They Are...

 ... the Brady Bunch, or Rose Bunch or what have you))) Large mixed Russian-American family with kids from both sides and common kids.

So, they do run their own mini-series and it is lovely.
 

History Repeats Itself...

 ... as you all know, first as tragedy and then as farce. This is how institutional collapse looks like. 

Internal rancour has gripped the US NGO National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a CIA cutout responsible for fermenting political discontent in countries regarded as adversaries by Washington. It’s perhaps best known for helping to foment the 2014 Maidan coup in Ukraine, a country that its founder Carl Gershman labelled “the biggest prize.” The debacle has resulted in two senior officials being fired and a “civil war” erupting between older neoconservatives and younger management – which the former accuses of being too “woke” – according to documents obtained by The Grayzone. The scandal was sparked after then newly-appointed NED vice-president for communications broke ranks by engaging with journalists the organisation had previously shunned. Leslie Aun took exception to the Grayzone’s portrayal of the organization as CIA proxy, and initiated a call with the outlet’s Max Blumenthal and Alex Rubinstein, which it published in May 2023.

Max Blumenthal talks about it in a very direct manner:

You can read a comprehensive selection of the #NEDFiles obtained exclusively by The Grayzone here: https://thegrayzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NED-Master-Files.pdf I think many will be shocked that Congress allocates $200 million a year to an unstable, politically partisan organization with obviously inept leadership

My request is--show me ANY US organization which is not inept and not partisan. None exists. Be that NGOs or government. It is one massive clusterfuck. It is intellectual collapse as a consequence of a severe systemic crisis which cannot be treated therapeutically anymore. What is left is coping, such as yesterday's piece by CIA guy who teaches now at Georgetown. I want to repeat again a critical and astute definition by one of the best American minds about this whole clusterfuck: 

Americanism provides a Unified Field Theory of self-identity, collective enterprise, and the Republic’s enduring meaning. When one element is felt to be in jeopardy, the integrity of the whole edifice becomes vulnerable. In the past, American mythology energized the country in ways that helped it to thrive. Today, it is a dangerous hallucinogen that traps Americans in a time warp more and more distant from reality. There is a muted reflection of this strained condition in the evident truth that Americans have become an insecure people. They grow increasingly anxious about who they are, what they are worth and what life will be like down the road. This is an individual and collective phenomenon. They are related insofar as self-identity and self-esteem are bound up with the civic religion of Americanism. To a considerable degree, it’s been like this since the very beginning. 

Once insecurities are exposed, no more so than ineptness in warfare, intelligence and foreign relation, the whole thing collapses.

In Related News...

 ... the sky is blue, water is wet and...

The United States confronts the most serious and the most challenging threats since the end of World War II. The United States could in short order be drawn into a war across multiple theaters with peer and near-peer adversaries, and it could lose. The current National Defense Strategy (NDS), written in 2022, does not account for ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East and the possibility of a larger war in Asia. Continuing with the current strategy, bureaucratic approach, and level of resources will weaken the United States’ relative position against the gathering, and partnering, threats it faces. In its report, the Commission on the National Defense Strategy recommends a sharp break with the way the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) does business and embraces an “all elements of national power” approach to national security. It recommends spending smarter and spending more across the national security agencies of government.  

Of course more, LOL)) As the Report states:

Insufficient defense production capacity impedes the Joint Force’s ability to deter or prevail in a protracted conflict, especially with China and particularly in terms of munitions. Defense experts have extensively documented that DoD “has long failed to invest adequately in stocks of preferred munitions,” which remains true even after DoD’s efforts to boost munitions production in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. As a result, unclassified public wargames suggest that, in a conflict with China, the United States would largely exhaust its munitions inventories in as few as three to four weeks, with some important munitions (e.g., anti-ship missiles) lasting only a few days. Once expended, replacing these munitions would take years. 

I also have a "secret", while verbiage is popular, the US doesn't have "joint force", because the top which should conduct full C2 (and Operational Control) of ALL armed forces globally doesn't exist in the US. JCS does not have operational control, Commands do. Russian General Staff, however, has it all in every single domain starting from underwater, to ground, to air to space. Not "harmonization", not some politicking but full blown Control. And that, my friends, is a completely different military culture and experience of victories which the US simply doesn't have. You cannot change strategic DNA just because you think you can--doesn't work like this, but who will learn in D.C. and Pentagon about it. I wonder, hm. Larry and I touched on this in our today's podcast, it should come up fairly soon on UTube.

Ah, Yes.

This CIA dude decided to push the envelope. Naturally in the Foreign Policy publication--naturally, because it publishes primarily sore losers and nincompoops with minimal serious military-strategic background. This is, BTW, one of the main reasons why I am not subscribed to this rug, while maintaining subscription to NYT and WaPo tabloids. They love to wet dream and push Overton Window there in FP. 

Would the U.S. Consider Assassinating Putin? When and why intelligence agencies target foreign leaders—and how it often backfires.

