They Bet The House ...

... on 404 harebrained scheme, you know--Russians being bogged down in 404 quagmire, Putin's "regime collapse", Russian people "rising" and other BS emanating from all those UK "think-tanks" and (lack of)intel places like MI6 and Chatham House. All this was conceived as UK's easy access to Russia's cheap resources and enriching its degenerate financial and political classes. But something went wrong. 

UK 10-year gilt yields topped 5% for the third time since the Iran war started, after Brent crude climbed above $111 following the breakdown of ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran. Britain's government borrowing costs have risen more than any other developed economy over the past two months, with the two-year gilt up over a full percentage point since the start of March. Analysts warn the UK is uniquely exposed to the energy shock given its dependence on oil and gas imports and a decade of above-target inflation, with the UK-U.S. yield spread now at 70 basis points.

Hm, what went wrong, I wonder? Nah, I don't. We all know what went wrong--sheer idiocy and incompetence of British "elites" who swallowed hook, line and sinker all this crap about NATO's military "might", Russia's weakness and other fairy tales which have many a Ph.D thesis defended on them in all kinds of the UK "elite" degree mills. 

And, of course, losers from City cannot live with this torment of recognizing that London, bar some touristy places, is a shithole, UK is a small Island with no resources and that Russia is global superpower and UK is not. Not even close. But the most devastating fact for them is this:

Even futures of Urals are $127, that means the physical oil is somewhere around $140-145. Russia is awash in cash. And yes, Russia has a powerful navy, if you know what I mean. Meanwhile, World War Eleven continues ...

And the US is winning it handily ... 

Of Course, The Music Must Fit.

 Some insights into 404's power (lack of) generation. 

This is the result, among others, like a slaughter of 404's male population at the front, of the soap opera which is in the progress in Geneva. 

GENEVA, Feb 17 — RIA Novosti. The first day of negotiations on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine ended in Geneva. According to the source, they were bilateral and trilateral in nature and were very tense. In total, the meeting lasted six hours and was held in Russian and English behind closed doors to the press. It was reported that it would discuss the key parameters of the settlement - military, political and humanitarian. Secretary National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov claimed that Kiev will raise the issue of an energy truce.

For those who still think that Russians are naive and do not see through US kindergarten level "strategy", I cannot help you. It all reminds of a favorite New Year theatrical play for kids in Russia in every club in every city and village, where some ruffian (often Baba Yaga) kidnaps Snegurochka and Ded Moroz begins to look for Snegurochka and cannot find her, while in reality Snegurochka is behind the Christmas Tree on stage and kids, the whole audience of them, begin to scream at Ded Moroz trying to help him find his kidnapped Snegurochka. But, of course, the plot is always the same--Ded Moroz is played by an actor and he knows damn well where Snegurochka is.

Of course, the scene of "rehabilitation" from Idiocracy comes to mind.

Don't live in Idiocracy))

Sure, Sure...

 ... as if anybody cares what Berlin thinks. 

Berlin must not back any call for a truce that would see Kiev admit defeat, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said. As Scholz took questions from members of the Bundestag on Wednesday, Left lawmaker Gesine Loetzsch asked about Germany’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the possibility of a ceasefire. “In my view, a ceasefire that involves Ukraine’s capitulation is one that we as Germany must never support,” Scholz replied, according to the state broadcaster Deutsche Welle. The German chancellor argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s truce terms amounted to Ukraine’s surrender, calling Moscow “cynical” and not interested in ending the conflict. “Putin only talks about peace negotiations in order to continue the war. We will not allow this,” Scholz said.

In related news, Germany is an occupied country and...

The Association for the German Language chose the term Krisenmodus as the ‘Word of the Year’ for 2023. I’m not sure they’ve ever awarded a back-to-back winner, but krisenmodus (crisis mode) looks to have a chance to repeat in 2024. The current government coalition has lost almost all trust from the public, yet they soldier on determined to make things worse for the vast majority of Germans. The Greens push for more war, the Free Democrats want more social spending cuts, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democratic Party (SPD) are in the middle adopting the worst from both sides and leading Germany to ruin.

Not only it is being repeated now, it is getting worse, much-much worse. And this is just a warm-up. This the freshest (from 2023) enterprises' electricity prices. Look at the cut-off around the US for combined West. 

And here is what gasoline prices (per liter) are around the world for 2023. 

