Run Laura, Run.

Laura Cooper, a classic product of the US degree mills:

Laura Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, who played a key role in coordinating US military aid to Kyiv, has stepped down from her position at the beginning of 2025. Details: Cooper, who served in the Pentagon for more than 20 years, was instrumental in coordinating large-scale deployments of US military aid to Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Politico calls her "leading Russia-Ukraine expert". She is not--there are no anyone Russian "experts" in Washington anywhere near political and military top. Same goes for National Defense University because you cannot teach current US civilian and military corps, majority of which comes from a joke military schooling in ROTC and OCS and primarily with humanities degrees which preclude any fundamental in modern warfare, anything useful about war, military history and applied geopolitics. 

But Laura, who undeniably is qualified for war criminal status, has a bigger problem--she may have a meeting with Trump's Justice Department due to her 3.5-hour long deposition to Congress: 

In her last position at the US Department of Defense, Cooper established strong relationships with many Ukrainian government officials. According to Politico, she is regarded in Kyiv as "an honest broker in negotiations". Cooper first gained media attention in 2019 when she was summoned to Congress to testify about former President Donald Trump’s attempts to pressure Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden. Her testimony focused on the delay in providing Ukraine with US$400 million in military aid allocated by Congress for training purposes. She stated during the hearings that the funds were "held without explanation" and US officials "began to raise concerns about how this could be done in a legal fashion". Pentagon and State Department officials who worked closely with her, speaking to Politico on condition of anonymity, expressed fears that she might face persecution during Trump’s presidency for her testimony and ties to Biden-era Ukraine policy.

But then again. Trump is all talk and very little action. At this stage it is difficult to even imagine how one can right the ship of the American statehood without radical cleaning of the Augean Stables, as you all know--Hercules' Fifth Labor, so far little indication that Trump can do it. 

P.S. Evidently General Kellogg postponed his visit to 404. I think he should postpone his visit to Moscow too--he has no business there until Washington fully comprehends the scale of the events. 

This Is Pure Gold))

Maybe they realize that, and let me remind you: 

Or that:

The United States wants to win its wars quickly and with the smallest losses in American lives. It is disinclined, therefore, to act on protracted and indirect strategies, or to engage in limited wars and wars of attrition. Once it resorts to arms, it prefers to mobilize the great might of its industrial plant to produce vast quantities of the means of destruction with which in the shortest possible time to undermine the enemy’s will and ability to continue the struggle. Extreme reliance on technological superiority, characteristic of U.S. warfare, is the obverse side of America’s extreme sensitivity to its own casualties; so is indifference to the casualties inflicted on the enemy.

Oh, it is more than "sensitivity"--it is panic in a face of the enemy which holds every single technological advantage across all domains (with the exception of the space based ISR, with Russia having second best satellite grouping) and consequences which logically flow from that for the US Armed Forces. Hence this buffoonery:

US President-elect Donald Trump has proposed that EU members send peacekeepers to Ukraine to monitor a ceasefire with Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Trump ran for the White House on the promise of negotiating a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but has been reluctant to reveal any specifics of his actual proposal since winning the election. Speaking with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky last Saturday, Trump argued that “Europe” should play the main role in monitoring a ceasefire and that no US troops would be involved, the Journal reported, citing “officials briefed on the meeting.” The Journal’s sources claimed that the proposal “started as quiet discussions between British and French officials about the possibility” before including Trump, Zelensky and other governments. According to one source, Trump also pushed the EU to demand of China to pressure Russia to end the conflict, suggesting the use of tariffs as leverage.

All this is due to the unfolding reality of Project 404 and desperate attempts by the West to save face and find somebody to hold the bag with known substance after Russians exterminate last reserves of VSU and hit wonderfully empty steppe spaces of the left bank of Dnepr. So, in the end those will be hypothetical "peacekeepers" from Europoodle armies who will experience first hand long-range fires of such density that few that will survive may still wish to be dead. 

Per China--considering what kind of garbage circulates in the top military-political circles in Washington under the tutelage of "intel", they still cannot get a simple fact--it is China that is dependent on Russia's military moves, not the other way around. In fact, it is Russia who attracted to herself all NATO resources thus buying China the time to get ready for possible attack on herself. But then again, Washington doesn't do strategy. You can see the signs of shell-shock everywhere in the West. They try but cannot hide, it is impossible to hide. Hence erratic behavior of the whole establishment. Trump, obviously, doesn't understand that he still has a chance to make this whole clusterfuck in Europe, 404 included, a purely Biden's affair, but the time is running out fast. 

Trump says he will not ‘abandon’ Ukraine. The US president-elect would not reveal details of his proposal for peace with Russia 

Sure, but then again--this serious game with consequences is for adults only.

A Little Insight...

... from World Health Organization on 404 and why we observe this insanity. 

9.6 million people in Ukraine are estimated to be at risk of or living with a mental health condition, and 3.9 million people are estimated to suffer from moderate to severe symptoms.  

This is a psychiatric catastrophe of unprecedented scale once one considers current 404 population anywhere between 20 to 30 million. But here is the issue--I am really sick and tired reading this beaten to death and untrue cliche that somehow "brotherly" people are killing each-other in SMO. Read my lips (again) 404's majority not only are NOT brotherly people for Russia, but this majority has a visceral hatred of Russia. The explosive mix which is in the foundation of this mental catastrophe in 404 is simple--incessant propaganda combined with insufferable envy towards Russia. This IS in the foundation of the Ukrainian psyche which was there from the inception. 

