Simple Comparison.

 Again, it is direct. 

And very imprecise when it comes to Russia, because Russia's numbers are much larger, plus it doesn't compare Combat Potentials and Combat Capability. Combat Capability is a REALIZED Combat Potential. Once qualitative measure is introduced, the whole NATO (US included) looks rather pale in comparison. To put it mildly. I see no point for Russia to have any meaningful relations with Germany (Europe as a whole) because this nation is an enemy of Russia and Russian people. Germany must be kept aware that if it does something stupid Russia can finish it off even without nukes. And yes--I am sick and tired hearing about successes of AfD. It changes nothing and AfD is a primarily former GDR's political power. Western Germans will go again and elect imbeciles and Nazis. Germany made her choice. So did Russia. 

VLADIVOSTOK, Sep 2 — RIA Novosti. Germany's decision on the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin jeopardized the work of at least the German diplomatic mission in St. Petersburg and the Goethe Institute, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on the sidelines of the EEF. "Not only," Grushko said, answering the question whether Germany has created a threat to the work of its Consulate General and the Goethe Institute. He noted that Germany has embarked on the path of escalation, and did not rule out lowering the level of diplomatic relations with this country. Grushko said that a complete break in diplomatic relations with Berlin is not currently being considered, but there are no limits to degradation in this area.

Not just "elites", German people as a whole are enemies of Russia. Anecdotal evidence to the contrary is just that, anecdotal. 

It Is Too Late, Radek.

 Your only skill is in giving BJs. So, you and your szlachta  ilk are now going to live with supporting the butchers of innocent Polish women, children and men. 

ANKARA, July 8 – RIA Novosti. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski advised the head of Volodymyr Zelensky's office, Kyrylo Budanov*, to "restrain emotions." On Monday, Budanov* said that he did not rule out a new escalation in relations between the Ukraine and Poland as the anniversary of the Volyn massacre approaches. "I spoke about this speech (Budanov * - ed.) yesterday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. It seems to me that it is better for Ukraine to restrain emotions," Sikorski said.

Budanov, in this respect, is absolutely correct--404 will continue to do in Poland as it wishes and considering the "professional" level of Polish security apparatus (I read some of their "thoughts") Poland better brace herself for terrorism, lawlessness and national humiliation because this is what happens when you betray oneself. 

Scott reposted his piece from three years ago--at the time when the US Army finally revealed its pathetic level of operational planning and sheer unprofessionalism (Donahue, Aguto--yes, that's you, plus some others) with the vaunted "counter-offensive" it planned and conducted including even on the tactical level  of battalions and even companies. 

For Anne Applebaum, this offensive is an answer to her prayers. The Polish-American Pulitzer Prize-winning historian has for some time now been calling for such an action, a decisive blow by the collective west and Ukraine against a Russia she characterizes as autocratic and dangerous. The lessons of history have been shunted aside in favor of her feverish lust for Russian blood. Killing Russians, Applebaum believes, is the only way for the civilized west to show the Russian nation—autocrats and automatons alike—that the price for regional hegemony is too high for the Russian people and their government to bear.  

Applebaum is no historian--she is a fanatical Zionist ideologue, an academic fraud from Ivy League (Yale) degree mill(s), and she is the wife of Radek Sikorski. So, it is from this explosive mix of delusion and centuries old butthurt (and control by London) that Poland contributed mightily to a catastrophe which also is beginning to affect Warsaw on a personal level. And Warsaw will get more humiliating insults from her "ally" in 404 because official Warsaw deep down is fine with Nazis. 

Yes, Poland doesn't want to remember that Hitler and Pilsudski have been good buddies and the first Non-Aggression Pact in Europe was concluded between Poland and Germany in 1934, aka "Hitler-Pilsudski Pact". But let the bygones be bygones, right? As long as somebody kills Russians Warsaw will be fine, even if it has to perform a fellatio on genocidal maniacs. 

No, Colonel ...

 ... Germany is not "roaring back". 

I understand your affiliation with Germany, but Germany's economic reality is such that it will be reduced to a second world (already in progress) status at best, at worst--it will cease to exist if Berlin will continue with its policies. The "roaring back" has no foundation in real life and indicators are all over the place. 

Secondly, these were not "wrong weapons", these were the ONLY weapons the US has and they are not only wrong, they are utterly ineffective. So are strategies and operational concepts of the US Armed Forces. Media PR campaigns never produced impression on Russian military with beating third rate Iraq and especially "operations" in 2003--largely due to, and you guessed it, buying out corrupt Iraqi generals by CIA. Real wars are fought differently, on a completely different bases of real productive economy and serious approach to war planning. This is completely absent from the US military machine since Vietnam. But I agree, it is a tectonic shift which started once the bluff has been called. 

Doubling Down.

It is both rot and rut and it cannot be changed. I am not talking about literal inability to most of the US military operating with scales--most of them cannot wrap their brains around actual, not fake, production numbers of weapons by Russia--but also with technological development. As Army Times reports: 

In line with the president’s ambition to construct a “Golden Fleet” — an expanded Navy with a new line of Trump-class battleships as its centerpiece — more than $65 billion would be allocated to procure 18 warships and 16 support ships. This represents the largest shipbuilding request since 1962, officials said. When it comes to the evolving battlefield, the Pentagon is slated to make an unprecedented commitment to drones and the systems designed to counter them. $53.6 billion would be earmarked for autonomous drone platforms and contested logistics, while another $21 billion would be reserved for munitions, counter-drone technologies and advanced systems like the Collaborative Combat Aircraft and MQ-25. The department is also seeking to commit $64.5 billion toward developing next-generation munitions systems, including missiles, armored vehicles and helicopters. The package encompasses systems such as Patriot and THAAD interceptors, Precision Strike Missiles and the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle.

