A Minute Of Humanity...

... VSU tanker Maxim Likhachev  "dialed" Volga 149.200 channel and arranged with Russians his surrender... in T-64 tank, which protected him from shots in the back from his "fellow" VSU barrier troops. Obviously VSU thought that this "armor group" broke through Russians defenses, which technically was correct. VSU immediately reported a "success". Boy, have they been let down. Here is video of Likhachev surrendering with the tank and after a few seconds of necessary battlefield procedures you can see how Russian soldiers change their attitude after he is taken in. They pat him on the shoulder and the guy, at his 39 years of age, will have a good meal, shower and sleep in a long time before being debriefed by counterintel. He saved his life... and lives of others too. It is a remarkable video in so many respects and idiosyncrasies which are beyond the grasp of NATO "Russia experts".

Nima And Me...

 ...yesterday. 

 

Easy, Easy, Now...

The glamour strikes again, LOL))) 

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 31 мая. /ТАСС/. Учрежденная американским актером Джорджем Клуни и его женой Амаль Клуни организация "Фонд Клуни за справедливость" хочет добиться от стран Евросоюза и Международного уголовного суда (МУС) арестов находящихся за рубежом российских журналистов. Об этом в интервью радиостанции "Голос Америки" (признана в РФ СМИ-иноагентом) сообщила сотрудник Фонда Клуни Анна Нейстат. По ее словам, фонд намерен ходатайствовать в МУС о возбуждении уголовных дел в отношении российских журналистов, которые освещают события на Украине в пророссийском ключе. Фонд также хочет побудить отдельные страны Евросоюза начать уголовное преследование в отношении российских журналистов по делу о "пропаганде войны". Этот способ Нейстат назвала более практичным, поскольку он позволит "выписывать закрытые ордеры на арест". "Это важно, потому что мы не хотим, чтобы эти люди знали о таком ордере, напротив, мы хотим, чтобы они выезжали в другие страны и были там арестованы", - пояснила она. Нейстат добавила, что ее организация намерена проводить подобные акции в отношении всех работников российских СМИ, включая "главных и не главных редакторов", тех кто говорит "в эфире или на своих страницах в соцсетях"

Translation: NEW YORK, May 31. /TASS/. The Clooney Foundation for Justice, an organization founded by American actor George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney, wants to get the European Union and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest Russian journalists abroad. Anna Neistat, an employee of the Clooney Foundation, said this in an interview with the Voice of America radio station (recognized as a foreign agent media in the Russian Federation). According to her, the foundation intends to petition the ICC to initiate criminal cases against Russian journalists who cover events in Ukraine in a pro-Russian manner. The Foundation also wants to encourage individual EU countries to initiate criminal prosecution against Russian journalists for “war propaganda.” Neistat called this method more practical, since it will allow “the issuance of closed arrest warrants.” “This is important because we do not want these people to know about such a warrant, on the contrary, we want them to travel to other countries and be arrested there,” she explained. Neistat added that her organization intends to carry out similar actions against all Russian media workers, including “chief and non-chief editors,” those who speak “on air or on their pages on social networks.”

This is everything you need to know about these people and why nobody wants to talk to them in Russia. Waste of time.

"Do Something" PR.

As I repeat ad nauseam since 2023--it is being done, and everything that follows is merely a PR designed for domestic consumption. They take a known fact and... recycle it over and over again. 

US President Joe Biden has given Kiev permission to use American weapons to hit targets in the part of Russia bordering Ukraine’s Kharkov Region, a US official told Politico on Thursday. Update: the White House later confirmed the decision in a written statement to multiple media outlets. “The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use US weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkov so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them,” the official said. According to Politico, this decision was “secretly” communicated to Kiev some time before its official confirmation.

These moves are needed to cover up an utter failure in 404. Plus, good for RT piece to at least point this out:

Moscow has dismissed the debate over such strikes in Western capitals. “American weapons are already being used against various targets outside the combat zone,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters last week. “We proceed from the fact that American and other Western weaponry strikes targets on the territory of Russia, primarily civilian infrastructure and residential areas.”

That is why this whole "escalation" is primarily a verbal one and when yet another illiterate boy from Valdai tries to wax strategic, having about zero background in anything related to military and modern warfare:

Dmitry Suslov: It’s time for Russia to think about a ‘demonstrative’ nuclear test. The US-led bloc has lost its fear of the mushroom cloud, but seeing one would perhaps focus some mind. 

You can dismiss it as an attempt from this pathetic Moscow copy of already pathetic CFR and their publication Foreign Affairs to signal own relevance. Needless to say, most of those "experts" from Valdai wouldn't be allowed to command a platoon, let alone express their opinions on matters of national security which are based on a serious intel whose knowledge requires the highest levels of clearance and even that may not be enough, but here we are. RT continues to provide tribune to these nincompoops--get a load of the C.V. of this Suslov guy--but, hey, they need to feed their families too, you know.

Sheos!

For those who know Married With Children and will understand the reference. I have been asked about it so many times in the last few months that here they are (3 out of 5 pairs I use). 

Other two pairs are similar, with one being of beige color. I never thought in my life that I will be doing product placement. So, here they are.

Well, It Is A Third World Now...

 ... de jure. I am talking about the US politics. 