Look at Europe. It was always high, but now EU should kiss India's ass because it is India which resells Russian oil to the EU. So many clues, so many processes to follow. You may say I don't have heart--not true, I do. But as I stated, Europeans voted for that being played for fools which many of them turned out to be. Sad, but this is the reality and, as I state non-stop, when shit hits the fan big time--it is when, not if--never a foot of Russian soldier be put on European soil, not a drop of blood to be shed for Europeans. Let them sort it out between themselves, luckily economically and militarily they are pathetic and any hypothetical rise of new Hitler can be easily addressed by a nuclear whip which Russia has. Europe produced two world wars, Russia will not allow the third one coming from it.

Now It Really Hurts.

And don't tell me that this is not important. Remove shawarma from Russia and what do you have? Right--the crisis of national existence. So, in Germany the whole thing with doner kebab finally reached the highest level of politcal discussion. 

Germany’s Left party has suggested that the state subsidize doner kebabs to the tune of almost €4 billion per year. Inflation and rising energy costs have nearly doubled the price of the Turkish snack staple in recent years. In a policy paper seen by German tabloid Bild and reported on Sunday, the Left proposed capping the price of a doner kebab at €4.90 or €2.50 for students, young people, and those on low incomes. With the cost of a kebab now averaging €7.90, the government would pick up the rest of the tab, the paper states. “A kebab price cap helps consumers and kebab shop owners. If the state adds three euros for every kebab, the kebab price cap would cost almost four billion,” the party wrote in the paper, explaining that around 1.3 billion kebabs are eaten in Germany every year. “When young people demand: Olaf, make the kebab cheaper, it’s not an internet joke, but a serious cry for help,” Left party executive Kathi Gebel told Bild, referring to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “The state must intervene so that food does not become a luxury item.”

This is important. No jokes. But look where the problem originated from.

Many Germans blame Scholz for depriving them of cheap kebabs. “I pay eight euros for a doner,” a protester shouted at Scholz in 2022, before imploring the chancellor to “talk to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, I would like to pay four euros for a doner, please.”

Yep, this is the price for cutting ties with Russia and the rise in energy prices. But Putin is too busy now with his new term and forming the government, so kebab affairs in Germany are not on his mind, plus Germany did it to itself. In the end, Russia, who is now dramatically tightening her immigration policies will have her own situation between legal and illegal shawarma. But who would ever have thought that Russia will unleash treacherous kebab wars on Germany. This issue, in the long run, may topple Scholz's government. Good riddance...

Convesations With Dr. Lama-II

Dr. Lama delves into the connection between energy and real economy. And fake GDP numbers by the West. 

 

Ouch!

It is clear that we are beginning to live in the wake of Moscow's Summit, which may well be defined as historic. But get this:

НИЖНЕВАРТОВСК (ХМАО), 22 марта. /ТАСС/. Россия намерена создать свою, альтернативную систему поставок энергоресурсов, что будет выгодно почти всему населению в мире. Об этом сказал первый заместитель министра энергетики России Павел Сорокин в ходе пленарной дискуссии "Образ будущего: прогнозы и возможности ТЭК" шестого международного молодежного научно-практического форума "Нефтяная столица". "Мы как продавали, так и будем продавать [энергоресурсы] и оставаться надежными партнерами. Прожить - все проживут. Но это большой шанс для нас и 7 из 8 млрд людей на планете создать альтернативную систему [поставок энергоресурсов]", - сказал он. "Мы увидели, что очень сильно увеличились логистические маршруты. Та система транспортировки нефти, которая существовала последние 50-60 лет, была сломлена. Рыночная экономика всегда стремится к наиболее эффективному состоянию, минимизации логистических издержек, маршрутов", - добавил Сорокин. По его словам, Минэнерго считает временной ситуацию с высокой стоимостью доставки российской нефти на внешние рынки, стоимость фрахта будет меняться в сторону снижения.

Translation: NIZHNEVARTOVSK (KhMAO), March 22. /TASS/. Russia intends to create its own, alternative energy supply system, which will be beneficial to almost the entire population in the world. This was stated by First Deputy Minister of Energy of Russia Pavel Sorokin during the plenary discussion "Image of the Future: Forecasts and Opportunities for the Fuel and Energy Complex" of the 6th International Youth Scientific and Practical Forum "Oil Capital". "We both sold and will continue to sell [energy resources] and remain reliable partners. To live - everyone will live. But this is a great chance for us and 7 out of 8 billion people on the planet to create an alternative system [of energy supplies]," he said. "We have seen that logistics routes have increased greatly. The oil transportation system that has existed for the past 50-60 years has been broken. The market economy always strives for the most efficient state, minimizing logistics costs, routes," Sorokin added. According to him, the Ministry of Energy considers the situation with the high cost of delivering Russian oil to foreign markets to be temporary, the cost of freight will change downward.

In reality, however, this trend was only one of many trends on Russia's decoupling from the West, and now that the Power of Siberia-2 received a huge boost the FUD crowd from Honk-Kong's own South China Morning Post started to spin.

