Zelenograd Yesterday.

 This is a classic leaker. 

Here is Zelenograd on the map. 

In reality it is more than 30 kilometers from the center of Moscow, more like 35-36 kilometers. As you can see yourself--this is the only modus operandi of NATO (because all of this is supplied by NATO) and it is pure terrorism--attacks on civilian targets, many of them apartment blocks. Well, for those emotional and immature types who demand immediately some "action" I want to stress--lucky for you you are not in any decision-making circuit. Having said that, I want to stress words by Dmitry Polyansky from his yesterday's interview to Daniel Davis. It is about European population which soon wake up to a new European reality. 

I am not going to delve deep into the operational peculiarities of what is coming and decision, highly likely, was already made, but there are ways, as I stated yesterday, to finish off France's nuclear deterrent without it being able to launch. After that France will be reduced to a drab poor poodle with no real military capabilities and that may coincide with strikes on whatever remains of Germany's military industry. No nukes will be used. Some people say that Kiev must go. Certainly possible, but in general--Europe as it exists today will go too. This is for those morons who watched too many movies and read to much hack BS by Tom Clancy. I post it here again:

An obsessive desire that in recent years has already broken through to the slogan to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia, reflecting a long-term, centuries-old strategy, as it now turns out. At some point in our history, after the creation of the UN, the OSCE and the disappearance of the Soviet Union, the prospects for coexistence and even cooperation with the West seemed very realistic to us. All this has gone into oblivion. Open war has been declared on us. For this, the Kyiv regime is used as a "tip". But everyone knows that this "tip" is helpless without material filling with Western weapons, intelligence, satellite systems, assistance in the training of military personnel and much more - everyone knows this. The Kiev regime and the Ukrainian state are openly being used as a geopolitical battering ram. Here some outspoken guys, I think, in the Belgian General Staff, publicly stated that they were preparing for a war with Russia, that Ukraine was helping them buy time. As they say, much more frankly.

This is Lavrov three weeks ago. Russia's diplomats, intel community, military are much more professional than their West's counterparts and they are very precise in definitions and meanings. When Russian diplomacy's top echelon--Lavrov, Ryabkov, Polyansky, Zekharova et al begin to speak in these terms that means only one thing--the decision has been made. Who will be first--that remains to be seen, many juicy and prestigious targets.  Anybody who thinks that the US will engage--I have news for them, or rather the question--with what? Does the US want to go nuclear? It is not about exchanging Chicago for St. Petersburg--this paradigm is long gone. It is more about if both US seaboards (hence my tireless work in trying to warn about realities--I live on the beautiful Pacific shore and I want the US to survive, vested interest, you see) survive at all. 

In related news, US self-proclaimed "expert" (who completely discredited and paraded himself as a hack with the "destruction"  of Rostov-on-Don SSK, which is fine and is in the first line service with Black Sea Fleet) H.I. Sutton continues coming to grips with underwater technologies which are beyond the grasp of the US Navy. 

Khabarovsk is an all-in bet on the Poseidon weapon. Her capabilities as a regular attack submarine without this weapon, while still viable, are sorely compromised. Poseidon (2M39, NATO reporting name Kanyon) is a strategic weapon designed to threaten coastal cities and strategic targets. Although much reporting on it is exaggerated or overly speculative, we can determine that operates as a weapon, not a general-purpose drone. Russia also claims that it can be used to attack tactical targets including aircraft carrier battle groups. The longer-term impact of Poseidon has yet to be felt. It has to be taken seriously by NATO navies but has not become the focus or pivot which Russia might have been hoping for.

LOL. He cannot even grasp strategic and operational realities of the Russian Navy, but then again--he is a product of the system (even without knowing his C.V.) which produced no viable military technology in ages and loses all its wars even against subpar opponents. 

So, naturally, he operates within tactical, operational and strategic rut which is in the foundation of a humiliation of the US Navy in and around Strait of Hormuz.  

Europe On the Verge ...

 ... and post visit summary. Taiwan issue. 

Excellent Point, Dmitry.

Unlike all kinds of info shysters and self-proclaimed "advisers", all those Karaganovs, Dugins, Sladkovs and other adventurists who are not allowed anywhere near decision making processes in Russia, Dmitry Polyansky is a bona fide top level Russian diplomat positioned in the middle of the hornets' nest in OSCE and he knows what he is talking about. 

