So, It Is Reported ...

 ... that the high level Russian official who was supposed to be assassinated by GUR (in reality MI6/CIA) ... well, read yourself. 

MOSCOW, Nov 18 - RIA Novosti. A sabotage group, acting in Moscow on the instructions of the Ukrainian special services, was preparing an assassination attempt on the life of the Secretary of the Russia's Security Council Sergei Shoigu at the Troekurovskoye cemetery, the newspaper Moskovsky  Komsomolets" claims. 

(Organized by Kyiv. — Ed. Ed.) sabotage group <... > was preparing an assassination attempt on the secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery Sergei Shoigu", the newspaper said in a statement.

So, somebody in ... not in Kiev (those there already know or sense what's coming to them) but in London and D.C. despite Naryshkin's characterization lacks proper understanding, being fed incessant propaganda and lacking grasp of the proceedings, so to speak, of what, should that terrorist act have succeeded, would follow. I do not want to get into the details of this, but the names of who in the West is behind these types of "operations" are well known. 

Ah, wait--look at this: 

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has joined the advisory board of Ukraine’s leading defense company, renowned for its long-range drones capable of striking targets deep inside Russia, as a corruption investigation continues. In an effort to enhance its international reputation, Fire Point is establishing a new factory in Denmark and bringing prominent industry figures on board. It also aims to expand its operations to produce battle-tested cruise missiles, with plans to more than double its current capacity. However, public scrutiny remains intense during an ongoing corruption investigation. Fire Point’s executives insist they have nothing to hide and are operating under strict martial law protocols, even commissioning an independent audit to appease investigators. Critics, however, question the company’s opaque origins and the monopoly of its contracts with the Defense Ministry, and point to alleged links to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ’s notorious associate Tymur Mindich, who is implicated in a major corruption scandal.

Hm, Mike Pompeo--a fanatical Zionist and a product of the USMA at West Point at the time when it started going down hill academically. We all saw the "products" of that generation of graduates (1980s on) elsewhere. So, Pompeo, who is a lawyer and a former CIA Director doesn't understand the point I make non-stop--drones are but a part of the RUK/ROK and in terms of any actual impact on the military-industrial capacity of Russia have negligible effect if any because of the subject which is "taught" in the US military establishment based on fairy tales from Kiev, I am talking about Air Defense, of course. In other words, NATO as a whole has neither resources nor expertise (both military and industrial-scientific) to produce weapons which affect military outcomes on only levels which matter--strategic-operational. So, as was stated not for once, the only weapon they have is terrorism, which is the weapon of the weak. 

If only they all knew that the overwhelming majority of extermination of Nazi army in 404 is done by Russian barrel and rocket artillery and stand-off weaponry. But you cannot stick camera to each 152-mm round or Iskander, so the UAVs take the stage. 

Visiting Marshal Shaposhnikov...

Sergei Shoigu and Admiral Evmenov show Comrade Kim how fully modernized Marshal Shaposhnikov looks nowadays, while Sergei Shoigu confirms serial production of 3M22 Zircon. 

Ah yes, those new missiles with the range of more than 6500 kilometers for strategic bombers. Boy, things don't look too bright for NATO. Hence this:

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is willing to meet North Korea’s Kim Jong Un “without preconditions”, a top government official said Friday. The prime minister has previously said he was ready to hold talks with Kim, but the reiterated invitation comes after the North Korean leader travelled to Russia to met President Vladimir Putin this week.

Al Capone's truism that you can get much further with a kind word and a gun, than just with the kind word alone, works each time. This is the only method of communications combined West understands.

When Shoigu Speaks...

....world listens. Or, using the old Russian proverb: if there is a gun hanging from the wall on the stage in the first act of the play in theater, in the last act this gun will shoot. It was clear that if anti-shipping and land-attack cruise missiles appeared in the first act of a massive geopolitical play in 1950s (a venerable P-15 Styx), and continued to hang on the wall throughout a whole play, in the final act of this particular play they were supposed to shoot. They did. Speaking to Vladimir Solovyov Shoigu stated some pretty obvious truths, simple ones, really, as TASS reports:

"... если говорить, у нас в перспективе, причем совсем недалекой, увеличение дальности гиперзвукового оружия. Это увеличение скоростей, если говорить о том же самом гиперзвуке, это повышение точности, это, конечно, адаптация носителей к новым видам оружия".