China, Russia gas-pipeline statements raise questions on Power of Siberia 2 progress

• Putin says agreement with China, Mongolia to build Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline is ‘practically’ finalised, as Russia looks to divert gas from Europe to Asia
• But analyst says such deals between Russia and China ‘complicate the ongoing China-US confrontations’ and raise geopolitical risks among major economies 

Let me explain who those "analysts" are--those are primarily boys and girls with degrees in economics from Western schools and who are desperate now observing not just decline, but ongoing collapse of the combined West and understanding that their (lack of) skills, education and careers become absolutely meaningless in the emerging world based on tangibles, REAL economic development and geopolitical trends which all those "analysts" cannot grasp, because they were taught, basically, a pseudo academic shit. It can be stated very clearly that most Western "geopolitical risks assessments" are worthless garbage detached form the reality. 

Now, where are we going from here? Simple, everything alternative from finances to energy. Remarkably, the more combined West protests and tries to sabotage it, the heavier the economic and geopolitical consequences for it are. A classic no win situation, zugzwang, Catch-22, or damned if you do, damned if you don't. This is what General Kellogg calls "ACME professionalism". With generals like this... I think many of those American generals learned how to pronounce words Strategy and Operations, but in reality they do not know what those words mean. I do not exaggerate. It is now about 7 out of 8 billion people who deserved and want a better and peaceful life.        

About Energy, Again.

You already heard (read) Putin's Executive Order on sales of oil, which effectively cuts the EU and the US off the Russia's oil. No, I mean it--the idiots thought that Russia will kneel and crawl back to Washington to ask for forgiveness. To demonstrate the degree of imbecility--there is no other term for description of West's "elites'" abilities--Die Welt, the rag from the country which is being obliterated economically as I type this, decided to "analyze" Russia's economy. 

Russlands Wirtschaft hält den westlichen Sanktionen besser stand als gedacht. Neben den Rohstoffpreisen sind dafür vor allem zwei Gruppen mit geradezu idealen Fähigkeiten verantwortlich. Sie lehnen Putins aggressive Außenpolitik tendenziell eher ab und verfolgen eine Mission.  

Translation: Russia's economy is holding up better than expected against Western sanctions. In addition to raw material prices, two groups with almost ideal skills are primarily responsible for this. They tend to reject Putin's aggressive foreign policy and are pursuing a mission.

Die Welt means, of course, drum roll... drum rolling... German Gref and Elvira Nabiullina. You see, this is another proof that you cannot fix stupid. 99% of graduates of Western "economics" departments are morons with zero grasp of modern world, and you know that I speak and write about it non-stop. Herr Steiner who wrote this BS, and whose "education" is in Philology and Russian Literature, is a classic example of European "expert" who has no clue. Most of them don't, yet he waxes strategic just because he may have read Crime and Punishment in Russian and dined with Moscow's beau monde, who themselves are nothing more than parrots of West's ideological platitudes. 

Meanwhile,

Russia plans to ramp up geological prospecting and exploration of hydrocarbons - gas in particular - in the country’s east as it looks to increase supplies of gas to Asian partners, Russian Natural Resources and Environment Minister Alexander Kozlov has revealed in an interview.“We have set a priority for ourselves in geological prospecting and exploration and in aiding the search for mineral resources, particularly hydrocarbons, to be geographically closer to future consumers and transport infrastructure. For example, the Power of Siberia pipeline, gas from which goes to China. We have made the decision to carry out geological exploration throughout Yakutia and to do everything to [understand the production potential] in relation to hydrocarbons, particularly with gas, to be known. So that there’s not one, but more pipelines going in the eastern direction. Because this is guaranteed revenue for our country, guaranteed sales to a major partner,” Kozlov said.

Somebody, please, explain to cretins in Die Welt that Germany's, and Europe's, prosperity and economic development in the last half-a-century was based almost entirely on Soviet/Russian affordable energy. Hey, when even such moron as Borrell admits:

"Our prosperity was based on China and Russia. [Russian] Energy and [Chinese] market. And clearly, today we have to find new ways for energy, from inside European Union as much as we can because we should not change one dependency by another. The best energy is the one that you produce at home. And this will produce a strong restructuring of our economy. That’s for sure, people are not aware of that but the fact that Russia and China are no longer the ones that were for our economic development will require a strong restructuring of our economy," Borrell said at the annual conference of EU Ambassadors in Brussels.

One has to take a heed, not to mention to at least try to study basic Physics, especially molecular theory of matter and thermodynamics to understand why EU "prosperity" is a thing of the past. One cannot fight laws of physics by issuing political proclamations--the only skill Western political and "intellectual" class have. 

