Larry On What Matters Today.

Including explanation on FBI's raid of Scott's home today. 

The United States, Israel and Ukraine Are Shooting themselves in the Foot

Also read the piece by former FBI agent on FARA Larry provided. People think it is Israel-related. 

Larry, LOL)))

This a completely new one for me, LOL. A perfect hyperbole for Michelle Obama's prospects as Biden's "replacement". 

She is not a charismatic person. Her show on Netflix was a bomb. Frozen potato salad in an Eskimo igloo would attract more flies than Michelle.  

I cannot stop laughing from this, while the analysis Larry provides re: Trump, RINOs and DNC is very good. But... LOL)) Tomorrow Vera, Larry and me should be live. I'll post the link once Vera posts it.

Larry Mauls Two "Scholars". And Two Magazines.

I actually feel same exasperation as Larry does. The depths of sheer stupidity and incompetence in the West which have been revealed to us with SMO are truly unparalleled.  

I read this stuff so you don’t have to. Shout out to Gary in Austrailia who flagged this tripe to me. Emma Ashford and Kelly A. Grieco are two chick academics who do not know a damn thing about military operations and capabilities. Geez. This article is just another Dumb and Dumber episode with a dash of Ground Hog Day tossed in. Emma, who is is a Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, and Kelly, who is a Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center, a Nonresident Fellow with the Marine Corps University’s Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Future Warfare and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, should be banned from the classroom. Their article in Foreign Affairs, How Ukraine Can Win Through Defense — A New Strategy Can Protect Kyiv and Stop Moscow From Winning, is another desperate attempt to make chocolate mousse out of horse shit. Can’t be done and it certainly is not palatable.

Read the whole thing at Larry's blog. 

Excellent Piece of Naval Analysis From Larry.

The issue is covered really well. 

It looks like the United States, along with 9 allies — Great Britain, Italy, Bahrain, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain — are on the verge of entangling itself in a new Middle East quagmire as an international armada assembles in the international waters around Yemen. The mission? Stop Yemen from threatening cargo and oil tankers headed to Israel. Tiny Yemen has surprised the West with its tenacity and ferocity in attacking ships trying to ferry containers and fuel to Israel. Yes, this is a violation of international law and the West is fully justified in trying to thwart Yemen. On paper it would appear that Yemen is outnumbered and seriously outgunned. A sure loser? Not so fast. The U.S. Navy, which constitutes the majority of the fleet sailing against Yemen, has some real vulnerabilities that will limit its actions.Before explaining the risks, you must understand that the U.S. Navy is configured currently as a “Forward-Based Navy” and is not an “Expeditionary Navy.”

The logic of Salvo Model and the issue of a leaker are well known to Houthis. I am sure Iranians did their due diligence in educating them that in the real missile exchange it is not that difficult to reach saturation threshold for enemy's air defense. You saturate it with cheap drones and low-cost subsonic missiles and you count. Same way as Dirty Harry Callahan did counting rounds. Or, if Houthis feel lucky and get the series of coordinated salvos, then they can hit opponents' ship even without those ships running out of SM-6s. So, there you go. Recall late brilliant great Captain Wayne Hughes:

Read the full title of the book and keep in mind--all of it has been predicted and these are just Houthies.

Excellent Summary From Alastair Crooke.

Moscow's visit summary. 

The hostility shown by Europeans towards the Russian people (and not just to its governance) has pushed Russia to ‘be itself’ again, which has been to its great benefit. Nonetheless, the shift gives rise to a certain tension: It is evident that western ‘hawks’ are always scanning the Russian scene in order to locate a host within the body politic in which to insert the spores of their weaponised New Moral Order — their purpose being to wedge into, and fragment, Russian society. Inevitably then, explicit western cultural attachment does raise a certain caution amongst the mainstream ‘patriotic current’. Those Russians (mostly in Moscow and St Petersburg) who lean toward European culture do feel tension. They are neither fish nor fowl: Russia is moving towards a new identity and ‘way of being’, leaving the Europeanists watching their landmarks recede. Generally, the shift is viewed as inevitable, and as having brought about a real Russian renaissance and sense of confidence.

