A Monday Primer.

Andrei Raevsky posted the transcript of Nebenzya's speech at the UNSC today. It is about dirty bomb and Russia calling everybody on this hugely important issue. Nebenzya opens with this:

First I want to express my bewilderment. We do not quite understand which added value other than a time extension of today’s meeting, carries the inclusion in the list of the speakers representatives of Slovakia, Poland, Germany and Greece. We’re not having a debate today, we are conducting a briefing. These countries’ position we already know very well. It could be nicely summed up by a [single] representative of the European Union. Nothing, but a desire to be featured on national TV screens, can we see in that. In the future, Mr. Chairman, we would like to ask you to be more careful when compiling the list of the speakers for the UN meetings on this subject.

Read the whole thing at Saker's blog. It is extremely important.  

As you may expect, the stalwart of American faux-diplomacy, Mr. Blinken continues to dismiss Russia's warnings about dirty bomb as transparently false allegations. One would expect such a reaction from people "populating" Biden's (and Obama's) Administration, because any allegations about integrity and professional competence of American "diplomats" are transparently false, hence the US being both non-agreement capable and, de facto, ungovernable, increasingly so with Midterms approaching. But then again, and I touch on this subject periodically, they don't teach Moliere and they do not attend either ballet or dramatic interpretations of his immortal comedy Le Bourgeois gentilhomme in D.C. because it hits too close to home with its message that you cannot buy class, especially in current US "diplomacy". Blinken should have concentrated on practicing law in NYC and should have never tried to become Mr. Jourdain. 

The desperation before Midterms is palpable in the US and for people who say that I "interpreted" Hu Jintao's exit from XX Congress was wrong--it is fine with me, I constantly stress that I am no Sinologist and if Comrade Hu was simply having a bout of dementia, it is fine with me. What I know for sure is not wrong is the fact of a massive purge of the top political and economic echelon of China of Komsomolets (Youth League) faction in CCP which was a radically pro-Western (pro-American) fifth column. For the most part it is over now and Xi solidified his power with far reaching strategic ramifications. Mr. Hu, however, was a direct offspring of the Chinese Komsomol. So, the whole event was emblematic, no matter how one views it. Ramifications are simple though, China now openly admits the possibility of the military solution around Taiwan and that means a serious geopolitical split for the US which is already now out of resources. 

That brings us to the issue of 101st in Romania. I think the United States has been put on notice by Russia that Syria and Ukraine are not the same game. Unlike illegal occupation of parts of Syria by the US, Odessa is historically Russian city and in WW II Red Army, first defending it from Axis in 1941 and then liberating in in 1944  shed so much blood--it is beyond experiences of the American military. If, as some observes speculate, 101st is ordered to repeat Al-Tanf thingy with further "de-conflicting" scenario while maintaining some kind of "exclusion zone" in and around Odessa--they need to understand that 101st will be annihilated. I am sure this was conveyed by Shoigu to Mr. Austin and by Gerasimov to Mr. Milley. Unlike Blinkens or Sullivans of Biden's cabinet, no matter what one says about Milley--he is still a military professional and he has a grasp of such things. I repeat again--I can imagine what is being talked about when Gerasimov and Milley speak. I cannot imagine Lavrov communicating with this schlimazel Blinken without Lavrov chain-smoking because he has to talk to an amateur. Mr. Jourdain, that is. 

Per this.

Moscow and Tehran have struck a deal that will see the Islamic Republic selling 40 domestically produced gas turbines to Russia, Reza Noushadi, the CEO of Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company, told the Iranian oil ministry’s news agency Shana on Sunday. According to Noushadi, Iran is currently capable of independently producing “85% of … the equipment needed in the gas industry.” This capability allowed it to sign the contract with Moscow, he added. The CEO did not reveal when exactly the deal was struck and when the turbines are to arrive in Russia. Russian officials have so far not commented on Noushadi’s statements. The development comes as the sanctions policies of the US and its allies have hit industry ties between Russia and its Western equipment suppliers. Earlier this year, state energy giant Gazprom had to gradually reduce gas deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline due to technical problems related to servicing turbines.

Is it possible? Sure. Iran was in the oil and gas business since the start, so this part of Iranian industries surely has some competencies in extraction and processing and it is purely non-military peaceful technologies. We just need to wait for confirmation from Russia on that and on the nomenclature of such turbines, if the deal was, indeed, struck. As per Russia military industries, as usual Western intel failed miserably.  

Russia is about to greatly enhance its military arsenal, the country’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev, said on Monday, adding that output of tanks, high-precision missiles, drones, and artillery pieces is growing “multifold.” He made the statement after inspecting the production lines of Russia’s leading arms manufacturer, the Uralvagonzavod tank plant. Medvedev, who is currently the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, posted a video on Telegram showing him touring the production halls of the plant together with a delegation of government officials. The video also featured dozens of modern T-72B3 and T-90M battle tanks under construction at the facility, including ones that appeared to be in the final assembly stage. The official said he has repeatedly seen claims by Western analysts “that Russia will soon run out of military equipment and weapons.”

I see these claims all the time and my only suggestion to those who make those claims in the West is to throw away their useless degrees in social and political "sciences" and pseudo-economics, communications and "international relations" and get to some serious schools to study industries, technology, math and, maybe, try to get to some War Colleges, especially Army and Naval--that may help. Other than that, as I am on record for years--the West's crisis is systemic and that means it cannot be fixed without changing the system itself. I don't have the recipe for fixing it, I just know that this is the end. Enjoy your Monday.