In this sense, Ukrainians are a perfect tool for manipulation because they were and are willing, and, in fact, lusting for being manipulated. This came from an extremely low level of education of population and a culture of a "khutor"--a village centric, radically provincial primitive, essentially peasant culture. Many in 404 DO believe in Russians stealing Ukrainian toilet bowls and microwaves. When these types happen to visit Russia, mostly as guest workers, they have to deal with severest cognitive dissonance when seeing Russian cities, supermarkets, highways, first world standard of living and majority begins to hate Russia and Russian people even more. Simple as that--persistent envy leads to hatred and hatred leads to madness... 

It's A Day Of Allegories...

Thanks to guys from DDG. Here is the majority of your TG and YouTube "military analysts". LOL)))

I am sure this guy advised Pentagon on SMO.
 

Ahh, No Shit.

In related news--water is wet, fire is hot and Taylor Swift is an idiot. 

Ukraine cannot exist as a monoethnic and monocultural state in its 1991 borders, which is the essence of what the government of President Vladimir Zelenksy seeks in the conflict with Russia, his former aide Aleksey Arestovich said in an interview on Friday.  Speaking to journalist Yulia Latynina, the ex-official declared the nationalist Ukrainian project “dead,” stating that Kiev is unable to find people willing to fight for it. He claimed that 30% to 70% of troops on the front line refuse to go into combat and seek opportunities to desert. According to Arestovich, the refuseniks “have passed a sentence on this system, they have sealed its end.”  

Evidently, Ukraine cannot exist at all, in whatever form--this much is clear from statements by Vladimir Putin, among others. The consensus in Kremlin has been finally reached by the looks of it, and Western 404 is being given back to its rightful owners bar some Russian enclaves with Russia deciding which ones--the rest is to be divided between Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. 

In related news, Sergei Lavrov didn't mince words. 

German officials in Karlsruhe announced plans this week to seize almost $800 million in assets from a Russian bank's account in Frankfurt, due to alleged violations of EU sanctions. Lavrov reacted to the news by calling the German authorities kleptomaniacs. “They are thievish, we realized this a long time ago. They have been treacherous all along in political terms, you know: in the sense of reneging on agreements and trying to deceive someone. Now they have turned out to be thieves in the literal sense,” Lavrov told journalists following his visit to Tunisia.

Well, Germans voted for that. There are always consequences. Always. If someone thought that it is not true--I have a very bad news for them.

Of Course, It Is Not An Option.

Since Kuleba talks about it, it means it was proposed on many occasions. Not by Russia, of course, by NATO itself.

The idea that Ukraine could cede territories that it lost to Russia in exchange for NATO membership remains unacceptable, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told journalists on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. The idea has been floated by former senior NATO officials, including ex-Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and ex-Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Stavridis. Kuleba blasted the proposal ahead of a NATO-Ukraine Council of foreign ministers. Supporters of the plan should tell other nations to make similar concessions, “and if they do so, then I am ready to listen to their arguments,” he said. The minister also dismissed the notion that there was “fatigue” with the conflict in Western nations, insisting that a shortage of arms deliveries was not related to it.

In regards to fatigue, as many already noticed and it was documented through videos--the number of  women from 404 killed at the front lines is rather large. If that hasn't been enough, here is a peculiar, very 404 document:

It is a medical certificate (affidavit)  issued to VSU guy that although he has above third of his calf amputated, he is just fine, he is still good for military service, albeit in limited capacity. Hey, not biggie! He still got hands, you know. 

In related news, very related (I should be making video about it tomorrow) I started rereading October 2022 US National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy with Nuclear Posture Review. Apart from those documents obsessing with Russia, never in my life did I see national strategic security and defense documents becoming fully obsolete within less than one year. Absolutely mind-boggling. 

Meanwhile, here is Arkhangelsk submarine being rolled out (in Russian) yesterday. 

It is the fourth project 885M (Yasen-M) ship and the fifth in the Yasen-class line. Four others are being built. Moreover, the flag was raised yesterday in St.Petersburg on yet another SSK of pr. 636 Mozhaisk, this ship goes to Pacific Fleet. Arkhangelsk will join the Northern Fleet.

These two are additional 38 missile salvo added to the first strike of Russian Navy, those are P-800 Oniks, 3M22 Zircon and 3M14M with 4,500 kilometer range. Boy, those strategy documents got obsolete so fast.

Another One Bites The Dust...

... figuratively speaking.  

The Senior Director for Europe at the US National Security Council, Amanda Sloat, is about to vacate her position after three years in office, Politico reported on Friday. Sloat played a major role in coordinating the efforts of the US and its Western allies in aiding Kiev and countering Moscow amid the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the media outlet reported. “It has been an amazing three years, but it’s time. I’m tired,” the official herself told Politico this week as she confirmed her impending resignation. Amanda Sloat has been a “quiet but key figure” behind the White House's efforts to improve relations with its European allies and oppose Moscow, the outlet said. She reportedly “spent months” coordinating a Western response to the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, which particularly translated into billions of dollars in military and economic assistance for Kiev, the report said. 

Well, what can I say, after looking at this young lady's background. 

Amanda Sloat currently serves on the National Security Council as the Senior Director for Europe. Previously, she was the Robert Bosch senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She was also a fellow with the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Sloat served in the U.S. government for nearly a decade. She was deputy assistant secretary for Southern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean Affairs at the State Department, where she was responsible for U.S. relations with Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey as well as for coordinating European engagement on Middle East issues. She also served as senior advisor to the White House coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf region and as senior advisor to the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. She previously worked as senior professional staff on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, with responsibility for European policy.