A very good interview. Kudos to Colonel Daniel Davis. 

A Puzzle.

 A very good song for Friday)) No, this is not 1973. 

Scott Elaborates On The Matter ...

 ... as a military professional.

Karaganov is NOT military professional, he is a demagogue who failed to insert himself into any position in the Russian Foreign Ministry and was always in the business of self-promotion and self-proclamation of being "adviser" to whoever was a flavor of the decade. He is not and never was any "adviser" to President Putin and he has no a faintest idea about issues related to Russia's Military Doctrine and the use of nuclear weapons (Foundation of State Policy on Nuclear Containment). In general, he is an incompetent hack who simply uses his position of being born and tied to privileged Soviet families and that's the extent of his "skills". In fact, his statements are the statements of a media attention-seeking whore. He is fake. 

Now, per strikes--all indicators are that Russia will strike Europe. Russia doesn't need to use nukes because she has more than enough conventional means for both destruction of a critical industrial infrastructure involved in support of 404 and, if it comes down to it, decapitating governments of hostile countries. The conditions for the use of nuclear weapons are not met yet. But they are already within the legal vicinity for the possible use. Here they are:

19. The conditions determining the possibility of the Russian Federation using nuclear weapons are:

a) receipt of credible information regarding the launch of ballistic missiles attacking the territory of the Russian Federation and/or its allies;

b) the use by an adversary of nuclear weapons or other types of weapons of mass destruction against the territory of the Russian Federation and/or its allies, or against military formations and/or facilities of the Russian Federation located outside its territory;

c) an adversary’s impact on critical state or military facilities of the Russian Federation, the disablement of which would lead to the disruption of the retaliatory actions of its nuclear forces;

d) aggression against the Russian Federation and/or the Republic of Belarus—as participants in the Union State—involving the use of conventional weapons, which poses a critical threat to their sovereignty and/or territorial integrity;

e) receipt of credible information regarding the mass launch (takeoff) of aerospace attack assets (strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, hypersonic and other aircraft) and their crossing of the state border of the Russian Federation.

Other considerations come into play here, but pp. d is "getting there". Karaganov doesn't understand operational let alone technological implications of all that--he simply has no tool kit or background to pass judgement on the matter. But that brings us back to the starting point--Russia has enough conventional means to strike at any facility in Europe and the US IS NOT coming for a simple reason--it has no resources. Demilitarizing NATO was one of the key strategic aims of SMO (once it became clear that the US sabotaged Istanbul talks) and Iran has demonstrated it fully. Who will be hit first? Yeah, I am inclined to see Germany "getting the message"--it is long overdue. 

Since The Issue Came Up ...

 ... here is CENTCOM's Commander Admiral Brad Cooper.  

I am not going to elaborate on CENTCOM's stunning "victory" in Iran, but here is Cooper's bio. 

Admiral Brad Cooper is the proud son of a career Army Officer. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and earned a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University. He studied international relations at Harvard and Tufts Universities. Cooper is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. A career Navy Surface Warfare Officer, he has deployed on ships to every combatant command theater of operation and served a tour on the ground in Afghanistan. His command tours include service in Bahrain as commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, FIFTH Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces; commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic; commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7 in Okinawa, Japan; and, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea in Busan, South Korea. His ship commands include USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS Gettysburg (CG 64). Ashore, he most recently served as Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command. Other leadership tours include service as the Navy Chief of Legislative Affairs and Director, Surface Warfare Officer assignments (Pers-41). He has also served in a variety of executive and military assistant roles in the White House, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters.

OK, that's fine, that's honorable and respectable but here is the Eisenhower's conundrum.  

Ike, actually, did win a huge campaign, he also planned it together with George Marshall, a no small feat against however depleted and weakened Wehrmacht. But what are those awards Admiral Cooper wears? Judging by the massive display of awards he is the equal of Chester Nimitz at least and makes Ike look like an amateur, despite the fact that Ike was bestowed upon in full sincere admiration and respect the awards which Admiral Cooper can only dream about, Ike's name is even enshrined on the Kremlin Wall. One is left wondering what kind of display this is. I will omit commenting on the content of this Admiral's presentation, suffice it to say--it is preposterous. 

About Ben Wallace And ...

 ... "inexpensive hypersonic missiles")) Xi and Trump.