Vera, Jacques and Me...

 ... talking shop today. I was translating...

 

Standard Target...

 ... albeit the Crimean Bridge was closed for 45 minutes to make sure civilian drivers are safe. After 45 minutes normal operation resumed. 

Украинские военные ночью нанесли ракетный удар по Крыму, используя ракеты ATACMS, российская система ПВО успешно отразила атаку, сообщил глава комиссии по вопросам суверенитета Общественной палаты России Владимир Рогов. В своем Telegram-канале он указал, что украинские боевики применили несколько баллистических ракет ATACMS для удара по Крыму – перед атакой на полуострове была объявлена тревога, перекрыт Крымский мост. Российская система ПВО отработала над Джанкоем и Симферополем, отразив все ракеты ВСУ.

Translation: The Ukrainian military launched a missile attack on Crimea at night using ATACMS missiles; the Russian air defense system successfully repelled the attack, said Vladimir Rogov, head of the commission on sovereignty of the Public Chamber of Russia. In his Telegram channel, he indicated that Ukrainian militants used several ATACMS ballistic missiles to attack Crimea - before the attack, an alarm was declared on the peninsula and the Crimean bridge was blocked. The Russian air defense system worked over Dzhankoy and Simferopol, repelling all Ukrainian Armed Forces missiles.

I will reiterate (how many times now, LOL) ATACMS is a standard target for Russian AD. It doesn't mean that they cannot get some lucky shot, of course it may happen, but there is NOT a single NATO weapon system, bar nuclear weapons, which can make any operational, forget about strategic difference for Russia. None, do not exist. But yes, three important events for Russians are coming and the only thing they can dream about is to spoil those events. That's impotent rage. Not in Kiev, in Washington and London. ATACMS have been in 404 for months now. Not much success... 

I Call It A Unison...

 ... it is a sign of times, which accelerate dramatically. As James Kunstler beautifully wrote today: 

 You realize, don’t you, that what’s going on in our country is the collapse not just of an empire, or an economy, but a comprehensive paradigm of human progress. The hallmark of post-war life in Western Civ was supposed to be a return to sanity after the mid-twentieth century fugue of mass psychotic violence. The wish for just and rational order was not entirely pretense. But that was then. Now that we are going medieval on ourselves, the not-so-ironic result will be our literally going medieval, sinking back into a pre-modern existence of darkness, superstition, and penury, grubbing for a mere subsistence in the shadow of scuffling hobgoblins, our achievements lost and forgotten.

It is a clusterfuck which was unleashed, as I warned for years, the moment the US decided that it is exceptional in what it never was and here we are today. 

Russian forces, meanwhile, are getting ready for... make your own conclusions on that matter. Where will they stop?

Alastair Crooke...

 ... showing class again. Keep your focus on how he explains "tactical"--it is spot on. Now, per Orthodox Easter, Inauguration and May 9 Parade--yes, FSB is having its hands full. But what are you gonna do, it is what it is. The West would love nothing more than kill more Russians and damage things of significance on those three significant dates. This is the impotent rage. My new video today touches upon it. Should go up fairly soon. 

 

Yes! UK Should Also...

... enter the race for creating Lunar Base and nuclear propulsion space tugs. 

Britain aims to develop and field its first hypersonic cruise missile by 2030, The Telegraph reported on Saturday. However, the project is reportedly in its early stages, and even if London sticks to its schedule, the weapon will be deployed more than a decade after Russia’s first hypersonic missile entered service. The British Defense Ministry aims to design and build a missile capable of reaching speeds of Mach 5 entirely domestically, and to have it enter service before the end of the decade, the newspaper reported, citing anonymous sources. The project will be one of several funded by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s planned £75 billion ($95 billion) hike in military spending, which was announced earlier this week and will be implemented over the next six years, the sources said. “Cutting-edge projects like this are only possible because of the massive new investment the government has made this week in defense innovation,” a ministry official told the newspaper, adding that “continuing this project would be impossible” if the Labour Party took power and “refused to match our investment.”

Of course, it would have been just swell to go through the solid supersonic missilery development phase, but, hey, who cares, right? Judging by the non-stop American "successes" (this is sarcasm, just in case) in developing hypersonic anything and all those declarations of, say, LRHW to be in initial operational capability (IOC) in 2021, 2022, 2023 and now 2024. 

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — After a series of hiccups and schedule slippage, the Army is revising its approach to testing its long-range hypersonic weapon. And the service’s acquisition chief hopes the missiles can be fielded next summer. Multiple scheduled flight tests of the Dark Eagle have been called off, most recently one that was slated for Oct. 26. Now, officials are charting a new course. A “big meeting” was held this past week, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Doug Bush told DefenseScoop on Saturday. It included his Navy counterpart Frederick “Jay” Stefany, their military deputies, and prime contractor Lockheed Martin. The Army and Navy have been partnering on the development of hypersonics-related tech.

