A Bank Teller Boy...

... discovers for himself the existence of the reality independent of wishful thinking. He still didn't get it fully, but he is on the road to recovery once he puts two and two together. With Paris Nanterre University behind him, I am sure he can do it. Macron suddenly recognized... 

ПАРИЖ, 31 мая. /ТАСС/. Президент Франции Эмманюэль Макрон заявил, что Россия использует информационное поле для продвижения своих позиций гораздо более эффективно, чем Запад. Такое мнение он высказал в среду на международной конференции по безопасности Globsec в Братиславе. По его оценке, "Россия использует информационное поле для того, чтобы играть на усталости от войны и ослаблять поддержку Украины"."Это происходит через социальные сети, и эти социальные сети используются сегодня Россией гораздо более эффективно, чем это делаем мы", - считает французский лидер.

Translation: PARIS, 31 May. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron said that Russia uses the information field to advance its positions much more effectively than the West. He expressed this opinion on Wednesday at the international security conference Globsec in Bratislava. According to him, "Russia uses the information field to play on war fatigue and weaken support for Ukraine." "This happens through social networks, and these social networks are used by Russia today much more effectively than we do," he said. French leader.

I can disclose a secret why Russia is so much more effective in this field--because she doesn't spread BS and can account for every annihilated Ukie (NATO, really) piece of hardware and formation. Moreover, Russians know that many in the West's "elite" know it and because of Russian information being reality-driven it is so effective. The West, on the other hand, lies non-stop and even manages to cross into the fairy tales territory, sometimes so risible that even Western media-whores have to slow down. If before Western "journos" have been viewed with contempt by people of decent moral qualities, soon they will be called to their faces who they really are--whores--and, eventually, people will spit into their faces and deservedly so. I do not advocate violence against them, though; but letting some editor from BBC, Bloomberg or NYT, among many others, feel as a cheap whore, who most of them are, that is a good idea. 

As for Macron, boy, so much to learn in this life. For example, that France is economic and military pip-squeak. But I have something to say about dog breeds tomorrow, in my next video. Don't miss it, I do give a short introspective of one nation having excruciating phantom pains. Meanwhile, Joey absolutely nails it--the revenge of the nerds. Or, more appropriately Beta-males. Or, even more clearly--the guys with low fuckability index.

And yes, they are not "tech-people". Social media corps are to real tech as I am to North Korean Space Agency. In the end, for shits and giggles, this is the rag from Soros-funded Quincy Institute. LOL)))

NATO members mull secret plans for responding to Russia attack. Most were drawn up behind closed doors by the permanent alliance representatives in Brussels and not seen by elected bodies.

Read the author's C.V. And recall what I state ad nauseam--we have "elites" most of who are academic frauds and morons. In general, most "peace", "security" and other similar "foreign affairs" programs in the West are machines for production of brainwashed credentialed imbeciles none of who have even rudimentary intellectual tool kit for understanding anything not related to celebrities, expensive lingerie and writing necrologues in the county newspaper.

Open Thread.

 Go at it.

Larry's Excellent Piece...

 ... on uniformity. 

The strength of any army is the principle of uniformity. Here is a Captain Obvious moment — the reason that a military organization sports a uniform is to ensure that troops in the heat of battle can easily identify their fellow fighters. Can you imagine an army that would grant each soldier or sailor or Marine the option to choose their own wardrobe? While you might get some fabulous fashion choices, allowing such diversity would undermine the operational effectiveness of that organization in combat. The concept of uniform in the military extends beyond what men and women wear. How about training? An effective military organization relies on standard operating procedures in order to ensure that even the least mentally competent member of a unit knows the policies, procedures and tactics he or she must perform under stress. One of the critical objectives in basic training is to teach new recruits how to communicate and how to act on orders. If a military organization incorporates different units with different methods of communicating the odds of confusion on the battlefield increase dramatically.

Read the whole thing at Larry's blog.  

Meanwhile, Russia openly states what Washington wants:

The US has been inciting Ukraine to strike Russian territory, despite claiming the opposite, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday. Antonov argued that Washington’s statements in response to the recent drone raid on the Russian capital “sound like an encouragement for Ukrainian terrorists.” “Doesn’t the [US] administration understand that no one believes their slogans about non-support of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory?!” the diplomat said, according to a statement on the embassy’s Telegram channel. Antonov’s remarks came after a White House spokesperson told reporters that “as [a] general matter, we do not support attacks inside of Russia.” The goal of the drone attack was to “sow fear among Russians” and undermine trust in the authorities, he said. “The Russian Federation has been sentenced to ‘capital punishment’ in the [West] long ago. But simply, they don’t have it in them to achieve this goal,” the ambassador stated. 

But read the last, highlighted, phrase by him--exactly, the US is not the same league and Washington knows, or at least begins to recognize it, and, as an axiom goes: terrorism is a weapon of the weak. This is how bluffs are called. In the end, they do not check the credit history in banks for nothing. Where is the US warfare credit history? You know the answer...

Somebody, Please, Educate "Valdai" Boys...

Because RT continues to publish opinions of Moscow's beau monde boys, like Ivan Timofeev's platitudes and cliches ridden piece on "ending unipolarity". Read my lips--"political scientists" everywhere, including Russia, unless they have serious military background, are utterly unqualified for uttering any kind of opinions on modern balance of power. Mr. Timofeev demonstrates it fully (here is his very telling bio, BTW). He concludes:

In terms of the distribution of military capability, the world has been multipolar for quite a while. Critics can argue that the US is still ahead of all other states collectively in terms of its military spending, can project its power across the globe, and has the best-trained military armed with the most advanced equipment. At the same time, the US is not at liberty to start a military conflict against a number of countries without running a risk of huge and unacceptable losses. China is rapidly building its armed forces and would be difficult to defeat, even if nuclear weapons were not involved. While it is possible to imagine China suffering a local defeat, its complete destruction is unthinkable. A conflict with Russia would be no walk in the park either, even if all of NATO’s offensive capabilities are deployed. Indeed, this could actually quickly turn into a nuclear exchange.     