That brings us to the issue of SMO and why it is going this way and not the other--very simple, Russia is simply waiting. Waiting for what, you may ask? Obviously for irreversible political changes precipitated by military-economic ones. That is why another fine product of the West's BS academics, Charles Kennedy, reacts so sorely to Mr. Medvedev's fun predictions:

Medvedev’s Absurd Predictions: $150 Oil, A U.S. Civil War, And EU Collapse. 

I don't see any absurdity in Medvedev's predictions headlined in the title of Kennedy's piece, because EU is slated for collapse because contradictions between EU nations are unsolvable and we all already see how those cracks begin to widen. Per US civil war, Mr. Kennedy better look around and note America's internal dynamics:

More than half of Americans expect that a civil war will erupt in the United States sometime in the near future, according to a study designed by a group of academics associated with the University of California Davis Violence Prevention Research Program and the California Firearm Violence Research Center. When asked to respond to the statement "In the next few years, there will be a civil war in the United States," 47.8 percent of respondents chose "Do not agree." 36.4 percent said they "somewhat" agreed with the statement, 8.4 percent agreed "strongly," and 5.3 percent agreed "very strongly." The remaining 2.1 percent chose not to respond.

After all, Medvedev, being a troll of the 80th Level, based his predictions on a very real economic and social dynamics of the modern combined West, and it is, pardon my French, a very shitty dynamics all around. Ah, yes, good ol' Dmitry also used to be Russia's both Prime Minister and President and in such a capacity had, still does, the access to the highest state secrets of Russia and knows things we don't know. 

And finally to the "revelations" of the Mozart Group's big honcho about Ukraine:

“A corrupt, fucked up society. I’m not a big fan of Ukraine. Ukrainians violate the Hague Convention. They should not film their crimes on video, so as not to attract the attention of the media. Yes, Ukrainians are violating… They film a number of things they do with prisoners of war, violating the law on military conflicts. Guys, the murder of Russian prisoners (a common thing). It’s not about Ukraine. I had the Ukrainian flag tied to my bag, but I’m not “Oh my God, Ukraine is so awesome!” No, cause… fucked up people are running Ukraine!”

Welcome to the real world and war, pal. I bet they didn't teach this in your educational facilities and USMC. What law of military conflict are you talking about, Colonel? SS were using Russian children for target practice in occupied USSR in WW II, Chechen and US funded separatists loved to cut heads and castrate POWs, so do VSU people. Rape and robbery is their natural MO. Yes, Colonel, it is not about Ukraine, it is about the US desperately grasping at the last straw of her grossly inflated self-proclaimed hegemony and because of that willing to use any means, including genocide to prolong own agony, by inflicting it on millions upon millions of other people. "O, say, can you see..." 

Literally, The Gas Station...

.... all kinds of gasses. You know, Russia. 

A global helium shortage has doctors worried about one of the natural gas’s most essential, and perhaps unexpected, uses: MRIs. Strange as it sounds, the lighter-than-air element that gives balloons their buoyancy also powers the vital medical diagnostic machines. An MRI can’t function without some 2,000 liters of ultra-cold liquid helium keeping its magnets cool enough to work. But helium — a nonrenewable element found deep within the Earth’s crust — is running low, leaving hospitals wondering how to plan for a future with a much scarcer supply. “Helium has become a big concern,” said Mahadevappa Mahesh, professor of radiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Baltimore. “Especially now with the geopolitical situation.” Helium has been a volatile commodity for years. This is especially true in the U.S., where a Texas-based federal helium reserve is dwindling as the government tries transferring ownership to private markets.

And why it is so? Here is why: 

Until this year, the U.S. was counting on Russia to ease the tight supply. An enormous new facility in eastern Russia was supposed to supply nearly one-third of the world’s helium, but a fire last January derailed the timeline. Although the facility could resume operations any day, the war in Ukraine has, for the most part, stopped trade between the two countries. Now, four of five major U.S. helium suppliers are rationing the element, said Phil Kornbluth, president of Kornbluth Helium Consulting. These suppliers are prioritizing the health care industry by reducing helium allotments to less essential customers.

Boy, they really thought that war-thing in Washington through. But if this was not bad enough, now toy-boy is upset. 