Prior to her government service, Sloat was a senior program officer with the National Democratic Institute, including work in Iraq with the Council of Representatives. She was also a post-doctoral research fellow with the Institute of Governance at Queen's University Belfast. During this time, she held visiting fellowships at the Academy of Sciences in the Czech Republic, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, and the Jean Monnet Center at New York University Law School. She also served as a special advisor to the Scottish Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly, and European Commission. Sloat holds a doctorate in politics from the University of Edinburgh and a bachelor's in political theory from James Madison College at Michigan State University. She has published a book, "Scotland in Europe: A Study of Multi-Level Governance" (Peter Lang Pub Inc, 2002). She has written widely on European politics in academic and foreign policy outlets.

The only conclusion I made was that she is not an ugly woman. But in terms of her competencies or rather lack thereof, she is a classic "product" of Western degree mills in what is known as "soft degrees" designed to teach academically credentialed Bullshit for good ol' boys and girls to get their degrees in order to be promoted into the all kinds of think-tank and government jobs in the West. So, she is an exhibit A of that. She may, however, qualify for barista position in Starbucks. I am on record--you see a Ph.D degree in political "science", international relations or "political theory" from Harvard, Oxford or Yale, and other degree mills with similar pseudo-academic courses--treat those as the red flags, since most of the time you will be communicating with utterly incompetent people. 

And here comes this issue--what this academic fraud could "coordinate", as Politico puts it:

Sloat’s tenure at the NSC was dominated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She spent months on little sleep coordinating a response with European allies and warning Ukrainian counterparts that Russian President Vladimir Putin planned for a full-scale assault. U.S. officials have said Sloat ensured the transatlantic response was aligned and robust, leading to billions in military and economic support for Kyiv. Not everyone is happy with the administration’s policy. They contend more advanced weaponry should have been sent to Kyiv in the war’s earliest days, pointing to Ukraine’s sputtering counteroffensive this year as evidence. And they also questioned the wisdom of the U.S. allowing the construction of the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 pipeline to finish, a decision that Germany reversed after the war started.

No, I really want to see itemization of this ensuring by this post-doctoral barista of this robust "transatlantic response". Of course, we will not get this itemization because any "ensuring" of anything in the transatlantic community is merely a single action of conveying the message from Washington--fall in line, or else. So, the whole idea that some relatively attractive bimbo who has zero professional skills in anything can "coordinate" something is down right preposterous. Starting from W's Administration after 9/11 US military-political top didn't present a single decent, forget about world class, diplomat, military leader or statesman. General Tommy Franks once clearly described what he had to deal with when communicating with Douglas Feith: "I have to deal with the fucking stupidest guy on the face of the earth almost every day."   

What is true today is that the types Tommy Franks described are the ONLY types required for work in the US Administrations. They are the ultimate product of pseudo-academic courses in Western humanities degree mills. The fact that this, obvious, affirmative action lowly bureaucrat is bowing out is merely an indication of the rats running from the sinking ship which is not just Biden Administration but the whole governance structure of the US. Of course, one shouldn't forget that the roles of many people in Biden Admin and US "academe" and media in unleashing a largest war crime since the WW II in what is now former Ukraine are well known, as are their identities and functional responsibilities in what amounts to killing and maiming of around 2 million people, primarily VSU personnel, not to mention atrocities committed by Kiev Nazi regime. 

So, this bimbo runs away because she may well be, most likely will be, identified as one of the "coordinators" of this atrocity, however not the main one, and she could be charged with war crimes as an active part of Administration which is fully responsible for war crimes of the scale not seen in Europe in almost 80 years. In this case, one has to almost envy Kamala Harris, because she is so stupid and unqualified for anything that her being a part of Biden Administration will be attributed to her mental feebleness and she will be left alone. Not the case with this "coordinator". Then the question arises, will the United States reach this phase which is described so aptly by James Kunstler:

So far, the collapse of suburbia has happened in slow motion, but the pace is quickening now and it’ll get supercharged when the bond markets go down, as they must, considering the country’s catastrophic fiscal circumstances. That will produce exactly the zombie apocalypse telegraphed in all those movies and TV series over recent years: normality overrun by demonic hungry ghosts. Every day in suburbia will be Halloween, and not in a fun way. All this is apprehended to some degree by the increasingly frightened public, though they have a hard time articulating it within any of the popular frameworks presented by politics, religion, or what appears lately to be extremely corrupt science. The people see what’s coming but they can’t make sense of it, and the stress makes a great many of them insane. Without a way to construct a coherent view of reality, or tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not, they behave accordingly: anything goes and nothing matters.

The US is already half-way there, and once the center refuses to hold anymore--this is in the progress as I type this--the inevitable question of who brought the United States to utter collapse will arise. Well, it is arising now, actually, and many who brought this about are well known. We just learned the identity of yet another one who helped America on her way out of normality. But then again, what do you expect from post-doctoral barista.

A Logical Conclusion...

 ... of the process of which many, yours truly included, warned for years--that once the energy and economic umbilical cord between Germany and Russia is severed, that means game over for Germany.  Here is Deutsche Welle. 

Война России с Украиной меняет структуру внешней торговли Германии с Восточной Европой. Об этом говорится в сообщении Восточного комитета немецкой экономики (Ost-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft, OA), опубликованном в четверг, 9 ноября. Россия продолжает терять позиции торгового партнера ФРГ, в то время как другие рынки ее перегоняют. В сентябре 2023 года товарооборот Германии с Украиной (840 млн евро) впервые оказался больше, чем ее товароборот с Россией (810 млн евро).