Donald Trump was convicted of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 presidential campaign Thursday in a historic trial that saw a former U.S. president face criminal charges for the first time. A New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts, related to a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The prosecution had alleged Daniels was paid to keep secret a 2006 tryst she had with Trump in order to influence the results of the 2016 election, which Trump ultimately won. The trial lasted a month and a half and was plenty eventful. In addition to the fiery testimonies of Daniels and Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, Trump was held in contempt of court 10 times and fined $10,000 for violating a gag order against attacking people involved with the trial. Many Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, traveled to New York to speak out in support of the 2024 Republican presidential candidate. Trump, who did not testify in his defense, has yet to be sentenced in the case and is likely to appeal the verdict. The result may have an impact on Trump's chances to reclaim the White House, however. Recent Yahoo News/YouGov polling suggested a conviction would hurt Trump in head-to-head polling against President Joe Biden.

What can I say--going to hell in a handbasket. Really fast.

Although In Russian...

 ... it gives a good view of Russia's industrial capabilities in machine-building complex and is worth looking at. 

Plus, recall what I posted a few days back about presidential planes? Well, a good review.

 

Of both presidential planes.

U Tube Finally Completed Checks...

 ... and released my video)) Guess from three times why it was delayed while being "checked" for issues;) 

 

Training Of VSU Recruits...

 ... before sending them to the frontline. 

Open Thread...

 ... extremely busy. Go at it.

Excellent Talk By Larry...

 ... at Judges. 

 

This And That...

As was expected, the Taliban will be recognized by Moscow as a legitimate government of Afghanistan and that makes it much easier to cooperate on the issue of ISIS (euphemism for the US and UK) threat (in Russian), plus continuing support in food, energy, materials et al for government in Kabul to remain stable. It always was the matter of not if but when. Now, from Washington:

Moscow will fight all attempts to distort history, the Russian ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov has declared, in response to a claim by US President Joe Biden that the US was responsible for winning the Second World War. Biden visited Arlington Cemetery in the capital to pay respects to fallen US troops on Memorial Day and to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The president told the gathering that the servicemen who are buried at the cemetery had fought in “every major conflict in history” and, among other things, managed to “defeat fascism.” On June 6, 1944, the US soldiers “took to the beaches of Normandy and liberated a continent and literally saved the world,” he claimed. The president’s remarks are part of a campaign by Washington, Ambassador Antonov wrote on Telegram on Monday, which is aimed at “cynical belittlement and even disavowal of the decisive role of the Soviet Union in crushing the fascists” during that conflict, which in Russia is called the Great Patriotic War (June 1941-May 1945).

I agree with Antonov--it is a deliberate campaign which is decades old and will only accelerate. Ironically, it is also the reason why the US cannot win a war since 1950 due to "lessons" learned from something which actually... didn't happen. If one wants to draw "lessons" from Patton's campaign in Lorraine against 10 operational Wehrmacht tanks and whole regiments composed of cooks, deaf Germans and soldiers with stomach ulcers--sure. But that is what Washington wants to continue to do and, eventually, it will "win" wars in Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somali et al. It is as simple as that. I am sure US Army annihilating three Axis army groups around Chicago in 1943 will be emblazoned in golden letters in the history of warfare. But, sarcasm aside, reducing oneself to a Stolen Valor MO (BTW, criminal offense) is yet another sign of disintegrating society. I also want to STRESS this point--this in no way belittles heroism and sacrifice of Western Allies' soldiers and sailors who did their duty with honor. But numbers also do not lie. 

And here it comes:

The only legitimate authority in Ukraine is now the parliament, Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed after Vladimir Zelensky’s official term as the country’s head of state expired last week.   

Putin also publicly, in fact--brutally, rebuked Lukashenko after he started speculating about "negotiations". As per radar in Armavir--120 hours passed by, any new "photos", and I mean real ones, not photoshopped? I am still waiting. I am just saying (not one way or another)--it is so easy to make photo from within the flat circle with the radius of 20 kilometers: 3.14 x 20^2 = 3.14 x 400 = 1, 256 square kilometers.

There Is A Lot Of Wrong...

... with parallels he tries to draw. It is expected from artsy types, especially from ones who are venerated (I personally do not give a shit about God Father) in the low culture environment like Hollywood, but there are very few if any parallels between the US and Rome, other than some superficial similarities politically. 

The US is not even in the same league militarily or culturally as Rome was. There is no Marcus Aurelius nor are there any phalanx which could crush first rate enemies. He should concentrate on what he did best--making movies about Italian Mafia and not go where no Hollywood screenwriter or director ever could due to primitive education. But, what do I know... This is POTUS today.

Members of the Greatest Generation, who 80 years ago next week, took to the beaches of Normandy and liberated a continent and literally saved the world. Others who stood against communism in Korea and Vietnam.

Of course, Red Army crushing Axis doesn't count, as long as there are Coppolas and Spilbergs in this world confabulating US history which, with the exception of Ike and King with Nimitz, produced about a zero strategists and military leaders of  a historical scale, unlike it was with Rome. Hey, as long as we have Hollywood and stolen valor being a MO... 

Let me give you a definition of the press, which extends by definition to US intellectual and cultural "elite" by a person who actually invented gonzo-journalism Hunter S. Thompson. Feel free to substitute term press for whatever "creative" class you want...