This is the United States, mind you, whose economic and scientific potential dwarfs that of the UK. But hey, PR is PR, this is how Western "democracies" do things. You know, BS. After all, there is always CGI and an army of fanboys who post videos on YouTube about soon, really really soon, coming of the NATO's yet another wunderwaffe conceived in the deep recesses of doctrines on how to fleece an unsuspecting public by selling it all kinds of propaganda and military porn.

Who Will Find Me?

1981, campus practice on celestial navigation. The roof of one of the large buildings have been sometimes used to get a "horizon". Here we are on the break between the "couple" (Two academic hour subject study). 

Xi Was Like ...

... and why the hell I am here? Ah, to meet this guy. And who the hell is he? 

What Do Normal Canucks Do?

Right! They go to hockey game...

On Blinken's Visit To China...

 ... and for creeps from Kommersant and specifically for Yusin shyster. That is what they all feel. A little bit of (low-brow) fun for Saturday. 

I finally located the music which describes modern world;)) Go at it...
 

Feeling Sitrepish...

 ... today. "AI" fraud is getting tiresome.

 

About The Ark...

 ... again. Do not idealize Russia, she has problems but those problems, like Middle Asia migration, are being solved. These people are Christians, their kids will become American Russians in no time, they will pick up language with a lighting speed. This is happening more and more... 

Yes, the future for European stock children (and their parents) is in Russia, maybe Hungary if Hungary understands that she will need to join eventually BRICS emerging security configuration to repel inevitable attempts on her sovereignity by kinetic means of NATO/EU. The floodgates are opening as I predicted years ago--the creek will become a river. These people are welcomed in Russia with open arms. Children--they are the true treasure in every respect. They are national wealth.

Larry At The UN Security Council...

 ... Nord Stream-2 investigation. 

 

And What Did They Expect?

To fight Iraqi Army with "monkey models" T-72s which Iraqis couldn't even dig in properly? 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press. The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive months long campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines. But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds. Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks. 

In the end, it is the question of reputation--one can push this "Gulf War--The Greatest Thing Ever" only so far, but eventually even the fanboys get the whiff of desperation. Caveats like "we didn't send the latest models because Russians may get the secrets" also work only to a certain extent, after that it becomes a lame excuse, which it is, and the tank warfare undergoes a dramatic overhaul in SMO, with tanks increasingly carrying anti-drone screens and now EW complexes, as Russian Tsar Tank has demonstrated:

And this is just the start of it. I mean evolution of the technical requirements for armored forces which far from getting obsolete, as many fanboys from media rushed to conclude, are getting a serious upgrade and are not going anywhere. You just need to make them good enough for modern warfare, which no Western tank, even their super-duper versions are. That explains also the issue of NATO's AD. We saw what Iran did to Israel and its servants from NATO. Meanwhile--Moscow's Park of Victory is getting ready its exhibition of NATO armor finally making it to Moscow:

   

The exhibition will open for general public on May 1st, it is free. 

They are still adding the exhibits.

How To Put It In Simpler Terms...

... regarding this thing: 

The US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, will allow Ukrainian forces to target Russia’s Crimean Peninsula “more effectively,” the New York Times has reported, citing senior Pentagon officials. Washington secretly sent Kiev an unspecified number of longer-range ATACMS missiles last month, US officials confirmed earlier this week, after several outlets claimed that Kiev has already begun using the new weapon against Russian targets far behind the frontlines.

Ah yes, the water is wet, the fire is hot, and Biden Administration lives vicariously through Kiev regime. Russia gives the number of new delivery of ATACMS to be around 100 and most of those will be used in a desperate attempt to damage the Crimean Bridge. This is as far as Pentagon's military competencies extend, but what you are going to do? Simple: more of 404 will be taken by Russia for creation of a buffer (or cordon sanitaire), as Peskov quoted Putin today (in Russian). So, that means a complete removal of 404 cannon fodder from the left bank of Dnepr and, possibly, some territories on the right one. Which ones? It is for the General Staff to decide. Maybe 404 can ask Pentagon to provide those oil rigs with missiles and float them on Dnepr to deter Russian Army? Great operational thinking it will be. I am sure this plan will stun Kremlin and General Staff. 

To demonstrate, however, how "principled" combined West is:

MONTREAL/OTTAWA, April 23 (Reuters) - Canada has granted Airbus a waiver to allow it to use Russian titanium in its manufacturing after becoming the first Western government to ban supplies of the strategic metal in its latest package of measures triggered by the war in Ukraine. The move gives Airbus flexibility in its Canadian plants and is expected to allay concerns that its core operations could be hit by effectively banning the import to Canada of its European-built jets that rely most heavily on lightweight titanium.