Even the title is a provocation and it is expected from the guy who went so clandestine, that he lost the touch with the reality and with the grasp of influence of modern technological advancements where shrinkage of CEP (Circular Error Probable) and peculiarities of modern targeting can deliver a considerable amount of high explosives with accuracy better than Amazon Prime delivery truck. But that's how it all degenerates nowadays in the West. In some sense--this is wet dreaming and self-mediation and, for the lack of better word, lack of class which is a feature of most people who teach incompetents in degree mills for the US "elites". So, I can imagine if tomorrow Russian publication comes out with similar headline, but this time "considering" assassination of de facto already barely alive POTUS--the shitstorm in D.C. will exceed all commonly accepted metrics. But here we are--the guy pushes Overton and that's the only thing which is left for them to do. In the end, these were these guys who wanted war in Ukraine--as always, their intelligence was crap and they need to self-medicate desperately. But I have to give the credit where the credit is due--the headline certainly attracted the attention, I am sure, of FSO and FSB. And possibly SVR and GU, just in case.

Who Said "Unclear"?

It is very clear and it consists of two parts:

1. Make weapon fly hypersonic while maneuvering;

2. Be able to control it, including by providing command updates if necessary.

None of it is achieved by the US, let alone Euros and will not be for a long time. So. 

The U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy recently “initiated” a test of a hypersonic weapon, but the U.S. military won’t say whether or not it was a success, what specific system was involved, or even if there was an actual launch. Previous testing of an Army ground-based hypersonic weapon system it is developing in cooperation with the Navy, known as Dark Eagle, has been particularly beset by problems.  The Army has been hoping to begin fielding Dark Eagle within the next two months, around a year later than originally planned, and in the wake three scrubbed test launches last year. In June, the Pentagon did announced a successful test of a common hypersonic missile designed to be used in both the Army’s Dark Eagle and the Navy’s sea-based Intermediate Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) weapon systems. To date, there has been no known full end-to-end test of the missile involving a production-representative launch system.

There will not be IOC for some years and when it will be "announced", like all other previous announcements, it will be about system which will have dubious performance at best, in reality--unworkable system. Example of announcement is provided:

“The U.S. Army and Navy recently initiated a test of a conventional hypersonic system at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida,” a U.S. defense official told The War Zone in a statement. “This test was an essential benchmark in the development of operational hypersonic technology. Vital data on the performance of the hardware and software was collected that will inform the continued progress toward fielding hypersonic weapons.” “We have no additional details or information [about the test] to provide at this time,” the statement added.  

Russians, actually, miscalculated when stated that the US is behind about 5 to 7 years. As it turned out--it is more like 12-15, at best. Mind you--Russia had Kinzhals on combat patrols since 2017, seven years at least. The rest of systems are fully operational ranging from strategic Avangard to a terrifying 3M22 Zircon. Same goes for anti-hypersonic systems such as S-400, S-500, S-550 and S-300V4. Feel the difference. People may say that I gloat--I don't, I merely follow technological and operational facts. They look bad for NATO and the gap is, actually, growing. At this stage I am getting really tired sorting out the verbiage and semantics' games used to cover up utter failure of not just technological race, but primarily doctrinal and strategic one. And here we are--PR, PR and PR again. Everything is very clear.

I'll Give It A Try...

 ... I do not have particular reverence to Francis Ford Coppola (I am a freak--I don't care about The Godfather). 

This one, however, seems timely, to put it mildly. The problem, of course, are constant parallels between the US and Rome. But this all is just the matter of historical context in which, as an example, Rome was a great continental warfare empire, the US is not and it pales in comparison to other continental empires not least due to a very short time of being THE quasi-continental empire as a result of WW II and the US "losing" historical memory of how it all transpired. So, with the industrial revolution which in the US was disrupted severely in 1929 to the point of societal decomposition, the US, as many people correctly note, had its greatest achievements when it was behind plow, not behind machine gun. It is a naval power and if any parallels could be drawn they are not with Rome but with what the US actually replaced--British Empire. The only parallel which is legitimate--it is a pagan foundation of modern American society and not in religious sense only. But trailer looks fascinating and the movie was shot entirely on FFC's money. So, I am going. 

P.S. In the most bizarre occurrence, while surfing through UTube channels while getting sleepy last night I stumbled on... Dune Part II. I thought, it was some BS, boy, was I wrong--a whole fucking movie. How, why, I don't know but I got a free ride and... today nothing is there and not even in my watch history. WTF? No, I wasn't dreaming. Somebody uploaded it and I caught it. I am sure UTube removed it now.  

P.P.S. I loved Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation. A magnificent, moody, sad and charming film. 

39 "Combat" Missions In Iraq. WOW!

That's about two weeks worth of Russian Air Force pilots flying in SMO. 

 

Color Me Surprised, Not!

After all, it is UK's higher society. Plus, to add insult to injury--it is BBC and they love pedophiles there. 

A TOP BBC star is off air while allegations he paid a teenager for sexual pictures are being investigated. The well-known presenter is accused of giving the teen more than £35,000 since they were 17 in return for sordid images. The alleged recipient’s mother said they had used the cash to fund a crack habit. She added of the star: “When I see him on telly, I feel sick.“I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life. 

Oh, don't worry, mother, BBC destroyed very many lives, including through whitewashing terrorism and mass-slaughter ranging geographically from Syria to Russia. As I am on record--West's political, "creative" and media class has no morality or ethics. You say I am making sweeping generalizations? Just follow the real news.