Translation: The Russian War in Ukraine means a change in trade structure across the borders of Germany and the Eastern Europe. This is the goal of the Eastern Committee of the German Economics (Eastern Committee of the German Economy, OA), report published on Thursday, 9 November. Russia continues to lose positions of the foreign partner to the Federal Republic of Germany, while other markets are taking over. In February 2023, Germany and Ukraine trade (840 million euros) was awarded the first prize--a larger one than the trade with Russia (810 mln euro). 

Well, I guess 404 is that important for Germany, so be it. I warned a few years back, with Russia simply severing relations with Siemens after the gas turbine scandal, that this was just the start of the process of stripping Germany of her economic potential. And if the Siemens snafu was not that critical for German giant, with Russia constituting only about 2-3% of Siemens' operations, what followed after that was. Germany lost Russia's car market for good and now it has no way of getting Russia's energy, which effectively was the foundation of Germany's industrial development and prosperity for the last 50 years. Most importantly--the good will for Germany in Russia is gone. Russians will not forgive this: 

That matters even more than energy in the long run.

A-ha-ha, LOL)))

Well, obviously the scene when Wendy discovers what Jack was "writing" all this time while in the Overlook Hotel in Kubrick's immortal version of King's The Shining, is one of those moments which terrifies anyone who watched this movie. The effect is astonishing, but then again--that's Kubrick for ya, plus acting genius of Jack and, sadly mentally diminished today, Shelley Duvall. 

But Ukies wouldn't be Ukies, especially after Hollywood declined the appearance of Mr. Ze at Oscars--why, they are worth each-other and it would have been proper for Ze to entertain tinsel sewer of mostly human excrement--so, they got one up on Jack.
 

The new book from 404: Fucking Roosnya, the book which gets every Southern Ukrainian heart high. I don't know if it is a joke but the funny part is that I wouldn't be surprised if that they did "write" such a book. After all, for them it is "All work and no play", or, rather, Fucking Roosnya, Fucking Roosnya... repeat after me--Fucking Roosnya))). 

In related news, Iran just now finally officially confirmed (through IRNA) the purchase of SU-35s from Russia (in Russian). Ahh, Fucking Roosnya... LOL))  

It Is Not Going To Make A Difference.

While professionals are dealing with my kitchen countertops, I stumbled upon this:

The US will send the first two NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine “in the very near future,” a Pentagon official said on Monday. With Russia targeting Ukrainian power infrastructure with missiles and drones, Kiev has lobbied the West for better air defense weaponry. In a briefing to reporters, the defense official said the US has “committed eight NASAMS and associated munitions, and two of those will be in Ukraine in the very near future.” The official also said that Washington would send spare parts for Ukraine’s Soviet-era air defense systems, as well as various counter-unmanned aerial systems. The National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) is manufactured by US defense contractor Raytheon Technologies, and fires AIM-120 or AMRAAM missiles at short ranges to bring down drones, missiles, and aircraft. The US announced in September that it would provide these systems to Ukraine, with National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby stating last month that deliveries would be expedited after Russia began nationwide drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian military and infrastructure targets.

I am not going to elaborate on the fact of the two (or even eight) NASAMS being as effective in 404 as the Band-Aid applied to a dead body of a person who has been just blown up by 155-mm shell, but the US weapons' manufacturers still cannot learn a simple principle of REAL marketing, which is the full confirmation of declared combat capabilities of the system by its actual combat performance. US military-industrial complex is really good at former but somehow continues to miserably fail at the latter. I am on record--US and generally Western Air Defense systems are not on par with Russian ones when taken without consideration of a real fully integrated, deeply echeloned AD system. When taken within it--they are not even in the same vicinity of Russia's national Air and Anti-missile system. In this case it is absolutely clear that the only reason Pentagon tries to "supply" 404 with its systems is to merely see them perform in real war. 

But here is the issue on why ALL, without exception, US ground-based AD systems are not really ready for real war. Compare:

This is NASAMS organic Ghost Eye radar. 

Here is the radar of a venerable S-300V (the US has this complex), which became operational in 1983 (40 years old) and, unlike NASAMS is 1970s technology. Yes, S-300V is a "heavier" complex but that is the whole idea.

You see this telescopic "thingy" of S-300V? This thingy can extend to the height of 30+ meters and makes sure that low flying targets are detected and tracked. OK, you say it is unfair. Here is Patriot PAC3' latest radar:

Do you need me now to explain to you why even vaunted and super-pooper Patriot PAC3s couldn't handle this against pretty much home-made slow Houthis' drones?

Obviously, the issue is with basic physics and the radio horizon and "blind" zones of air defense complexes. But, evidently, these are not issues which bother designers and engineers of the US air defense complexes for a myriad of whatever reasons. After all, we all know that combined West produces the best weapon systems like... ever. So, the whole idea of the target detection radar with negative elevation (or negative angle from the horizontal),  literally able to look down, is an anathema for those great minds for who it never occurred that some military powers (we will not name them) will have a huge salvo capabilities with... yes, low flying and very fast missiles. 

In this particular case, the idea that NASAMS is "distributed" means very little if its doesn't have integrated systems which can provide early detection of low flying targets. Sure, one may think that some E-3 Sentry AWACS may get them and provide targeting data, but in real war this is not how it works. You MUST have fully integrated and fully distributed and sensor-fused (including a multi-band radar) network which the US doesn't have for itself, let alone for 404. You MUST have things such as Nebo-M or Container among many other to be able to fully engage on the modern battlefield. And then there is this other "thingy"--NASAMS uses AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. This is not to say that the practice of adapting different types of missiles for different systems is unique, but it has to be understood that it is not a solution against modern EW and Russia is one of the leaders, if not the leader, in that respect. Even despite butt-hurt spin many try to put on it. But I am on record for years--Russian operational and strategic mind differs drastically from its American counter-part. 