You see, those people still live in la-la-land in which they do not recognize that in Russia they are looked at as lowlifes (not Airbus, the governments) and Russia merely sticks to contract obligations across the whole spectrum of industries, from oil, gas to titanium and other goodies, such as uranium, among many others. Combined West simply cannot declare war on Russia. No, not just for military reasons--only graduates of Top Gun: Maverick school of advanced military studies believe in the US military might--for economic ones, because that would make any contracts null and void and the "transition" from Russian energy to primarily agrarian and touristy societies in EU is not completed yet. The US tries to avoid such fate. Of course even the US is being forced to live on what it earns, but that will come slightly (very slightly) later. This activity by Russia is merely upholding her renomee as a reliable partner in any endeavor. 

 

Speaking of which, Evgeny Super and Nataliya Kirillova speak (sadly only in Russian) with people from one of the Russian companies which produces fully all components for controls of CNC machine centers. 

Remarkably, as it turned out, Russia produces all necessary hardware for both CNC and other multi-axis manipulators (aka "robots"). Russia is now in pursuit of her own fully independent software which will be on par with the best Western analogues. It is all about cooperation, because Russian firms in general have most of those constituent parts already available. Well, remember who Russia's PM Mikhail Mishustin is--he has a graduate degree in design of machining complexes. This is what "Titanium" firm makes:

The brains of machining centers (up to 6-axis). Well, it is not the first time for Russia to go it alone, and she usually succeeds.

Now to a very serious situation: two lowlifes who wore the uniform of Russian Army, evidently committed atrocity by executing seven people in three of the villages in Kherson region. The shells at the places of execution matched shells which those two used, they already admitted the guilt. They have been arraigned and transferred to Military Police, the investigation is ongoing and we may know more details as times passes. Remarkably, one of them has been... imprisoned twice before: once for manufacturing and distribution of drugs and second time... for murder. Do I sense a putrid stink of Wagner? (in Russian). Now comes the second issue--this all is a belch of a liberal Criminal Code pushed through by West's agents of influence, including moratorium on death sentence, in 1990s and of the practice of organized crime group aka Wagner recruiting criminals from prisons: Prigozhin loved his own kind. But let's wait for more details. These two murderers should face a firing squad, or be hanged in one of the villages they committed this crime.

And When I Thought...

 ... that they buried one of the most stupidest military ideas ever... they come back with even stupider one.  

The sheer idiocy is such that it almost beats the idiocy of Russia-Kyrgyzstan transport corridor through... Caspian Sea. But then again, those military and geopolitical thinkers are still stuck in a wonderful diesel-punk (or paleo-future, if you wish) world as seen in a wonderfully stupid but visually delightful Sky Captain And The World of Tomorrow.  

What's next? Return to 1950s and Goblin?
 

Somebody, tell these guys that it is 2024 and US Air Defense and Air Force have about zero experience of fighting anything serious. Maybe that is why they constantly go back to halcyon days of America's industrial and financial prowess which allowed to waste resources on all kinds of stupid projects. Vietnam destroyed those illusions pretty fast.

Nima And Me...

 ... yesterday. 

 

Finally!

For years I was trying to find proper professional naval English analog to Russian бухтиноватость and lo and behold, my love of the channel Battleship New Jersey delivered--it is Oil Canning! 

Here it is--not bubbling, not whatever else, but Oil Canning. Here it is on modern ships:
 

Here is Peter the Great showing oil canning. 

This is a feature, not a bug. Albeit naval architects do have distinction between low and high oil canningness. Here is USS Zumwalt showing a rather elevated level of oil canning. 

So, now I know and I thought I should share this happy fact with you.

Garland And Me...

 ... talking geopolitics and some military porn. 

 

New Details...

 ... about this former Deputy Ivanov. Boy, this is awesome.

1. SOB was (they "divorced" just recently, for obvious purpose) married to a very expensive "socialite" (a euphemism for glamour slut) with ties to Israel. So, the guy was very weak in pussy department. But his "socialite" required a lot of money to stay glamorous.

2. The guy was "in development" for a long time by military counterintelligence and the case is under FSB supervision. That tells you something, doesn't it, wink, wink. And keep in mind, the guy in reality is not a cadre officer--he was brought on board for purely construction experience and running large orgs of this nature. So, now the big game starts and, something tells me, that we will not know the whole story for some time, wink, wink. So, Ivanov now is singing like a bird... Bonesy will love this;))

They Went To Hunt For Glory...

 ... to 404 and already have been thinking about boasting how they led the offensive which would defeat those backward Russkies. Well, the problem, of course, was that they still thought that US Army Manuals apply for 404 as well as they did in Gulf War. Boy, did they miscalculate. Some interesting points from Marat on Chasov Yar, which only confirm the point I make that no US general can command anything larger than regiment in SMO. They simply have neither knowledge nor experience. 