Somebody, please, educated Timofeev on:

1. The real balance of power mover is NOT nuclear, however extremely important for enforcing prematurely buried by many MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction), but conventional forces. Only through them the real geopolitical status of the nation is obtained;

2. It is the US which is nuclear-biased nation, not Russia, and this is true precisely for the reasons of the US being by far NOT the best conventional (namely ground forces) power. It, indeed, could turn fast into nuclear exchange INITIATED by the US precisely because it cannot match Russia's conventional capability. I warned about this for many years. Now respectable American military professionals openly admit this reality. Timofeev forgets to point out this crucial distinction, while describing escalation scenario he has no clue about and probably picked up as a rumor on one of Valdai's soirees. Here it is:

If faced with NATO aggression, Moscow would no doubt resort to tactical nukes and would be prepared for further escalation towards the strategic level. Even attacking weaker adversaries such as the North Korea or Iran would be likely to result in significant losses for the US. Pyongyang could well use its nuclear capability even if it risks being completely destroyed by a counterstrike. Iran could be bombed, but an attempt at occupying it like the US did with Iraq would claim too many lives.

"No doubt" by who? By Mr. Timofeev? Did Mr. Timofeev ever hear of mobilization potential, of how combat effectiveness of armed forces are calculated, or about how doctrine describes criteria for the use of nuclear weapons? Of course not, they don't teach those things in "politology". As per US "power projection", Timofeev better learn about the number of wars (all of them "power projecting" and expeditionary) the US "won" in the last 75 years before stating that "power projection" even possible against "near peer"--a condescending term issued by Pentagon--let alone "peer", let alone power which simply beat the US across multiple "domains", especially in strike weapons and air defense. 

I personally am on record for at least 3-4 years now that the US lost the arms race and some gaps will not be closed for many years, maybe ever, and we see it in real time now in SMO in 404. But what is most important and the body of empirical evidence to support this statement is overwhelming: political "science", or what passes for it, CAN NOT and DID NOT produce in decades, especially in the West, any competent specialist on issues of strategy, balance of power and modern operations. None, zilch, nada and Timofeev's statements like that:

The Russian case is more complicated. The country has access to abundant natural resources, and it remains one of the world’s top ten economies despite sanctions (being as high as sixth, when measured by purchasing power parity). While Moscow cannot boast a level of technological development on a par with the US, it still has critical military technologies at its disposal, including nuclear, missile, and space capabilities. However, one of the country’s biggest vulnerabilities is its industrial and human potential. Closing the industrial gap would take time and require tremendous willpower and a concentration of resources. In spite of its leadership in natural sciences, the country has an acute shortage of engineers and skilled industrial workers, which is compounded by the brain drain of the early 1990s and the recent wave of emigration in 2022. Low management efficiency and stubbornly high corruption remain a problem.

... demonstrate his complete loss of contact with reality, especially that of the United States. But it is highlighted in yellow which completes exposure of WHO Mr. Timofeev is and why I am on record that these types should never be allowed anywhere near governing and their ideas of modern geopolitics should be completely discarded as white-board pretentious doctrine-mongering, which is the essence of most modern humanities degrees which do not require serious intellectual and practical effort when speaking about military-industrial complexities of modern world, let alone warfare of the 21st century. And that brings another question of why the RT continues to publish this pseudo-academic drivel. Hey, at least I do not offer my services to open heart surgeons, I know my limitations.

PR, Again.

Knee jerk "discussions" on "war on Russia" after attacks on Moscow residential areas is just that--knee jerk media fodder. I reiterate again--Russia is at war with NATO whose proxy, a Nazi Kiev regime, is based on "Ukrainstvo"--a concept discussed so many times that I am not even going to bother. Russia is filled with refugees from 404 and among those people there are very many who are fanatical Ukies and SBU/GUR/CIA/MI6 assets. Judging by the look of those drones (see the video where S1 Pantsir takes one out) those are relatively small short range drones launched either inside or slightly outside of Moscow. 

Tuesday’s failed drone raid on Moscow was an attempt at payback by Kiev for Russia’s latest airstrikes on a Ukrainian decision-making center, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has claimed. This comes after the Russian Defense Ministry reported that eight plane-type UAVs were shot down near the Russian capital. “It is clear that we are talking about the response of the Kiev regime to our very effective strikes on one of the decision-making centers. This strike took place on Sunday,” Peskov told journalists after the attack. President Vladimir Putin later confirmed that Russian forces struck Ukraine’s military intelligence headquarters in Kiev “two or three days ago.” Peskov stated that he was not aware if the drone launch sites had been determined, but argued that the attack “once again confirms” the need to continue the military operation in Ukraine until its goals are achieved. The spokesman also said the authorities and military personnel in Moscow and Moscow Region had carried out their duties properly and that the air defense systems also “worked well.”

It is pure terrorism (see definition of terrorism) which is directed against civilian targets and civilians. It is MO of the 404 special services "trained" by CIA/MI6 and some other foreign "special services" who excel in matters of terrorizing civilian populations. I guess when one consistently gets its ass handed to it, this is the only thing which is left to do. In general, and it is axiomatic, the terrorism is a weapon of the weak. And when one looks at such specimen as Lindsey Graham, who is a certified supporter of terrorism, among many others who exist in the corridors of power in the West, one gets to know everything one needs. I reiterate--the only war combined West is capable of conducting is PR. Terrorist actions are the part of this war and have a tacit support among Western political "elites" and media. And yes, they are desperate.

Following the raid, Putin stated that “Kiev’s attack on civilian targets in Moscow confirms what method Kiev uses,” calling Tuesday’s incident “terrorist activity.” Russian officials have suggested that the goal of the drone raid was to spread panic in Moscow. “Ukraine and its Western handlers would certainly like to see lines of cars leaving Moscow, closed shops, and demonstrations,” the deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, Aleksey Zhuravlev, said, noting that Kiev had ultimately failed to achieve its goal of spreading panic and that the attack has not affected life in the capital in any way.

Everything one needs to know. I have nothing more to add. Now it is a matter for FSB and MVD to deal with the issue, but since Russia allowed millions of 404 refugees, such actions will continue, because NATO cannot fight and win at the real battlefield. Knowing who runs modern West--I am not surprised.

