It Is A Well-Known Fact...

 ... that Obama's uncle liberated Auschwitz, while Western Allies captured Berlin. 

МОСКВА, 18 апр — РИА Новости. Посольство России в Берлине получило уведомление о нежелательности участия официальных представителей РФ в памятных мероприятиях по случаю 79-й годовщины освобождения узников концлагерей, заявила официальный представитель МИД РФ Мария Захарова.  

Translation: MOSCOW, April 18 – RIA Novosti. The Russian Embassy in Berlin received a notice that it is undesirable for Russian officials to participate in commemorative events on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camp prisoners, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

There is no need to discuss Zakharova's response, because I write in this blog for 10 years now about unrelenting rewriting and falsifying of history of WW II by the West. E.g. as was noted on many occasions before, professionally respected by me Colonel Macgregor continues to spread what amounts to Nazi propaganda about the Red Army and USSR in WW II having absolutely no background in real history of WW II other than cherry picking dubious (Norman Davis, anyone) sources and anecdotal "evidence" from whatever the environment of Baltic or Ukrainian people he grew up with. I am on record--Russia must repatriate remains of Red Army soldiers buried anywhere in Europe, especially Germany, and remove the monument in Treptower Park and bring it back to Russia. The generation of Western Allies who fought heroically in WW II is pretty much gone now and there is no need in trying to convince the West about who and how defeated Nazism. 

Small minority of Europeans who know the truth makes no difference whatsoever in public opinion and they will continue to know anyway because this is what normal people do. The rest, who cares--it is over for the West anyway and the trajectory to oblivion is well defined. The break between Russia and the West is final and, as was pointed out by me on many occasions, a traditional Russophobia of Europeans, always near the surface, was released by Washington and as this proverbial genie it is now out of the bottle. This is THE point--these are not just "elites", this is the majority of population. Modern Western "values" are incompatible with Russian values which are effectively Christian conservative values and NO, so called American "Christian conservatives" are not really conservatives in their outlook. 

A move away from conducting financial transactions through Western payment systems, including SWIFT, is vital for Russia and its trading partners, the head of the country’s second-largest lender has said. Speaking on Thursday at the Data Fusion 2024 conference, VTB CEO Andrey Kostin called for the promotion of digital financial settlements in Russia and allied nations. Such a step would end the dominance of the dollar and gain full sovereignty in the financial sector, he claimed. “SWIFT has announced plans to carry out digital payments soon, but we need to kill SWIFT in our settlements, we need to completely get away from it and involve our partners in this as well,” the banking executive insisted, highlighting major work that is being done by the Bank of Russia to achieve the goal. According to Kostin, VTB is currently working on a pilot project to bring the digital ruble into general use, including in cross-border payments.

This is just one sign out of many which testify to an ongoing decoupling of Russia from West's political and economic institutions. Cultural will follow, because true European culture has been already largely transplanted onto Russian soil. Classic and best of modern European culture lives and thrives in Russia. The rest is trash and shouldn't be allowed in. The Iron Curtain is in order and it is Russia now who begins to erect it.  

About A Half-Year Ago...

 ... my daughter was doing this production with famous bands like Shitty Beatles and Fucked Up Taylor Swift--you know, for retards--so off she goes backstage and she runs into this unknown guy. So they talk about music and he shows her some guitar licks and she is like--dude, you cannot even play guitar, look at this dude who plays guitar for Lizzo... Nah, I am fucking with you)))...

I asked her if she did this: 

We laughed... no, they had a good exchange, like professionals do. Speaking about it--who is this guy? I remember him playing some guitar for bands which will never be in the same league as... Nirvana;)))

You Know What?

Fuck it. I am not flying Boeing products other than 747 and 757 anymore. I had it. As much as I view Europe with contempt, at least Airbus makes good planes. For now. 

A Boeing quality engineer went public Tuesday with damaging allegations that the jet-maker took manufacturing shortcuts to increase production rates that leave potentially serious structural flaws on its 787 and 777 widebody planes. The Boeing engineer, Sam Salehpour, alleged that almost 1,000 787s and about 400 777s currently flying are at risk of premature fatigue damage and structural failure. On Jan. 19, lawyers for Salehpour wrote a letter detailing his allegations to Mike Whitaker, head of the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency said Tuesday it is investigating the claims. “We thoroughly investigate all safety reports,” FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor said. Salehpour will speak next week at a Senate hearing convened by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., “to examine Boeing’s broken safety culture, focusing on firsthand accounts.” Boeing said it is in discussions and will cooperate with Blumenthal’s committee and has “offered to provide documents, testimony, and technical briefings.”

This is from Seattle Times. The US literally begins to cease as a functional society, Europe is already there. Will they suicide this guy too? This is what financial economy--meaning "capitalization" fraud and BS taught in economics programs--does to society. Luddites fought "technology", will we live to see stock brokers and "financial advisers" be subjected to the same fate? Remember this, though?

A metallurgist in the US state of Washington has pleaded guilty to fraud after she spent decades faking the results of strength tests on steel that was being used to make Navy submarines.

The country literally sinks, or comes apart at the seams--whatever one prefers. In related news--the guy certainly is not a dummy and knows where the future is:

A German billionaire who vanished under mysterious circumstances under Switzerland's iconic Matterhorn peak six years ago is suspected to be living with a Russian mistress in Moscow, an investigation has claimed. German-American retail tycoon Karl-Erivan Haub, then 58, was training for a ski mountaineering race when he disappeared in April 2018 in Zermatt, Switzerland.The billionaire businessman was last seen heading up the mountain in a lift one morning alone - something his trainer said was strange for a man who was typically very safety conscious and well-prepared - and never returned to his hotel. 