К осени прошлого года «Хортица», которая на конец 22-го считалась самым крупным войсковым соединением в числе 4-х основных соединений ВСУ (240-260 тысяч человек), только за один год потеряла 150 тысяч. В результате все основные подразделения, я подчеркну, лучшие, что остались у «Хортицы» сейчас, сконцентрированные для обороны Часов Яра — по одному, а большинство по два раза уже полностью прошли переформирование. То есть были один или два раза полностью разбиты. Но давайте посмотрим на них повнимательнее, так как это само по себе очень интересно. На первом месте стоит опорная и наиболее боеспособная 93 бригада «Холодный Яр». По численности почти дивизия. За два года была дважды разбита.

Интересно, что «Холодные» считались наиболее боеспособными, потому что воевали в основном на лучшей трофейной российской технике. Это прежде всего танки Т-72, Т-80 и даже считанные Т-90. А так же лучшее, что было у укропов — Т-64 «Булат». «Холодные» являлись любимцами амеров, и, например, в ходе осенне-летней кампании 22-го года некоторыми подразделениями прямо руководили американские офицеры. Правда, когда началась Артемовская мясорубка быстро сбежали. На втором месте идет 46 аэромобильная (десантная) бригада, подготовленная англичанами в Англии, самая, кстати говоря, непотрепанная — всего один раз была на переформировании. Далее 92 десантно-штурмовая бригада (дважды уничтоженная). Эти вообще смертники. Вроде 110 бригады ВСУ под Авдеевкой. Отличились тем, что устроили резню наших пленных вместе с батальоном «Кракен» в селе Новоселовское под Сватово осенью 22-го. Тогда мученической смертью погибли 16 бойцов Луганского ополчения (ныне той самой 4-й бригады). Им надели на голову пакеты и удушили. Ой, что будет, когда луганцы доберутся до 92-х.

Translation: By the fall of last year, Khortitsa, which at the end of the 2022 was considered the largest military formation among the 4 main formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (240-260 thousand people), lost 150 thousand in just one year. As a result, all the main units, I emphasize, the best that remain at Khortytsya now, concentrated for the defense of Chasov Yar - one at a time, and the majority have already been completely reorganized twice. That is, they were completely destroyed once or twice. But let's take a closer look at them, as this in itself is very interesting. In first place is the supporting and most combat-ready 93rd brigade “Kholodny Yar”. Almost a division in numbers. In two years it was destroyed twice. It is interesting that the “Kholodnye” were considered the most combat-ready, because they fought mainly with the best captured Russian equipment. These are primarily T-72, T-80 and even a few T-90 tanks. And also the best thing the Ukrops had - the T-64 Bulat. The “Kholodnye” were the favorites of the Americans, and, for example, during the autumn-summer campaign of 22, some units were directly led by American officers. True, when the Artyomovskaya meat grinder began, they quickly fled. In second place is the 46th airmobile (airborne) brigade, trained by the British in England, which, by the way, is the most unshabby - it was only reformed once. Next is the 92nd Air Assault Brigade (twice destroyed). These are generally suicide troops. Like the 110th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Avdeevka. They distinguished themselves by carrying out a massacre of our prisoners together with the Kraken battalion in the village of Novoselovskoye near Svatovo in the fall of the 22nd. Then 16 fighters of the Lugansk militia (now the same 4th brigade) died as martyrs. They put bags over their heads and suffocated them. Oh, what will happen when the Luhansk people reach 92nd.

Oh, we know what's gonna happen and it better be done without any phones around. Sadism towards POWs was "trained" by NATO instructors and this is the only thing they are good at. Recall how US media have been ejaculating in mid 2010s from describing H.R. McMaster who became, for a short while, the National Security Adviser to Trump. What many forgot that at some point there was a description of how McMaster's regiment treated Iraqi Army POWs--inhumanely. Remarkably, the piece was in one of the major US outlets--either New Yorker or NYT, one of those. Now I cannot find it. I tried, maybe you can. But this is the type of the "training", which is based on killing a third rate force which cannot shoot back and is demolished by the way of total air superiority. But McMaster's "story" and PR around his exploits in Iraq are totally inapplicable to the realities of modern war with "peer" or "better than peer", and that is what those American unit commanders learned really fast. Hence, they fled--very little glory in being evaporated by Tornado's salvo or being blown to smithereens by 152-mm shell or 3M14 Kalibr.  

Remember a pathetic piece by WSJ in 2017 titled...

The New Cold War Pits a U.S. General Against His Longtime Russian Nemesis. It’s Trump’s national security adviser H.R. McMaster vs. Putin ally Valery Gerasimov

So, yes, they compared (Nemesis, LOL) Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces to a guy who commanded a... regiment in Iraq. I reacted already then:

Really? No, I really mean, really? How trivial and shallow one has to be when coming up, for starters, with such sappy baloney as "nemesis". Nemesis, if to follow popular Greek Mythology derived definition, is something a person can not overcome. The immediate question is, then, this--in what sense Russia's Chief Of General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov is a "long-time nemesis" for US National Security Adviser General McMaster? How, in what inflamed fantasy, can Valery Gerasimov, who, throughout his career, commanded both 58th Army and then what would amount to several Army Groups, before becoming Chief Of General Staff, be a nemesis to a man, with all due respect to McMaster, whose "accomplishments" involve such things as, even if viewed briefly from Wiki:

In August 2008, McMaster assumed duties as Director, Concept Development and Experimentation (later renamed Concept Development and Learning), in the Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC) at Fort Monroe, Virginia, part of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. In this position McMaster was involved in preparing doctrine to guide the Army over the next ten to twenty years.   