My Talking Head Today.

Numbers, numbers, numbers...

And REAL war.
 

Open Thread.

 Go at it.

Yet Another 404 Fake BS.

Not that it absolves Lindsey from being a war criminal he became long time ago, but, get this:

He described the help as "the best money we've ever spent". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced Graham, suggesting his comment on U.S. financial assistance was linked to a later remark that Russians "are dying" in the conflict. But the release by the Ukrainian president's office of Graham's complete remarks showed there was no such link.

Basically Kiev regime's press-service stitched together two different contexts. Surprised? No, again, in accordance to Ukie press, Ivan Khurs intel ship rests on the bottom of the Black Sea, while in reality she is undamaged and rests calmly at the Ugolnaya (Coal) Pier in Sevastopol. Well, it doesn't matter, however, for Lindsey--there is a lot what is already in his case and he should really choose his "friends" cautiously. But then again--two of a kind, it was meant to be.

Totally Expected...

For people who still want to bomb or kill, or harm war criminals like Lindsey Graham, they should understand why Russia is so legalistic--it is the ONLY way to conduct war against the enemy who is desperate. As was expected: 

МОСКВА, 28 мая — РИА Новости. Глава Следственного комитета Александр Бастрыкин поручил возбудить уголовное дело из-за русофобских заявлений американского сенатора Линдси Грэма, сообщается в Telegram-канале ведомства. Председатель Следственного комитета России Александр Бастрыкин поручил Главному следственному управлению возбудить уголовное дело по факту высказываний американского сенатора об убийстве россиян. <...> Данному факту следователями ГСУ СК России будет дана надлежащая правовая оценка", — говорится в публикации. Ранее американский сенатор Линдси Грэм во время встречи с Владимиром Зеленским заявил, что США "еще никогда не тратили деньги так удачно", поскольку в результате этого "умирают" россияне.

Translation: MOSCOW, May 28 - RIA Novosti. The head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, instructed to open a criminal case because of the Russophobic statements of US Senator Lindsey Graham, according to the department's Telegram channel. Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia Alexander Bastrykin instructed the Main Investigation Department to open a criminal case into the statements of the US senator about the murder of Russians. <...> Investigators of the Main Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of Russia will give a proper legal assessment to this fact," the publication says. Earlier, US Senator Lindsey Graham, during a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky, said that the United States "has never spent money so successfully," because in as a result of this, the Russians are "dying".

 

I reiterate--this is the only way to conduct oneself with war criminals such as Graham and his ilk. Legal action is just the start, it is Russian State's due diligence and as I repeat this ad nauseam--you build the case first. The first reaction is proper. Once the warrant on this guy is issued, things may and will proceed in a very interesting direction. Do not forget, this whole situations develops against the background of the United States being guilty of what amounts to crimes against humanity. Brown's Watson Institute has calculated, how many:

War’s destruction of economies, public services, infrastructure, and the environment leads to deaths that occur long after bombs drop and grow in scale over time. This report reviews the latest research to examine the causal pathways that have led to an estimated 3.6-3.7 million indirect deaths in post-9/11 war zones, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. The total death toll in these war zones could be at least 4.5-4.6 million and counting, though the precise mortality figure remains unknown. Some people were killed in the fighting, but far more, especially children, have been killed by the reverberating effects of war, such as the spread of disease. 

So, read the full report and you will understand why most of the world doesn't want to deal with bringers of "democracy" and their stooges. I want to stress--the bankruptcy is not just moral, it is a very tangible economic, military, social and metaphysical one.  

In this context, the next iteration of the global security, political and economic system will not be framed by the United States alone. The reality is already something else. It is not an "order," which inherently points to a hierarchy, and perhaps not even a "disorder." A range of countries are pushing and pulling in line with their own priorities to produce new arrangements.  We in the transatlantic community may need to develop some new terminology as well as adapt our foreign policy approaches to deal with horizontal networks of overlapping and sometimes competing structures. We have entered what Samir Saran, president of India's Observer Research Foundation, has dubbed the age of "limited liability partnerships." The regionalization of security, trade and political alliances complicates our national security strategies and policy planning, but it may also intersect with our priorities in useful ways if we can be flexible and creative—rather than simply resisting and responding when things go in directions we don't like. As British security expert Neil Melvin has suggested, we should embrace the idea of "mini-lateralism."

Fiona Hill is your typical Ivy league degree mill "Russian Studies" field defective product, as most of them are, but even this ignorant and colorless former bureaucrat admits that the world as we know is pretty much over. And it may come as a surprise to her and others, but it is not "Transatlantic community" which wins, it is Russia. And as any victor, Russia will be deciding what to do with those people in a collapsing combined West who are directly responsible for the events since 9/11 tragedy. This is the only way it works and the United States made a historic mistake by putting itself on the wrong side of history.

Ha, Ha-Ha, Ha-Ha-Ha... LOL))

Speaking of German "journalism", LOL))) 

Metadata from emails used to rent a yacht reportedly involved in the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines last year implicates Ukrainian nationals, Germany’s Der Spiegel newspaper reported on Friday, citing sources. In March, the outlet claimed a yacht named ‘Andromeda’ had allegedly been used by a team of divers to sabotage the Nord Stream pipelines. The publication cited the discovery of traces of explosives in the cabin of the vessel and fake identification documents that were used in the hiring of the boat. The most recent Der Spiegel report indicates that metadata from an email sent to enquire about the renting of the yacht “leads to Ukraine.” The president of a presumed shell company through which the yacht was rented also lives in Kiev, according to German broadcasters NDR and WDR, as well as other media sources in the EU country. Der Spiegel also claimed on Friday that investigators were probing if the attack could have been undertaken by an independent group of Ukrainian commandos, or if the sabotage would likely have been authorized by Kiev. The Ukrainian government, meanwhile, has denied all links to the explosions. 