This is rather remarkable--doubling down on systems which in reality deliver NO new capability. THAAD? Seriously? A legacy system with an excellent (and defenseless) radar and shitty interceptors designed to "catch" SCUDs. Golden Fleet--a collection of fat prestigious targets in real war? Precision Strike Missile? A better guidance iteration of ATACMs--what war this military is getting ready for? We all know which one--money laundering. The plan for continuous obsolescence with some buzz words--Collaborative Combat Aircraft or autonomous drone platforms--sprinkled  for  better effect in Knesset 2.0. Mindboggling. This all is a result of sheer military incompetence and corruption. Germany also issued her "strategy" till 2039. Russian military sustained heavy casualties (hernias due to Homeric laughter) after reading it. I speak about it in my latest video. 

Oh, Please!

Some German globalist shill spewing BS to war criminals in WaPo. Cry me a river, moron--your country, Germany, is over and it has been like that for a while now. 

Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the German parliament from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union, said the exclusion of Europe and Ukraine from the meeting in Alaska meant the end of the West, in the sense of a collective alliance of the United States, European Union nations and NATO allies. “‘The West’ as an emotional or ethical term — it’s over,” Kiesewetter said. “That’s my main concern.” His other fear, he added, is the fate of Ukrainians.

A fucking Nazi whose country played a critical role in killing West in the 20th Century, who still cannot overcome an acute anal disturbance over Nazism being rolled back to where it belonged--destroyed streets of Berlin. Just take a look at the background of this German "officer":

After passing the German Abitur examination in 1982, Kiesewetter joined the German military artillery forces. From 1983 until 1986 he studied economics and organizational sciences at the Bundeswehr University Munich and the University of Texas at Austin. From 1995 to 1997 he attended the German General Staff Course at the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr in Hamburg, being awarded the Heusinger prize for the best German graduate.

He should have been awarded the Heisenberg Uncertainty Prize for being simultaneously a "military" officer and being a moron in military affairs. We know what they "teach" in all those NATO military "courses". Yet, here we are--they squeal. I like it. Read my lips--Europe is irrelevant. 

This Is Not Exactly News.

 And the issue is not just pathetic level of German political class, it is the fact that the soil is very fertile. So, those seeds sprout really fast and bear serious fruit. 

The German leadership is stoking anti-Russian hysteria in Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, commenting on recent statements by senior German government and military officials. Berlin adopted a hardline stance toward Russia after Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office in May. Earlier this month, he declared that diplomatic options in the Ukraine conflict had been “exhausted” and reaffirmed his commitment to arming Kiev. He also demanded that Russia pay at least €500 billion ($540 billion) for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Asked to comment on recent statements by German officials, Peskov said: “Germany is… whipping up hysterical Russophobia,” and “tries to play a leading role on the European continent” with regard to demonizing Russia. “They are doing everything to create the image of an enemy out of our nation.” Moscow “deeply regrets” the fact that Berlin pursues this policy and “spends vast resources” on it, Peskov added. “This is certainly not in the interests of the European people.”

Germany is merely returning to her natural state, which is being existential enemy of Russia and Russian people. It is not just "leadership"--it is a huge portion of German society which fits in its worldview two mutually (but very German) exclusive traits--being cuckolds and feeling militant towards Russia. In this respect, they are back to good ol' pattern of Russian Asiatic untermensch and, of course, those hundreds of billions of German women "raped" by those Asiatic brutes. 

Never Forgotten.

And yes, forgiving was a mistake. It was, in the end, Germany's and Germans' choice, not Russia's. It is a powerful speech by Maria. I suggest you endure it to the end. NATO's military doctrine and US Army's views have been written and shaped by Wehrmacht generals. Russians remain untermenschen for huge swaths of German society and Germans want revenge. 

Germany is lost and Russians know what is coming, listen attentively to what Zakharova says. It is chilling in its inevitability and it is speech with no hope in it for Germany. 

Sure, He Merely "Asked".

 Now there is a bit of conundrum for Donnie. 

(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump asked Volodymyr Zelenskiy whether Ukraine could strike Moscow, an inquiry that the White House says was merely a question but one that came hours after he voiced frustration at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to accept a ceasefire in the war. During a July 4 phone call with the Ukrainian president, Trump quizzed Zelenskiy about whether Ukraine could hit the Russian capital and St. Petersburg if given US long-range weapons, according to a person briefed about the conversation. Zelenskiy replied that it could if the US provided the weapons, the person said. Asked about the details of the call, which were first reported by The Financial Times, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. He’s working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war.”

I wonder what does this situation remind me of? Hm? Ah, yes, the handling of Epstein files--nothing to see here, folks--move along, move along. But if Trump didn't know that the only way 404 can TRY to hit Moscow (a dubious proposition, considering Moscow's AD) ONLY if the US provides say JASSM-ERs with 1,000 km range. There is so much to unpack here. Imagine a neighbor going to find a hitman and "merely" asking if he can kill you? Nah, just the neighbor is just asking, no hard feelings. BTW, how much is to off somebody? Again, just asking, nothing to it. And no, Karoline, Trump doesn't know what real work is or what does it mean to be a statesman. He doesn't care about "killing". 

Per clowns from Paris, meanwhile. I made a video about this:

General Thierry Burkhard, France’s chief of the defense staff, claimed on Friday that Russia considers France its “main adversary” on the continent, citing Paris’ military support for Ukraine. “It was Putin who said this,” Burkhard declared to reporters. Jean-Dominique Merchet of L’Opinion newspaper was among the first to challenge the claim. He said on social media that he had contacted the General Staff and was told Burkhard’s remarks were a “turn of phrase” and were not based on an actual statement by the Russian leader. Instead, the military referred to a Russian public opinion poll conducted by state pollster VTsIOM in April, which found that 45% of respondents viewed France as having tense or hostile relations with Russia – up sharply from previous years. 