Apart from obvious gross mismatch in rank, command, responsibilities and accomplishments--Gerasimov's level is a level of the Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff--one is forced to ask the question: and what are those "military thinking" accomplishments of McMaster per him being a Director, Concept Development and Experimentation? Almost ten years passed from the moment of McMaster's involvement with US doctrine. And what are the results? 

It was a grotesque level of arrogance, ignorance and military illiteracy by the whole US military-propaganda establishment. And then they fled--no glory, I guess. But with such "thinkers" as McMaster, we may see yet another glorious US operational "planning" which will kill even more Ukrainians, who US military views merely as a cannon fodder of untermenschen. Hm, where did I see this before? You gotta love internet, it saves so much...

Stand-up Strategy...

 ... from British... ahem... Ukrainian "strategist"))

 

Doubling The Production...

 ... Shoigu ordered doubling of production of S1 Pantsirs in their latest modifications. 

Поставки в войска зенитных ракетно-пушечных комплексов «Панцирь» в этом году вырастут почти в два раза, заявил на коллегии Минобороны его глава Сергей Шойгу. Модификация «Панцирь-СМ» считается самым современным средством ПВО ближнего радиуса действия. Эти комплексы получили новый радар с активной фазированной решеткой, в результате дальность обнаружения целей возросла с 32–36 км до 75 км. Максимальная дистанция поражения составляет 40 км. Для «Панцирей» разрабатываются малокалиберные боеприпасы, сообщали ранее «Известия». В них использованы система управления и боевая часть, близкие по своим возможностям к обычным ракетам «Панциря». Новые боеприпасы будут очень эффективны против беспилотников, а также смогут применяться против ПТУРов, снарядов РСЗО, противорадиолокационных ракет и других средств воздушного нападения. Минимальная зона поражения воздушных целей такими ракетами уменьшится до 500 м. Полный боекомплект заряженной на борьбу с дронами установки может составлять до 48 ЗУР.

Translation: Supplies of Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun systems to the troops will almost double this year, its head Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting of the Ministry of Defense. The Pantsir-SM modification is considered the most modern short-range air defense system. These complexes received a new radar with an active phased array, as a result, the target detection range increased from 32–36 km to 75 km. The maximum engagement distance is 40 km. Small-caliber ammunition is being developed for Pantsirs, Izvestia previously reported. They use a control system and warhead similar in their capabilities to conventional Pantsir missiles. The new ammunition will be very effective against drones, and can also be used against ATGMs, MLRS shells, anti-radar missiles and other air attack weapons. The minimum area (zone) for hitting air targets with such missiles will be reduced to 500 m. The full ammunition load of an anti-drone installation can be up to 48 missiles.

So, combined with ECM this is what development of counter-measures looks like. Both Tor M2s and Pantsirs performed admirably already in Syria, now it is a new scale. 

In related news, oopsie--there is no hiding anymore, especially when you are a high level military bureaucrat. Deputy Defense Minister of Russia, General Timur Ivanov has been detained under the suspicion of taking a bribe (in Russian). The guy was (now "was") in charge of construction for military personnel. In other words--the most senior quartermaster of Russian Defense Ministry. Not anymore. He took, allegedly, more than one R 1 million (how much more? MORE) bribe and will now have up to 15 years in "resort" to think about his life, if his guilt will be proven, which I think it will be. Rear services of such immense force as Russian Armed Forces means access to immense financial resources and contracts dispensation, which, I speculate, what the bribe was all about--to get juicy construction contract. I am sure more arrests are coming. What the fuck this guy was thinking while having the salary about the size half of this bribe a month. I guess greed got to him big time. Most likely it is one of possibly many such episodes which will be "attached" later. The conclusion? Serve honestly... 

Epstein Island Large.

George and Douglas Macgregor talking about state of the union...

 

Nima And Larry...

 ... talking shop. 

Many begin to think that this is the US slow crawling away by paying $61 billion. I think so. Two new villages have been taken by Russian Army in the last 24 hours.

About Dehumanization.

I stated on a number of occasions that I will not allow to de-humanize peoples, as in nations. I do not like Israel, but not all Jews are genocidal Zionists, many are, but very many are not. Average Americans may not be the brightest people, but neither are Russians or Chinese, for that matter. We need to run a very fine line between often and rightly criticizing national traits which are not commendable and condemning people as a whole. The reason I brought this up is because people criticize, and they have a full right to do so, America's urban and suburban environments. Some of them are indeed ugly. Some cities simply decayed into oblivion--this is modern American economy and culture, but it is not a totality of it. 