Read the whole thing at Larry's blog.

Oh, What A Speech Larry Gave...

 ... in Moscow today (yesterday)! 

[The following is the written speech I presented today at gathering of patriots from different nations keen on saving the world from nuclear destruction. The topic that brought us together is, “multipolarity and the implications for the futures of Russia and the United States.” I will be interested in your reaction.]

In keeping with my status as an American, let me begin my remarks by complaining. to my hosts. How dare you bring me to such a beautiful, clean, safe city that is resplendent in light, vibrant with commerce and populated by cheerful, friendly souls? You have ruined New York City and San Francisco for me. I was accustomed to U.S. streets contaminated by human waste and sidewalks filled with homeless people. Many who are anesthetized with illegal narcotics. Finally, I must reluctantly raise a grievance with His Holiness, the esteemed Patriarch Kiril. How are we expected to talk about a world savaged by war and poverty after touring the Sretensky Monastry? An architectural jewel of such beauty and peace. We experienced the palpable presence of God. I must say, that is a tough act to follow.

Read the whole speech at Larry's Blog. What a speech by a true American patriot! 

About Tribunal.

The real one, which is already in a preoperational stage, because a bunch of Kiev Regime Nazis have been charged and sentenced for their crimes in Russia. I spoke about the issue of justice for war crimes of 404 and its curators today with Ania. And here we are today:

Repeatedly targeting civilians and first responders in Donetsk with US-made HIMARS missiles was a deliberate crime, for which both the Ukrainian government and its Western sponsors will be held accountable, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council on Wednesday. “Yesterday’s attacks killed 6 and injured 55 people, including three children,” Nebenzia said at the emergency session of the UN body, calling it “yet another flagrant violation by the Kiev regime of the norms of international humanitarian law and further evidence of its purposeful actions to destroy the civilian population of Donbas.”

What does it mean, then, "to be held accountable" in relation to "Western sponsors"? Very simply, many their names and positions either in West's military or intel orgs are well known. Their identities are also well known. Here Nebenzya elaborates:

“These are conscious and cynical crimes that have no statute of limitation,” the Russian diplomat said, adding that Moscow will hold responsible not just the “Kiev regime” but also “Western countries who flood Ukraine with weapons and – as we are well aware – also approve targets of the strikes.”

Cannot get any clearer than that--for starters they will be charged with war crimes in absentia. Unlike BS of ICC in Hague, the names, the identities of those charged will be announced and charge will be not just of being responsible for killing, torturing, abusing, ethnically cleansing of Russophone population of 404, including torture and execution of Russian POWs, but in crimes against humanity. Now, once one considers that Washington and London's "war planning" and "command and control" are directly responsible for the deaths of between half-a-million and a million of VSU personnel, with one million of them maimed--guess from three times, how many of those people and their relatives and friends would want to settle accounts with those who are directly responsible for this horror? 

Well, for starters those whose identities will be disclosed and charged, will have to tread very carefully beyond the borders of their respective countries. But, considering the fact that neither the US nor EU know the meaning of national borders and how to defend those, even confining oneself to a what seems as safe location will do very little when one will have a number people who will be after them and, remarkably, will require no additional stimuli to settle accounts. FSB or SVR with G(R)U wouldn't need to move a finger, disclosure of identities by Ukraine War Crimes Tribunal and charging in absentia will be enough. 

As I am on record, most of those who "advised" Kiev Nazis--primarily from UK and the US, but not exclusively--do not have an appropriate organ, the mental and moral tool kit--to grasp the scale and the gravity of their crimes. It is one thing to kill Skripal's cat and do the false flag with chemical weapons somewhere in Syria or Iraq, totally another to be responsible for the largest war in Europe since WW II with millions of casualties. It is one thing to ran from Afghanistan, totally another losing the largest war since WW II to a country which is a nuclear military and economic superpower with wherewithal to do what it considers necessary. Or as Mr. Lavrov conveyed it today:

The country is in no rush to resume engagements with the West anyway, according to Sergey Lavrov    

Do you get the picture yet? They chose very wrong people to fuck with, and compared to Wehrmacht and RSHA they all look like amateurs. 

