Few Items. Tuesday.

1. General Shamanov, now the Chair of the State Duma's Defense Committee reports (in Russian) that ukie Nazis Sergei Velichko (handle Chili) and Konstantin Nemichev, who tortured Russian POWs, have been taken by Russian special forces and now float in their snot begging for forgiveness during interrogations by FSB. 

I am sure they will experience a lot of "good" attitude when they are sent to serious Russian prison but, against the background of Russia's increasing desire to return the death penalty, nobody in Russia will shed any tear if these two lowlifes are executed. In fact, it is a highly desirable outcome. 

2. There is a huge misunderstanding, fueled (surprise, surprise) by Western MSM and some uber-patriotic Russian outlets that Russian-Ukrainian talk in Turkey somehow "stopped" Russian operations. Nothing could be further from the truth.

a) Head of Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky merely articulated Ukrainian side's proposals, but NOT Russian position. He also stated that Moscow will review them and will give the answer sometime later (in Russian);

b) Reduction of the activity at Kiev-Chernigov Axis by Russian forces and I quote Medinsky "does not mean a cease fire". Russian troops still remain around Kiev and do what they were doing for the last three weeks--tying up remaining Ukie forces in and around capital of 404. 

c) Russia does not want to take Kiev, which will mean a serious damage to an ancient city and even more civilian casualties. At least not now.

d) Operations elsewhere proceed as planned and Nikolaev begins to feel the upcoming (and incoming) storm.

So, I don't understand what this fuss is all about.

3. Why "like amateurs"? 

I understand that Rep. Mike Gallagher graduated all kinds of "intel" universities and schools, such as National Intelligence University, but it has to be admitted that US foreign policy is run by amateurs and  I, personally, never hid my awe by the catastrophic failure of the so called US "strategic intelligence", the failure continues and the United States in general, and Mike Gallaher in particular do not know shit about Russia, let alone correlation of forces and what real warfare is. I guess US military record of the last 75 years is a great testament to that. Recall this?

Mr. Gallaher, read by syllables: the myopia of American strategic planning.  I also understand how difficult it is to explain to Mr. Gallaher that he is an amateur when it comes to real deterrents and modern conventional peer-to-peer warfare. So, the qualifier "look like" should be omitted in favor of "we are amateurs". Getting amateur results is what proves it all. Just take a look at POTUS. 

One cannot stop pretty much anyone in the US, let alone POTUS, from saying stupid things. Saying stupid things has become, sadly, America's pastime in the last 30 years and it is all due do a precipitous decline of the American elites across the board: from politics, to military, to media to what have you. 

4. Now to real professionals. Larry Johnson rebukes US media BS about 404. 

At what point will the American people and Europe wake up and realize they have been fed a steady diet of bullshit about what is actually happening on the ground in Ukraine. I have made this point in earlier posts–why do we not see any western reporters on the frontlines with the Ukrainian forces reporting on these magnificent triumphs? Because it is a chimera–i.e., an imaginary monster compounded of incongruous parts. 

I don't know at what point, but many Americans do seek out the alternative POV and the number of those Americans grows, I know this for sure. So, these are few items for Tuesday.