Translation: If to speak about what we have in the nearest future, it is increase in ranges of hyper-sonic weapons. This also means increase in speeds (!!!!), if to talk about these hyper-sonic weapons, it is increase in accuracy, this, also means adaptation of carriers to these new weapons systems.   

OK, we know that Kinzhal alone has a range of 2000 kilometers on its own (without the range of carrier--MiG-31K), 3M22 Zircon has a range of 1000+ kilometers, while upcoming GZUR has a range of 1,500 kilometers. All of it at speeds of M=9+ (GZUR M=12+). So, what Shoigu is talking about then? Recall, I asked this question for years, the last time--exactly a year ago. 

What's next, ASM with 3,000 kilometer range? Absolutely. This is the reality of the Real Revolution in Military Affairs and it completely rewrites tactical, operational and strategic manuals and directives. It completely redefines naval (and other three domains) warfare and don't tell me that I didn't warn you.

I would say that I am still pretty conservative in my estimates of 3,000 kilometer range ASM, because judging by the dynamics of hyper-sonic weapons' development in Russia, it is highly likely that within next few years (3-5) we will see M=15+, 5,000 kilometer anti-shipping missiles (with land-attack capability) which will further redefine the outlook for surface fleets and will mark the start for a very protracted period for the combined West, primarily the United States, attempting to develop at least something which can be presented to public as "effective" air-defense means against such threats, which, of course, will be primarily PR.  As I warned for years--the warfare between state actors as we know it is no more. 

Shoigu, however, being in the top three trolls in Russia after Putin and Lavrov, answering the tongue in cheek question on why he still didn't present himself to Ukrainian Court which demands Shoigu to appear personally in a front of it and be sentenced for Crimea's return, admitted:

"Виноват, исправлюсь" (Guilty, I will correct that). 

Ukraine, of course, when trying to state her case in such terms as it did with Shoigu, should always question what does she wish for, since, at some point of time, her wishes could be granted, which, in case of Shoigu, could mean, indeed, appearance in person together with couple of combined arms corps at the steps of Ukraine's whichever court will hear Shoigu. 

Just for fun, ARMY-2021 took place all over Eurasia and in China (the Chinese part of ARMY-2021 has a title of Clear Skies), one of the competitions was a use of the manpad (in our case Igla) against fast aerial target. Here is the ONLY guy (Russian officer) who managed to shoot down Chinese TY-300D target missile. 

This whole thing is now circulating all over the internet, so I decided to circulate it further. It is fun and good military porn.      

Construction Of Russia's Armed Forces Main Catherdral Is Finished.

David Hackett Fischer makes an interesting observation about Cathedral at Chartres:

The great cathedral was both a religious and economic institution. At the same time it was vital to its community in another way. Every great work of architecture is a cultural symbol. Chartres was a case in point. The beautiful cathedral perfectly symbolized an era that Charles Homer Haskins called the Renaissance of the twelfth century. 

Renaissance, as in revival, rebirth, and spiritual come hand in hand and there is no event in Russian history over a thousand years which can compare in its impact and formative power than Great Patriotic War. This war is a litmus test, it is a defining characteristic which separates truly Russian person from the rest. Today, on May 9th, 2020 a final attempt to truly immortalize this war and what has been achieved and what and who were lost succeeded and it is beyond the word spectacular, it is breathtaking. Sergei Shoigu, I think knew that he was also leaving a memory of himself when starting this construction. Just take a look--every real Russian knows now where the place of true pilgrimage in Russia is. Even if you are an atheist you heart will beat faster when entering this holy site. I know, mine will. 

Just recall how truly great Russian mind defined the victory--not just in material terms--but primarily spiritual ones.  

Not that sort of victory which is defined by the capture of pieces of material fastened to sticks, called standards, and of the ground on which the troops had stood and were standing, but a moral victory that convinces the enemy of the moral superiority of his opponent and of his own impotence was gained by the Russians at Borodino…The direct consequence of the battle of Borodino was Napoleon’s senseless flight from Moscow… and the downfall of Napoleonic France, on which at Borodino for the first time the hand of an opponent of stronger spirit had been laid"(c)

I think new Cathedral embodies this spirit. Happy Victory Day all.  

Shoigu Speaks Out.

Sergei Shoigu, Russia's Defense Minister, gave a large interview to MK in which he makes some extremely important admissions and statements. The full interview in Russian is here, while RT gives a gist of it and singles this out :

We need the means we could use against the enemy’s carrier strike groups should our country come under attack. They are far less costly and more efficient. 