Don't worry, the percentages are growing steadily. Because of that--a superb piece about Germany and Germans by a journalist who knows Germany intimately for many decades and correctly points out: Descendants of Nazis continue war against Russia (in Russian). She also touches upon the role of such people like Solzhenitsyn who worked tirelessly to "explain" to his audience about Russian Mordor and half-a-billion victims of GULAG. Nay, a billion--no less than that. She notes:

The descendants of the Nazis look at us not only through the eyes of their ancestors, but also through the eyes of our “political refugees,” “non-warriors,” and foreign agents, who inspire hatred towards us no less than Goebbels’ propaganda.

Read the whole thing (let the Google Translate be with you).

P.S. Donnie, ask Pentagon if Russia can strike Washington D.C. I guarantee, you will be surprised.

The Congress Of Die Linke...

 ... political party. That's Euro "left" for you. 

Basically, the West's "left" today is tightly connected to all forms of perversion which are wrapped in the left's traditional rhetoric about social justice the fulcrum of which, as you may have guessed it already, is in... well, perversion. Obviously, such parties being the extension of a political manipulation apparatus of the Euro oligarchy are disposable and have zero instruments to influence the establishment of any kind of real social justice which lies primarily in economic field and the fate of the productive forces of the society. Yes, this includes this proverbial working class and people who actually contribute to society.

The Phrase Of The Week...

 ... from James Kunstler. 

Why the European members of NATO wanted to go along with this nickel-plated clusterfuck is an abiding puzzle of history now, like who exactly bumped off JFK in 1963. Germany, the Euro club’s biggest economy, stood by listlessly while America blew up its supply of affordable natgas (the Nord Stream pipelines), which was an act of war by us against Germany. Apparently, Olaf Scholz went to our CIA station in Berlin for a haircut one day and came out with a lobotomy, staring blankly through the whole affair like a Hinterwälder steer on the killing floor. Meanwhile, goodbye industrial economy! Nice knowing you. Looks like it’s back to the fourteenth century, living on rough black bread, sleeping with the cattle under your house for heat in winter, fighting jihadis inside your town walls. . . .

Indeed, looking at modern Germany one begins to wonder what level of sheer idiocy have been those people brought to. Here is the fresh example--this is Germany's "opposition", mind you. 

The German government should stop providing social benefits to Ukrainians, senior MP Thorsten Frei said on Sunday. He argued that the move would incentivize Ukrainian men to return to their home country and join the army amid the conflict with Russia. Frei, the deputy head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the Bundestag, accused Ukrainians of fleeing to Germany in order to avoid mobilization at home. “While everything is at stake for Kiev in the face of the brutal Russian attack, many Ukrainians in this country who are able to defend [their homeland] are ducking out of it,” Frei told Funke Mediengruppe. “We should be honest: the benefits… to war refugees are providing completely wrong incentives.”

At this stage German way of thinking strikes one as that of the aliens from a wonderful movie Dark City in their quest to understand humans' soul. Obviously, due to their alien race not having one. But then again, show me a single German politician today who is not corrupt or with family blood which doesn't desire revenge on Russia. It is not surprising that it was former GDR's Leipzig which booed Rod Stewart and his pro-404 escapades, while Berlin was OK with it. It is, indeed, Dark City in Europe. I am not sure about XIV century in Germany, but it sure will be immediate post-WWII economic state (say early 1950s) for Germans with some toys like internet and smart phones added to ease the dawning realization of who and how brought this once thriving country to its knees.

Why Germans Do This...

... Germans are buying real estate in Kaliningrad and NOT because it is merely a former Konigsberg. No, they buy it because they move back to Russia where, as I write about it for years, they will be met with open arms as natives. 

ТАТЬЯНА ТАРАНЦОВА, ВИЦЕ-ПРЕЗИДЕНТ ГИЛЬДИИ РИЭЛТОРОВ КАЛИНИНГРАДА:

— Поток клиентов идет из Германии. Они приезжают здесь, покупают квартиры в Калининграде, курортную недвижимость. У очень многих есть родственники в России, они оформляют просто на граждан Российской Федерации. Многие говорят о том, что многие хотят переехать и жить здесь. Собираются открывать фермерские хозяйства, пасеки, вести сельское хозяйство.

Translation: TATYANA TARANTSOVA, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE GUILD OF REALTORS OF KALININGRAD: — The flow of clients comes from Germany. They come here, buy apartments in Kaliningrad, resort real estate. A lot of people have relatives in Russia, they simply apply for citizens of the Russian Federation. Many say that many want to move and live here. They are going to open farms, apiaries, to conduct agriculture.

Funny how history works. Generally, any normal Christian root person, even the "atheist" (yes, you can be one) is welcome. 

Here are Germans going back, because they are normal people (sadly, in Russian only). OK, here is Lora from California who dominates Krasnodar blocks, LOL))
 

Granted, Krasnodar Krai IS California. And here is the issue--I do not advocate for anything. Each morning I get up and look at my mountains and Pacific Northwest and I reflect on a beauty of a nature and people who USED to live here. Today it is different, but I always say, we still live by what surrounds us. It is also a difference in human experiences--I, as well as my family, we are entranced by Montana or Wyoming, not least because after a few hours of drive you face mighty Pacific. Krasnoyarsk Ergaki or Altai are as beautiful, but no ocean anywhere near. It is complicated. I always need a big water. 