The press is a gang of cruel faggots. Journalism is not a profession or a trade. It is a cheap catch-all for fuckoffs and misfits—a false doorway to the backside of life, a filthy piss-ridden little hole nailed off by the building inspector, but just deep enough for a wino to curl up from the sidewalk and masturbate like a chimp in a zoo-cage

That's Western "intellectual" elite for ya... press is not even there, because it is below this rather obsolete definition. 

Today Is The Day...

 ... of Border Guards (I am the one), so... this is how it looked like in my lifetime...

You see...

Coast Guard, while applicable, is a bit of understatement of what we have been. Because we have been a full blown Navy on our own. 

So, enjoy your weekend...

Yet Again...

 ... somebody singled out those 32 minutes of hell on earth of a real war from Sergei Bondarchuk's greatest creation of War and Peace. More than two centuries passed but those morons still learned nothing. Morons being of course NATO planners. 

OK, how to put it politely--even for Waterloo they asked Bondarchuk to shoot the movie. But Waterloo was inconsequential for the faiths of Europe, except for this Swedish band which still doesn't want to leave us alone (they never will, even after 200 years), but the reality of war as hell remains and, what became clear, Western mind from Pentagon to Western media is not ready to face the reality of the real war. Russia is ready, West is not--they never learned real military history.

Meanwhile...

 ... this is how "peaceful" shopping mall in Kharkov... detonated for some "unknown" reason (Iskander, cough, cough), looks like today. Can you imagine those washing machines and linen with jeans going up in flames like this? I am screwing with you, obviously;)) You see, those high-end clothes are so... explosive, wink, wink. It was bad idea to title this shopping mall... the Epicenter, I am not kidding. 

 

The Real Anthem...

... sad but true. 

 

I Understand The Frustration...

 ... especially from US "fighters"...

Some Western fighters who joined the war in Ukraine have been killed because they assumed the fight would be easy, a US veteran who fought in Ukraine told Business Insider. The veteran, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a lot of foreign veterans who came to Ukraine to fight against Russia's invasion had been used to fighting at an advantage and struggled to adapt to the conditions there, where they were often outmanned and outgunned.

Correct. Because none of them ever defended their respective countries and there is about zero experience from the top of JCS down to a single grunt in NATO who have a clue. As POTUS today stated:

President Joe Biden, in his Memorial Day message to the nation, said Americans have a "responsibility" to uphold democratic ideals for which so many service members and their families have sacrificed. 

No US servicemen ever fought defending his country, family or culture since XVIII century. But I am sure the books and movies about US Army defeating Manstein and Model armies when they fought to take Chicago are coming. Just ask Sir Anthony Beevor, he would write a book on it. He is really good, if you know what I mean...

Something About Geometry...

 ... and probability density. 

 

Better America...

 ... there still a sense of justice and humanity left. And many Americans do, not just talk. 

 

About EW...

 ... and war as continuous process of adaptation.  

KYIV — Many U.S.-made satellite-guided munitions in Ukraine have failed to withstand Russian jamming technology, prompting Kyiv to stop using certain types of Western-provided armaments after effectiveness rates plummeted, according to senior Ukrainian military officials and confidential internal Ukrainian assessments obtained by The Washington Post. Russia’s jamming of the guidance systems of modern Western weapons, including Excalibur GPS-guided artillery shells and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, which can fire some U.S.-made rockets with a range of up to 50 miles, has eroded Ukraine’s ability to defend its territory and has left officials in Kyiv urgently seeking help from the Pentagon to obtain upgrades from arms manufacturers. Russia’s ability to combat the high-tech munitions has far-reaching implications for Ukraine and its Western supporters — potentially providing a blueprint for adversaries such as China and Iran — and it is a key reason Moscow’s forces have regained the initiative and are advancing on the battlefield.

Those reports are " confidential" only for Western public, in Russia the performance of NATO (and Russian) weaponry is generally well covered in terms of generalities and Russia's EW capabilities have been characterized as "eye-watering" 7 years ago by none other... than Ben Hodges (before his brain completely melted and he turned into a clown). 

A lot has been said about Russian Electronic Warfare Systems in recent years.  A good summary might have been offered by Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander of U.S. Army in Europe: He has described Russian EW capabilities in Ukraine as “eye-watering”.

As it is a rule in Pentagon, they discarded those warnings in favor of Hollywood military porn which teaches us that capabilities will stay the same forever, while glorious US SMART munitions will continue to perform as brilliantly as they did on Iraqi outhouses in the desert. Well, life is a bit more complicated than that, and Russia's immense surge capability both industrially and scientifically is still dawning on Washington planners since they simply have no experience whatsoever with what they are observing. Hey, I was on record about this for a while, and here is Lavrov today:

Разговоры официальных лиц США о необходимости разрешить Киеву бить по целям на территории России отражают безысходность Запада и похожи на агонию, заявил министр иностранных дел РФ Сергей Лавров.

Translation: Talk by US officials about the need to allow Kyiv to hit targets on Russian territory reflects the despair of the West and is similar to agony, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Who am I to contradict Lavrov. Read my lips: the US lost the arms race(c).

As Was Totally Expected...

 ...UTube removed the freshest Military Acceptance video (7 days old) about Command Post of Don Radar and C2 post (one of) of Russian anti-missile system--one of the critical elements of Russian SPRN. Here it is from RuTube for those who asked. In Russian. 