Meanwhile, Larry reports:

While the world’s attention is focused on the war raging between Israel and Hamas, the military confrontation between the United States and Hezbollah is heating up. Since the Hamas attacks on 7 October and the subsequent retaliation by Israel, U.S. military bases and outposts in Syria and Iraq are facing daily attacks with rocket, missiles and mortars. I learned today from someone who regularly visits Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland that the wards are filling up with U.S. military personnel wounded in recent attacks on those bases. The White House and the Department of Defense are working actively to suppress this information, apparently out of fear that the American public will recoil at news of the losses and step up pressure for the United States to get out of Iraq and Syria.  

Some people in this blog asked if it is wise for Hezbollah to disclose that they have, unlike HAMAS, BTW, serious weapon systems such as anti-shipping missiles. There is no secret in it, just recall this:

INS Hanit which was struck in 2006 with C-701 AshM, while much heavier and deadlier C-802 failed to lock on Hanit and struck some other vessel. So, it is nothing new for Hezbollah to be armed with much heavier weapons, including unconfirmed full blown missile air-defense complexes, than HAMAS--after all, Iran has a very advanced military industry. So, it is getting curioser and curioser(c) out there.

Excellent From Larry.

Great summary. 

Israel Cementing Its Reputation as a War Criminal, U.S. feeling the Heat, and Hezbollah Responds

This photo, is just one of many that the world sees:

There are loads of them and those are NOT Hamas propaganda--the number of killed and maimed children is stunning. This is a war crime on a massive scale by Israel. Read the whole thing at Larry's blog.

Larry's Excellent Take...

 ... on Israel-Gaza and IDF situation. 

It is one thing to drop bombs or artillery on a population without air defense or counter battery units. It is an entirely different animal to put troops on the ground to engage entrenched forces. Just ask the Ukrainians. Based on the the image above, which showed up in my spam today with a plea to kick in some cash so Israeli soldiers can buy body armor, it appears the Israeli Army is not ready for prime time. When you advertise yourself as the greatest military power in the Middle East, this is not a good look. What has Israel been doing with all the U.S. financial assistance sent to bolster its defense? I initially was inclined to believe that this was just some opportunistic grift. But then I saw the report, published last Monday, in the Times of Israel. It appears the shortage is genuine.

Read the whole thing at Larry's blog. 

 

Larry's Excellent Piece On "Intelligence" Community...

 ... I think they will never get it right until the fat lady finally sang. 

The U.S. Intelligence Community is not a monolith. It is more like a feudal society. The big three Feudal lords for intelligence analysis are the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). All three produce “raw intelligence” — the CIA’s case officers produce reports from foreigners who have agreed to work in secret for the United States, the NSA scoops up all forms of electronic intelligence (e.g., phone calls, emails) and the DIA produces reports from U.S. Defense Attaches assigned to U.S. embassies around the world. Each jealously guards its own product and the employees of these three agencies can be considered the vassals. (Gots to have a vassal if you’re a feudal lord.)

Enjoy in full on Larry's Blog. 

Larry Posted An Importnat Observation.

I  concur. 

I am more sanguine than the New York Times about Russia’s economic prospects. The war has stimulated a vast acceleration in Russia’s production of all things military. This is going to heat up the economy. Because Russia is self-sufficient in food and energy — the critical expenses that can hurt a family — the negative consequences of inflation are likely to be muted when it comes to the Russian consumers. I think the economic analysis proffered by the NY Times is based on the assumption that Russia remains vulnerable to Western economic pressures. That is no longer a valid benchmark. During the last 18 months Russia has been busy forging new economic ties with non-Western countries and establishing new trade dynamics.