So, what is it going to be? Simple--NASAMS will be "deployed" in the "ambush" mode, because once their location is known--it takes only turning radar on--they will be annihilated and that will be it. In general, NATO and US-made weapons in 404 performed dismally and now when some reality of the end of Kiev regime begins to dawn in D.C. it becomes increasingly clear that with the military-political victory comes a technological one. And that's gotta hurt like hell, both morally and, most importantly, financially. But don't tell me that I didn't warn about it.

Nice Try, But No Cigar...

Hm, 30 US Congress"people" want to "negotiate" now. Sure. 

I don't know why those 30 "progressives" needed 2 pages of beaten to death "democracy" cliches and repeating tired BS and tropes about Russia, but at least:

In May, President Zelensky, despite deadlocked negotiations, reiterated that the war “will only definitively end through diplomacy,” and had previously explained that “any mentally healthy person always chooses the diplomatic path, because he or she knows: even if it is difficult, it can prevent the loss of thousands, tens of thousands... and maybe even millions of lives.” In conclusion, we urge you to make vigorous diplomatic efforts in support of a negotiated settlement and ceasefire, engage in direct talks with Russia, explore prospects for a new European security arrangement acceptable to all parties that will allow for a sovereign and independent Ukraine, and, in coordination with our Ukrainian partners, seek a rapid end to the conflict and reiterate this goal as America’s chief priority.

Sure, sure, as Russians have the saying: yes, immediately, once I finish ironing my shoelaces. It is too little, too late. While Russia is always open for negotiations, Russians take national security very seriously, unlike it is always was the case with Washington and its "elites" who have zero experiences with anything real war related. Always had in the last 70 years. Because Russians take their national security seriously and much more professionally than their American counter-parts, the only sovereign and independent Ukraine which will exist will be a much smaller state where all remnants of present political regime in Kiev will be completely removed--some into exile, others behind bars or executed. Mr. Zelensky included, but leave it to MI6 or SAS henchmen to finish off this clown "who knew too much". 

As per "European security"...  We are going live to Russian Foreign Ministry and General Staff:

Yeah, sure))) Let's "negotiate"...

And They Huff, And They Puff...

Larry posted yesterday a very good description of CIA in relation to modern Russia and what load of malarkey all those "reputable" spooks provide on Putin and Russians:

U.S. policymakers, when it comes to Russia, are an ignorant lot with little appreciation for history. They are blinded by ideology and tend to view present day Russia through the expired constructs of the Cold War. Putin and Russia are inept. They are bumbling. They are backward. Etc.,etc. etc.

Read Larry's excellent piece which frames extremely well other news which many military "analysts" types got excited over. But, in my opinion, this is a good news in a bizarre sense which confirm the assertion of many, yours truly included, from the start of the SMO that most of Russian ground forces are held in reserve precisely for this kind of contingencies:

The US Army's 101st Airborne Division would not hesitate to enter Ukraine should a conflict break out between Russia and NATO, CBS News reported on Friday citing the unit’s military commanders. The elite division is currently conducting war games in Romania, close to the country’s border with the war-torn state. The unit's commanders told CBS that they would be prepared to cross into Ukraine if the fighting escalates – without elaborating what that would entail – or if NATO were to come under attack. They highlighted that their current deployment in Europe, the first since WWII, is “to defend NATO territory.” "We're ready to defend every inch of NATO soil”, Deputy Commander Brigadier General John Lubas told the news network.

It is a classic Western militaries' huffing and puffing and performing a Haka, against the backdrop of a dismal record of war for NATO and the US, who managed to lose everything in every single war they fought in the last 30 years against small nations. So, there are a few points of note:

1. NATO will NOT come under attack if it stays where it belongs--within NATO countries. "Escalation in the fighting" is a deliberately opaque term, because even the level of fighting happening right now in former Ukraine is beyond tactical, operational and strategic experiences of the US Army. The operational "acumen" of Pentagon's and British planners and commanders will be studied for decades in serious military academies on how not to fight a real war. But then again--a shining example of Zap Brannigan and his approach to overwhelming enemies by wave after wave of cannon fodder seems to be the guiding light in training NATO's military leaders.   

2. The deployment of 4,700 US paratroopers to Romania is risible even against the realities of a single operational direction of SMO theater, which sees currently about the same weekly number of casualties (KIAs, MIAs and wounded) of VSU and no American officer or soldier ever faced such combat realities in their life. Nor did US Army ever face the level of attrition VSU faces today. It is simply outside of America's military experience. What will be the duration of combat stability--that is the ability to perform combat tasks while sustaining attrition--of the 101st under present fire impact conditions one can only speculate, but I would say at best--two-three weeks.

3. But then, of course, comes this other issue which Brigadier General John Lubas misunderstands--the only way 101st can "enter" Ukraine is under the condition of an all out war of NATO against Russia, which will require even in conventional (non-nuclear, that is) framework something between 500,000 to 700,000 NATO ground troops for the first "wave"--an impossible task for NATO and the US, unless NATO goes into full draft and I am sure American public will meet this news with enthusiasm and resolve. This, BTW, is the thinking of Mr. Petraeus, who never won shit in his life, yet somehow became a general. He thinks about "multinational" force now--I am sure his stellar experiences in Afghanistan will also be studied (already are) around the world on how not to fight COIN, forget real combined arms operations of scale of which he has only vague understanding. 