But here we are:

Or Sabrina finally getting her citizenship:
  

Life is complex, yet, it is very simple beyond the realm of ignorant masters of discourse and it is about what once was written based on a fundamental civilization law--life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. How strange that it doesn't apply to a country which gave it to the world. But then again, for years I stated--Russia is an Arc.

No, It Didn't.

But WaPo continues to spread lame 6th grade level stratagems... pardon, I mean BS. 

The US devised a plan to commit M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in order to provide “cover” for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was reluctant to send the country’s own tanks to help Kiev, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing more than a dozen people familiar with the matter. Relying on sources “on both sides of the Atlantic,” the report details how the White House struggled to win over Scholz who initially resisted delivering the Leopard 2 tanks to fight Russian forces in Ukraine unless the US agreed to commit the Abrams. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Pentagon reportedly were against sending American main battle tanks that they believed would be too difficult for Ukrainians to operate and maintain.

LOL, the US cannot devise a plan how to run anything anymore, let alone come up with at least believable excuse. There was no any "cover" for anything BUT:

1. By announcing the delivery of Abrams tanks, naturally by means of promising them in the "future" and with "sensitive" equipment removed, the US pursued the aim of deploying German Leo-2s.

2. The "promise" made on the Hodja Nasreddin's principle that either the king will die or the donkey, after Nasreddin promised to teach donkey to talk (famous tale The Guarantee). 

3. There was no "cover" also because Germany is run by cowards headed by liver sausage Scholtz, so convincing looked liked this: do or else...

4. This proverbial "else" happens anyway because Germany will send Leo-2s to 404, they all will be annihilated, together with grossly overblown German engineering reputation and that... drum roll...

5. Will allow the US to penetrate Germany's arms market with "much better" Abrams tanks, which by then have avoided being burned in industrial quantities in what remains of 404, and that will mark the end of large portion of Germany's military-industrial complex.  

So, in essence the US did provide "cover" for Germany if one views it as a cover for the coffin of a huge chunk of German industry. 

If you go 6 years back in this blog, you may recall this piece I wrote, it has a symptomatic title: Follie De Grandeur Or Why Bundeswehr Will Remain A Joke. 

But in the end, with all my deep respect to German people and for their massive accomplishments, some of which I admire myself, it has to be understood that modern economy and modern war is not what German journo hacks think they are. All those indices and wet-dreams fly out of the window once one has to face a very cruel reality in which Germany remains and will remain a large economy and military-political midget, who will never again make any trouble in Europe big time. But by far the most important thing those German media imbeciles have to understand that Russia has no plans whatsoever to "attack" any NATO country, let alone Germany whom Russia can obliterate by purely conventional means, let alone, if, God forbids, push comes to shove, by nuclear means. But the way things are happening now, Germans themselves do a hell of a job turning their country into a third world shithole and they, maybe, are already pass the point of no return. In this case they will have to try to "equal" something more of their own size.  

Remember? And it is now too late for Germans to recognize that they are nothing more than a lunch. But, they made their own choice and it is Germany's only, time to lay at the altar has come. In related news, Russia gladly receives back many Russian Germans and even German Germans--Russia loves decent and hardworking people. Remember great late Meat Loaf? 

In the land of the pigs the butcher is king:

Look at them now
What do they want?
And what do they do now?
Nothing at all!

What do they know?
What do they think?
And who do they tell?
Well, no one at all!

Lives are truly meaningless
And we are busy being blessed

With that we can take and pocket
No one needs to know
We're is the plug and they're the socket
Give us the juice and we'll go

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the animals sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!

How do they sleep?
Their lives are so tart
Bring me the trash collectors
'Cause they're nothing but trash

What do you expect?
They've got no standards
So we lower the bar
'Cause they're waiting for us

We'll open up Pandora's Box
Pandora gave her keys and locks

They're the big dogs waiting for their mother
Come to the confessional
So I can tell you all to bugger off
There's no time like now!

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the animals sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the market-place sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king...

And we'll do it our way
It's our time to play
We know what to say
They stand in our way
Don't stand in our way
No time like today

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the anthems we sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the animals sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the chosen ones sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!

Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells? Prophetic, eh? It's TIME!

Schroeder Goes To Moscow And Other Items.

Herr Schroeder is in Moscow, as Spiegel reports.

Gerhard Schröder hält sich in Moskau auf. Nach SPIEGEL-Informationen soll es dabei um Gespräche zu Gaslieferungen durch die Pipeline Nord Stream 1 gehen. Er reiste via Baku nach Russland.

Translation: Gerhard Schröder is in Moscow. According to SPIEGEL information, the talks are about gas deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. He traveled to Russia via Baku.

Well, not so fast. Even considering Schroeder and Putin's long and friendly relations, the issue is more than just the ability to sustain Germany's economy, which, mind you, decided to kill it completely on its own. Russia didn't elect globalist elites in Germany, Germany did, and the time of excuses is over--once you made your bed, you must sleep in it. There is, of course, a possible twist to this NS1 "issue", which is, indeed, to a large degree technical--one must do maintenance of turbines--but there is a Nord Stream 2. Remember? The one which was shut down by cowards in Berlin under US pressure? 

