Iran Clarifies and Other Business.

Iran clarified its statement on drones:

Iran has acknowledged for the first time it handed over military drones to Russia, claiming, however, that the shipments were completed before the Ukraine conflict broke out in late February. Tehran also denied claims that it had provided Moscow with missiles. Iranian state news agency, IRNA, cites Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying “This fuss made by some Western countries, that Iran has provided missiles and drones to Russia to help the war in Ukraine - the missile part is completely wrong.” The diplomat explained that the “drone part is true, and we provided Russia with a small number of drones months before the Ukraine war.”

The key point is the last phrase which describes "small number", which was most likely technical samples for study. As I continuously stress the manufacturing capabilities of Russia and Iran are simply incomparable for Russia to "buy" Iranian drones. The other subject--missiles--is altogether a BS. 

Now to a much more important business:

Находящиеся в зоне проведения Специальной военной операции на Украине отмечают, что все чаще слышат иностранную речь, которая доносится со стороны противника. На некоторых направлениях численность иностранцев, прибывших на «охоту на русских» достигает 70 %. Эксперт «МК», ветеран военной разведки, герой Российской Федерации Рустем Клупов объяснил, почему на поле боя все чаще встречаются военнослужащие, прибывши е из-за рубежа – украинские почти закончились. По словам полковника полиции ЛНР Виталия Киселева, на Луганском направлении в составе ВСУ задействовано порядка 70% наемников. Как правило это наемники из Восточной Европы, а также из Польши, Финляндии, Франции, Италии. Ранее военкор Юрий Котенок сообщал, что на рубеже Сватово-Кременная в радиоперехватах украинский стороны слышны в эфире английская, польская, румынская речь. Накануне из зоны боевых действий сообщалось, что в Харьковской области «дали прикурить» польским «туристам» - в результате боев погибло 9 польских наёмников, один получил увечья. По словам ветерана военной разведки Рустема Клупова, такое засилье наемников свидетельствует о том, что на Украине с резервом стало совсем туго:

Translation: Those in the zone of the Special Military Operation in Ukraine note that they increasingly hear foreign speech that comes from the enemy. At some directions, the number of foreigners who came to "hunt for Russians" reaches 70%. Rustem Klupov, an MK expert, a veteran of military intelligence, a hero of the Russian Federation, explained why military personnel who arrived from abroad are increasingly found on the battlefield - the Ukrainian ones are almost over. According to LPR Police Colonel Vitaly Kiselyov, about 70% of mercenaries are involved at the Lugansk direction in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As a rule, these are mercenaries from Eastern Europe, as well as from Poland, Finland, France, Italy. Earlier, military commander Yuriy Kotenok reported that at the turn of Svatovo-Kremennaya, in the radio intercepts of the Ukrainian side, English, Polish, and Romanian were heard on the air. On the eve of the war zone, it was reported that in the Kharkiv region they “gave a light” to Polish “tourists” - as a result of the fighting, 9 Polish mercenaries died, one was injured. According to military intelligence veteran Rustem Klupov, such a dominance of mercenaries indicates that in Ukraine it has become very tight with the reserve.

The conclusion is not only warranted but irresistible: VSU as a Ukrainian force is largely spent (how about 67 years old being mobilized), they simply lack even basic mobilization reserves and the war since about half-way increasingly is a war against NATO forces much of which pass as "volunteers" or "mercenaries". That also explains a decision on partial mobilization due to obvious dynamics of NATOization of operations and a necessity to have force sufficient for not only disposing of the remnants of VSU but to be able to check any NATO attempts to venture into former 404. 

Meanwhile, land-based version of 3M22 Zircon has been created (in Russian), so feel free to speculate how this thing changes the balance in Europe, especially once they will be deployed to Kaliningrad. Yet another Kilo-class (pr. 636) sub Ufa is getting ready for transfer to Russia's Pacific Fleet this month and it will be the fourth one of this class for Pacific, with fifth and sixth hulls being built as I type this. In related news it was decided to de-Kalibrize modernized Oscar II (pr. 949A) Irkutsk and arm her only with P-800 Onyx and 3M22 Zircon missiles thus preserving her dedicated anti-shipping role, with land attack being a secondary mode, and that means hunting big fat targets (CBGs) all over the world ocean. Classic Sea Denial. Together with already afloat and upcoming Yasen class SSGNs. I thought you need to keep this in mind. This is your primer for Saturday.

But It Was...

Official  London, lying as always, denies everything. Right. 

The United Kingdom has rebuffed Russia’s accusation that it orchestrated an attack on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. The statement came hours after Moscow claimed that the Royal Navy was involved in the explosions. Writing on Twitter on Saturday, the UK Ministry of Defense claimed that Moscow “is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale” in an effort to detract the global community from “their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine.” The ministry went on to denounce the accusation as an “invented story” which “says more about arguments going on inside the Russian Government than it does about the West.” Meanwhile Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, has signaled that Moscow intends to draw the attention of global community and the UN Security Council to “a series of terrorist attacks against Russia in the Black and Baltic Seas” and to Britain’s involvement in the matter.