At home, Russian workers have seen wages increase and Russian factories are struggling to keep up with demand. Instead of shuttering factories, Russia is building new ones and stepped up dramatically its production of tanks, combat aircraft, cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles, artillery ammunition and military vehicles. Russia enjoys one advantage the West does not — it is virtually self-sufficient in essential commodities, rare earth minerals and energy.

Here is an important point. Russia dedollarized dramatically. In mid 2010s banks would accept USDs outright, now--unless it is a brand new clean straight bill (such as $100) they will not even bother. Ruble rules and if 10 years ago you still could use USD sometimes as a payment say in taxicab, now--forget it. Only Rubles. The volatility of the exchange rate, now getting under control of Russia's CB, didn't affect overwhelming majority of population. Speculators and rich fat cats? Nobody gives a damn about them. 

The other thing of note: Western cars' service. Well, Russians simply started to produce parts themselves. No, not just buying from China, but domestic production. One of my closest friends drives (what a maroon, LOL)) 2020 Land Rover. Well, naturally he had to change both the water pump and some electric gizmo--both made in Russia. Guess what, he thanks God non-stop that these are Russian-made parts, work beautifully. Mind you, this is roughly $60,000 car. Again, when you have resources and massive machine building complex--this is all you need. And now NATO wants to freeze SMO. Well, no. SMO continues and we ain't seen nothing yet.

Some Very Good Points From Larry...

Although Popov's "story" is rather murky, it is ever big mouth Gurulev who should be looked at as a conduit for this "story", but Larry makes great point:

When it comes to the war in Ukraine, it appears that Russia enjoys a massive advantage in maskirovka because NATO lacks a coherent strategy and is under enormous pressure to pander to domestic politics. Then there is social media and the internet. It is a powerful means of shaping public opinion and confusing intelligence analysts. Western fixation on Prigozhin and the Wagner Group is a prime example. Americans and Europeans have been bombarded with stories and videos about the latest antics of Wagner. So answer this question — where is the rest of the Russian Army? The Western media rarely reports on the activities and status of the rest of the Russian Army except when a commander, like General Popov, is removed from command. What is odd about the Popov story is that he has been sent to lead Russia’s military operations in Syria rather than being cashiered. Maskirovka? Perhaps.

While Prigozhin's mutiny was a real deal, albeit barely registering on Russia's constant 24/7 planning, one has to keep in mind that this unhealthy fixation of Western media on this shyster is to a large degree driven by Western media lack of any understanding of modern Russia and modern War. Wagner has been disarmed with most of heavy weaponry and ammo, a lot of it never used in battle, returned to MoD and Western pundits including many of those from Pentagon still don't get it--Wagner is merely a storm troops group which is absolutely not designed for fighting combined arms operations. Reality of Bakhmut is a dramatic demonstration of that, with Wagner's casualties being extremely high, and if not for interference from Russian Army who covered Wagner's flanks and provided the rest of support ranging from ISR, CAS and, not least, including attaching a number of VDV units to it, the result of Wagner's Bakhmut adventure could have been a disaster, both for them and the front. 

Western pundits' masturbation to Prigozhin and Wagner also exposes their (and their owners) visceral hatred for Russians in general and Putin in particular. So much so that they are ready to believe any kind of BS grasping for the last straw in what has already shaped itself as a strategic defeat for NATO. I read today some excerpts (I do not have time to consume that much BS) from British SIS (MI6) big honcho Richard Moore. Good God, with bosses like this who needs the enemies such as SVR or FSB, they are delusional (and desperate--that's classic doublethink and it is double plus good) there to such a degree, not to mention being incompetent in forecasting, that the only thing which is left is to go and reread great English literature of the Victorian times when intellect and wit have been applauded around the world, and one couldn't remove oneself from consuming adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Well, they said the sun will never set on the Empire. Look at them now. Read Larry's excellent piece on his blog.  