Germany surely can atone for her behavior by finding a spine, since NS2 is already filled with gas and has, surprise, surprise, Russian-made turbines which do not require going outside Russian jurisdiction and can be easily maintained. Get it? NS 1, however, delenda est. Well, for now, anyway, until remnants of Ukraine exist. Which brings us to this ever important issue of "strategery" and promised "offensive" by VSU. Let us go to RUSSIAN definition of OFFENSIVE which sounds from good ol' Great Soviet Encyclopedia (taken from Military one) as such:

Основной вид военных действий, осуществляется с целью разгрома противника и овладения важными рубежами или районами. Противник уничтожается огнем артиллерии, ударами авиации и другими средствами поражения, атакой танковых и мотострелковых войск. Обычно создается многократное превосходство в силах и средствах над противником на направлении главного удара. Перед Наступлением Проводится огневая подготовка атаки, а в ходе Наступления Огневая поддержка и огневое сопровождение наступающих войск..  

Translation: the main type of military operations carried out with the aim of defeating the enemy and capturing important lines or areas. The enemy is destroyed by artillery fire, air strikes and other means of destruction, and attacks by tank and motorized rifle troops. Usually, a multi fold superiority in forces and means over the enemy is created in the direction of the main attack. Before the Offensive, fire preparation of the attack is carried out, and during the Offensive, fire support and fire escort of the advancing troops ..

Simple, isn't it? I can only quote my friend Colonel Trukhan in his assessment of Pentagon's "planning": "they are not going to out-think us". I agree with this and the Pentagon strategy from the get go was based on a completely false narratives and ignorance of Russia and her military thought. The idea from the inception was: by means of constant feed of Ukrainian cannon fodder and with supplies of Western technology, to ИЗМОТАТЬ--TO WEAR DOWN--Russian Army and while prepositioning of NATO forces at the Western borders of Russia. Boy, those generals in Pentagon, obviously, still live with their Al Bundy's "four touch-downs" in high school football moment of having more than half-a-year of prepositioning with impunity superior forces against third rate Arab military. They never, obviously, studied Russian operations, which by far surpass anything US Army ever saw, in WW II. Otherwise they would get a hint that Russians WILL always maintain strategic reserves, not just military, which WILL always allow the swing of any operation--be it offensive of counter-offensive to defeat any combination of forces. 

So, now that Pentagon saw itself how real wars are fought and it dawned on it that 90% of Russian forces are held in reserve, those "planners", known for their military "art" from "glorious" Afghanistan "victory", begin to scratch their heads trying to remember that operations (and wars) are planned:

1. Using combat effectiveness when calculating a required force size (наряд сил) for specific objectives. And that is based on great ISR and ability to calculate REAL correlation of forces. This task was successfully FUBARed, traditionally I may add, by all those generals and spooks, who are still reliving their fifteen minutes of fame after beating a three-year old kid in the sand-box in 1991. 

2. OFFENSIVE consists of STRIKES. Russian definition of STRIKE is this:

Удар (воен.) Удар (военное), непосредственное воздействие на противника средствами поражения и войсками с целью его уничтожения и достижения стратегического, оперативного или тактического результата. Различают У. войск (сил флота), ракетные, авиационные (бомбовые, бомбоштурмовые), артиллерийские, торпедные, а в случае применения ядерного оружия ? ядерные (ракетно-ядерные). Время, порядок нанесения У. в бою или операции и использование их результатов согласовываются между всеми силами, выполняющими общую задачу. Войска (силы флота) при выполнении боевой задачи могут наносить удары на нескольких направлениях. Одно из них, имеющее решающее значение для разгрома противника и выхода в район конечной цели операции (боя), является направлением главного У. На направлении главного У. создаётся решающее превосходство над противником в силах и средствах, обеспечивающее его поражение. Для нанесения главного У. создаётся ударная группировка войск (сил флота). В ходе боя и операции направления главного У. и вспомогательных У. могут изменяться. В зависимости от характера действий противника и времени нанесения У. он может быть ответным, встречным или упреждающим. По оперативному замыслу и способу осуществления У. войск бывают рассекающими, дробящими, концентрическими (наносятся по сходящимся направлениям); по выполнению частных оперативно-тактических целей ? демонстративными, ложными, отвлекающими.

Translation:  Strike (military) Strike (military), direct impact on the enemy by means of destruction and troops with the aim of destroying him and achieving a strategic, operational or tactical result. There are strike troops (naval forces), missile, aviation (bomb, bomb assault), artillery, torpedo, and in the case of the use of nuclear weapons nuclear (rocket-nuclear). The time, the order of applying Strikes in a battle or operation, and the use of their results are agreed upon between all forces performing a common task. When performing a combat mission, troops (naval forces) can strike in several directions. One of them, which is of decisive importance for defeating the enemy and reaching the area of ​​the final goal of the operation (battle), is the direction of the main Strike. In the direction of the main Strike, a decisive superiority in forces and means is created over the enemy, ensuring his defeat. A strike group of troops (naval forces) is created to execute the main Strike... In the course of a battle and an operation, the directions of the main Strike and auxiliary Strikes may change. Depending on the nature of the enemy's actions and the timing of the execution of Strikes it can be retaliatory, counter, or preemptive. According to the operational plan and method of implementing strike troops are dissecting, crushing, concentric (applied in converging directions); to fulfill partial (limited) operational-tactical goals, demonstrative, false, distracting.    

These are ABCs any junior officer fresh from any military academy knows and which are universally understood and that is why there could be NO "offensive" on part of VSU around Nilkolaev or elsewhere because even when one considers every reserve Pentagon desperately tries to assemble for VSU, including pouring what it can in terms of weapons, advisers and training another 10,000 of Ukie cannon fodder in Poland, the only thing they may hope for is STRIKE by VSU with very limited tactical-operational objectives for, at present time, merely a PR effect designed to cover up Pentagon's sheer incompetence in a face of real armed forces, and in desperate attempt to bite Russians somehow in a barely hidden rage. I know, this is the feeling of a guy who looks at the girl who is way out of his league. 