 

Too Little, Too Late...

French Christians gathered on Paris streets to sing Christian anthems to "cleanse" the country from Olympic "spirits". Sure, but they are about 25 years too late.  

The illness cannot be cured therapeutically anymore, because society as a whole is sick. France is an Exhibit A.

Vietnamese Navy...

 ... called on Vladivostok on the Russian Navy Day. 

These are Russian-built Gepard-class corvettes (pr. 11661)--nice looking ships and well armed as well.

 

Russian Navy has two of them, Vietnam has four. The only difference for Russia is that her latest ship of this class (Dagestan) has VLS and is capable of carrying Kalibr missiles. They call them frigates, actually, albeit, I think, it is a "transitional" class of ships which never really took off in Russia but is a good export item, especially in Dagestan configuration, which also carries a very respectable air-defense suite. Nice ships, and I am sure Vietnam has plans on acquiring other two, even more advanced Gepards despite sanctions on Russia. We'll see how it unfolds. Vietnam mulls her membership in SCO, and if she manages to avoid highly pro-American "youth" troubles, ascending to BRICS and, eventually, to SCO will automatically resolve the issue.   

To Close Off Weekend...

 ... on a pleasant note. Some of the Aeroflot flight attendants with the modern rendition of legendary and beloved Soviet WW II movie Heavenly Slug (about Red Air Force) song--The first business are aircraft, the girls--later.  

Here is the original from 1945... 

The action is in hospital here that is why Nikolai Kryuchkov (a legendary Soviet actor) wears funny hospital robe.

Russia Wrapped Up...

 ... celebrating Navy Day and here is the second part (in Russian) of Military Acceptance with focus on pr. 885 Kazan SSGN. 

In relation to which it is worth reminding on the tempo of introduction of subs of this class into the fleet.

 

And this is just in relation to this extremely advanced and deadly type. Here is also yesterday's photo from parade in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky... 

Here is the first of six pr. 20385 Gremyashchiy corvettes for the Pacific Fleet. All 3M22 Zircon carriers. And the tempo of introduction of new ships and subs only increases. Look at the tempo for pr. 955(A) Borei-class SSBNs...

And pr. 545 Husky submarine platform is coming early 2030. So, once you put together everything across all classes of ships and submarines (mind you--Russia owns and builds massive fleet of Diesel-Electric subs) you see yourself a dramatic picture of the best sea-bases nuclear deterrent and Sea Denial force with incredible strike and air-defense arsenal. So, Russian Navy had a lot to celebrate yesterday. 

This was a broadcast across all four fleets and one flotilla:

And do not forget that Russian Navy operates massive BRAV (Coastal Artillery and Missile Troops) and its own air component. So, as you might expect there was a lot of BS from 404 trolls and other Western fanboys who watched too much Hollywood. Butt-hurt is really bad...

Nima and Scott...

 ... about Israel. I am not a specialist in the area, Scott sure as hell is. 

 

Russia Begins To Celebrate Navy Day...

 ... it is a huge celebration (always was). Here is Mr. Yegorov and his motley crew (in Russian) reporting from the latest cruise of Admiral Gorshkov and Kazan and support vessels to Cuba (meaning, of course, near the US). In Russian, but shows some really good things and other excellent visuals;) 

Russian TNT Network...

 ... described Toronto 2060 Olympics. You don't need to know Russian. 

That's about right--Olympediada. That also explains why they hate Russia. A lot of it has to do with sexual deviancy which is rampant in Western "elites".

 

Well, It Was Pure Satanism...

 ... and this is what modern West has become. 

The opening ceremony for the Olympic Games in Paris on Friday has sparked public outrage globally over a show that appeared to be filled with parodies on Christian religious symbols. Netizens argued that several performances during the ceremony mocked universally recognizable works associated with Christianity. One such performance featured transgender individuals appearing to enact ‘The Last Supper’, the renowned painting of Christ and his apostles by Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. Users on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram alike lambasted the performance as “disgusting” and “outright blasphemy.”

But French have no reason for complaining--they voted for this for decades and their progressive country has finally progressed to plain, undistilled satanism and, I think, France richly deserves it. I am not being facetious or use hyperbole, I mean it, because the only reaction to that is that of desire to puke and drop a good yield nuclear device on this Sodom and Gomorrah. French nation, society, obviously, has no forces to right itself and that is how it will end for them. Now we saw it all on display. Unless, of course, growing Muslim population will not get this satanic ball under control and imposes Sharia laws, but then this country will be something else altogether. One way or another--there are no good scenarios for French, or whatever passes for them nowadays. 

The idiotic exclamations from a few "righteous" which are left that "they want children to see that?" is a joke--of course they want to, that's the plan from the get go. 

The US is not far behind. West's "creative" and media class is almost entirely on their side and this is how civilization ends. The only question now is HOW, but you all know how the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah ends. When traveling in Europe, keep antibiotics and garlic handy... 

Russians prepared some comparison, to the timeless piece of Evgeny Doga. Contrast, you know...
 

Absolutely Correct...

 ... this is US "elites" consensus. 