And here is where I make a distinction. People do  not like strip-malls? They have a full right to not like them, but I do not necessarily condemn them, strip-malls that is. In fact, I think many of them serve a very good community purpose and who said that one does not need a good grocery store and nail salon? It is one thing to justifiably condemn consumerism, totally another to see not just aesthetical positives but utility which is also a cultural trait. And here is where I come to the defense of one story America. In fact, it is where real America still survives. It is also America I love dearly. Yes, some towns and hamlets are ugly, but many are cozy, inviting, friendliest and pleasing, that is until they elect Democratic mayors;) For people who travel in and to the West of the Rockies it is normal to constantly pass through some of the most beautiful towns. There is nothing wrong with such places as Wallace, ID. 

Or coastal towns of Washington or Oregon, with the exception of Aberdeen--that is a shithole, I guess Cobain's suicide has something to do with his town of birth. But many other towns are beautiful and unique. Have you been to Astoria, OR?

And on, and on, and on. You know what Switzerland or Germany's alpine country do not have on this America? They don't have ocean and scale. And don't get me started on Northern California and Redwoods. So, there is nothing wrong with truck stops either.

 

These guys make the country go. Well, the old Butte is kinda shitty, but the rest of it is charming and Montana's beauty and expanse compensate for it. Would I live in Germany? No. Would I live in Montana or Idaho if I had to? Absolutely. There is much more to this America than just appearances. And even in Russia, with Altai being in a direct competition with America's West, the nearest ocean is in 4 to 5 hour flight. Big water makes all the difference, including climate. In the end, this is the only remaining America we've got, the rest of it is over. Consider this, the movie The Postman by Kevin Costner is shot in Washington, Oregon and Arizona and I love the movie. And then there are the East Coast towns and some of them are gorgeous. So, be kind to your local strip-mall and local COSTCO;)

A Profound LOL.

Sure, sure. 

A new US aid package will harden Ukraine’s resistance but will not be enough to stem the tide in the conflict with Russia, officials in Kiev and military analysts have reportedly told the Financial Times. The US House of Representatives approved a $61 billion security package for Kiev on Saturday, following months of congressional squabbling over Republican demands for the White House to boost security on the Mexican border. The bill still needs to be approved by the Democratic-majority Senate and signed by US President Joe Biden. Although the new package has prompted Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to claim that his country could still defeat Russia, many officials in Kiev are less enthusiastic, arguing it “is unlikely to dramatically alter Kiev’s situation on the frontline,” according to the FT.

I have news for Financial Times--even $120 billion are not going to change anything, unless NATO somehow finds personnel and hardware to somehow deploy about a million personnel to fight Russia. Of course, even in this case this number of personnel will have very low morale and training and will have no viable air defense, but, hey, can we imagine things for the heck of it? 

Now about tower in Kharkov. I remember one US Army general trying to convince the audience of either CNN or MSNBC that, and I quote, "Russian long range weapons are nowhere near as accurate as American ones". Well, today Russians blew up the top of Kharkov TV tower by a long-range weapon and that tells you how accurate those weapons are. Let me put it mildly--they are as accurate as any long-range weapon can possibly be, and that tells you that they have damn good inertial navigation and excellent homing capabilities. 

About ATACMS And "Leakers"...

 ... to those who still think that ATACMS decide anything. I totally get where Scott comes from in his apprehension about Crimean Bridge safety but let's step back and think for a minute purely tactically, considering the fact that. 

1. ATACMS have been in use in SMO for a while now. Here is one example of many, this is from October 25, 2023.

"В течение прошедших суток перехвачены две оперативно-тактические ракеты ATACМS производства США", - говорится в публикации. Кроме того, за сутки были перехвачены зенитная ракета С-200, две противорадиолокационные ракеты HARM и два реактивных снаряда системы залпового огня HIMARS производства США. Ранее военное ведомство не сообщало о перехвате ракет ATACMS, которые TВСУ получили от Пентагона.

Translation: “Over the past 24 hours, two US-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles were intercepted,” the publication says. In addition, during the day, an S-200 anti-aircraft missile, two HARM anti-radar missiles and two US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems were intercepted. Previously, the military department did not report the interception of ATACMS missiles that the Ukrainian Armed Forces received from the Pentagon.

So, as you can see, those, including its longest range (300 km) version, are being successfully intercepted by Russian AD and militarily make no difference whatsoever on the theater of operations, EVEN if they are able to achieve one or two "leakers". 

2. "Leaker" is, of course, the missile or projectile which gets through. Considering well articulated overall effectiveness of Russian Air Defense of around 95%, as stated by no other than Mr. Putin himself (In Russian), which is very close to reality because all data points towards this astonishing effectiveness, we can easily assume that in order to get even two "leakers" (most likely through combined heterogeneous salvo--Scalps/Stormshadows, ATACMS, maybe even USVs et al), in air they will need: 

                            2/5 = n/100

                            n=40 missiles.