Thanks To My Friend Vladimir...

 ... who reminded all of us, that millennia pass but, as Lucius Aemilius wrote:

Do you give full credit to whatever I shall write to you, or to the senate; but do not by your credulity encourage mere rumours, of which no man shall appear as the responsible author. [7] For, no man is so entirely regardless of reputation, as that his spirits cannot be damped; which I have observed has commonly occurred, especially in this war. [8] In every circle, and, truly, at every table, there are people who lead armies into Macedonia; who know where the camp ought to be placed; what posts ought to be occupied by troops; when and through what pass Macedonia should be entered; where magazines should be formed; how provisions [p. 2081]should be conveyed by land and sea; and when it is proper to engage the enemy, when to lie quiet. [9] And they not only determine what is best to be done, but if any thing is done in any other manner than what they have pointed out, they arraign the consul, as if he were on his trial. [10] These are great impediments to those who have the management of affairs; for every one cannot encounter injurious reports with the same constancy and firmness of mind as Fabius did, who chose to let his own authority be diminished through the folly of the people, rather than to mismanage the public business with a high reputation. [11] I am not one of those who think that commanders ought never to receive advice; on the contrary, I should deem that man more proud than wise, who did every thing of his own single judgment. What then is my opinion? [12] That commanders should be counselled, chiefly, by persons of known talent; by those, especially, who are skilled in the art of war, and who have been taught by experience; and next, by those who are present at the scene of action, who see the country, who see the enemy; who see the advantages that occasions offer, and who, embarked, as it were, in the same ship, are sharers of the danger. [13] If, therefore, any one thinks himself qualified to give advice respecting the war which I am to conduct, which may prove advantageous to the public, let him not refuse his assistance to the state, but let him come with me into Macedonia. He shall be furnished by me with a ship, a horse, a tent; and even with his travelling charges. [14] But if he thinks this too much trouble, and prefers the repose of a city life to the toils of war, let him not, on land, assume the office of a pilot. The city, in itself, furnishes abundance of topics for conversation; [15] let it confine its passion for talking, and rest assured, that we shall be content with such councils as shall be framed within our camp.” [16] Soon after this speech, the Latin festival having been celebrated on the day before the calends of April, and the sacrifice on the mount affording favourable omens, the consul, and Cneius Octavius, the prae- tor, set out directly for Macedonia. [17] There is a tradition that the consul, at his departure, was escorted by multitudes unusually numerous; and that people, with confident hope, presaged a conclusion of the Macedonian war, and the speedy return of the consul, to a glorious triumph.

Titus Livius (Livy), The History of Rome, Book 44

It never rang truer than today.

Some Necessary Commentaries...

 ... from me on FUD. 

 

Me Talking To Rick...

 A couple of days ago.

Good Talk By Scott...

 ... with Nima today. Very good spread on combat training. 

"They would rather eat sausages and drink beer" (c) Scott Ritter's assessment of Bundeswehr, LOL))

Backtracking Now...

 ... no surprise here. Now it is same ol', same ol' PR rotine--"the shit was taken out of the context", "this is not what I meant" and other verbal diarrhea to cover up what amounts to blackmailing and threatening the high political official of an independent country. 

It turns out that one of the European Commissioners, the Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, Commissioner for neighborhood policy and enlargement, threatened Georgian PM Kobakhidze with the fate of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who recently suffered an assassination attempt. This was posted in Georgia government Official Facebook page: “Even against the background of years of blackmail, the threats that were voiced in a telephone conversation with one of the European Commissioners were striking. In particular, in his conversation with me, the European Commissioner listed a number of measures that Western politicians could take after overcoming the veto on the transparency law, and said while listing these measures – ‘You saw what happened to Fiсo, you should be very careful’, the post claims.”

Expectedly, the routine is such: 

“Varhelyi said in a statement he wanted to tell Kobakhidze not to inflame passions and the assassination attempt in Slovaka “was made as an example and as a reference to where such high level of polarization can lead in a society even in Europe”.

Sure, sure. Here is the guy's background:

Olivér Várhelyi (born 22 March 1972) is a Hungarian lawyer and diplomat, and European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement from Hungary in the von der Leyen Commission after the rejection of László Trócsányi by the European Parliament. 

Needless to say--normal people do not work for EC, especially near war criminal and US puppet von der Leyen. But, as Russian proverb goes: the word is not a sparrow, if it flies out you are not going to catch it. Even if you are a lawyer and sold your soul for verbal equilibristics and BS. Damage control all the way, but it is too late. 

Now, about "concerned citizens" who appear on this blog each time VSU sustains horrendous losses and loses badly, which is a normal occurrence. Immediately new accounts pop up on Disqus and begin to push all kinds of BS from telegram channels, many of which are of TSIPSO and GUR origin and begin to recycle all kinds of BS, including fake photos and videos about Russian losses. I want to stress it again, and I would have pinned this post to the top of the blog, but Blogspot doesn't have this function anymore. So:

1. Russians do sustain losses too, in blood and materiel. Those losses have minimal if any effect on operations and strategy. 