4. Lastly, but not "leastly"--I reiterate this my point for years, ad nauseam--no US service, including USAF ever fought anything like this in the life of several generations of American servicemen, top-bottom, from a regular grunt to CJCS. Period. And, of course, nobody in NATO (primarily US) armed forces has any concept of seeing their homeland devastated and losing their loved ones to attacks, famine, cold, illnesses and other things which real war brings on a massive scale. The US NEVER in its history, including in WW II, fought the enemy which could easily strike at strategic and operational depths with ease, and can deny NATO most of its ISR assets. So, as long as the US military only huffs and puffs--it is OK, but it has to be stated, Ukraine and VSU demonstrated perfectly a real worth (very low) of the NATO "standard", with NATO excelling only in PR and shelling civilians and this is without main Russian forces even engaging, so far. 

So, what was that all about yesterday, then? 

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has had rare direct contact with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the Russian military reported on Friday. According to the short readout, the two top officials “discussed issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine” over the phone. The last phone call between Shoigu and Austin was reported in May, with both sides giving away few details about it. It was the first direct conversation between the officials since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in late February.

My speculation would be that Austin called Shoigu to inform him that arrival of 101st's Brigade Combat Team to Romania was only for training and not the part of the assembling forces for some nefarious purposes. This, plus some other "business" re: 404. No matter how one may detest Austin or Milley, it is good that both Russian and US militaries talk. Meanwhile, the head of parliament of Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov, suggested to four 404 regions: Nikolaev, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkov to get ready for referendums (in Russian). This is the first "batch", the second one, as Konstantinov asserted, are Sumy, Poltava and Chernigov oblasts. Indeed, who knows what is this all about, right? I am also waiting for appearance of the excellent discussion between Peter Lavelle and George Szamuely about American paleoconservative so called "realism" and why these people and their views are becoming increasingly irrelevant. I know many of those, not just Pat Buchanan, but as I said--history is not strong forte of US politics. 

They ARE Into Bridge-Blowing Business, After All.

Some peculiar news from 404. 

Ukrainian forces have destroyed almost all bridges and mined the roads along the border with Belarus, Anatoly Lappo, chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus, said on Sunday. Minsk has accused Kiev of planning imminent strikes on its territory. "Today, almost all border bridges have been blown up, and automobile and railway border routes are completely mined,” Lappo told Belarusian TV, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency. Ukrainian forces have fortified the border "to the extent that they put anti-tank mines in three rows on the roads," Lappo said. The troops Kiev has sent to the border are “not border guards,” Lappo claimed. “We are under pressure, they are aiming at our border guards, sometimes they shoot in the air, constant aerial reconnaissance is being carried out,” he added. A day before the news broke, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry claimed that its ambassador to Belarus was summoned to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry and handed an official note saying that “Ukraine is planning to conduct a strike on the territory of Belarus.” The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that it “categorically rejects” the accusation, adding that it could be part of a Russian plan to “stage a provocation and further accuse” Kiev.

The speculations abound, ranging from Kiev regime's fear of Belarus' involvement into SMO to cutting Ukrainian citizens escape to Belarus, but it is clear that Kiev doesn't do anything without approval from London and D.C. Obviously this news, naturally, are not reported in the West, while they made it all over Russia, and Belarus, of course. 

Each time I need to remind people about a dire need to constantly keep an eye on a larger picture. All signs of a panic in D.C. are in place now. Here is me talking about it today:

In fact, I am on this story since the start a few days ago because it was a wowser. But here is Fox News:

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of all this. Together with operational convulsions of VSU and their NATO commanders in their desperate attempts to attack along the whole length of the front in desperate attempts to breach Russian defenses there. Naturally, all those attempts failed and VSU and NATO--yes, there are thousands of them now fighting in 404--forces have been repulsed with huge losses for them. I think people in Pentagon and General Staff in London still exercise the illusion that their "tactics" of small diversionary-recon groups saturating the defense is something new and surprising. Boy... But to give even more context: 

МОСКВА, 9 октября. /ТАСС/. Россия и Иран заключили сделки в нефтегазовой отрасли на сумму, превышающую $40 млрд. Об этом в воскресенье сообщил министр нефти Ирана Джавад Оуджи. "Мы подписали меморандум о взаимопонимании с Россией стоимостью $4 млрд на разработку месторождений, а также соглашение касательно строительства ниток газопровода и установок для производства сжиженного природного газа (СПГ) на сумму $40 млрд", - цитирует его агентство ISNA. В воскресенье заместитель Оуджи Ахмед Асадзаде проинформировал, что Россия собирается начать разработку шести нефтяных и двух газовых месторождений, расположенных на территории Ирана. Он также выразил надежду на то, что соответствующее соглашение будет подписано до конца года.

Translation: The countries also signed a memorandum of understanding with Russia worth $4 billion for field development. MOSCOW, 9 October. /TASS/. Russia and Iran have signed deals in the oil and gas industry worth more than $40 billion, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Ouji said on Sunday. "We signed a memorandum of understanding with Russia worth $4 billion for the development of fields, as well as an agreement on the construction of gas pipelines and installations for the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the amount of $40 billion," ISNA quoted him as saying. On Sunday, Ouji's deputy Ahmed Asadzade informed that Russia is going to start developing six oil and two gas fields located in Iran. He also expressed hope that the relevant agreement would be signed before the end of the year.

I am telling you--this gotta hurt and they are throwing tantrums in D.C. Russia, meanwhile, builds bridges with the rest of the world, both metaphorically and literally. 

That's The Way You Do It(c).