Donald Trump may be clear-minded when it comes to Russian history, but he started the “sanctions race” with Moscow, President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said. In a Fox News interview earlier this week, Trump pointed out that the Russian “war machine” defeated both Napoleon and Hitler, so stopping the Ukraine conflict had to be a priority for him if re-elected. Meanwhile, his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined “a Trump peace plan” in the Wall Street Journal that seemed at odds with the Republican candidate’s actual position. Commenting on both matters, Peskov complimented Trump for “knowing history in such depth” as few other Americans seemed to, but maintained that he was still “a representative of the US political elite that is now definitely suffering from total Russophobia.” “Of course, we saw this article and various other statements. We have never worn rose-colored glasses,” Peskov told reporters.

Absolutely correct, it is the clock-work of American political machine--it either works this way or it disintegrates, the latter being the case now. And the issue is metaphysical--this is what I preach for years now. So, anyone who anticipates some kind of "resolution" to 404 and crisis of Russian-American relation let me reiterate what I speak about for years now: it was on Trump's watch when Russian-American relations got destroyed and 404 was pumped with weapons and "advisers" to the hilt.

"Olympic" SitRep...

 ... and on the nature of Olympic mascots.

 

This Is A Preview...

 ... of how France will be beaten into submission and will cease to exist as France. 

And this is just the start. We can speculate who did it here whatever we want, but strategic reality for France is that its cities are controlled NOT by French but people of different races, ethnicity and culture and many are in France not to integrate but to change France. Considering pathetic level and politically-correct driven cowardice of France's military and security apparatus, the political toppling of France is just the matter of people who know how to paralyze clownish French government. Now, with inputs of weapons from what's left of 404 and its decomposing armed forces--all ingredients are there. This is a trial run.

Nima And Me...

 ... yesterday.

Well, The Intent Is Commendable...

 ... as is a recognition of what is going on with Russia, but you cannot stop things now without Russia's conditions. And those will be humiliating. I warned about Russian war machine for 10+ yeas, few people listened. 

And, yes, Russians defeated Napoleon and Hitler--and these two were the creme de la creme of what West could muster against historic Russia. There were others, but these two have been special.

At This Stage...

 ... it is becoming an emergency. 

Already more than a month late getting back, two NASA astronauts will remain at the International Space Station until engineers finish working on problems plaguing their Boeing capsule, officials said Thursday. Test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were supposed to visit the orbiting lab for about a week and return in mid-June, but thruster failures and helium leaks on Boeing's new Starliner capsule prompted NASA and Boeing to keep them up longer. NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich said mission managers are not ready to announce a return date. The goal is to bring Wilmore and Williams back aboard Starliner, he added. “We'll come home when we're ready,” Stich said. Stich acknowledged that backup options are under review. SpaceX's Dragon capsule is another means of getting NASA astronauts to and from the space station. “NASA always has contingency options," he said.

And the Falcon 9 has issues and is grounded. Call Moscow.

Open Thread...

 ... very busy. Go at it.

America Doesn't Do Real War...

 ... period. The reason it doesn't do real war is because she doesn't know what it is. Because she doesn't know what real defense is, apart from tropes of "national interests", "we need to fight them there, to not fight them here", "democracy" and other bullshit to cover up expeditionary and imperialistic nature of the US military.  So, Gregory Daddis asks a reasonable question and raises a proper issue:

While much of the book is heavy with dense, analytical prose, “How Much Is Enough?” still asks useful questions that remain relevant for us today. How well are DoD budget practices aligned to U.S. foreign policy objectives? Are spending ceilings logical or “arbitrary”? Are some military services “entitled” to a certain percentage of the defense budget, and, if so, why? What is the relationship between spending on social programs versus national security? Perhaps most importantly, Enthoven and Smith argued for a “central plan” to drive resource requests and avoid duplication of effort. Once more, they encouraged spending criteria that supported the “national interest.” In evaluating forces structures and strategic mobility, weapons systems and nuclear stockpiles, analysts always had to keep in mind a central question: “for what purpose?”

Well, the issue, of course, is WHAT IS American nation and how its "national interests" are formulated? I agree--US "defense budget" is nothing but a jobs program and defrauding of the US economy. Moreover, I agree, that for all this spending the US continues to fall behind technologically and is incapable of REAL, as in large scale combined arms operations. Condescending references to "peer" or "near peer" warfare is an absolute BS. What is not a BS--it is inability, especially at the political level to grasp what COFM is. 

Senator Roger Wicker--a lawyer and a journo who was JAG, who penned this somnambulic BS in NYT in May...

America’s Military Is Not Prepared for War — or Peace

... has about zero grasp on how wars are planned and executed. JAGs, especially with "degree" in journalism are not educated on the virtues of Combat Effectiveness, Combat Stability and Force Designs. But these are crucial in order for him to understand why the United States lost the arms race and why the "rebuilding of the US Armed Forces" as he puts it this way will be mostly about "more cowbell"--same BS about replicating the TOE from 1990-s, the attempt to repeat the halcyon days of beating the crap from people who cannot shoot straight. And Daddies concludes the piece with seemingly common sense: 

In 1971, Enthoven and Smith were asking similarly hard questions because they believed it served the nation’s best interests. Undoubtedly, Senator Wicker feels similarly. But it’s worth voters engaging in this moment when the wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East seemingly demand more, more, more. Of course, we shouldn’t underestimate the threats we face. But surely now is the time to ask both our presidential candidates, “how much is enough?”