Those who do not understand these numbers--they need to attend elementary school and take basic classes on multiplication and division. It is a slaughter on industrial scale which NO NATO acting officer, let alone grunt has any concept of. They simply have no experience with that. Russian losses are a tiny fraction of all that, PLUS--you can easily multiply this number of Russian MoD by two and that will give you a close number of total daily casualties, with original number--1630 give and take--being the number of KIAs ONLY. Hence, all kinds of "concerned citizens" materialize. 

2. Now about Western legacy media--99% of those people who work or report for them are human and professional garbage, many of who should be behind bars as war criminals. Here is example: 

MOSCOW/LONDON, May 24 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.Three of the sources, familiar with discussions in Putin's entourage, said the veteran Russian leader had expressed frustration to a small group of advisers about what he views as Western-backed attempts to stymie negotiations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's decision to rule out talks.

Immediately: Reuters DOES NOT have any sources in "Putin's entourage" other than some lowly figure in some shitty Russian media outlet such as Kommersant who tells cretins from Reuters that he(she) has access to "Putin's entourage". Plus, UK "journalism" and lying are two sides of the same coin. So, these creeps invent shit. Well guess what, as usual, their BS is short lived, as are "numbers" by VSU about five Russian divisions they annihilate every day, and State Department and Pentagon believe(d) them due to professional incompetence. 

МИНСК, 24 мая — РИА Новости. Владимир Путин говорил о готовности к переговорам по Украине, но они возможны для того, чтобы достичь целей спецоперации, сообщил пресс-секретарь президента Дмитрий Песков, комментируя публикацию Reuters. Как утверждает агентство со ссылкой на источники, российский лидер якобы готов к диалогу с Киевом о прекращении огня, если украинские власти признают в качестве границ нынешние линии фронта. "Нет, это не так. Президент неоднократно говорил о том, что он готов к переговорам. Но это переговоры для того, чтобы достичь те цели, которые мы сейчас достигаем посредством специальной военной операции", — отметил Песков. Как уточнил представитель Кремля, Путин имел в виду, что составленные ранее сложные документы могли бы быть фундаментом для дискуссий, но не более того.

Translation: MINSK, May 24 – RIA Novosti. Vladimir Putin spoke about his readiness for negotiations on Ukraine, but they are possible in order to achieve the goals of the special operation, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the Reuters publication. According to the agency, citing sources, the Russian leader is allegedly ready for a dialogue with Kiev on a ceasefire if the Ukrainian authorities recognize the current front lines as borders. “No, this is not so. The President has repeatedly said that he is ready for negotiations. But these are negotiations in order to achieve the goals that we are now achieving through a special military operation,” Peskov noted. As the Kremlin representative clarified, Putin meant that the complex documents drawn up earlier could be the foundation for discussions, but nothing more.

 

For those with the short memory--this is the same Russia's position since... 2022. It never changed. Losers from London and Washington now desperately need some kind of "good news" and because the BS is the only thing they can do--they pull "news" out of their asses. 

 

3. Finally, for those who still don't understand--I do not read or communicate with all those internet "military analysts" with the exception of military-intelligence professionals I PERSONALLY recognize as people of competence, professional and human integrity, be that in the US or in Russia. So far, my ass sensitivity on this matter didn't fail me strategically. So, whenever I hear such terms as "Russian sources" or some nobody uses this or that--I always go for the jugular and ask about their backgrounds. People are free to follow whatever they want and believe whatever they want, but military reality is always much more complex than media reports, let alone BS which infested info-space of SMO from day one. Operation "Ghost of Kiev" never stops, as numbers of Ukie babushkas shooting down Kinzhal hypersonic missiles with the can of pickles grow every day.

 

In conclusion: 

Генеральный штаб Вооруженных сил Украины (ВСУ) сократит штатную численность на 60%, сообщил начальник Главного управления оборонного планирования Генштаба Евгений Острянский, передает ТСН. «За счет высвобожденного личного состава планируется доукомплектовать органы управления оперативного и тактического уровней, а также боевые части. Это, в свою очередь, позволит осуществлять ротации подразделений, длительно выполняющих боевые задания в зоне боевых действий», — сказал он и добавил, что во время боевых действий «должны усиливаться те структуры, которые непосредственно осуществляют управление группировками войск».

Translation:  The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) will reduce its staff by 60%, said the head of the Main Directorate of Defense Planning of the General Staff, Yevgeny Ostryansky, reports TSN. “Due to the released personnel, it is planned to replenish the command and control bodies at the operational and tactical levels, as well as combat units. This, in turn, will allow for the rotation of units that carry out long-term combat missions in the combat zone,” he said and added that during combat operations “those structures that directly control groupings of troops should be strengthened.”

Victory for 404 has never been so close. Should I comment on that?

You Know What?

Fuck this. If it is Boeing (any of it), I am not going. Period. 

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a directive earlier this year warning that a defect in Boeing’s 777 airplanes could cause “fire or explosion” if unaddressed. It is unclear whether the plane’s operators have addressed the issue. The directive was issued in March, while the FAA solicited comments until earlier this month. Amid a series of safety incidents involving Boeing aircraft, the Daily Mail reported on the publicly-viewable document on Wednesday. According to the FAA, a metal plate attached to a fuel tank vent on the wings of the 777 was installed without an electrical bond, meaning it could potentially accumulate static electricity and cause a “fire or explosion” in the jet’s fuel tanks. Some 292 777s registered in the US could be at risk, the directive warned. All variants of the 777, from the base model 777-200 to the long-range 777-300ER, are affected.