I wonder what are the "professional" requirements for getting a "journo" job in Der Spiegel. Something tells me that one has to have a prior professional experience in famous German movie industry with emphasis on plumbers. You know, the documentaries where German men and women indulge in close encounters or, depending on situation, on counters as a celebration of a well done plumbing, if you know what I mean. I don't think that other types work in Western media, especially German one. No other needed.

Lindsey In Ukraine.

Somebody has to explain to this dude, that the US has zero understanding of what "it stood for since the end of WW II", because this WW II was won by somebody else and those were not Americans. 

Then, of course, during this meeting of two war criminals and enablers of terrorism, Lindsey went on record by stating that:

“Russians are dying. We have never spent money so well”

Lindsey, being we all know who, has no love lost for Russia, who defines his type as perverts, also, being a lawyer and enabler of genocide and terrorism with his late buddy genocidal maniac and "American hero" John McCain, doesn't understand what modern war is, nor has any clue that he makes a good record of, essentially, getting closer to starting annihilating Russian immigrants in the US or, maybe, starting erecting concentration camps for them, because this is the horizon of imagination of this guy and his buddies in Congress. In the end, he called for assassination of Putin and now, obviously, expanded his horizons. 

Russian news agencies properly reported that (in Russian), and reaction was as was expected. But, in the end, it is not for this lawyer who pretends that he knows anything about WW II--he doesn't, because he is as uncultured and uneducated as is the majority in US political "elite"--it is on people of South Carolina who consistently elect this genocidal maniac, and this is very serious. Because it just may happen so, that people of South Carolina who have zero grasp of modern warfare, may have to face a reality of a REAL war due to their Senator being, well, genocidal maniac, who pushes for it and which, naturally, reflects on people of South Carolina. Lindsey, who is of a plain white trash origin, evidently learned nothing in his life and his "colonel" (JAG) rank is worth as much in real war as my expertise in Chaucer. Plus, in the end, somebody take this trailer trash around the world and show him real culture. Together with whores from US media. 

Something For Saturday...

 .... I am getting really sick and tired listening to "opinions" that Aria is a clone of Iron Maiden. They are NOT. Since their second album they developed their unique style, which, surprise-surprise, as any real metal bands took them into opera and progressive rock field--inevitable when you master music theory and your instrument. The better you get, the more complex forms you desire--true for anyone. As I stated before, Russia recognized Valery Kipelov, and by default, Russian power metal as a cultural institution by awarding Valery the title of Merited Artist of Russia. This is huge. One may ask why not Iron Maiden? Well, they are British responsibility and Aria stopped being "Russian" Iron Maiden since the album Blood For Blood. To understand why they were never a "clone" of Iron Maiden. 

I am not sure Bruce could ever sing this. I am not even discussing the lyrics of a genius Margarita Pushkina. They always have been a consummate Russian band...

This Is Moscow Today...

 ... this picture repeats itself all over Russia with different variations. Russia is at war but this is a testament to a country which does her due diligence and moves on. 

It is all about soft power. Here is Novosibirsk building yet another bridge nowadays.  

Meanwhile, Russia awards one of the greatest metal vocalists, Valery Kipelov, with state award of Merited Artist of Russia. 

By default, it is also a recognition of Russia's legendary metal act--Aria. 

Valera still doesn't own a car and rides Moscow Metro but Russian State recognized this as a significant Russian art, which is totally deserved.

Ah, Yeah, Sure...

 Story, never ending sto-o-o-o-ry (c). 

Ukrainian forces are “ready” to launch their much-touted counteroffensive, the head of the National Security and Defense Council told the BBC in an interview on Saturday. Aleksey Danilov said the military top brass are now waiting for the right moment to launch the attack. “It could happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week,” Danilov answered when pressed about a potential start of the counteroffensive, which Kiev has been talking about for months. A major assault was initially expected to start in spring or even late winter, but Kiev repeatedly postponed it, citing adverse weather conditions and the need to obtain all necessary weapons and equipment from western backers.Danilov said it would have been “weird” for him to reveal the exact date, as “that cannot be done.” He described the planned attack as a “historic opportunity” that his nation “cannot lose” if it wants to become a “big European country.” “We understand that we have no right to make a mistake,” he added.

Yes, I am sure Russia is completely at a loss with the date of this "offensive", because Russians, being primitive Asiatic people, fight based on stories told by locals. Speaking of which:

КОСМОДРОМ ВОСТОЧНЫЙ, 27 мая — РИА Новости. Радиолокационный спутник "Кондор-ФКА" для всепогодного и круглосуточного наблюдения за поверхностью Земли выведен на орбиту, сообщили журналистам в пресс-службе "Роскосмоса".Отделение космического аппарата от разгонного блока произведено в расчетное время", — сообщили в пресс-службе. Ракета "Союз-2.1а" с разгонным блоком "Фрегат" и спутником стартовала с Восточного в 0:15 мск. Через девять минут разгонный блок отделился от третьей ступени ракеты, после чего два раза включил маршевый двигатель и доставил "Кондор-ФКА" в расчетную точку. 

Translation: VOSTOCHNY COSMODROME, May 27 - RIA Novosti. The Kondor-FKA radar satellite for all-weather and round-the-clock monitoring of the Earth's surface has been launched into orbit, the Roscosmos press service told reporters.  "The separation of the spacecraft from the upper stage was carried out at the estimated time," the press service said. The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Fregat upper stage and satellite took off from Vostochny at 0:15 Moscow time. Nine minutes later, the upper stage separated from the third stage of the rocket, after which it turned on the sustainer engine twice and delivered the Kondor-FKA to the calculated point.

 

Officially, Kondor FKA is a satellite (there will be several of them) which are "designed", wink, wink, to serve agricultural and ice-surveying purpose. With resolution of 1 meter and the ability to see... underground facilities. Hm, I guess this good summary does the job:

As you may have guessed it, it is a very good ISR satellite(s) and its orbits, traditionally for Russians, are in 500-550 kilometer range, just in case some people in Washington decide to shoot it down. American SM-3s can shoot satellites at much lower orbits, if they are lucky. But why risk anything when you can get a very good picture from higher orbits. Plus, do not forget that now Liana is fully operational and, when one factors sensor (data) fusion from different sources, you get the picture--a very clear and almost real time picture. Make own conclusions.