What can I say, the whole US military thinking is not about real wars, it is about who gets what domestically. It is a gravy train, for now. But changes are coming. In fact, they are already here.

My Latest...

 ... Le Monde didn't do its homework. They never do. 

 

Larry Wilkerson...

 ... is spot on. Which also buttresses my constant point--the US as it exists today is not governable, and is not living in reality, including neocons who dominate Biden Admin and all of who, without exception, are military and foreign policy amateurs and dangerous ideologues.

 

There Goes All The Command...

 ... of the 63rd motor-rifle brigade of VSU.  I also have to correct myself from yesterday--Iskander carries 700 kg, not 500 kg warhead. 

Keep in mind also that Iskander's warhead can penetrate deep underground. So, most of the action is undeground. Keep also in mind that Iskander could be upgraded through some minor additions to fly way-way above its present range of 500 km. We are talking couple of thousands. Well, my new video should come up soon...

Mayor Of Moscow...

 ... decided to stop the charade and...

Мэр Москвы Сергей Собянин подписал постановление о переименовании площади Европы, расположенной вдоль Бережковской набережной неподалеку от Киевского вокзала. Новое название площади Европы – площадь Евразии, следует из документа, передает ТАСС. Площадь Европы открылась в 2002 году как символ единения континента, это был общий проект России и Бельгии, передает РБК.

Translation: Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin signed a decree renaming Europe Square, located along Berezhkovskaya embankment near the Kievsky railway station. The new name of Europe Square is Eurasia Square, follows from the document, TASS reports. Europe Square opened in 2002 as a symbol of the unity of the continent; it was a common project between Russia and Belgium, RBC reports.

Europe is an existential enemy of Russia and Russian people. It is akin to naming some square in Moscow after Goebbels. Of course, I do not mean that ALL Europeans are Russia-haters, but significant majority are. West's "elites" in general still view Russians as subhumans and have a visceral hatred of Russia on a genetic level. But here is another reason for renaming--Europe is fast becoming the peninsula of an incomparably larger Eurasia and it is not just geographic in nature--economically the fate of Europe is decided and you can see it here, again:

That pretty much sums it up and this trend cannot be reversed for Europe, because without real industries and machine-building complex, which EU sheds like crazy, there is no future. As some astute commenters suggested--there are plenty of dead-ends in Moscow, why not name one dead-end after Europe. Indeed, sounds fantastic--Europe's dead-end.

In related news: ah, yes, DEI hires... 

Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned from her post after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Cheatle stepped down one day after she testified to a congressional committee about law enforcement failures during Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. She has faced widespread calls for her resignation in the aftermath of the attack, where one rally attendee was killed and at least two other people were critically injured. A joint letter from both Democratic and Republican leaders on the House oversight committee called for her to step down after Monday’s hearing, where lawmakers were repeatedly frustrated by her inability to provide detailed answers about the Secret Service’s actions that day, with one Republican lawmaker telling her she is “full of s***”. In her testimony, Cheatle said the shooting was “the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades”.

No shit, pardon my French. The whole world laughs at this "most significant operational failure" and it was a sheer luck that former and, highly likely future, POTUS hasn't been killed. While at it--check the background of the US Navy's CNO Lisa Franchetti--it is a wowser. My condolences to the US Navy.

Garland, Scott and Yours Truly...

 ... today. Soon. 

IMPENDING DOOM - THE END OF UKRAINE - SCOTT RITTER AND ANDREI MARTYANOV

For some reason blogspot cannot find the video on UTube. Strange. 

Totally Expected...

... Mr. Iskander decided to visit an interesting site and voila'... nice catch. 

A missile strike has destroyed a temporary deployment point housing Western instructors and mercenaries, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The Russian Defense Ministry has shared a video apparently showing a missile strike on a temporary deployment center near the city of Kharkov in Ukraine that supposedly housed Western “instructors and mercenaries.” Some 50 foreigners are said to have been killed in the ballistic missile strike, which was conducted using an Iskander-M system, the ministry said, noting that the facility was located in Dergachi, a town in Kharkov region. The strike comes as Moscow has repeatedly warned that any foreign military personnel operating in Ukraine are considered legitimate targets for Russian strikes and would be relentlessly eliminated.

Here is the video. 

Then, rumor has it, some Spanish Colonel (Ret.) informed that there have been visits to US, British, French and Spanish "advisers" near Odessa, but we have to wait for Russian MoD confirmation. 

Meanwhile, British military continues to parade itself as a joke and: 

Britain must be prepared to fight a war in three years’ time and double the lethality of its army as the separate threats of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea come to a head, the new chief of the army has warned. Gen Sir Roly Walker, the chief of the general staff, told reporters that the west faced “an axis of upheaval” with increasing military ambition and that a conflict involving one of the countries could lead to “a significant detonation” in another theatre. The UK and its allies had to be ready “to deter or fight a war in three years”, he argued – a deliberately stark judgment based on China’s hostility towards Taiwan, Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Russia’s militarisation as demonstrated by its invasion of Ukraine.