Larry Wrote An Excellent...

 ... intro-retrospective on the events leading to SMO. 

The US decided to go forward with its anti-Russian campaign, with sanctions and the demonization of all things Russian.  An outside observer could relate it to the famous US attempt to change the name of “French fries” to “Freedom fries” when France refused to endorse one of the US military invasions. In any event, the US actions made it easier for Putin to begin a more general mobilization for the war effort, call up reservists, and to rapidly build up weapons output.  There were calls again from Russian supporters to speed up the war and for Russia to go on the offensive in the hope that Ukraine could be knocked out of action quickly, thus saving lots of lives and infrastructure.  The hope of this group was that it would show the West that the effort against Russia was not going to succeed and negotiations toward a new security architecture could proceed.  The opposing view was that a big offensive by Russia would enable the Western propaganda to scare the Europeans and create greater unity in NATO.  This view claims that cracks in NATO are getting wider all the time and that the EU is more and more dysfunctional—so why interrupt the enemy when he is making a mistake?

Read the whole thing at Larry's blog. 

In related news, Russian Navy continues its "weak performance" in accordance to some US "analysts" and today blew up VSU military academy barracks in Lvov. There have been 800 VSU and NATO personnel housed there. Not anymore. 

Yet another evidence of Russia "running out of missiles".

Larry On The Nature Of Polishing...

 ... the turds, which exactly what this VSU "offensive" is. 

Conventional wisdom claims the aphorism, “You can’t polish a turd,” came from sailors who were given an impossible task of trying to shine something that was dull and slippery. Someone needs to get word to General Milley about this truth. Milley, along with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, engaged in some world class “turd” polishing today (Thursday) as they briefed reporters on the results of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels.

This becomes even more profound, when Larry identifies this, quoting James Kunstler--"clusterfuck" as:

What we are witnessing is military malpractice on a colossal scale.  

Exactly. And as the facts are piling up we learn from The Man himself, that five Patriot PAC3 have been destroyed by Russia's VKS around Kiev, where they would have been naturally deployed (in Russian). And then Putin added: 

С.-ПЕТЕРБУРГ, 16 июн — РИА Новости. Истребители F-16, поставки которых ожидают от НАТО в Киеве, будут гореть так же, как горят на Украине танки "Леопард", заявил в пятницу президент России Владимир Путин. "Танки (иностранные. — Прим. ред.) горят. Несколько танков уничтожено. И это в том числе "Леопарды". И вчера было то же самое. И вчера были "Леопарды". Они горят. Так же будут гореть и F-16", — сказал Путин на пленарном заседании ПМЭФ.

Translation: St. Petersburg, June 16 - RIA Novosti. F-16 fighter jets, which are expected to be delivered from NATO in Kyiv, will burn in the same way as Leopard tanks are burning in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. "Tanks (foreign. - Approx. ed.) are on fire. Several tanks are destroyed. And this is including Leopards. And yesterday it was the same. And yesterday there were Leopards. They are on fire. Same will happen to F- 16s," Putin said at the SPIEF plenary session.

 

Actually, more than this is already burning in 404, and this is reputation of Raytheon--nearly finished by now--and NATO's concept of a Strategic Air-Space operation, because it is good only against defenseless nations. Plus, as I am on record for years now. Just one of such explanation from five years ago:

For starters all communications will be suppressed completely (OK, Ukies did encounter some of it), so will be any sensors in range. Simultaneously sustained fire impact will start into the operational depth (well, around 700 kilometers) to wreak a havoc with Command and Control, logistics, rear personnel etc. Tactically, same will occur with sustained fire impact (Iskander anyone?) and....well, let me put it this way--if that would be Ukrainian Army, by the time advanced tank and motor-rifle formations of Russian Army would start movement, the army such as Ukrainian will cease to exist as a force. 