Friday.

And celebrating Tina's life.  

Here is her full concert in 2009 in Arnhem, Holland. She is almost 70 here and those who didn't see this incredible performance--watch it. All of it, it is mind-boggling in its raw power, class and art. She rocked the hell out of packed arena.

Me On Living With...

... consequences.  

Enjoy, if you will.
 

Read My Lips...

Ha, not my only. 

Average American politician, top bottom, has zero grasp of warfare. Yeomanry efforts of the Congressional Research Service to fit a colossal complexity of the modern warfare into a few pages of general descriptions of military issues are still not enough to explain some rah-rah Congressman or Senator what they are incapable of grasping and what Sergei Lavrov repeated again today:

США сильно заблуждаются, считая, что их самосохранение обеспечено Атлантическим океаном. Такое заявление сделал министр иностранных дел РФ Сергей Лавров в программе «Москва. Кремль. Путин» телеканала «Россия 1». Фрагмент интервью опубликован 26 мая в Telegram-канале журналиста Павла Зарубина. «Вашингтон-то считает, что его самосохранение обеспечено Атлантическим океаном, это тоже сильное заблуждение, если они пытаются подвести мир к черте третьей мировой войны», — сказал Лавров, комментируя эскалацию из-за обещанных поставок Киеву истребителей F-16. Министр добавил, что пока США «науськивают своих европейских сателлитов на Россию», полагая, что им всё сойдет с рук.

Translation: The United States is greatly mistaken in believing that its self-preservation is ensured by the Atlantic Ocean. This statement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov in the program “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" TV channel "Russia 1". A fragment of the interview was published on May 26 in the Telegram channel of journalist Pavel Zarubin. “Washington thinks that its self-preservation is ensured by the Atlantic Ocean, this is also a strong delusion if they are trying to bring the world to the brink of a third world war,” Lavrov said, commenting on the escalation due to the promised supply of F-16 fighters to Kiev. The minister added that for now, the United States is “inciting its European satellites against Russia”, believing that they will get away with everything.

For people, which is majority of the US body politic, who are still enamored with great visuals of the US Navy's Carrier Battle Groups, it is difficult to explain that ocean today not only is not any kind of geopolitical moat but quite opposite--it is a great medium of delivering strike weapons close to the US proper, not to mention the fact that Russia's strategic deterrent, ranging from newest SSBNs to such things as hypersonic Avangards, makes US the deterrent look rather... drab. But then again, what do you expect from people who judge the war through the eyes of Hollywood or degree mills of Ivy League schools of government and foreign relations.

Larry On Bear-poking.

With one caveat, though. Ivan Khurs calmly returned to Sevastopol (in Russian), no damage or anything which was claimed by Ukie propaganda. 

None of these attacks are “game changers” in terms of the strategic picture, they are fueling a rising tide of anger in Russia that is likely to ratchet up pressure for a stronger military response. The maritime attack on the Russian ship guarding the Turkstream pipeline is especially puzzling because it is indirectly an attack on a member of NATO (i.e., Turkiye). Just what NATO needs, alienating the NATO member with the second largest army in NATO. The media is discounting the possibility that was sanctioned by the U.S. or the U.K. and suggesting it was carried out by Ukraine without consulting its NATO partners. However, my new friend, Steve Bryen, has an excellent piece posted at the Asia Times on the Turkstream pipeline incident that explains why this was not a unilateral Ukrainian operation:

Today, Russian Foreign Ministry issued a protest to the United States because of... nobody believing BS emanating from Washington.

Старшим дипломатам американской дипмиссии в Москве, вызванным в МИД России в пятницу, заявлен решительный протест по поводу неприемлемых высказываний помощника президента США Джо Байдена по вопросам национальной безопасности Джейка Салливана, который фактически одобрил удары ВСУ по российской территории, сообщило внешнеполитическое ведомство. В заявлении МИД России, опубликованном в Telegram, говорится, что уверения американских официальных лиц о том, что США якобы не поощряют подобные атаки на Россию, являются лживыми и лицемерными, особенно с учетом поставок Украине вооружений от Пентагона, которое впоследствии используется украинскими боевиками для терактов на территории нашей страны. Россия акцентировала, что США давно стали стороной украинского конфликта, их враждебные действия ввергли двусторонние отношения в глубокий и опасный кризис.

Translation: Senior diplomats of the American diplomatic mission in Moscow, summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday, were strongly protested over the unacceptable statements of US national security adviser to Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, who actually approved the UAF strikes on Russian territory, the Foreign Ministry said. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a Telegram statement that U.S. officials’ assurances that the U.S. does not encourage such attacks on Russia are false and hypocritical, especially given the supply of weapons from the Pentagon to Ukraine, which is subsequently used by Ukrainian militants for terrorist attacks. on the territory of our country. Russia emphasized that the United States had long been a party to the Ukrainian conflict, their hostile actions plunged bilateral relations into a deep and dangerous crisis.  

As some in Russia state nowadays, US has no guts to declare war on Russia and hides behind its largely destroyed proxy, because it will repeat the fate of this proxy, just on even larger scale. I agree, but even in PR field, the only "war" the US ever conducted with some success, the gathering of the clouds cannot be ignored, hence the murky stream of BS pouring out of Kiev and Washington, especially US "military experts" whose psychobabble is a good symptom of the illness which brought the US to disaster across the board. Here is a good idea--how about having competent military person as a National Security Adviser, and I am talking about people of scale, not some pseudo "scholar" such as H.R. McMaster. Nah, I am too unreasonable.

"Biased" Is A Wrong Term.

The proper term will be "cooking books". But finally people that matter speak about it and I was calling on that for years. 

The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) member states should establish a rating agency to provide adequate assessment tools for the region’s growing economic activity, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. The proposal was made during a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Moscow on Thursday. Currently, the market for international credit ratings is dominated by three US-based agencies: Moody’s Investor Services, Standard and Poor’s (S&P), and Fitch Group. Countries outside the West have accused them of economic and political bias when it comes to assessing their markets. “It would be useful to establish the Eurasian rating agency,” Putin stated, adding that principled approaches and strict criteria are needed. “It is important to guarantee that the work is absolutely objective. This is its whole value. If this is not the case, then there is no point in it,” the Russian leader stressed.