They will need 40 missile salvo to get two leakers to the Crimean Bridge. Let's turn our civil engineering and operational minds on. 

3. Crimean Bridge is not just the bridge--it is THE longest bridge in Europe (19 kilometers), it is also the classic Linear Target which is IMPOSSIBLE to completely destroy other than maybe one or two flights of it. The juiciest of those being its main flight with the length of 235 meters. 

If you get to this flight by couple of ATACMS, theoretically you can destroy it and that will require a much longer time to restore unlike it would be the case with other flights which are shorter and easier to restore. So, Scott is correct when worrying about those ATACMS, it is possible to damage the bridge but...

4. Here comes this issue: can 404, having real time ISR from the US, actually collect 40 missile salvo? Here is a rough range of ATACMS and where it can be theoretically pre-deployed for a theoretical salvo:

This yellow segment is under control of AFU, for now. So, the possible area for salvo is shrinking. So, the most likely target will be, yet again, Sevastopol. It doesn't mean that Pentagon wouldn't stop thinking about sabotaging any other objects on Russian territory or trying to kill more Russian civilians--this they know how to do--but this is how their thinking goes. You see, Russia is not Iraq and they don't teach real war at USMA at West Point or in Leavenworth, KS. They never faced one. 

So, are "leakers" possible? Absolutely. Will they change anything? Nope. The outcome is clear and now Khohol recognized that they will actually get something around $8 billion in... loans, not those $61 billion which go to Pentagon for replenishing stocks, filling pockets of lobbyists from MIC and continuing to finance propaganda about "the finest fighting force in history". They only know how to fight PR wars. Keep this in mind, including the fact that the Bridge is well defended.

On A Lighter Note...

 ... why Russia dominates--here is your answer;) Now live with this fact...

Lada-class...

 ... sadly only in Russian. Egorov and his Military Acceptance go inside Lada-class sub. These are state-of-the-art subs with same state-of-the-art sensor suite and CICS. So, here it is. 

 

I Review...

... stealing of Russia's assets by US Congress, and revisit the complexity of the operations in Arctic by the US Navy's submarines against Russian SSKs, especially latest generation.  

 

Finally, The Points...

... I was making for more than decade and wrote FOUR books on that: 

I agree with Mearsheimer (yes, I do agree with him on tactical issues of governance periodically) that Washington as a whole should take the course in strategy, but here is the problem--how can you study strategy when the real history of USSR/Russia--incidentally, the country which defeated ALL European and Asian great powers (ask Kwantung Army) and has an unrivaled school of strategic thought--is either presented as a caricature or is absent altogether in the West? I can reiterate for the record--nation which venerates General Patton as a great general has issues with understanding the warfare. Not to mention the fact of buying utter revisionist POV of people who Soviet Union demolished in WW II. What can I say. Average US Congressman or Senator is illiterate, uncultured person with no understanding of warfare or the world outside. Yes, that goes for many (not all) cadre US military. This ignorance, eventually, spread itself top bottom--from White House down to Field Manuals and Doctrine Publications of the US military. So, here we are--in the moment of it all coming to a head. And yes, the US has an amazing record of losing wars starting from 1950. Some achievement. Ah, yes, and then there is this real economy and real technology. Pop-corn... 

Well, When You Are A Thief...

 ... you are a thief. Old habits die hard. 

The House passed a foreign aid package on Saturday as well as what's called the REPO Act that will allow the Biden administration to confiscate billions of dollars’ worth of Russian assets sitting in U.S. banks and transfer them to Ukraine for reconstruction. “By delivering urgently needed aid to Ukraine, the United States has reasserted itself as the leader of the free world and as a reliable partner to its allies," said Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y.  "The US has a singular obligation to help freedom fighters fight for their freedom, and nowhere more so than in Ukraine, whose self-defense against Putin’s aggression must prevail." The REPO Act, which would authorize Biden to confiscate the frozen Russian assets in U.S. banks and transfer them to a special fund for Ukraine, is part of the foreign aid package that was stalled for months in the House. More than $6 billion of the $300 billion in frozen Russian assets are sitting in U.S. banks. Most of the $300 billion are in Germany, France and Belgium.

It was expected eventually, so, I am not surprised. Now, let's see what is coming next. One thing for sure, however, Moscow knew it will happen, so, the dedollarization will accelerate greatly now. Europe will give up those funds and that will be it for Europe. US will follow after that.

It Is Not Really The News...

 ... but still, it is worth reminding...