At this stage we all know that VSU has been destroyed three times over and its C4 completely disrupted with catastrophic consequences. It is difficult to explain to average American general that in real war combat HQs of divisions or, higher level Joint Force will be detected, identified and then annihilated and nothing can stop this annihilation--zilch, nada, zero. They don't teach this in West Point or US war colleges. They don't have a grasp of that.

Larry On Neocons...

 ... and Washington. 

Kupchan, in my view, is a precise barometer of the philosophical and political ideology directing U.S. policy towards Russia and Ukraine. These people — e.g., Sullivan, Blinken, Nuland and Kupchan — really believe that Russia is an impoverished, ravaged nation barely hanging on and nothing yet has shaken them of that belief. They are convinced that if Ukraine can pull off a military miracle that Russia will collapse. This mindset is not only crazy, it is dangerous. It grossly underestimates Russia’s capability and determination to achieve its stated goals of demilitarizing and de-nazifying Ukraine and rests heavily on the false assumption that Russia does not have the economic power to sustain its military effort.

Yes, they ARE that ignorant, lacking serious professional skills required if not for genuine statesmanship at least for basic analysis. It is also, highly likely, the symptom of mass-psychosis characteristic of medieval religious hysterics by illiterate masses incapable of understanding natural phenomena.  

Larry On David Petraeus.

Frankly speaking, by now somebody should have told David Petraeues that he embarrasses not only himself, which is fine, but that his rants reflect extremely poorly on the US Army. As Larry notes, Petraeus was...

... interviewed by the Georgian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and confirms, by virtue of his responses, that he is either one of the dumbest men to ever pin on four stars or one of the most intellectually dishonest. Perhaps both.

After that Larry proceeds to methodically demolish Petraeus' "arguments", which even a lieutenant fresh from a combined arms academy would simply reject as pure military amateurism. And Larry is spot on when he points out: 

I have two words for General Dave — Iraq, Afghanistan. What major victories did he achieve in those two theaters? The answer is none. And he was not up against entrenched forces, with artillery and HIMARS, and tanks, and he failed to defeat guerrilla forces armed with assault rifles and an occasional mortar. He has never been in charge of a battle against forces using combined arms. This is just one more example of his arrogance and lack of critical thinking skills. I am not shocked by the shallowness and ignorance of Petraeus. It is those qualities that enabled him to earn four stars through his skilled practice in the art of sycophancy. And I assume that some of his proteges, who are gifted with the same degree of incompetence, are in command positions ready to lead U.S. forces into disaster.

Exactly! No American military leader has been in real combined arms war for ages. Beating the crap from backward, bought out and demoralized Saddam's Army in 2003 is NOT a combined arms, it is beating the crap from grossly, if not grotesquely, inferior opponent--nothing more, nothing less. But even here we know the result. Read Larry's excellent piece at his blog.

Which brings us to this. The American Thinker magazine noted six days ago:  

The West’s sanctions, the most severe ever imposed on a country, were meant to teach Russia the lesson that “aggression does not pay,” in the words of NATO’s Stoltenberg.  The ferocity of the sanctions, the subsequent cancellation of Russian artists and athletes in the West, and expectation of an end of the Russian Federation by political and military elites such as Former Commanding General of the US Army in Europe, General Ben Hodges, shocked Russia out of its complacency, and led it to learn very different lessons: That the West was determined to destroy it, and that its existence required it to arm itself to the teeth and end its economic interdependence with the West. The sanctions on Russia awoke the sleeping giant that had been Russia, and the West may soon be faced with the consequences.

Meanwhile, Li Shangfu is having a great visit in Russia, all against the background of Russia's Pacific Fleet showing the support for this visit. Yes, both events are coordinated, so stay tuned for the results of this visit, which, I suspect, will be extremely fruitful for both sides. Do not forget--the US cannot fight China on land, it is rather risible proposition due to its total... impossibility. But naval affairs in the region will be heating up and there is opinion out there that soon Taiwan will have issues with its chip products due to China closing the gap very fast. This has major geostrategic ramifications. Excellent Russian Sinologist Ruslan Karmanov thinks that the US is very interested in getting Japan (and ROK) into the actual shooting war with China. 10 years ago it would have been 50/50--today, no chance. As Chinese curse goes--let you live in interesting times. We sure as hell do.