Of course, the other funny thing is that you cannot concentrate forces without being detected and, of course, VSU, even with all Western support, cannot achieve ANY strategic objectives on the front with the length of more than 2,000 kilometers and is reduced to mere limited strikes. But Pentagon's woes do not stop here, apart from shock from the very limited Russian force taking part in SMO, a true revelation for them is a stunning really degree of effectiveness of Russian Air Defense. It is stunning. Even when one considers the fact of, inevitable in the conflict of such intensity, "leakers". We will know the percentage of "leakers" (enemy missiles which do reach targets past Air Defense) after the conclusion of SMO but it is already clear--it is very low. I will go out on a limb here and will "guess" that we are looking at the effectiveness of Russian Air Defense against ALL types of targets: Tochka U, HIMARS, other MLRS in the vicinity of 80-85% at least. Probably, closer to 90%. In aircraft, probably around 95%. 

For NATO forces which are being assembled in Europe it means only one thing: levels of attrition of their strike weapons and combat aviation which dash any hope of achieving any meaningful objectives. It also means levels of attrition of the ground forces which no NATO country, with the exception of Germany, has any experience with. So, I guess back to drawing board Pentagon, right? Don't hold your breath--professional jealousy is a strong motivator which is destructive more often than it is constructive. And we observe this destruction of the US Armed Forces in real time. It is not just a "wokeness", however baneful, which kills US military--it is Patton syndrome, when mediocre general who never encountered a serious Wehrmacht force at its peak demonstrated what Atkinson in his foreword to Patton's memoirs described as: "the creeping arrogance, the hubris, which would cost the American Army so dearly in Vietnam." 

The US continues to suffer from this syndrome now across the board, being mired in its exceptionalist delusion, but it is warfare where this rot manifested itself so profoundly and so dramatically. For the force which convinced itself that it is "the greatest fighting force in history", while losing all of  its wars, this trial by tactical, operational, strategic and technological realities could be a final blow before final collapse of its fake edifice. 

In related news, Russia will abandon ISS and:

MOSCOW — Russia will hold wide-ranging military drills in the country’s east as it continues regular troop training despite the action in Ukraine, Russia’s military authorities said Tuesday.The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Vostok 2022 (East 2022) exercise scheduled for Aug. 30-Sept. 5 will involve troops on maneuvers at 13 firing ranges of the Eastern Military District. It added that units of Airborne troops, long-range bombers and military cargo planes will also be involved in the war games.The ministry said troops from unspecified foreign countries will participate. Russian and Chinese troops took part in a series of joint military maneuvers last year, reflecting increasingly close military ties between Moscow and Beijing. The ministry rejected allegations that it’s mobilizing forces to beef up the its forces in Ukraine, noting that “only part of the Russian military has been involved in the special military operation.”

You can bet your ass on Chinese taking part in those games. There is so much to incorporate in combat training protocols. Right, we all know, Russia is out of troops and ammo, that is what Pentagon tells us, wink, wink;)

Larry Doing Larry's Thing. Great Analysis.

Especially against the background of Ukie Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov suddenly discovering one million strong army in 404 and announcing (right, I kid you not--he announced it) the coming counter-offensive to retake South. I don't know what kind a potent shit they are taking now in Kiev, but thankfully Larry Johnson is here for us not to scratch our heads in vain, trying to understand what Kiev is up to. So Larry opens:

The average person trying to decipher the meaning from the daily briefing of the Russian Minister of Defense (aka MOD) is likely overwhelmed by the long list of Ukrainian military units being hit and the variety of weapon systems employed against the Ukrainians. Let me break it down for you. I have taken the liberty of putting the identities of the Ukrainian units and their locations into a spreadsheet. The result is eye-opening and, I think, will help you grasp what Russia is doing.

Then he proceeds with some numbers based on Russian MoD. And he concludes correctly with this:

Russia is playing its cards very close to its vest. While the MOD briefings provide a handy laundry list for tracking the kinds of losses the Ukrainians are suffering in men and materiel, Russia is not telling the full story of the devastation they are unleashing on Ukraine’s military. But the goal set by Putin–i.e., demilitarization–is being realized. Up to this point Russia has not targeted the command headquarters of Ukraine’s military in Kiev. If the U.S. and NATO persist in ramping up the weaponry they send to Ukraine, Russia has the ability to hit the top level command posts. If Russia does this they will likely kill and wound U.S. and other NATO officers. Russia has avoided launching such an attack, but if U.S. supplied weapons continue to kill civilians in the Donbass Russian patience may reach its end and they will send a devastating message.

I also want to stress, again, that bar some obvious high-end involvement by Russian combat aviation, stand-off weapons, obvious state-of-the-art ISR and artillery, it is clear that by now the bulk of fighting on the ground is performed by LDNR forces and Russia's National Guard (Rosgvardiya) and main forces, are being held in reserved and are used very sparingly. So, I guess Ukie 1 million-strong army is about to get acquainted with all the firepower of Russian Army, wink, wink. 

In related news, somebody started to circulate the picture allegedly from Germany, stating that more and more similar banners appear all throughout Germany. Can our German friends confirm or otherwise this? I understand it is not a mass phenomena, but if thousands of Poles marched in Warsaw with slogans demanding Poland quit NATO and join BRICS, one would assume that Germans, especially Eastern Germans, might have their own view on current German government, about which Mark Chapman did a good write up today. So, here is the photo:

It asks Russians not to mix ordinary Germans with their lying media and insane government. Most Russians don't, but still... as in O.Henry's Roads of Destiny.  

No Shit, "Geniuses".

You all know my attitude towards Western "analytics" in both military and economy, I make it patently clear all the time. Here is another case of Duh!