СИМФЕРОПОЛЬ, 20 апр – РИА Новости. Депутат Госдумы от крымского региона, генерал-майор запаса Леонид Ивлев заявил, что удары украинских войск по территории России планируются в НАТО под руководством США. Ранее генсек НАТО Йенс Столтенберг заявил, что Украина имеет право наносить удары по военным целям на территории России, назвав такие удары легитимными. ... по его словам, именно натовские генералы в Монсе под Брюсселем проводят командно-штабные игры в интересах ВСУ на картах российских регионов - Крыма, ДНР, ЛНР, Белгородской и Брянской и других областей и выдают потом рекомендации главкому ВСУ Александру Сырскому. "Именно на авиабазе Рамштайн натовские инструкторы обучают летчиков "повитряных" (воздушных – ред.) сил и специалистов ПВО Украины, а на танковых полигонах НАТО солдаты ВСУ обкатывают Abrams и Leopard", - сказал депутат. 

Translate: SIMFEROPOL, April 20 – RIA Novosti. State Duma deputy from the Crimean region, reserve major general Leonid Ivlev said that attacks by Ukrainian troops on Russian territory are planned by NATO under the leadership of the United States. Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine has the right to strike military targets on Russian territory, calling such strikes legitimate. ... according to him, it is NATO generals in Mons near Brussels who conduct command and staff games in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on maps of Russian regions - Crimea, DPR, LPR, Belgorod and Bryansk and other regions and then issue recommendations to the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky. “It is at the Ramstein airbase that NATO instructors train air force pilots and air defense specialists of Ukraine, and at NATO tank training grounds, Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers test Abrams and Leopards,” the deputy said.

 

Ivlev says nothing new, including the locations where this planning--in NATO planning comes down to designation of the target(s) in some third world locality and bomb it with impunity--is taking place, which is NATO generals hiding behind the backs of hapless VSU cannon fodder. In reality, of course, real operational planning of such level is beyond the capabilities of Pentagon and its uniformed lapdogs from Europe. Remarkably, they also cannot learn anything due to a growing technological gap between Russian Armed Forces and the best NATO can offer. No matter how skillful one could be tactically, but overcoming technological lag in 21st century is nothing like doing the same in the middle of the 20th one. And then, of course, there are operations and strategy. 

 

Meanwhile, as much as Baerbock is stupid she pressed the right point:  

МОСКВА, 20 апреля/ Радио Sputnik. Премьер-министр Израиля Биньямин Нетаньяху повысил голос при обсуждении с главой МИД ФРГ Анналеной Бербок ситуации в секторе Газа и напомнил ей о действиях нацистов, сообщил израильский Channel 13. Бербок предложила Нетаньяху взглянуть на фотографии голодающих палестинских детей, передает РИА Новости сообщение телеканала. В ответ глава правительства Израиля рассказал ей о снимках, сделанных на рынках и пляжах Газы, намекая на недостоверность информации, которой располагает глава МИД Германии, говорится в публикации. Тогда Анналена Бербок заявила, что израильскому кабмину не следует распространять подобные фото, поскольку они не отражают реальную ситуацию. После этого, по данным Channel 13, Биньямин Нетаньяху повысил голос и напомнил главе МИД ФРГ о действиях нацистов. "Это реальность. Это не похоже на то, что инсценировали нацисты, мы не похожи на нацистов, которые создавали сфабрикованные изображения фальшивой реальности", – сказал он. Посол Германии в Израиле Штеффен Зайберт назвал приведенные телеканалом подробности встречи неверными и вводящими в заблуждение, отмечает РИА Новости.

Translate: MOSCOW, April 20/ Radio Sputnik. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised his voice when discussing the situation in the Gaza Strip with German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock and reminded her of the actions of the Nazis, reported the Israeli Channel 13. Bärbock suggested Netanyahu look at photographs of starving Palestinian children, RIA Novosti reported. In response, the head of the Israeli government told her about the photographs taken in the markets and beaches of Gaza, hinting at the unreliability of the information held by the German Foreign Minister, the publication says. Then Annalena Berbock said that the Israeli Cabinet should not distribute such photos, since they do not reflect the real situation. After this, according to Channel 13, Benjamin Netanyahu raised his voice and reminded the German Foreign Minister about the actions of the Nazis. "This is reality. This is not like what the Nazis staged, we are not like the Nazis who created fabricated images of a false reality," he said. German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert called the details of the meeting provided by the TV channel incorrect and misleading, RIA Novosti notes.

 

Well, at this stage Holocaust "defense" is the only thing Israel has left. 

The photo speaks volumes. When you cannot fight a real war, this is what is left for them, both NATO and Israel--fight a media one.

Why It Is So Magical...

Andre did what he does best--the magic with Nandy Sisters. This whole thing is enjoyable in the extreme. It is also beautiful. It is Friday, so--for some relax which everyone needs. 

 

My Latest Video...

 ... about credentialism and how "experts" cannot do arithmetic, forget about algebra and calculus of military capabilities. 

Obviously, this Little guy never heard of anti-submarine warfare and Sea Denial, yet, he is a "strategist" in Quincy Institute.

 

Nima And Me...

 ... yesterday. 

 

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.