UK can deny whatever it wants, but as someone mentioned today in Russian media, London is the US' subcontractor for terrorist acts. I agree, this is the extent of the competences of the modern British Armed Forces and grossly oversold, through James Bond's comedies, intel services. Ask poor Skripal's cat. When Russia's MoFA and MoD make such claims it means Russia has a truckload of evidence to back such claims up. That also means, that after the attack on Sevastopol, which was successfully repelled by the Black Sea Fleet (one minesweeper was damaged), and which also has British ears protruding behind it, London received the black mark. I will remind you the event from June last year when, responding to HMS Defender's provocation in the Black Sea near Russia's territorial waters, Vladimir Putin stated:

МОСКВА, 30 июн — РИА Новости. Президент России Владимир Путин заявил, что даже если бы российские корабли потопили британский эсминец Defender во время недавнего инцидента у берегов Крыма, третья мировая война все равно бы не началась.

Translation: MOSCOW, June 30 - RIA Novosti. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that even if Russian ships had sunk the British destroyer Defender during the recent incident off the coast of Crimea, World War III would still not have started. 

London should now be very cautious, as should be the US air assets over the Black Sea, as should be US commercial satellites.  

LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - A senior Russian foreign ministry official said that commercial satellites from the United States and its allies could become legitimate targets for Russia if they were involved in the war in Ukraine.

Unlike the mighty Iraq or even mightier Afghanistan, Russia, being a backward country, facing "the finest fighting force in history"(c), can make sure that this force's eyes and ears are gone from orbit really fast. But, as Larry Johnson correctly notes, those "teeny-weeny" logical inconsistencies in America's premier military mind General Petraeus'--nah, I am screwing with you;))--are telling, very telling. Responding to Petraeus' assertions that "THERE IS NOTHING RUSSIA COULD DO to change the situation on the frontlines." Larry reasonably responds:

Got that? “THERE IS NOTHING RUSSIA COULD DO to change the situation on the frontlines.” Game over. The Russians are beat. So, here is the question–If the Russians are trapped and destined to lose; if the Russians can do nothing to change the inevitable outcome of the war, which means their total defeat, then why does Petraeus do a volte face stating that U.S. intervention could be necessary? This contradicts the meme that the Russians are beat, Putin is toast and Ukraine can see Moscow in the distance. Petraeus, inadvertently displaying his dull intellect, tells the reporter that Ukraine may not have the war wrapped up and that the United States “MAY” lead an international rescue team into the conflict

The explanation for that is simple--combined West is desperate. It is also cowardly, because understands what real head-on military clash with Russia means, even without the use of nuclear weapons. So, the terrorism--a fine Western tradition--will continue against Russia and Russians. As will huffing and puffing from people who cannot find their own ass with their both hands in a brightly lit room. Here is Glenn Diesen demonstrating the "level" of British "expertise":

This is the "level". We are dealing with people who are on the maturity level of high school girls and who are absolutely dazed and confused when looking at the world outside, such as this guy:

Russian President Vladimir Putin is correct in his warning that the world is facing its most dangerous decade since World War II, as a "vacuum of leadership" in the United States is creating danger worldwide, retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Friday. "American weakness and a vacuum of leadership do create danger in the global commons," Holt, a Newsmax contributor, said on "Wake Up America." "But what I'm hopeful about in our American system is that through our election process, we can start to address and sew up some of these weaknesses and start to make this a much more peaceful decade." Putin's comments were made Thursday at the annual Valdai Discussion Club meeting, where he also asserted that "the historical period of undivided dominance of the West in world affairs is coming to an end."

While I applaud General Holt's lucid moment, he, as is normal for most US top brass, misidentifies the cause, because America's "leadership" always ends up with Vietnam or Afghanistan and millions dead civilians. It cannot be otherwise because America's warfare DNA is that of the nation which is completely confused about real war and fails, time after time, to follow Sun Tzu's dictum:

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” 

The United States knows neither. It never did. (Geo)political machinations, statements, blackmailing and chest thumping are not a substitute for real knowledge, serious doctrinal and strategic work, world class diplomacy and technological development. But it is former in which the United States (and its vassals) succeeded, while most of the world stuck with the latter. And what's left is just blowing pipelines up and parading dimwits such as Petraeus as America's (and West's) premier strategic minds, for professionals around the world to chuckle. See my last video about 26 year olds running Western world. Larch summarized it very succinctly: 

China, the elder, is learning a lesson its 4000 years never taught it--to win, you fight. Russia learned its historical lesson-- there is only one purpose for war--Victory. War is not a substitute for diplomacy. War is to break the will of your enemy, crush his power and force the solution you need or seek. This war came to Russia, and Russia is using it to destroy the world Hegemon. China will benefit greatly, but Russia will have the Victory.

This is your primer for Saturday.