Amid an exodus of Western European and U.S. companies from Russia, Chinese businesses are seeking to take their place, Bloomberg reported this week, citing unnamed sources in the know.  It was only a matter of time, really. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does business. Chinese business, in addition to this, is quite pragmatic, unlike its Western counterparts and competitors. So, once BP, Shell, and pretty much everyone but French TotalEnergies left Russia in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, Chinese energy firms owned by the government started considering moving in.

I spoke about this today too. Sadly, it seems MacDonald's decided to reverse its earlier decision to move out of Russia and Russians are now stuck with this obesity-inducing institution. But there is a logic in MacDonald's decision--move out of Russia, scores of others are already waiting in the wings to take your place. Both Russian and international. Only people who haven't been to Russia or know literally nothing about her--primarily Western journos and "intelligence" community--they should understand that neither China, nor Turkey, not India are letting this huge lucrative market to slip through their hands. Moreover, China, while leading the world in some civil technologies, is staying with Russia to also "harvest" some other Russian technologies, including extraction and aerospace among many others, where Russia leads the world. 

And then, of course, there is energy, agriculture, tourism (enter Turkey) and some major civil construction projects. Most Westerners still cannot grasp that the edifice of Western "prosperity" has disintegrated, and that the combined West long ago stopped being this "It" thing in most fields. As the example of France shows, some begin to grasp it. Here is some news (I spoke about it today) from Germany:

DUESSELDORF, March 10 (Reuters) - A spike in electricity prices has forced small German steelmaker Lech-Stahlwerke to halt production at its plant in Bavaria, the German state's only steel works, a company spokesperson said on Thursday. "We are shutting down production on a daily basis," the spokesperson said, adding that power price developments would be closely watched to make short-term adjustments. "Production is not economically viable."

Well, this is just the start. I have a "secret" to divulge--most of Europe's economy is not economically viable, because it is unsustainable in general and Russia DOES NOT depend on EU anymore. Especially with many others gladly trading with Russia, while the combined West literally goes to hell with increasing speed. Even my beloved Pink Floyd (great musicians, ignorant politicians) decided

Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour announced that all of his solo music, as well as all of the progressive rock band’s pre-1987 catalog, will be pulled from streaming services in Russia and Belarus on Friday over the conflict in Ukraine. “To stand with the world in strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the works of Pink Floyd, from 1987 onwards, and all of David Gilmour’s solo recordings are being removed from all digital music providers in Russia and Belarus from today,” said a statement posted on the band’s Twitter account. The US and most of its allies have denounced the Russian offensive, enacting widespread economic sanctions against Russia. Many international organizations and private businesses followed suit, banning Russian athletes, canceling cultural events and ceasing cooperation.

It is always regrettable when people of art get involved in politics while having zero background in politics related fields, but Pink Floyd were first, while I hoped to see U2 relieving Russia of their over-hyped and grossly overrated music. Well, what can I say, there is nothing more ironic than multi-millionaires (I believe Pink Floyd's catalogue is worth many billions) trying to be righteous. What combined West doesn't get yet is that it is over for it. No, make no mistake, financial markets will continue to function, stocks will trade, somebody will even make some small fortunes playing with currency, but one fact remains unchanged--Europe will (it is already in progress) lose its manufacturing industries due to competition and high energy costs and this is not changing. The Brave New World is upon us and those in the West who didn't understand it will feel it soon or, as this hapless steel company from Germany found out--you cannot cheat nature and laws of physics. You simply can not, no matter how you try. 

I will address the issue of an abject failure of the main masturbation subject for fanboys and military porn lovers--Ukie UAVs--in a dense air defense environment and with fully operational air force later. Many people do not understand that this was predicted and I wrote extensively on this issue, such as this, a year ago: 

As for Turkish dramatically overrated UAVs' operations against what turned out to be a grossly outdated and untrained Artsakh air defense, and Turkey having, in reality, a rather mediocre military force when faced with determined and experienced enemy--Turkish operations' collapse in Idlib in 2020 once Syrians pulled in their good ol' Osas and Buks is an exhibit A of Turkey's military limitations. 

In general, it will be fascinating to discuss how ignorant militarily people are when buy into military porn not understanding what is behind all this "shiny" military technology operationally. As Andrey Raevsky pointed my attention today to this link (found out at Colonel Cassad's site) with a pseudo-military psychobabble by some Ben Connable:

Updated: Russian Occupation of Ukraine Troop-to-Task Estimate

I begin to wonder why this Boris Rozhin posts this amateur BS on his site, but then again, I am on record--the guy who promoted mentally unstable Girkin (Strelkov) and never served a day as a cadre officer (in fact, he never served at all), guess from three times why I never defer to him or his resource. But on the subject matter of article--this "professor" of security studies better learn the actual situation on the ground in 404 and stop applying irrelevant lessons from the 20th century. Not to mention the main fact of Russia having no intentions of occupying Ukraine, not to mention the fact of inevitable formation of militias in liberated areas which will deal with counter-insurgency primarily. But that is just a side note. But in the end, have a nice weekend and partake in a lighter side of war:

No need to know Russian. There is a lot of really good stuff being posted nowadays on this issue. Enjoy while you can, Orwellian reality is upon us.

Saturday Primer.

Russian Army took yet another military base in 404. Here is the video from Russia's MoD. 

As was expected, Nazis didn't allow civilians to use humanitarian corridors opened by Russian Army because they need human shield. The offensive resumed. Not to be forgotten--thousands upon thousands of foreign visitors and students are held hostage by Ukraine's nazi formations. India alone has around 1500 students held hostage in Kharkov (in Russian). So, this is what Russian Army has to deal with. A familiar pattern, don't you agree? 

