troops trained in Croatia. Milanovic said such a move would “bring war” to the country. “You keep pushing moral blackmail,” he addressed Plenkovic, “but you have no morals yourself. Go to Ukraine and fight.”

You know, as they say, the writing is on the wall. Can they read in Washington? We'll see. As I always stress--in historic terms 10 years is nothing, a second really. I can only imagine what we will be talking about in a couple of years time. If humanity survives the death of the West.

About Patriots.

Per CNN and other media outlets:

The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine that could be announced as soon as this week, according to two US officials and a senior administration official.The Pentagon’s plan still needs to be approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before it is sent to President Joe Biden for his signature. The three officials told CNN that approval is expected.Ukraine has been calling for the US to send the advanced long-range air defense system that is highly effective at intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles as it comes under a barrage of Russian missile and drone attacks that have destroyed key infrastructure across the country. It would be the most effective long-range defensive weapons system sent to the country and officials say it will help secure airspace for NATO nations in eastern Europe. 

As I am on record--Patriot PAC3 is not made for fighting real enemies, which have stand off weapons, not to speak about supersonic and hypersonic weapons. Nor, for that matter, this system is capable to handle a salvo of Iskanders, so, as usual, it is all about PR. Not to mention the fact of inability to build real integrated AD system (emphasis on "system"). There are reasons for PR--situation in Bakhmut is dire for VSU and its NATO handlers and desperate times call for desperate measures. Bakhmut is crucial not just for PR reasons , but because it is an extremely important transportation node for the whole Donetsk operational direction. This is Operational Art 101. 

I explained huge technical issues for any iteration of Patriot AD systems six weeks ago here:

It Is Not Going To Make A Difference.

So, the only benefit here is for the Raytheon and Lockheed to obtain some REAL war data and maybe (maybe) incorporate some lessons learned, which is a whole other can of worms when speaking about learning curve of the US weapon systems designers and manufacturers, in order to improve on what already sustained serious reputational damage due to its constant failures to perform against even backward opponent. So, another day--another NATO wunderwaffe for former Ukraine. All reminiscent of using a band-aid on a blown up body. Here is Brian Berletic making the case precisely on this issue. 

Now, per this nauseating "Iranian Drones" BS. Even Iran is getting tired:

Ukrainian officials have failed to present any evidence suggesting Iranian drones have been used by Russia in the conflict between Kiev and Moscow, the Iranian defense minister, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, said on Monday. His words came following a meeting between Ukrainian and Iranian specialists. “The Ukrainian side did not present any evidence of Russia's use of Iranian drones in the war with this nation at the technical meeting,” the minister told several Iranian news agencies. According to Ashtiani, the Ukrainian officials vowed to present such evidence at the next meeting. According to the general, claims about Russian forces supposedly employing Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in their campaign in Ukraine are based on “baseless statements and rumors.” Ashtiani said that Moscow and Tehran had a long history of military cooperation, but it was in no way linked to the alleged use of Iranian drones in the conflict.

As I already stated many times--it is difficult to explain to most people without background in the field a gigantic gap in industrial capabilities between Russia and Iran and how Russian economy operates. 

Brian Berletic Sitrepping.

Brian gives a good "spread" about NATO. 

This damn real economy;))
 

Brian Does A Good Job On B-21.

Excellent elaboration:

It was about PR primarily...