I am on record--ALL, without exception, Western establishment rating agencies and most of the "economists" are frauds. "Biased" is not the term to use here. US economic statistics is a case in economic fairy tales whose only task is to hide US' departure from largely self-proclaimed economic hegemon status. Real US economy is dwarfed by China, and India, for all India's huge problems with poverty and other social ills, still is larger than the US as an economy. 

Again, just one of the clues from World Steel Association:

In general, similar dynamics is present pretty much across the board in key industries which see combined West falling behind everywhere and as SMO demonstrated--the West has neither capacity nor resources to ramp up production in key military fields, because of the resources hunger and increased technological backwardness. 

War is a great litmus test, always was. Just to demonstrate:

«ООО «ЧТЗ-УРАЛТРАК» значительно увеличило количество выпускаемых танковых двигателей. Достичь объемы выпускаемой продукции, превышающие лучшие показатели послевоенного периода СССР, удалось за счет грамотной организации производства», — говорится в сообщении во «ВКонтакте». Директор по особым поручениям «Уралвагонзавода» Игорь Мешков отметил, что на ЧТЗ ведется техническое обновление и модернизация производства, а за последний год на 30% увеличена численность коллектива. «По итогам работы I квартала текущего года объем ежемесячно выпускаемых модернизированных дизельных двигателей превысил на 12% показатели СССР периода холодной войны. Такие показатели были достигнуты впервые за новейшую историю ЧТЗ», — заявил он.

Translation: ChTZ-URALTRAK LLC has significantly increased the number of tank engines produced. It was possible to achieve production volumes exceeding the best indicators of the post-war period of the USSR due to the competent organization of production, ”the message says on VKontakte. Igor Meshkov, Director for Special Assignments of Uralvagonzavod, noted that ChTZ is undergoing technical renovation and modernization of production, and over the past year, the number of employees has been increased by 30%. “According to the results of the first quarter of this year, the volume of monthly production of modernized diesel engines exceeded the indicators of the USSR during the Cold War by 12%. Such indicators were achieved for the first time in the recent history of ChTZ,” he said.

Now ask yourself a question: can the US do the same? No. US has the "best" stock market in the world where it trades thin air, but in terms of tanks the US cannot produce modern tank at all. And this is just one example. Do Moody's or S&P ratings in any way reflect this reality? Of course not, most people who work there they are products of fraudulent economics programs of Western universities and have no grasp of the modern economy and productive forces--it is difficult in scientific sense (physics, math, chemistry, engineering etc.) and they don't teach those and they lack cultural upbringing to get it. So, they produce useless fumes of finances and concoct preposterous GDP numbers. Some of them cook books unwittingly, others do it on purpose. Result, however, is always the same--GIGO (Garbage In, garbage Out). 

And here we come to this sensitive topic of which, as an example Larry wrote not for once, when describing CIA--the West lacks serious strategic intelligence and forecasting capability due to atrocious incompetence of its "intel" community which operates in virtual reality and echo chamber and is incapable, on the institutional level, to produce anything firmly grounded in reality. One cannot produce that when operates within West's framework of economic and military data completely devoid of context. As a result we all have to content with US economy the size of $23 trillion, while in reality it is only half of that, we have to accept fraudulent numbers of growing "capitalization" of things which, in reality, lose their value due to tear and wear and growing obsolescence. In the end, the result of all that is cheap propaganda of the US "defeating" Hitler, or F-15 being the best fighter in the world, while never encountering serious competent enemy in the skies or Air Defense. It is one non-stop chest thumping, which Senator Fulbright summarized succinctly in 1960s. 

“It is simply not necessary for us to go around forever proclaiming: ‘I am the greatest!’ The more one does this sort of thing, in fact, the more people doubt it….”  

Finally, the bluff has been called and we all are witnessing the implosion of the myth and are trying to perceive the dangers and trials of living with the consequences of dishonesty and incompetence of people who thought that they knew it all. They didn't, hence a miscalculation on a massive historic scale, which sealed the fate of the West.

The Exhibit A Of A Severe Delusion.

Thanks to one of my patrons. He directed me to this piece of such a severe coping that one has to ask the question--if this dude teaches at West Point, especially air defense, I have to ask the question--what exactly does he teach? 

The May 4 interception of a Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile by one of Ukraine’s Patriot air defense systems in Kyiv has caused a significant stir in the international missile defense community. The ensuing saturation attack against Kyiv on May 16, which according to Russian sources was specifically aimed at knocking out a Patriot system, has only further underscored the significance of advanced missile defense systems in today’s evolving security landscape. This dramatic first-ever engagement between modern Western air defense systems and the hypersonic weapons specifically designed to defeat them was marked by contrails streaking the skies over Ukraine, literally and figurately underlining the significance of this latest technological revolution.

I have news for this Captain Peter Mitchell--there was NO intercept of any Kinzhal on May 4. No US AD system is capable of that, what it was--it was Ukie BS spread by imbeciles at Bloomberg. The rest of the piece by this guy is one of the most fascinating exercise in confabulation I ever read. This also explains why the US gets its ass handed to it in war, after war, after war. Next thing you know, Captain Mitchell will be "teaching" that Patriot PAC3 in Saudi Arabia shot down all garage-made drones by Houthis. But then again, Mitchell, obviously, doesn't know the history of modern conflicts and that is fine. Judging by what people who teach at West Point describe, there are serious problems there with military history, modern technology and with studying strategy. I am on record--there will be many in US political top and military who will continue to cope to a complete cognitive dissonance and a completely confabulated version of the warfare. 

As per Air Defense, Mitchell better learn about academic abyss between 4 academic years at West Point, after a joke of US public education STEM exams, and 6 academic years Russia's dedicated Air Defense military academies. One fine example of this is Lieutenant-General Konashenkov, who graduated at that time Soviet Zhitomir Academy of Radio-Electronics of Air Defense. And then Zhukov Air and Space Defense Academy (2 year War College) of Air and Space Defense. Meanwhile, one can quote me--in terms of Air Defense the US is not even in the same league. As Larry Johnson stated clearly in 2018 when commenting on "performance" of NATO stand-off weapons:  

Do not believe a word you have heard from the Pentagon and the White House about the "success" of the cruise missile strikes on Friday last. A fraud is being perpetrated on the American people and the world at large.