Only Airbus from now on.

Remember This?

Some war criminals from US media cried that it was fake and no, there are no Nazis in 404. 

Azov's emblem is a re-imagined "wolf's hook" of SS Division Das Reich. But because UK elites are inbred low lives, most of them anyway, here is freshest from UK today--former UK PM hosts Azov Nazis in Parliament. 

So, it is a logical conclusion for UK which has no honor, no integrity nor national pride left and it is only appropriate that they follow Canada's path to applauding human scum of Nazis.

Members of Azov were greeted as heroes in London

British lawmakers cheered a delegation of the notorious Azov Ukrainian military unit at a roundtable in Parliament on Wednesday, while former Prime Minister Boris Johnson called them "heroes." The neo-Nazi militia was founded in 2014 by white supremacist Andrey Biletsky, who designed its logo with symbols once used by the SS. It was eventually integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces, while retaining its Third Reich iconography. The battalion has been accused by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the UN of multiple human rights abuses, including rape and torture of civilians. Three members of Azov visited London and spoke before a group of parliamentarians. Lieutenant Arseniy Fedosiuk and Ruslan Serbov had been captured in Mariupol in 2022, while the third, Sergeant Vladimir Vernygora, joined the unit in 2023.

Now you understand why nobody will talk to these people. UK is fast becoming a shithole and it is probably for the better. It also shows what UK "elite" education is--I mean degree mills for credentialed cretins. UK is over, as is Anglo-world. Per US, will give it another a year or so and see where this goes. They love Nazis in Washington but we know about some people who fight this, in UK--it is the natural state of historic losers who cannot come to grips with the fact that they are nobodies in the XXI century. What's left for UK? Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler...

A Very Good Basic Explanation...

 ... of my degree and how we have been taught to use those principles from basic navigation by dead reckoning to integrating all these wonderful gyro-inertial things for aiming and shooting all kinds of things including SLBMs from strategic missile submarines. In our generation those being baseline Delta I-II SSBNs (pr. 667B-BD RPKSNs).  Of course, gyro-inertial navigational complexes had more than just three platforms, they had some really nifty things as astro-correction means, radio sextants (no, you couldn't hold it in your hand--it was about 1 ton with sophisticated periscope system and computer), absolute Doppler logs and things of this nature which were and remain in the foundation of use of modern weapons, including nuclear ones. So, here is a very good video on the pop-introductory level:

Yes, you would love to study things of this nature--you know precession, nutation and other tri-dimensional shit;))

Then, of course, you have to integrate all this shit with weapons and their systems. Lovely, lovely. Of course, many of those things still remain classified even today, but thankfully I forgot them, plus new generation of laser-based solid-state systems are already in use, but I thought I would share this good simple explanation. Now ask yourself a question why Russians are really good, in fact--best in the world in navigating polar regions? In related news: rumor has it that Bulava SLBM is capable of carrying hypersonic blocks (such as Avangard)--make your own conclusions what it means. 

Also, a very good video on why Chinese put education above sports and why they are not good team sports outfits:

The policy is very similar to the Soviet one and the emphasis should be on mass physical education and fitness, not just the sport of high achievements. I am not against professional sports, I am all for it, but REAL education is a priority, albeit I would suggest Chinese to ease up on their approach because it also has serious side-effects in terms of stress and fatigue, which result in a lot of mental issues down the road. But I agree--engineer is more important for the society in general than some sports celebrity. It should be balanced, definitely and it explains also why the US lost education "race" to China and Russia. No one in their own mind in Russia would spent a single ruble on building some university 70,000 capacity stadium for "football". The money are better spent on improving laboratory base and hiring and developing real scientific talent. You can always build 10,000 max capacity university stadium or sport center and that will do it. Balance is the key here.

Morale Breakdown...

 ... clear pattern. 

 

Takes Two To Tango...

You see, a defining feature of the West's "elites" is their complete inability to calculate consequences. They view Russia's patience and legal approaches as weakness--it is expected from people of low culture and education which most Western "elites" are. Baerbock is even suing X (Twitter) for the post about her being the dumbest foreign minister in the world, which she is. So...

МОСКВА, 23 мая — РИА Новости. Владимир Путин подписал указ о порядке компенсации ущерба в случае конфискации российских активов в США, документ опубликовали на портале правовых актов. "Российский правообладатель вправе обратиться в суд в соответствии с правилами подсудности <...> с заявлением об установлении факта необоснованного лишения его прав на имущество в связи с решением государственного или судебного органа Соединенных Штатов Америки и о компенсации ущерба", — говорится в документе. В качестве правообладателей могут выступать Российская Федерация или Центробанк. Для компенсации ущерба можно будет изымать имущество США или связанных с ними лиц и впоследствии передавать его правообладателю. Речь идет в том числе о гражданах и резидентах США, а также о находящихся под их контролем иностранных лицах, независимо от места их регистрации. Изъять можно будет движимое и недвижимое имущество, ценные бумаги, доли в компаниях, имущественные права. Список таких активов в суд по запросу предоставит правительственная комиссия по контролю за иностранными инвестициями. Правительство должно в течение четырех месяцев внести в законы поправки, необходимые для исполнения президентского указа.