U.S. trade and energy policies have created a “double standard”, with Europe left paying higher prices for its natural gas, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. France, the latest—and largest--country to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, has switched from being a net exporter of energy last year, to being a net importer of energy this year, after problems with its nuclear fleet surfaced. To compensate for its declining nuclear fleet and Russia’s complete halt of natural gas shipments into the country, France has turned to the United States for LNG—only Macron is unhappy with the price it’s paying. U.S. natural gas exports to France increased 421% during the first eight months of 2022—but the value of that LNG increased by 1094% in August alone due to the higher prices of LNG. “The North American economy is making choices for the sake of attractiveness, which I respect, but they create a double standard,” Macron explained at a Brussels news conference on Friday, with the United States enjoying low energy prices at home, while exporting at record prices.“In addition, they allow state aid going to up to 80% on some sectors while it’s banned here -- you get a double standard. It comes down to the sincerity of transatlantic trade,”

The "double standard", "the sincerity of transatlantic trade"!? Lol...

Somebody explain to Macron that Europe, France included, is lunch, maybe some leftovers for dinner. Europe's only salvation was Russia, but they missed the train and are going to be consumed now. I am absolutely fascinated with the fate of Airbus and how all supply chains will react to the increasing cost of energy, and aerospace, boy, this industry is extremely energy consuming. Fascinating! Hey, Boeing needs to eat too, you know.

How To Be Written Off...

Anybody who is anybody speaks openly about the fact that Russia's war is with the combined West non-stop for many years. This blog speaks about it for 8 years. So, when some begin to exclaim recently that Russia must understand that her war is with the West, the immediate question is--what stone did you sleep under for the last 8 years. So, in terms of the larger picture we have today Putin and Xi doing their thing in Samarkand, with Xi stating:

“China is willing to make efforts with Russia to assume the role of great powers, and play a guiding role to inject stability and positive energy into a world rocked by social turmoil,” Xi told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a leaders’ summit at the SCO. Putin likewise praised the “multifaceted ties” the two countries have forged, in particular their trade relationship. Highlighting the exchange of $140 billion in trade with Beijing last year, he noted that the volume had increased 25% in the first half of 2022 and said he hoped the figure could reach $200 billion by the end of the year.

And this type of statements is expected but as I am on record, there is a guy in Russian government who is so powerful that many in the West prefer not to talk about him directly very often. His name is Alexandr Novak and he is Russia's energy minister. While putin and Xi were busy making grand strategy statements, Novak, commenting on the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline to China stated this:

САМАРКАНД, 15 сентября. /ТАСС/. Газопровод "Сила Сибири - 2" может стать фактической заменой для России газопровода "Северный поток - 2". Об этом в четверг сообщил вице-премьер РФ Александр Новак в интервью для программы "Москва. Кремль. Путин", фрагмент которого был показан на телеканале "Россия-1". "Ну, фактически - да", - сказал вице-премьер, отвечая на вопрос журналиста Павла Зарубина, может ли газопровод "Сила Сибири - 2" стать заменой "Северного потока - 2". Новак напомнил, что проект "Сила Сибири - 2" обсуждается "на мощность 50 миллиардов" кубометров газа.

Translation: SAMARKAND, September 15. /TASS/. The Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline may become a de facto replacement for Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. This was announced on Thursday by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in an interview for the "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" program, a fragment of which was shown on the Rossiya-1 TV channel. “Well, in fact, yes,” said the Deputy Prime Minister, answering a question from journalist Pavel Zarubin whether the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline could become a replacement for Nord Stream 2. Novak recalled that the Power of Siberia-2 project is being discussed "for a capacity of 50 billion" cubic meters of gas.

This is a very bad news for EU, which for many decades thought about Russia as a perpetual backward entity entirely dependent on West's industrial and technological expertise. So, seeing now how Russia doesn't give a damn must hurt. Like that:

Russia's natural gas exports to the European Union this year are expected to decline by 50 billion cubic meters (bcm)—or by one-third of last year's volumes—Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday. "According to estimates currently in the Ministry of Energy, exports will decrease by about 50 billion cubic meters," Novak said on the sidelines of an event in Moscow, as carried by Russian news agency Interfax.To compare, last year, Russian gas exports to the EU totaled around 150 bcm, per Reuters estimates.  

All the meanwhile Mr. Sechin is laughing all the way to the bank, as is Russia's budget and social and industrial programs. 

Russia’s largest oil producer, state-owned Rosneft, reported on Thursday a 13% increase in its first-half net income compared to the same period last year, boasting increased efficiency despite the Western sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. Rosneft’s net profit increased to $7.2 billion (432 billion Russian rubles) in the first half of 2022. The company’s oil and gas production rose by 1.5% to 4.85 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) as compared to the same assets it held last year, excluding assets disposed of in 2021. “In 1H 2022, Rosneft was under an unprecedented pressure of adverse external factors and unlawful sanctions. However, thanks to high operational efficiency and appropriate management decisions, we were able to ensure business continuity and demonstrate stable results,” Rosneft’s Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin – a long-time ally of Putin – said in a statement.