The second issue concerns the imagined success of the U.S. TLAM strike. Before General Mattis (retired) approached the podium Friday night, he knew full well that a significant number of the inbound missiles had been shot down inside Syria. That is why Mattis closed his press conference with the following comment: Based on recent experience, we fully expect a significant disinformation campaign over the coming days by those who have aligned themselves with the Assad regime. Give the old boy his due. He was inoculating the ridiculous operation against legitimate criticism by simply being able to point out that any information contrary to what the Pentagon said was "propaganda." Of course, the enlisted and officers that staff the CAOC know differently. The Russians and Syrians were not lying when they claimed to have downed more than 70 of the U.S., UK and French missiles. I understand the reluctance of the U.S. military leaders to admit the truth about this debacle. It would undermine the confidence of the American people is our supposedly invincible weapon systems and would embarrass and enrage the man child that inhabits the White House. Better to tell him lies and let him believe the fantasy. 

 A friend of mine who has expertise in these matters wrote me: Any air defense engineer with a security clearance that isn't lying through his teeth will admit that Russia's air defense technology surpassed us in the 1950's and we've never been able to catch up. The systems thy have in place surrounding Moscow make our Patriot 3's look like fucking nerf guns.Finally there is the matter of the Russians as a second rate military masquerading as a world power. Another friend who has spoken with military commanders in the CENTCOM AOR told me: All of the knowledgeable aircraft commanders are usually scared shitless about the prospect of a legitimate air-to-air skirmish with a SU-30 or any Russian air superiority fighter. But that is not what blowhards, like retired General Jack Keane, believe:General Keane is confusing restraint with weakness and incompetence. That is a dangerous and potentially deadly error to make.

America's AD record is dismal and no amount of BS from 404 can hide anymore the fact that the US lost the arms race in this field. Well, not this alone. 

She Was Simply The Best.

Rest in Peace, Tina. You had no competition. 

Tina Turner, whose volcanic voice and dynamic dance moves earned her the Queen of Rock crown over the course of a 60-year career, has died at the age of 83. The legendary singer died after a long illness at her home near Zurich in Switzerland, according to PA.

Oh, what a huge loss. Not only outstanding performer, but courageous and strong woman. She was, indeed, Queen of Rock'n'Roll. She leaves the void...

She also was pure class...

But Was Putin Really Duped?

I am talking about Ray McGovern on Judge today when they discuss the issue of Minsk Agreements, or rather lies of Western leeaders behind those agreements. 

I think, the whole premise is wrong. There is no doubt that Putin "milked" the issue of treachery by the West to the full extent, as any shrewd statesman would do, but I doubt, even against the background of Putin's admission, that he was duped. The reason being of Russia getting ready for clash with NATO as there is no tomorrow since 2014. Nation which is "duped" and still "trusts" Western "partners" doesn't undergo a de facto revolutionary re-industrialization within 8 years and doesn't launch real revolution in military affair. 

We should not mistake tactical foreign policy adjustments for fundamentally correct strategy which from the inception saw the clash with NATO as inevitability. The best proof of it is the December 2021 Ultimatum to the combined West. It is one thing to make a speech in Munich in 2007 talking about general vision, totally another--to issue specific demands in 2021, including the ones which are deliberately formulated as to be unacceptable for NATO. That's a huge difference. Including in the levels of power of Russia in 2007, 2014 and 2023--they are dramatically different with Russia of 2023 fully returning to herself the status of global power. 

Is Ray correct that when Russia takes all of the left bank of Dnieper she will be ready to talk? Certainly possible, but a lot will also depend on how Russia reshuffles her exports and how the Eurasian economic integration proceeds. In this case Mikhail Mishustin's official visit to China and his meeting tomorrow with Comrade Xi are very important in this respect. Now per those "hypersonic missiles" that NATO still doesn't have. Russians, as facts have it, put themselves again in a deliberately "worst" position and developed everything from the assumption that at some point of time NATO will have those hypersonic gliding vehicles. So, what do you do then? Well, you develop the Air Defense capable of intercepting those. And this is what Russia was doing since mid-2000s. Judging by what is coming (rumored) in this AD, or rather air and space defense field, we are looking at a complete remake of world order which even our wildest imagination cannot perceive.

Open Thread.

 On a busy side today, so ago at it.

A Superb Summary By James Kunstler...

I do not always agree with James, but when I do, I humbly accept the fact that he is one of the best word-smiths of our generation in English-speaking world. Get a load of this:

After two-plus years of “Joe Biden” — well, our country is bypassing the banana republic stage of dissolution and depravity and steaming quickly into a Hieronymus Bosch dystopia of financial, social, psychological and moral ruin. Every official utterance is a lie. Everything’s broken or breaking. And seemingly, on-purpose. The nagging question, of course, is on whose purposes?  And why is Mr. Zelensky flitting from one country to another the past month? Because the game of Let’s You and Him Fight is drawing to a close and Mr. Z may find himself fatally unpopular back on the home-front. He has managed to send upward of a hundred-thousand young Ukrainian men to their deaths in the meat-grinder, and perhaps a million more have hightailed it for other countries. Ukraine will now be a land of mostly women, children, and old folks — with just enough surviving soldiers left looking to hunt down the comedian who turned Ukraine into another one history’s sick jokes.

For those who do not know who Hieronymus Bosch was--the guy had a vivid imagination, to put it mildly. I am positive that Hellraiser franchise of Clive Barker drew extensively on Bosch's sensibilities. 

Or was David Lynch's Giedi Prime the modern pinnacle of hell?

You decide while reading James' excellent summary.

Scott Is Having A Blast...

 ... in Russia. Here he is in Spetsnaz University in Chechnya. 

He has become a real star in Russia. It is extremely important for preservation of the sanity. Russians are not at war with American people. 