Yes, sure! I wonder which battalion will UK send to fight Russia or China. That will be hilarious. But here is what British General Staff is:

Although Russia was embroiled in the war in Ukraine, and on current trends its forces would, Walker said, take “five years to grind their way through” to capturing the eastern Donbas, at a cost of 1.5 million casualties, the country’s history had shown it could bounce back.

A bunch of illiterate clowns, but take a load of this:  

Walker was born on 14 May 1970 in Nairobi, Kenya, to Patrick Walker and Daphne Walker (née Armour). Following his father's death, his mother married Frederick Conyngham, 7th Marquess Conyngham in 1980. He was educated at the Dragon School, a private preparatory school in Oxford, and then at Harrow School, an all-boys independent boarding school in London. Sponsored by the British Army as a university cadetship officer, he studied at the Royal Agricultural College, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. He later studied at Cranfield University, graduating with a Master of Arts degree.

He took the one year-long "advanced" course here, which is a euphemism for British military to get some sort of military credentials enough to "fight" people who cannot shoot back. Real war? I doubt anyone in this "Advanced" Command and Staff Course has any idea what modern command is on real battlefield, but, hey, leave it to British to bestow a shitload of meaningless awards and titles to nincompoops, who would fail the first year in any serious military higher education Russian officer college, not to speak of Services War Colleges let alone the Academy of General Staff, but sure--the guy was in Iraq, that must count for something, right? With his background in agriculture and Masters of Arts degree, I am positive he is precisely the material UK military needs to lead it into a complete irrelevance. They are almost there, as is United Kingdom as a country.

Why They Will Learn Nothing...

RUSI is becoming a sort of a joke, a very British one. COFM rules geopolitics and war. The times of great British mathematicians and engineers trying to solve warfare puzzles are over. What you get is Sir Radakin or BoJo--both clowns. Warfare is hard, it requires serious background. In related news, Russia's economy is booming. Somebody (from the West) finally decided to figure out why. Per Biden and DNC... well, the question is how many MUST go to prison. 

To Conclude The Weekend...

Anton finally started to upload music with some art. You heard this piece Nero (Neron) already...

Russia Is About...

 ... to unleash... Tatar robots!!

That's the force the world has never seen before... ;))
 

Yeah, As If...

 ... the United States didn't sustain enough humiliation and destruction in the last eight years, yes Trump's sabotage by Democrats included.

President Biden announced Sunday that he was pulling out of the 2024 race following a weeks-long pressure campaign from fellow Democrats that began in earnest following his much-criticized debate performance in late June. “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down," Biden said in a statement posted to X. He added that he plans to address the nation later this week, but made clear that he intends to finish out the last three months of his term in office. In a separate post following the announcement, Biden wrote that he is endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, to be the Democratic nominee for president. "Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump," he wrote. "Let’s do this."

So, at some point of time even morons should have started asking questions about why their, morons that is, life got worse, much-much worse in the last few years. Well, as much as I cannot stand GOP BS, Democrats are a national disaster for the US. Both contributed, of course, throughout decades of utter geopolitical and economic BS--well, the whole world laughs. This is American "democracy" which sustained a demented (from the get go) carcass of a man under the slogans MiniTrue would envy. It is a logical conclusion to this circus. It leaves, the new one rolls in town. 

It Is Fake...

 ... but it is still funny)))

 

Here Is Ania, Scott And Larry...

 ... discuss the events of the last week. 

Read also in comments to this video at Larry's that Scott's daughter--I assume it is Patty, a beautiful and classy young lady--will not be able to join US Foreign Service because she was blacklisted by Georgetown University and will not be able to obtain Top Secret clearance. What a clusterfuck America has become. Sad.

Visiting Barnes And Noble...

 ... I did it yesterday again, and when sipping on my latte from B&N coffee shop I usually browse periodicals such as Combat Aircraft and Air Forces. Yesterday, looking at the latest issues of both I couldn't find any so called "Ukraine-Russia War" headline on the cover of Air Forces, which prior to a demolition of the fabled "counteroffensive" by VSU in Summer 2023 have been plastered with SMO's headlines all over on the covers and inside. Enough to take a look at June 2023 issue where Tim Ripley investigated the leaks from Pentagon about air war in SMO titled State's Secrets, in which he stresses Pentagon's own assessment of Russian Air Defense being 97% effective. But in the latest issues--nothing, except for some tiny note in the "cellar" about VSU shooting down Russian TU-22M3 strategic bombers using some "long-range" missiles--the information based on... "intel" from UK Defense Ministry. That means wet fantasies of depressed amateurs with epaulets from London witnessing the true "scale" of UK as a nation and as a military (lack of) power. 