This, and many other insights are in this interview and a lot of it is a confirmation of numerous points I make in my latest book. Yeah, let me claim some credit in knowing, and describing, some key points of formation of military and geopolitical balance. Here is what Shoigu states and I was at it for years and years:

При сегодняшнем уровне информатизации и автоматизации высока вероятность ошибки в системе управления вооружением. Именно поэтому в последнее время на первый план вышли вопросы обеспечения информационной безопасности. Когда ты осознаешь свою уязвимость и заинтересован в сохранении баланса и всеобщей равной безопасности, это заставляет тебя включать голову. А когда ты считаешь, как это по инерции продолжают считать в США, что баланс сил сложился в твою пользу, в голову могут прийти самые разные идеи, включая не самые разумные. Именно в этой ситуации я вижу сейчас главную угрозу, и не только для России.  

Translation: With modern level of informatization and automation, the probability of the errors in weapons' control system is fairly high. That is why issues of the informational security came forth recently. When you are vulnerable and is invested in preservation of the balance and all around equal security for everyone, you have to use your head. When, however, you think, as the United States continue to do so out of inertia, that the balance is in their favor, you may have all kinds of ideas, including not very good ones, coming to you mind. It is this situation which carries the main threat and not for Russia only. 

Damn right!  

No, Really.

Who needs these meaningless statements on being against everything bad, and for everything good? But this is precisely the feeling one gets when observing France's yet another diplomatic "maneuver" of trying to insert herself (obviously, on Macron's initiative) as intermediary between combined West and Russia. As TASS reports:

MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Russia and France should think about ways to bolster strategic security in the region, French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly said on Monday. "The second aim is to think through how we can make a lasting contribution to improve strategic stability. Discussions on the history of the last 20 years should not be centered around finger-pointing, we need to move forward," she said following a 2+2 meeting between the two countries’ defense and foreign ministers. According to her, dialogue will help to "reconsider the basis" of the relations. The minister is convinced that it will also help to avert incidents and alleviate frictions. Parly is certain that mistrust can be eliminated only through better understanding of each other. This is "not always easy because we often have different visions and methods," she pointed out.

Blah blah blah blah, yada yada yada. It is becoming, indeed, nauseating reading about these crude attempts to prevent Russia's Eurasian integration, which is now irreversible, and especially from the nation (France) whose President, Macron that is, still thinks that Russia's GDP size is that of Spain. No, really. It is, of course, understandable that France has her own interests and visions but those are hardly compatible with those of Russia. I can not even conceive what can possibly be substantively discussed between Shoigu and France's Defense Minister--what kind of "cooperation", "cooperation" in exactly what? I understand that some intelligence exchange on terrorist threats is not only possible but highly desirable, but high level military cooperation is simply out of the question and it is not up to France, or Macron, to make such decisions.  

Make no mistake--I am all for talking. It is better to talk than to fight, but this talking, with one side (France) having no sincere desire to do anything in good faith with Russia, changes absolutely nothing in the structure of the Russia-West relations. France will still remain NATO member, she will still be dependent on the United States' will, which, in the end, will get France back to where it belongs as an American lap-dog. Airbus still WILL get competition from Russian aerospace products, coordinates of French military installations will still be in the flight plans of Russia's stand-off weapons, Russia also will never forget France's criminal role in both Libya and Syria. Russian-French trade is minuscule and the times when my and generation of our parents were charmed by French cinematography, music, perfumes and style are long gone. The charm is gone together with, indeed, French cinematography, music, style and France's sovereignty as a nation of French people. Perfumes still remain, but for how long until creeping Sharia will forbid the use of alcohol in them, who knows. So, do not expect anything of substance from these "negotiations". In the end, they are mostly Macron's PR campaign designed for domestic consumption in France and reminding voters that France still matters. Europe has made her choice and Russians, overwhelming majority of them, are keenly aware of it and that is the only thing which matters in this "security" configuration. Those who will need the sanctuary in Russia in the future--they will be welcomed, but as Alexander Blok foresaw it 101 years ago:

But we shall keep aloof from strife,
No longer be your shield from hostile arrow,
We shall just watch the mortal strife
With our slanting eyes so cold and narrow.

Unmoved shall we remain when Hunnish forces
The corpses’ pockets rake for plunder,
Set town afire, to altars tie their horses,
Burn our white brothers’ bodies torn asunder.