Putin spoke bluntly about the whole ordeal and confirmed what we already know that VSU ceased to exists as armed forces and is mostly a collection of separate formations surrounded in what amounts to Wehrmacht's "festungs" of the Red Army's Operation Bagration of 1944, when the whole Germany Army Group "Center" was demolished in a matter of two-three weeks. After five weeks Red Army reached Warsaw. Some parallels could be drawn here, but only some. 

On the economic front the French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire who declared a total economic war on Russia now sings a different tune and suggests to French companies not to make haste with abandoning Russia and really just put things on "pause" (as Le Figaro reports) and wait and see (summary in Russian). Right, and why not, now that Germany is beaten into utter submission and Russia begins to impose restrictions on Russian exports, French have brighter perspectives. Turks also said FU and refused to introduce sanctions on Russia. India herself is now under the threat of the US sanctions--just a small detail. India also insists on removing the US Dollar in trade with Russia. Good idea. Per Germany committing suicide and living in delusion:

Most Germans support sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, even if the measures lead to energy supply bottlenecks and increase the cost of living, according to a survey by infratest dimap commissioned by public broadcaster ARD. A total of 66 percent of Germans are concerned that the Russian invasion of Ukraine will lead to cuts in German power and gas supply. An ever higher percentage of Germans, 69 percent, are concerned there will be another major war in Europe.Despite the concerns of reduced gas and power supply, 68 percent of Germans support sanctions against Russia, the survey found. Sixty-six percent support sanctions even if they lead to high energy prices and cost of living.

It is Orwellian reality there and while clueless narrative-mongers from Foreign Policy rag try to cheer Scholz and Germany (in a best BS-spreading tradition of this magazine), reality for Europe, of course, is dramatically different and it doesn't look good for the combined West. I omit here discussing the issue of military aspect--at this stage I know only of a handful real military experts in the US who are prominent in the public space, the rest are clueless parrots, such as a cabal of authors at The Foreign Policy, who fail to grasp what is going on now. No surprise here. These are just a few thoughts for Saturday.    

There Is Very Little Intelligence In House Intelligence Committee.

Especially when we are talking about its chair Adam Schiff who in normal country would have been removed and prosecuted for his role in Russiagate. I know, I know, he is still hard at work trying to finish his "investigation" into Russia "subverting" US democracy. 

Russia is “very likely” to invade Ukraine and might only be deterred by “enormous sanctions”, the chair of the US House intelligence committee said on Sunday. Adam Schiff also said an invasion could backfire on Moscow, by drawing more countries into the NATO military alliance. “I also think that a powerful deterrent is the understanding that if they do invade, it is going to bring NATO closer to Russia, not push it farther away,” he said.

It is obvious by now that US politicking is conducted only in PR space and for the "benefit" of the gullible public, especially when dealing with foreign relations, but in case of Adam Schiff there is no denial that his only claim to anything related to "intelligence" is his persecution of some FBI guy, or, following famous layman's analogy--he understands music because his father was a piano mover. In other words, apart from useless degree in political "science" and him, more useful, being a lawyer, Adam Schiff wouldn't know the difference between, as I often say, LGBT and BTG. So, at this stage he is nothing more than a purveyor of the rumors and a peddler of utter strategic and operational BS for the benefit of a larger agenda rooted in partizan politics in D.C. and which has no relation to the actual national interest of the United States nor the majority of the Americans. 

In other words, apart from being a person of a lowest moral character, a fanatical neocon, he is also a pathological liar, which factors greatly in his "character". While Schiff's traits are the dominant traits of America's elites as a whole and I am on record that many of those people are sociopaths and some are outright psychopaths. So, this creature now "expects" Russia "invading" Ukraine. Under the "very likely" (rings the bell?) term it means that, if to assume that he, indeed, conveys some rumors percolating inside the US "intelligence community",  I have to admit that there is very little intelligence in this community. Judging by the "stellar" results of actions of this "community" ranging from Iraq, to Afghanistan to Syria, among many other places, one has to start questioning not just competence, of which is very little there, but sanity of people who continue to destroy the country. Adam Schiff is an Exhibit A of a complete degeneration in human and professional terms of the American political class.

But in the end, the United States is so desperate to both unload 404 on Russia and use any pretext to unleash "sanction of death", which for Russia will be nothing more than temporary inconvenience at the worst, that any means are used to make Russia invade the territory Russia has no use for nor desire to take on her balance. At least not now, or in a foreseeable future. In related news:

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is hoping to turn a page in relations with Moscow, and expects to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by the end of the month, according to a report from Berlin's top tabloid. On Monday, Bild claimed that Scholz sees relations with Moscow as a top-tier foreign affairs priority in spite of calls from some members of his governing coalition for a more confrontational approach to Russia. The newspaper said that the 63-year-old is aiming for a "qualified fresh start." However, Berlin has officially yet to confirm any top-level meeting of this type, with the German Embassy in Moscow also unable to verify the report. What is known, however, is that the chancellor’s foreign policy adviser will meet his Russian and French counterparts this week. Scholz’s reported attempts at a new détente with Moscow may prove unpopular with his coalition partners, particularly the Green party, which is strongly pro-US/NATO and hostile to Russia. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economy Minister Robert Habeck are known to want Berlin to adopt a more hardline anti-Russian stance.

My personal opinion is that the new Germany's government is nonfunctional from the outset and some people in it are downright insane and utterly incompetent, but that is the trend across the whole combined West and it is very pronounced. 

P.S. I am currently sick as a dog, initial thought was that it is Covid, but my daughter tested negative twice. I think it is a very nasty cold and today I felt slightly better to type this post.