Except, of course, for masturbating convulsions by Bulgarian NATO shill and semi-literate BSer Alexander Mladenov who made a career for himself writing about things based on "data" supplied by VSU. So, the guy decided "to learn lessons" of air war in 404 based on "data" most of which is nothing but Ukie wet fantasies. It is difficult to explain to a graduate of a one-year (1996-97) so called "reserve" officer of Artillery and Air Defense vocational school in Sofia that masturbating to Top Gun: Maverick and "studying" air war records such as in... Afghanistan, against mighty Taliban's air defense and air force is not exactly a good foundation for combat study and operational assessment of... anything, but Mladenov continues to collect BS from Ukies and spread it as a fact. You cannot fix a Bulgarian нищеброд (a beggar with a pauper's concept of a wealth) who gets patted on the back and enjoys being anything but military professional. But that's the issue of which I speak non-stop. 

So, Mike Krupa sends me today the link to Quincy's Institute for the so called Responsible Statecraft with three "experts" Lieven, Beebe and Episkopos doing what they usually do in US so called "intellectual" circles of humanities credentialed and dumbed down individuals who want to be military analysts but have absolutely no background required for that. So, they produce (how predictable) a "paper" naturally titled: Right-Sizing the Russian Threat to Europe. Needless to say, it is a wowser. A collection of tropes, while exposing lack of any awareness of modern warfare by people none of who, even CIA's own Beebe, have basic tool kit for grasping balance of military power and how it is formed, as for Lieven--he is a pathetic BSer with own agenda. So, these three find nothing better than grab Radakin's BS and this table of linear nominal numbers:

Obviously, none of them has any clue about how Correlation of Forces and Means (COFM) is calculated, how strategies are developed and operational planning is done based on real data sets--all of which are highly classified--not some media BS and none of them having any clue and feel of Russian military environment. They cannot understand it, least of them Lieven, what "harmonization" in the coalition warfare is and why NATO's TOE is a joke--it is the TOE and operational concepts based on propaganda BS from Desert Storm and "optimism" of people who never saw and experienced real war. So, it is more surprising that after loads of BS they (come on, Beebe was a cadre CIA, after all) arrive to a semi-coherent conclusion: 

In short, the threat of war between Russia and NATO is quite real, but not because Russian leaders have any desire to initiate a war of conquest against the West.

Why did they need to produce this "paper" only to quote what was repeated by Russian political top non-stop beats me. Moreover, this trite "conclusion" misses the whole point--Europe is irrelevant, while the American military mythology has been utterly destroyed. Because of that, the processes of which anyone with a half-brain warned about for many years are beginning to manifest themselves in the most profound way. Instead of pasting BS military data, these three should be thinking now about how to approach the thermonuclear financial bomb of the US national debt and what will happen with the US as a country once it explodes. And, please, Mr. Bacevich, hire somebody with real military background to write strategy papers on Russia for your "Institute"--make sure they are not from D.C. area and preferably are not from the cesspool of the American "Russia Study" field. I am sure grants to your institute will cover this. But then again, it is only my friendly advice. I will discuss this "paper" with my friends from Russian military--they periodically need some laughter, pseudo academic fraud is a good subject for that. 

General Cavoli Rewrites Warfare...

 ... and plans for a new counter "offensive"--meaning finishing off what's left of VSU and US military reputation. 

 

Now You Know...

 ... why planet Venus is in such horrible conditions. 

The stars above and on Earth aligned as an inspirational message and lyrics from the song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” by hip-hop artist Missy Elliott were beamed to Venus via NASA’s DSN (Deep Space Network). The agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California sent the transmission at 10:05 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 12. As the largest and most sensitive telecommunication service of NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program, DSN has an array of giant radio antennas that allow missions to track, send commands, and receive scientific data from spacecraft venturing to the Moon and beyond. To date, the system has transmitted only one other song into space, making the transmission of Elliott’s song a first for hip-hop and NASA.

In related news, Starliner and two astronauts are still stuck in space. How about NASA instead of gimmicks tries to do something about this slowly unfolding disaster. Like offering a ride... ah, wait. I see. It is slowly coming to this, so what's the plan? Will somebody call Moscow? Not that it guarantees anything but it is better than abuse of already uninhabitable Venus.

A Notable Article...

 ... by Swiss Army officer Lt. Colonel (Ret.) Ralph Bosshard about rewriting of the history of the WW II by the West. It is in Russian, but it is worth reading.

Недавно я в Швейцарии принял участие в дискуссионном мероприятии, посвященном Второй мировой войне, на котором со вступительным докладом выступил белорусский коллега. Было интересно наблюдать за реакцией примерно 60-80 присутствовавших журналистов, историков и преподавателей: информация о страданиях белорусов в 1941–1945 годах была для них новой. Они не знали ни о трагедиях Озаричей и Хатыни, ни об операции «Багратион». Они едва ли знали о бесчисленных преступлениях, совершенных немецким вермахтом — не только СС и гестапо.  Причина этого ясна мне как военному историку: после 1945 года военно-историческая служба армии США наняла большое количество немецких генералов для написания истории только что закончившейся войны. И господа воспользовались возможностью, чтобы приукрасить свою роль, выдумать сказку о том, что немецкий вермахт всегда сражался честно, и объяснить, почему они — на самом деле якобы превосходящие противника солдаты — все же потерпели поражение от Красной армии. Многие из них остались верны своим национал-социалистическим убеждениям и по-прежнему считали солдат и офицеров Красной армии «недочеловеками». Их самооправдание на протяжении десятилетий определяло историографию немецкоязычных стран. И сегодня этот дух вновь определяет репортажи о российской армии и о войне в Донбассе.