 

I Am... Resonating;))

 My latest:

Enjoy if you will.
 

Not The First Time...

... people point out to Sy Hersh and his "denigrating" of Russian Army.  Let me explain something:

1. Sy Hersh may be a very good investigative journalist with zero background in military science, engineering science and Russia. He may know who blew up NS 2, but he wouldn't know the difference between shit and shinola in any serious issue related to Russia as a whole, and Russian Armed Forces in particular.

2. He denigrates himself when waxing "strategic" because he wouldn't know what strategy of Russia both on national level and, especially, on the military one is--for that one should have a solid military-intel background. Sy Hersh has neither even if one considers, as many professionals in Russia do, that he is a conduit for important leaks from one of the power blocks within US political power structure. He certainly should stick to what he does best and that is investigate a government level mischief. 

Which brings us to this issue. In my latest video I already stated--it doesn't matter what NATO supplies to whatever is left of 404, it would make no difference on operational and strategic level, and as you may remember military science axiom--wars are won on operational and strategic levels. Couple of lucky sorties, a leaker or two on some target in Russia, or any other trick for the consumption of the fanboys and military hardware masturbators make absolutely no difference for the outcome. Lt.Colonel Daniel Davis gets it and lists only some issues related to modern air combat for US fighter planes:

For starters, it will take a long time to adequately train Ukrainian pilots and maintenance crews to be able to fly the jets into combat and keep them airworthy. In February, Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl said it would take between 18 and 24 months to get pilots and maintenance crews trained, airframes procured, and delivered on site for use. Yet a leaked Air Force assessment leaked last Thursday suggested the training time might be as few as four months. Even if that were true — and in all likelihood that would get pilots to a minimum capacity to fly the jets but be far from proficient in air-to-air combat — the process to identify F-16s from partner countries, get them airworthy, and then deliver them with the full contingent of maintenance supplies, spare parts, and ammunition, will likely take into 2024. 

There is little likelihood, therefore, the fighters will see combat over the skies of Ukraine this year. Secondly, while the F-16 is clearly one of the best fourth-generation fighter jets in the world, its primary effectiveness is predicated on being one component in an integrated command and control battle management system of sensors. While the jet is capable of operating on its own, it is far less capable without additional acquisition assets, such as the E-3 Sentry AWACS. To date, there has been no discussion of providing this capability to Ukraine. Third, the F-16 is not a stealth aircraft. It was first delivered to the active Air Force in 1979, and it is vulnerable to Russian air defenses, such as the S-300 and more advanced S-400 air defense systems. One of the reasons the Ukrainian Air Force has played such a minimal role in this war has been their inability to neutralize the Russian air defense networks. While the F-16 is more capable than the MiG-29s the Ukrainians have been using, it is still vulnerable to attack by Russia’s air defenses. 

This today's piece gets it somewhat, but here is the issue which is going to irritate many rah-rah boys who learned about modern air combat from the Top Gun: Maverick school of the advanced military studies and who still cannot wrap their brains around this simple fact: NO modern US pilot, even the Senator Kelly, ever flew any mission under the conditions of high density Air Defense, EW and being outgunned and outranged by the enemy's Air Force. None, zero, zilch, nada and, consequently, lacking practical (emphasis--PRACTICAL) tactical and operational experience and all necessary tactical and operational data, they are reduced to theoretical study of experiences of those very few Ukie and possibly NATO pilots who survived more than one mission against Russians. 

Moreover, Russian Air Force Beyond Visual Range (BVR) against capable MiG-29s, Su-27 and Su-24 of Ukie AF is staggering--a wet dream for very many in NATO Air Forces. Moreover, USAF NEVER operated against the best air defense in the world. Davis forgets that air domain in SMO is stuffed with not just S-300 or S-400s, nope, Tor-M2s, S1 Pantsirs, let alone Buk-M2 and M3, not to mention S-350 Vityaz are all there and it is them who create the most hostile air environment in history, as Ukie AF learned the hard way. Here are their losses in fixed and rotary wing aircraft:

As you can see yourself, for today (May 21, 2023) aggregate losses of the 404 AF are: 428 fixed wing aircraft, 234 rotary wing and 4,245 UAVs of all kind. We will learn later how many of those combined 428+234 = 662 manned aircraft have been shot down by combat aircraft of Russian VVS (Air Force) and how many by Air Defense complexes, but to provide some proper perspective on the intensity of the air combat in SMO, take a look at these numbers.

In other words, Russian VKS (Russian AF and AD are constituent parts of VKS) wiped out the equivalent of the French Air Force with every single aircraft in its inventory. This is for those people who still are puzzled why NASA and USAF pilot Senator Kelly is full o shit, a liar and a sore loser badmouthing Russian pilots. As I am on record, the USAF never experienced anything like this. As a result, including an ongoing implosion of the American military mythology, the desperation in Washington is palpable and in feeble attempts to save totally destroyed reputation of American weapons, those neocon fanatics will continue to throw at Russia everything they gave got. And they will lie openly for the whole world to see, pulling numbers out of their asses. 

The Russian forces have allegedly suffered heavy casualties in the months-long battle for the strategic Donbass city of Artyomovsk, US President Joe Biden told journalists at the G7 summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Sunday. “The truth of the matter is that Russians have suffered over 100,000 casualties in Bakhmut [Artyomovsk in Russia]. That is hard to make up,” the US president claimed, without revealing the source of this information. He then downplayed Russia’s capture of the city by saying that “there are not many buildings left standing in Bakhmut” and calling it a “pretty devastated city.”

Russia is ready for any contingency, including even the suicidal decision by Washington to throw whatever forces of the US Army they will be able to assemble. They will have the fate similar to VSU and that is why Russian Ground Forces have roughly half-a-million fresh and well trained troops in a strategic reserve in the rear. In this case, F-16s in 404 are just a desperate gesture against the background of a catastrophic military-economic collapse of the combined West and regimes who drove Western Civilization into the ground and who are feeling the pinch. In related news: war crimes tribunals are set up by victors and the West ain't victor. But I am sure they know it in D.C. and Brussels, right?