And even this way is still misleading (e.g. Russian energy bill is... 40 times smaller than European one, in Russian), but at least it is a good start for British tabloids to look at the prices' dynamics.  The Sun laments:

WELCOME to sanctions-hit Russia – where heating bills and fuel prices are a fraction of those in Britain. Food costs are also coming down every month and Vladimir Putin’s people are partying as if there is no war.

Then it proceeds to tabulate things which DO matter in real life. 

The reason I have a smug smile on my face is not because I am smug, by nature I am not, but because I like to be proven right once in a while, because in 200 years, if we survive as humanity, very few people will remember the capitalization of Apple or Facebook if they will even exist then, which I doubt, but historians will be very interested in the price of things which matter. Right, energy, cabbage, potatoes and things of this nature, which our civilized and moderately comfortable lives depend on. 

Of course, British tabloid wouldn't be British tabloid if it still wouldn't produce a pile of steaming shit from some professor of astrology, pardon me, economics who stated this:

Explaining how Russia had managed to buck the trend, strategy specialist Professor Michael Clarke said: “Their government has the cash right now to subsidise food, and as long as they have oil and energy money, they can keep subsiding. “But what the price of energy will be next year is anybody’s guess. It will get a lot harder for them from next year onwards. “At some point I believe their economy will be in very bad shape, either next year or the year after. “But that depends on the price of energy. “The rouble is doing OK because they are making people only buy and sell using the ruble. That will keep the currency strong for a while.”

Generally speaking, and I am on record here, economics departments in the West, together with a bulk of "liberal arts" departments should simply be disbanded while "professors" in economics, sociology, literary criticism and Queer studies should be stripped off their "degrees" and forbidden to "teach" because they peddle a pseudo-academic BS as a legitimate knowledge. Professor Michael Clarke of the University of Exeter  certainly qualifies for academic defenestration, because he, same as his former employer of RUSI, have no clue what they are talking about. This also applies to British military and intel establishment populated with barely educated hacks, as the events of the last several days with VSU "counter-offensive" and NPP attacks have demonstrated so dramatically. Not only they have no idea what modern war is, they cannot run their own country. Studying Russia would have helped but there are no real scholars on Russia in the combined West. 

Speaking of which. Peskov stated today that Russia is "ready to talk to Ukraine... on how Ukraine will fulfill Russia's conditions" (in Russian). This is a euphemism for capitulation, of course. And here is one piece of news of note. You should remember that starting from 2014 I am constantly on record that Ukraine has coalesced into the political nation distinct from Russia. These ARE different people. Putin and others from Russia political top were forced by political decorum and public mood to constantly stress that Ukrainians and Russians are "brotherly nations". Of course, it was only partially true and it takes a couple of generations to completely reprogram any kind of limitrophes into believing all kinds of pseudo-historic BS and this is what happened in Ukraine in the last 30 years. Here is proof. As whatever is left of the VSU 35th Brigade of Naval Infantry cries from the front lines:

«Это никакая не война, нас просто истребляют... Сколько еще наши матери и жены прольют слез? Сколько детей останутся без отцов? Сколько еще будет братских могил? Братья, кто не пережил эту ночь, вы навсегда в наших сердцах... Где мобилизованные? Всех на фронт! Всех на защиту Украины! У нас батальоны остались только на бумаге, а они гуляют себе!» – сообщают разгромленные морпехи в своем Telegram-канале.

Translation: “This is not a war, we are simply being exterminated ... How many more tears will our mothers and wives shed? How many children will be left without fathers? How many more mass graves will there be? Brothers, who did not survive this night, you are forever in our hearts... Where are the mobilized? Everyone to the front! All--to the defense of Ukraine! We have battalions left only on paper, while they (in the rear) are partying!” - the defeated marines report in their Telegram channel.     

You see, they still want to defend the avatar of a country, known in Russia as country 404 and its Nazi puppet regime in Kiev. So, I want to stress again--war, and SMO is war, albeit a very peculiar one, is never about re-educating local civilians only. No, war, quoting our good ol' friend Carl von Clausewitz, is about "compelling the enemy to do our will." In order to do so, you destroy its armies and that means physical annihilation of enemy's war material economy and, yes, extermination of those military personnel who still want to fight. 

You see how it works? Peskov articulates Russia's will (conditions), Russian Armed Forces do this proverbial clausewitzian "compelling". Until Kiev is compelled to do Russia's will. But, of course, and that IS the main issue--many Ukrainians are so brainwashed and so banderized that they still do not understand that and continue to go to the slaughterhouse on the East to be denazified and demilitarized in the most radical manner--physical extermination. Arestovich admitted today that he lies about the real state of the affairs on the front (in Russian), but, unlike MI6 and (Royal) General Staff, we knew it all along. And the cycle of disposal of the most stubborn believers in Ukraine's "history", concocted and financed by the US State Department and CIA (and London), continues until mobilization potential of Ukraine is completely annihilated to a dismay of military "planners" in Pentagon and London. I know, I know--real military history, Theory of Operations, math, physics are hard, much harder than learning "proper" gender pronouns.  