Translation:  Recently, in Switzerland, I took part in a discussion event dedicated to the Second World War, at which a Belarusian colleague gave an introductory speech. It was interesting to watch the reaction of the approximately 60-80 journalists, historians and teachers present: information about the suffering of Belarusians in 1941-1945 was new to them. They knew neither about the tragedies of Ozarichi and Khatyn, nor about Operation Bagration. They hardly knew about the countless crimes committed by the German Wehrmacht - not just the SS and the Gestapo. The reason for this is clear to me as a military historian: after 1945, the US Army Military Historical Service hired a large number of German generals to write the history of the war that had just ended. And the gentlemen took the opportunity to embellish their role, invent a fairy tale that the German Wehrmacht always fought honestly, and explain why they - in fact, supposedly superior soldiers - were nevertheless defeated by the Red Army. Many of them remained true to their National Socialist beliefs and still considered the soldiers and officers of the Red Army to be “subhuman.” Their self-justification shaped the historiography of German-speaking countries for decades. And today this spirit once again defines reporting on the Russian army and the war in Donbass.

Read the whole thing (use Google Translate)--it explains HOW the so called "military history" in the US has been rewritten and what is taught, with some minor tweaking, in West's military academies. Then, do not be surprised with Pentagon's "planning" which delivered in 404 one disaster after another for VSU and an army of its "supporters" from primarily NATO countries. You recall, I hope, a review to my first book, which is largely dedicated to WW II, left by US officer about lies about WW II permeating West's historiography. So, follow the link and read. 

Open Thread...

 ... really busy with the house. Go at it...

SSGN Fishing))

Gives some idea about the size of Oscar-IIs (pr. 949A) SSGNs. Open the "lids" of missile containers and fish)). 

Gives a whole new meaning to taking a boat for fishing;))
 

And This Is News Exactly How?

 NYT reports: 

Ukrainian troops have lost a hard-won position on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, near the southern city of Kherson, after months of bloody fighting to hold on to a piece of land in what some Ukrainian soldiers and military analysts have described as a futile operation. The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday night that fighting continued on the eastern bank but that most of the main positions in the village of Krynky, where its troops had gained a foothold, “were destroyed by intense, combined and prolonged enemy fire.” The statement came after several Ukrainian news media outlets reported that Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from the village, which now lies in ruins.The operation to establish a bridgehead on the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnipro had been controversial from the start. 

Well, this whole disaster has been planned from the start as a fantasy and PR action, and it was part of the "plan" by NATO "specialists", who, yet again, paraded themselves as operational level amateurs and fantasists, who believed that Krynky bridgehead could be somehow instrumental in a catastrophic "counter-offensive" in Summer 2023. This is a work of amateurs in NATO. VSU, however lost thousands there and some 800 VSU personnel are also counted as MIAs. In general, the whole "counter-offensive" thingy encapsulated clearly a cultural abyss between West's and Russian views on war. Krynky is just one episode in a larger drama of NATO's military incompetence. In the end, no NATO military person, top-bottom, ever experienced sustained, long-range fires--they simply don't know what it is. So, even Kiev regime admitted today that it is over. And it is.

Europe Is Getting Back...

 ... to its roots. 

Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade, which includes fighters from the notorious neo-Nazi Azov Regiment, has announced plans to embark on a tour of EU countries. In two separate posts on Facebook last week, the unit said its service members would travel to nine cities in Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania in late July and early August. Participants at the events will be able to speak with Ukrainian soldiers to learn “the truth about serving in the brigade” and hear stories from the front lines, one of the posts said. One of the tour’s goals is to encourage more people to take part in the fight against Russia, either directly or indirectly, the other post stated. Attendance at the events costs around €20 ($22) depending on the location. The 3rd Assault Brigade was officially formed in early 2023. It includes many members of the neo-Nazi Azov Regiment, widely suspected of multiple war crimes, which has been fighting in Donbass since 2014, when hostilities erupted in the region following a Western-backed coup in Kiev.

The only thing which surprises me is why France is not on their itinerary. It would be be interesting to see how fast Paris will fall. By the same token, they should visit London and Sandhurst--you know, to explain to British Army what real war is. I am sure Europeans will be delighted. Did USMA at West Point submit the request? They should... Ah, wait Oh, Canada! 

Good destination, let me tell ya...

My Two Good Friends Talk...

 ...

 

Bean Counting...

... may help.  

In related news, "destroyed" (in imagination of NATO "experts") SSK Rostov-on-Don completed most of the repairs, is afloat and will join the fleet soon. Ouch...

Nima And I...

 ... spoke yesterday. I stressed again that nothing much will change in the US foreign policy and all US "strategies" are a kindergarten level ruses based on a complete detachment from reality. Even with Trump. I'll talk about it in my video today. The only positive in possible Trump Admin is that it will start bean counting which indicates certain degree of rationality. Russian-American relations are ruined for good, Russia doesn't trust the US but also knows that behind the bluster the US is in no position to demand anything.