Boy, that's gotta hurt. Not Russia, of course, who is awash in cash. Nope, EU and a neocon cabal in D.C. who have issue of grasping pretty much any issue related to the reality. It is especially important against the background of this RAND and others' "plan" to sacrifice Europe at the altar of Pax Americana, hoping that this sacrificial lamb will extend America's life for any substantial time period. I doubt it to be the case, because the US is the cradle of globalism which goes not just through some cyclical crisis but through the terminal collapse, and in this case whatever value in Europe's sacrifice is, it is not going to change much in terms of systemic collapse of modern combined West and its leader, the United States. Another matter, the United States HAD an opportunity to make landing somewhat softer, but with three corporate figureheads in a sequence, such as Obama, Trump and zombiesque Biden, all opportunities to avert a complete crash have been wasted. America is in dire need of a serious statesman with balls of steel, which modern US "elite" preparation system cannot produce. 

Now, as you probably can sense yourself that this crisis around Kharkov which Western (and Ukie) media were trying to fan, as usual, simply fizzled out and a local tactical success, primarily for PR, of VSU was all for the optics and didn't result in any serious consequences, except beaten to death cliches and... fakes (in Russian). Or, in English:

Vitaly Sovin: The US propaganda machine is playing dirtier than ever in its information war against Russia. From Taliban ‘bounties’ to claims about North Korea, the US media’s ‘anonymous sources’ are weaponizing ‘fake news'. 

Truth is, never in my life have I experienced such a volume of the sheer BS poured over the heads of population of any modern country, with the exception of Ukraine, of course, as Western PR and propaganda machine produces. It is unprecedented and, remarkably, tells you everything you need to know about... weakness of this machine, because, as is the case across the board, it doesn't get any competent cadres and the only skill they have is a production of BS. Meaning literally inventing shit and "selling" it as news. I doubt many normal people work in US MSM--mostly psychopaths, the "proper" selection was set-up this way since 1990s. So, this is your primer for Thursday.

In Other News.

Doesn't seem important, right? Well, actually--not. Very important but it is not easy for some (that is why I do what I do) to make a clear connection between grand strategy, economics and military operational-tactical matters. 

The European Commission is walking away from the idea of proposing a price cap on Russian gas as part of measures to tackle the energy crisis, the Guardian reported on Tuesday, citing a leaked draft document of proposals it had seen. The draft document, expected to be unveiled on Wednesday, contains no reference to any price cap on gas, be it Russian or not, according to the leak viewed by the Guardian.  

As anyone with the IQ above room temperature already stated not for once, all those "price caps", be that for gas or oil from Russia, are nothing more than optics. No solution to Europe's energy crisis is possible for a primary reason of EU's bureaucracy incompetence and being ideologically driven, with the latter being a broad term covering anything from suicidal sanctions on Russia to Europe being prepped for sacrifice on the altar of collapsing US "empire". It still will not help much the US due to pretty much same reasons as in EU, but, as I am on record, should the US have had competent "elites", the plan may have worked. 

In related news:

The US and its allies are in talks over whether to send Ukraine more advanced weapons in the future, including fighter aircraft, a US defense official has said, according to the Financial Times. Some of Kiev’s Western allies were emboldened by last week’s successful offensive against Russia in Kharkov Region, the British newspaper reported on Tuesday. They are now discussing “Ukraine’s longer-term needs,” according to the anonymous US source. Some believe it would be appropriate to send warplanes to Ukraine in the “medium to longer term,” the source said, according to the publication. Western nations previously refused to provide fighter jets to Ukraine, citing the time it would take to train Ukrainian pilots, issues with servicing advanced weapon systems on the ground, and a risk of escalation in the conflict with Russia.

This shit has been in "discussion" since the onset of SMO and it really makes no difference, if one assumes that the decision will be made to supply F-16 (or any other combat aircraft), to Ukraine since for Buk-M3 or S-300V with S-400 it makes absolutely no difference if it is F-16, F-15 or F-35--they will be shot down the same way as 99% of Ukrainian Air Force was. Random popping out, here and there, of the remnants of Ukie combat aircraft (primarily Su-25 and very seldom MiG-29) ends always with the same result--being shot down. Including by Russian Air Force combat aircraft such as Su-35s. I want to reiterate the point--the US doesn't need another humiliation of its military technology in the open conflict. Most of it turned out to be primarily a commercial and terror product, good mostly against civilians and civilian infrastructure. 