 

Translation: MOSCOW, May 23 – RIA Novosti. Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the procedure for compensation for damage in the event of confiscation of Russian assets in the United States, the document was published on the portal of legal acts. “The Russian rights holder has the right to go to court in accordance with the rules of jurisdiction <...> with a statement to establish the fact of unjustified deprivation of his rights to property in connection with a decision of a state or judicial body of the United States of America and for compensation for damage,” the document says. The Russian Federation or the Central Bank may act as rights holders. To compensate for the damage, it will be possible to seize the property of the United States or related persons and subsequently transfer it to the rights holder. This includes citizens and residents of the United States, as well as foreign persons under their control, regardless of their place of registration. It will be possible to seize movable and immovable property, securities, shares in companies, and property rights. A list of such assets will be provided to the court upon request by the government commission for control of foreign investment. The government must, within four months, amend the laws necessary to implement the presidential decree.

 

Larry Wilkerson nails it, when speaks about those Washington "strategists" being absolutely lost when trying (and they now desperately want to) to extricate themselves from the situation in 404. Too late. As the saying goes: one talon gets stuck--the whole bird is doomed. 

I warned about it, for ten years I tried, desperately, but I guess political "science" major from Georgetown knows better, right? In related news, the clean up of Defense Ministry continues (in Russian). Boy, I can feel the butthurt of so many fanboys and "voenkors", for many of them that means the end of their sinecures and, highly likely, conversation with Investigative Committee or FSB. Love it!

Garland Gives A Good Talk...

... on John Mearsheimer. 

I do not deny credit to Mearsheimer for his book Israel Lobby and for him being somewhat sensible about SMO. Beyond that, he is a typical American exceptionalist and that is a diagnosis. Exceptionalism comes from a weak background in the history of the XX century.

 

The Scale Of Coping.

For those people who do not get my message on this issue I will reiterate--even today there are some remnants of the US and Republic which I love dearly, together with people who share those values, even in the midst of a catastrophe we all observe and live through, with the US circling the drain with a very few prospects of stopping this motion before being removed as a threat from the global arena. But having said all that, it has to be also said that the US was always "provincial" in its foreign policy and, especially so, in its military posture which was based primarily on outdated concepts and, frankly, serious operational rigidity--a euphemism for illiteracy, a product of America's confabulated history of WW II and steady intellectual and academic decline, now accelerating tremendously, of American military-political elites.   

Behold the piece from The Hill which demonstrates this process in full. It is an "opinion" piece, of course, but it is very indicative of military illiteracy of even those who are supposed to have a clue. They don't. Here are the authors: Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet served 30 years as a military intelligence officer and led the U.S. European Command Intelligence Engagement Division from 2012 to 2014. 

Biden is losing World War III 

Well, we know that, but it is what these guys base their conclusion upon, and, boy, do they go full Monty parading their incompetence. 

In 1860, Buchanan, fearing escalation, refused to sufficiently reinforce the strategic fort guarding the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Although such a move likely would not have changed the trajectory of the war, it would have drawn a much-needed red line for the Southern secessionists. Instead, Buchanan did the bare minimum, just as the Biden administration is now doing in Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific and in the Middle East. Defending U.S. allies is not enough, just as minimally defending Fort Sumter proved futile.

The fact that US cadre military officers goes for such analogy tells you immediately that he has no clue what he is talking about, because US military history in general is barely applicable to continental warfare as any historic analogy, let alone lesson, with Civil War being interesting merely as a first truly industrial war. That's about it. Dragging here some example from 1860 and, under the guise of solid "scholarship", trying to project it onto the military realities of the XXI century is a fool's errand. In fact, it is for amateurs. It is also cringe-worthy in purely strategic sense, which, as even authors admit wouldn't make much difference in the end. Thus the question--why use it as an example? But confusion abounds...

“Defending” must no longer be the watchword of the day in Biden’s White House, but “winning.” Winning this increasingly kinetic global ideological war is our only way forward if liberal democracy is to prevail against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s shared vision of a so-called multipolar world, militarily and economically dominated by Russia and China and anchored by BRICS. Biden’s escalation fears must also end. As evidenced by Oct 7., Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Iran’s April 13 attacks on Israel and now the Bastogne-like battle for the Kharkiv Oblast, fears of escalation have only led to vacuums being filled by our nation’s enemies — and the enemies of our allies in Eastern Europe and the Mideast.

Bastogne? Is this the extent of these writers' historic literacy? The US Army is not even in the same league with combined arms operations and investing all kinds of cities and towns by Russian Armed Forces be that in WW II, with gargantuan scale of operations on the Eastern Front, which make Western Front, bar Normandy Landing and Battle of the Bulge look rather timid in comparison, or be that later in the XXI century. So, authors suddenly discover that Russian Army can take cities. They also are very badly informed on the issue of Kharkov so called "offensive" in 2022 because it had nothing in common, in fact, it was antithetical to the Battle of the Bulge, because there was NO objective of taking Kharkov in 2022 and it was at best probing, in reality recon in force by Russian Army, which never lost operational initiative, unlike it was with under equipped and lacking gas Wehrmacht which was already defeated in the East and by the end of Battle of the Bulge started transferring divisions to the Eastern Front. And, I guess, authors drank too much of 404 Kool Aid and lack basic understanding of modern warfare and how political objectives shape military ones. Not surprising, the US Army never fought anything like this in the last 80 years. 