Which, in conclusion, brings us to this: the starboard shaft is a goner on HMS Prince of Wales and I wonder what this major "failure" was precipitated by? Was this purely navigational--a euphemism for striking the ground--or was this independent failure? We should know soon. In any case, it is an embarrassment for the Royal Navy and its hapless program of aircraft carriers. I will, for now, abstain from commenting too much on this issue, precisely because I am not a rocketry specialist:

NASA’s next-generation Space Launch System likely won’t fly in September. After a fuel leak forced the agency to scrub its second attempt to launch Artemis 1, there had been some hope the mission could get underway before its current launch window ended on September 6th. That won’t be the case. "We will not be launching in this launch period," Jim Free, NASA's associate administrator for exploration systems development, told a room full of journalists after the events of Saturday morning. “This was not a manageable leak,” Artemis Mission Manager Michael Sarafin added, referring to the “quick disconnect” fitting that gave NASA so much trouble yesterday. Ground crew at Kennedy Space Center attempted to troubleshoot the issue three times before recommending a “no go” for Saturday’s launch. According to Sarafin, the leak began after one of the fuel lines to Artemis 1’s core booster went through a brief and “inadvertent” overpressurization. An “errant” manual command from Mission Control triggered the incident. As of Saturday, Sarafin said it was too early to know if that was the cause of the fuel leak, but there was enough flammable hydrogen gas near the rocket that it would not have been safe to launch. "We want to be deliberate and careful about drawing conclusions here, because correlation does not equal causation," he added.

But as many in Russian space program circles started to talk after yet another delay, one of those being rocket systems engineer Dmitry Konanykhin (in Russian), Artemis-1 is nothing more than same ol' slightly modified Shuttle Launch System which, naturally, inherited most problems this system had to start with. Sticking some brand new orbital module on the top of essentially the same tank which was responsible for destroying both Challenger and Columbia and killing their crews is not a way to do it. Dmitry is very gracious towards NASA engineers because he constantly stresses that as engineers they are good, but they are constantly under pressure to "deliver" including by bypassing safety procedures. We heard this story before, didn't we? We know how it all ends. And that is your primer for Sunday.

Speaking In Purely Military Terms...

... such a decision is reasonable. 

The US government intends to officially name its military mission to aid Kiev and appoint a general to command it, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Biden administration officials. This would formalize the operation that predates the escalation of hostilities in Ukraine and allow the Pentagon to award ribbons, medals, and special pay to its participants. Giving the operation a name is “significant bureaucratically,” the Journal explained, as it “typically entails long-term, dedicated funding and the possibility of special pay, ribbons and awards for service members participating in the effort.” The US has previously named its operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The original intervention in Afghanistan was dubbed “Enduring Freedom,” replaced by the nation-building “Freedom’s Sentinel” in 2015. The 2003 invasion of Iraq was called “Iraqi Freedom,” while the 2014 redeployment to Iraq and Syria to fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists was designated “Inherent Resolve.” A two-star or three-star general will be appointed to command the effort, in what the Journal described as “a shift from the largely ad hoc effort to to provide training and assistance to the Ukrainians for years.” 

But, of course, behind this military thingy there is a serious moral issue which sees the US supporting all kinds of genocidal maniacs throughout the world. ISIS and Al Qaeda connected terrorists being prepared at the US Al Tanf base in Syria are a good example, and, in this case, such operation should surely be named like... Ukraine's Freedom (To be Nazis), or Freedom (To Kill Russian Children), or Unflinching Liberty (To Support Terrorists), something like that. 

At issue, of course, is the fact that the US cannot support Ukraine for much longer because this romp of a country will continue to be reduced to primarily terrorist diversionary activity, such as killing civilians and trying to blow up infrastructure objects. That, the US (and UK) will support and, in fact, will be very proud of, because this is the only thing the US can do to harm Russia and Russians. Pentagon, it could be stated now very confidently, has no material, technological or operational (and intellectual) means to fight a real war and, mind you, Russia conducts SMO, not a war. War is a somewhat different thing and should that have been a full scale war in Ukraine, many of those awards for American servicemen involved with Ukraine would have been posthumous. It may yet come to this, Russia has excellent intel capabilities. 

Here is Ike and Petraeus. 

While fanboys still discuss how good or bad as a strategist Ike was, one cannot deny the fact that Ike was a very good military leader, all things considered. Not only he was a Supreme Allied Commander, he personally was awarded by Stalin with this:

 

Read attentively--it is the Order of VICTORY against mightiest military machine in history. Do you know how the status of this order is described? Here it is:

Орден “Победа” является высшимвоенным орденом. Им награждаются лица высшегокомандного состава Красной Армии за успешноепроведение таких боевых операций в масштабеодного или нескольких фронтов, в результатекоторых в корне меняется обстановка в пользуКрасной Армии. Для награжденных орденом “Победа”учреждается, в знак особого отличия,мемориальная доска, для внесения в нее именкавалеров ордена “Победа”. Мемориальная доскаустанавливается в Большом Кремлевском дворце.Награждение этим орденом производится толькоУказом Президиума Верховного Совета СССР.

Translation:  The Order of Victory is the highest military order. It is awarded to senior officers of the Red Army for the successful conduct of such combat operations on the scale of one or more fronts, as a result of which the situation is radically changing in favor of the Red Army. For those awarded with the Order of Victory, a memorial plaque is established, as a sign of special distinction, to include the names of holders of the Order of Victory on it. The memorial plaque is installed in the Grand Kremlin Palace. This order is awarded only by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. 

And here is this Plaque.  

Very few people on it. But I am sure Petraeus who lost everything there is to lose militarily, or any modern American general, can give a run to Ike, or even Zhukov, for all their awards. After all, those glorious "victories" in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and now in Ukraine have to be rewarded with something. Like the stunning military triumph in... Grenada, when the number of medals exceeded the number of troops involved by a healthy margin. So, I am sure the medals and ribbons for killing civilians in Donbass, supporting Nazi battalions, or torturing POWs is a logical conclusion to the American military history of the last 8+ years. I am not surprised anymore. And don't tell me that mediocrity is not rewarded in the West nowadays, in fact, it is the only thing which gets a reward.