Now, for some hysterical and FUD susceptible, if not altogether gullible, people:

The Russian government is not discussing a military mobilization “at this moment,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday. He was responding to a question about Moscow’s reaction to last week’s advances of Ukrainian forces in Kharkov Region. Moscow pulled back its troops from a number of settlements in the area for what the Russian Defense Ministry described as a “regrouping” necessary to continue the military operation against Kiev. Peskov said there was “no talk” of mobilization and downplayed some of the criticism that the military leadership and the ministry faced from various commentators over the retreat and Ukrainian gains. He assessed that the Russian public supported Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine and was “very sensitive” to events there, meaning some people will take last week’s setback very emotionally. “Criticisms are a normal part of pluralism of opinions, as long as they stay within the legal boundaries,” he said.

I happen to agree with Peskov on the issue of pluralism. For those people who continue their (utterly amateurish) talk about "mobilization" they:

1. Have no idea what they are talking about;

2. Usually repeat Western and IPSO propaganda, often not even understanding this fact.

3. That is why I am on record: 99% of all those "military" telegram channels, military "analysts", military "reporters", "patriots" and "strategists" are frauds--they have zero military expertise, least of all in serious operational matters, let alone in understanding what mobilization is and what it entails. 

I will repeat, again, that the bulk of Russian ground forces still remains in reserve and the actual number of Russian regulars fighting in Ukraine is (I speculate) out of 300,000 + is somewhere between 60 and 80,000. The rest of the force is LDNR militia and volunteers, who are about the size of 50-60,000. This force size is sufficient for the aims of SMO and for methodical annihilation of VSU's personnel and equipment. Real numbers and correlations are known to Russian General Staff only. Once one begins to put together all (known to us, mere mortals) factors of geopolitical, economic, diplomatic, military nature, in other words understanding "the nature of war", then one may stop repeating beaten to death political and military cliches, akin to:"Russia MUST understand that it fights with whole West"--no shit, geniuses, that is why Russia issued an ultimatum to combined West in December of 2021. So, try to see, truly see, not jumping from one particularity to another, the larger picture, and do not forget what demilitarization is all about. I will try to help on my side.  

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.

Well...

Kinda no comments are necessary.  

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch city of The Hague on Thursday said it would ask for a temporary exemption of EU sanctions against Russia, as it struggles to find a replacement for its contract with Russian gas supplier Gazprom in time. Sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine order governments and other public bodies to end existing contracts with Russian companies by October 10.

As report details:

For The Hague, this means it has to find a new supplier of gas to replace its existing agreement with Gazprom.The city said it held an EU-wide tender in June and July, but failed to attract any bids from potential suppliers.

Or maybe I need to comment just a teeny-weeny bit. And that goes extremely well with this UK piece of news. Thanks to Dean Nor for pointing this out: 

Ukrainian refugees and British hosts have hit out at the Homes for Ukraine scheme that has seen families on both sides feeling abandoned by the British government. A British mother who opened her door to two Ukrainians says she feels 'totally used and underappreciated' and has vowed to 'never again' take part in the scheme. Clara Maguire, 54, from Poole, Dorset, is one of a growing number of Britons who have quit the programme following a breakdown in relations with their displaced guests. Others claim they have been 'duped' by 'non-vulnerable' Ukrainians, while many have yet to receive a penny of the monthly £350 payments promised by the government - some six months after Vladimir Putin's tanks rolled over the border.

Just gets to show you: always study the subject, do your due diligence, before committing to any kind of sappy sentimental scheme concocted within deep recesses of inflamed and irrational minds such as BoJo's or other EU cretins, keeping in mind that it was combined West which unleashed the war in Ukraine in 2014 when overthrew corrupt but a legitimate government of Yanukovich. Welcome to the land of the consequences. You know, cause and effect--the concept long ago forgotten in what once was the realm of Enlightenment and rational thinking. It is especially painful, I am sure, in the land of Newton and Shakespeare. But then again, does such a society deserve a pity? 

EXCLUSIVE: Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is accused of 'violating history' by portraying Joan of Arc as non-binary in new play using the pronouns 'they' and 'them'. 

I thought so. Something tells me that Juliett was transgender and Romeo was gay. I believe 'violating history' is the only thing they teach in modern Western "elite" diploma mills, otherwise, how can you justify existence in the alternative universe.

Is Viktor Orban Due To A "Democratic" Coup d'Etat?

Certainly looks like, because he seem to be not only successful in keeping Hungary warm and cozy, but also well fed and mentally normal. Recall my points about Hungary's position here and here. 