Obviously both authors have zero understanding of how resources are mustered and how required force is composed based on operational and strategic requirements. Not surprising. And both, evidently, cannot come to grips that the United States and its NATO chihuahuas simply have neither economic nor force wherewithal to talk about any kind of "winning" against Russia. Different leagues militarily. Moreover, referring to US National Security Strategy documents of the last 30 years is also a fool's errand--America doesn't DO strategy, because it cannot DO it due to people who write those documents having zero skills apart from nauseating propagandizing of what is not there--America's ability to fight real war without being annihilated--in developing strategy which is not a wet dream based on the delusion of grandeur. Now, these two are coping really hard not understanding that they should have studied better and avoided using their "experiences" as a yardstick--they are irrelevant to modern war. 

I know, it hurts to be a loser, but that's life in which you win some, you lose some, but for "intel" people in the US to even grasp what they observe, they should concentrate not on spreading military amateurish BS in media but concentrate on educating themselves on REAL war and military history, not hunting down Afghan weddings or studying IDF "experiences" in genocide. Of course they are not going to heed my humble advice but US strategic incompetence is shocking. I knew it was bad, SMO exposed it as absent altogether. These two illustrated my point really well. But then again--I just finished thesis on that.

Panel On RT...

 ... yesterday. 

 

In Related News...

... water is wet, fire is hot and... 

Biden fears ‘huge Jewish influence’ – White House aide. The US president won’t risk angering the lobby in Washington, a security adviser told Project Veritas

The United States doesn't have America-centric foreign policy. It has Israel-centric, military industrial complex-centric, banks-centric foreign policy but NOT America-centric foreign policy, because US foreign "policy" is what effectively destroyed the United States, which is nothing more than a global bouncer for AIPAC and neocons. 

Speaking of which, considering utter incompetence of the US military-political "elite"...

Troops of Russia’s Southern Military District launched the first stage of recently announced tactical nuclear drills on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has confirmed. When announcing the drills a week previously, the ministry explained that the exercise is designed to serve as a deterrent amid continued escalation between Russia and the West, by demonstrating Moscow’s ability to respond to any external threats. It will involve delivery of nuclear weapons to troops from storage sites, arming tactical nuclear missiles, and preparation of missile launches, Moscow announced in a statement on Telegram. The troops will be using the Iskander-M systems, which can fire 9M723-1 ballistic missiles or 9M728 cruise missiles, both of which can carry tactical nuclear warheads with yields between five and 50 kilotons. The Southern Military District forces will also practice covert deployment operations using the systems, as part of launch-preparation drills, according to the military.

Pretty standard stuff, just to remind that said Iskander can reach pretty much anywhere in Europe. Definition of NON-STRATEGIC (not "tactical" as RT reports, a huge difference) weapons is a rather very elastic definition because e.g. nuclear armed Kinzhal (it also takes part) which flies to the distance of 2,500+ kilometers can carry a rather substantial, by different estimates, nuclear ordnance up to 50 kT  and can wipe Brussels off the map in one go, God forbid, of course, this comes to it. Is it "strategic"? In terms of impact definitely so. But it doesn't fit under the umbrella of the "strategic weapons" and is defined as "non-strategic". You see, Russians also have really damn good lawyers. Two can play the game. So, Russia trains, just in case. 

Meanwhile Mike Turner and the group of other similar-"minded" Congressmen from Knesset, ah, pardon me, House of Representatives sent a letter to Mr. Austin urging him to allow 404 to attack Russian territory with US weapons. 

Today, Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and head of the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Congressman Gerry Connolly (VA-11), past president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, were joined by their colleagues on a bipartisan letter to Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urging the Biden Administration to expedite additional resources to Ukraine.  After meeting with a delegation of Ukrainian parliamentarians, the congressional lawmakers emphasized that in order for Ukraine to better defend itself against Russia, the United States should authorize the use of weapons by Ukraine that would allow its military to strike strategic targets within Russia, train additional Ukrainian F-16 pilots, and bolster Ukraine's air defense systems.

Those people, of course, do not understand consequences (expected from US legislators) of such actions, because the US has many military bases which are defenseless against any salvo of Russian missiles, but for members of Select Committee on Intelligence in the House this all is a fodder to boost own chances for reelection in the next cycle by the same type of people who in Arizona or South Carolina continuously elected such war criminals as late John McCain and his presently relatively alive buddy Lindsey Graham. As per "bolstering" anything--there is not a single weapon system in the US arsenal, least of all air defense ones, which are designed to fight on the modern XXI century battlefield against modern stand-off weapons. But I am sure they, sitting on the Select Committee on Intelligence, should know that, right?

I Am Taking The Day Off...

 ... today. The book is finalized and is coming out and I am celebrating. And it is about taking the wrong turns. It should have been fun, but then they renamed rock'n'roll into grunge and the fun stopped. It all became ugly and it sounded for decade as shit, smelled so and it was about anti-depressants, suicide and no escape. Well, I like that some guys know what real rock'n'roll is. There never was a better sound which was created in 1970s, there never will be... 

That's how freedom sounds, not some grunge.