For those who are interested--search the term "Limita" (Лимита), Russians are having a field day with this one, LOL))). And why not?  Plus, Moscow smells with good food, nice perfumes and flowers. It is safe and clean. Beats any European or US city. Yeah, sure, we all know that every attractive Russian woman is a spy but read the article--it is fun. A good fodder for brainwashed UK public loving their tabloids. I will abstain from repeating a good ol' joke why Brits were good sailors... something about their food and wives;))

Elliptical Orbits...

 ... for common man. 

Open Thread.

Busy now. Go at it.

LOL)))

... )))) No comment. Talk about rubbing salt into the wounds...

Happy Divorce.

Many may not know this, but with Russia slowly withdrawing from ISS--with Angara A5 success the road to Russian orbital station is now wide open--NASA and Roscosmos actually agreed to maintain common standards on docking equipment for the foreseeable future in case US and Russia should act in orbital emergencies. That means one side will be able to aid another in case the evacuation will be needed. It is a sad reality but Washington did everything it could to demolish the last vestiges of US-Russian cooperation. 

Stuart, of Imperial College, said that the way the station is built enforces cooperation between nations that find little else to agree about. "Although strong words have been used on both sides since the conflict in Ukraine, in reality, the agencies involved in the station—as well as the hardware of the station itself—are interdependent in a way that has so far ensured a stable, if tense, continuation of operation," said Stuart. "Over the past decades of operation, other political tensions between the US and Russia have led to questions about the future of the ISS, but it has always weathered the storm," said Stuart. The future of the ISS, if Russia does act on its threats and withdraws, appears bleak. It would be difficult to get the ISS to even move without Russian help, said Virts. And transporting astronauts to the station would be more difficult, as under the ISS agreement, Russia flies international teams from its Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

So, it is what it is and it is not going to be any different for a long time. Russia is breaking off most of the contacts with the West despite some moves of this nature:

Emmanuel Macron se rend mardi à Vassieux-en-Vercors, dans la Drôme, pour rendre hommage au maquis du Vercors, marqué par un massacre de civils pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Cette visite intervient à l’occasion du 80ème anniversaire de la Libération. Une cérémonie internationale sera organisée en Normandie, le 6 juin prochain. La Russie sera bien invitée, mais pas son président Vladimir Poutine. Selon les informations d’Europe 1, la Russie sera bien représentée début juin en Normandie si toutefois Moscou accepte l’invitation de l’Élysée, et sauf coup de théâtre, le président russe Vladimir Poutine ne participera pas en personne aux commémorations mais une délégation russe y sera conviée. La Mission Libération chargée d'organiser cette commémoration a confirmé dans l'après-midi cette information, en précisant bien que le maître du Kremlin ne sera pas invité en raison de la "guerre d'agression" russe en Ukraine.

Translation:  Emmanuel Macron goes to Vassieux-en-Vercors, in Drôme, on Tuesday to pay tribute to the Vercors maquis, marked by a massacre of civilians during the Second World War. This visit takes place on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Liberation. An international ceremony will be organized in Normandy on June 6. Russia will be invited, but not its president Vladimir Putin. According to information from Europe 1, Russia will be well represented at the beginning of June in Normandy if, however, Moscow accepts the invitation from the Élysée, and barring a twist, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not participate in person in the commemorations but a delegation Russian will be invited. The Liberation Mission responsible for organizing this commemoration confirmed this information in the afternoon, specifying that the master of the Kremlin will not be invited due to the Russian "war of aggression" in Ukraine.

French really need a lesson in history--USSR in WW II was fighting against Nazism; present day France, UK and USA support Nazism of 404 variety. The only reason Russian delegation may materialize in Normandy is to pay respect to Allied soldiers and officers who fought against the same enemy. Present Western elites are supporters of Nazism and terrorism and are clear and present enemies of Russian people. IF Moscow accepts. Plus, the invitation is not from officials in the West, it is from organizers of the event. 

Meanwhile:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken with his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, following Tehran’s drone and missile attack on Israel, the Kremlin has said. Iran launched scores of drones and missiles against Israel on Saturday, as “punishment” for the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria that killed seven high-ranking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force officers at the beginning of the month. Raisi phoned Putin on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the “aggravated situation” in the region and the “retaliatory measures” taken by Tehran, according to the readout of the call. Putin “expressed hope that all parties will show reasonable restraint and will not allow a new round of confrontation, fraught with catastrophic consequences for the entire region,” the Kremlin said. Raisi “noted that Iran’s actions were forced and limited in nature,” adding that Tehran was “not interested in further escalation of tensions.” Both presidents agreed that the root cause of the current conflict is the unresolved Palestinian-Israeli conflict, calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, deliveries of humanitarian aid, and the creation of conditions for a political and diplomatic settlement.

Israel now lives in a different world since Saturday and faster Tel-Aviv wakes up to the reality the better chances it may have for survival in some form. Judging by a strong showing of Hasbara on each and every available public platforms, Iran did hurt Israel where it mattered and demonstrated what has been known for a while--US-made AD/ABM systems such as their Israeli knockoffs do not work in real war against technologically advanced opponent. Iran, evidently, also tested some new cruise missiles which did penetrate Israeli AD. In coming days and months we will find out more about that fateful night. 

In related news, legendary Commander of Akhmat Brigade (then the corps commander) Major-General Apti Alautdinov was appointed First Deputy of the Commander of Main Political Directorate of Russian Armed Forces. This is big and, highly likely, opens a wide path for Alautdinov towards huge political career in highest echelons of power in Russia. Alautdinov commands a profound professional respect in Russian Armed Forces and universal admiration and respect among overwhelming majority of Russians. Congratulations to Apti Aronovich Alautdinov--a great son of Chechen people and Russia. So, this is your brief SitRep for this Tuesday.