Larry Found The Best Meme...

 ... for the leaks. And who can argue with that)))

Larry's proposition, certainly, has a very serious merit:

In light of the discrepancy between what Secretary of Defense Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley are telling the public and the disquieting facts revealed in the leaked cables, it is fair to assume that someone with clearances,who was disgusted by the lying, decided to blow the whistle without identifying himself or herself.Some have suggested that the Biden Administration leaked this material in a bid to rally support for more aid to Ukraine. That is ridiculous. Some of the TS material floating around the web is revealing and damaging to U.S. relations with a host of countries and organizations, such as Israel, South Korea, Ukraine and the UN Secretary General. The size and scope of the leak persuades me that this was done by someone acting as a whistleblower.I think Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley are channeling some Leslie Nielson from the Naked Gun

Exactly. Could it be just one whistleblower or could it be a group at this stage  already makes little difference because the lies in Washington now reached grotesque forms. Russians know this. Professionals like Larry, Scott Ritter, Douglas Macgregor and a few others with military and intel background also know this. This whole leaks' fiasco also testifies to the depth of crisis in Washington and, in my personal particular case, whilst writing the book, the loss of any interest in sifting through copious amount of writing on the American strategic thought, because we see real grand strategy being implemented in a front of our eyes across the globe.  And mind you, again, Russia didn't introduce reserves yet. Read Larry's excellent summary and make your own conclusions.

Larry's Excellent Elaboration...

 ...on possible Bakhmut Offensive by VSU. 

I want to remind you of a point I have made in previous pieces on the Bakhmut situation — this is not the only point of attack for the Russian side. The Russians are pressing forward on multiple fronts and forcing the Ukrainians to make some hard choices about where to deploy scant reinforcements and munitions. Unlike Ukraine, Russia has trained, experienced and well-equipped reserves near the front. The Russian responses will either confirm the claims of Western analysts, who insist the Russians are inept and poorly trained, or it will destroy that meme. A Russian defeat in Bakhmut will not alter Russia’s objectives in this war. It would lead to a shakeup in military command and a significant escalation in Russia’s use of force against Ukraine. It would buy Ukraine some time and re-energize the West’s commitment to expand support to Ukraine.

This is a must read since Larry gives some very good operational and even strategic reminders. 

Larry's Superb Summary.

Read the whole thing at his blog--it is worth it. It is short and hits it out of the ballpark. 

Understanding the Scale and Brutality and the Global Stakes of the War in Ukraine

Recommend it very strongly. 

 

Larry's Excellent Take.

It is succinct. 

Remember Superman’s iconic saying? “Truth, Justice and the American Way.” The Superman character emerged in a time of innocence in the United States when there was a genuine belief that the “American Way” was understood as a commitment to truth, equal justice under the law and fighting for the little guy. Boy, were we naive. We are now living in an age where lies are presented as “truth” and anyone who dares to speak out against those lies is accused of being either a racist or transphobic or pro-Putin. In short, a conspiracy theorist. I started thinking about this in depth in the wake of Tucker Carlson’s revelations this week about the so-called January 6th Insurrection. Before Carlson showed the actual video footage from the Capitol, the world, not just the American public, were presented with a skillfully crafted flood of propaganda that portrayed Trump supporters as violent racists who wantonly killed Capitol Hill police. That is a lie. Not a single police officer of any kind was killed by Trump supporters on January 6. Not one. Yet high ranking U.S. Government officials, such as the despicable Attorney General, Merrick Garland, continue to repeat that falsehood and no one in the mainstream media is rebutting his mendacity.

Excellent writing. A full text with the list is at Larry's blog. I am very busy today, so use also as an open thread.