Russian energy giant Gazprom has increased gas supplies to Hungary via the TurkStream pipeline, a Hungarian official confirmed on Saturday. According to Foreign Ministry State Secretary Tamas Menczer, the Russian company stepped up flows to Hungary by 2.6 million cubic meters per day starting Friday and for the rest of August. The extra supplies are being delivered by the TurkStream pipeline that brings gas to Hungary via Serbia. “The Hungarian government had previously decided to purchase some 700 million cubic meters of natural gas in addition to the already contracted volumes,” the official posted in his Facebook account. Menczer added that the nation is currently in talks with Moscow about additional volumes for September. Hungary, which is about 85% dependent on Russian gas, is trying to bolster its reserves before the cold season. Budapest has been strongly opposing calls to introduce EU sanctions on Russian gas imports. The country’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, has also managed to secure an exemption from the bloc’s sanctions on Russian crude oil imports. 

But, of course, we are not simpletons here and we understand that geopolitical significance of all that is much greater than any economic, however important, considerations. Are there forces in Hungary which work against Orban and his government? Absolutely! They are well financed by EU and its intel outlets and they cannot take it not only in geopolitical terms, but also because inevitably Hungary will make a good living as intermediary between those in EU who want to survive and Moscow. And I mean a good living. That hurts the most against the background of a complete economic and mental collapse of Europe and this is just the start. So, is Orban a visionary? In some sense he is. Consider the background:

I will lie if I say that my heart doesn't bleed for simple vulnerable people--it absolutely does--but we live in a real world and thousands of Russian civilians have been killed as a result of criminal policies of European and US governments. There is always a price to pay and seeing Hungary getting what she needs easily (as was predicted) from Russia is, today, tantamount to rubbing salt in the wound. Will they, US and EU, try a coup in Budapest? I am almost 100% positive that they will, especially come the Autumn and Winter, when the whole house of cards will implode. And yes, Russia is not taking this turbine back until it is proven that this turbine is not covered by sanctions, which, of course, it is. As they say--you reap what you sow, and that opens the perspective of Moscow doing something similar to Erdogan operation in 2016, when, rumor has it, he was saved by FSB (or G(R)U). 

But today, it is Hungary getting what she needs from a pivotal country in emerging Eurasian economic and military colossus, and this one is not on the legs of clay. But in the long run, because of proper diplomacy and constant communications with Moscow, Budapest may add territories to Hungary and Viktor Orban will stop being a popular leader, he will become Hungary's legend. Do you think Kremlin doesn't understand that? Of course it does. So does Orban whose bet increasingly looks less and less risky but more and more wise.

The "Level".

Here is a demonstration of the cultural "level" of Daily Beast and not only. I kid you not, this is not some blog, this is publication in the US.

This is the same publication where such Russia "experts" as Julia Ioffe published their collection of words, which passes in the US for journalism. But primarily most US mainstream media enjoy their visceral hatred of everything Russia and because of that, when combined with sheer ignorance, they produce such headlines. But do not think that it is just this tabloid Daily Beast. 

Russians are looking in awe at the complete disintegration of even illusion of the American "democracy" and "due process", not to mention this whole FUBAR with Trump and FBI, that Victoria Nikiforova of Ria published today the piece (in Russian) with the title made of Putin's famous quote about terrorists, which he promised to "мочить в сортире", which literally translates as "to slay in the outhouse", meaning that they will not even feel safe when visiting the outhouse for "business". Which is true, as Salman Raduev, a notable Chechen terrorist, learned the hard way when was taken by Russian special forces while sitting on john. Well, now Nikiforova titles her piece:

The Democrats are slaying Trump in the Outhouse. 

In it she describes "evidence" against Trump from photo of his... toilet bowl with some pieces of paper in it. What can I say, it is NYT and the qualifications of most US journos are those of shit and toilet bowl raiders and Nikiforova duly, with a great deal of sarcasm, notes that this journo is from New York and is supposed to be "cultured". LOL. Just try to run the whole thing from Google Translate, it will give you the gist but will, definitely, lose some sarcasm. Still, worth it. Yes, this is the level of Western "journalism" and it is all about shit. Yet, contrary to Daily Beast which describes Russian as being "scared shitless", Douglas MacGregor is pretty clear:
 

And he is right, Russians are not afraid of the US because, as he notes, in the last few seconds:"Because Russians know us for what we really are." Yep, that's the point I try to get across for many years now. As well as to explain that America's mythology has nothing to do with America's military might, always grossly exaggerated and sometimes simply non-existent, but with the ideas and wealth which America projected around the world and many in USSR did admire it. There is nothing to admire now. The same goes to Europe. 

As Estonia's (LOL))) Prime Minister is on record: "Visiting Europe is not a right but a privilege" (in Russian). I don't know what privilege he is talking about, but his little shithole of a country with no economy is altogether is a backwater compared to any large urban center in Russia. But even Western Europe, once being attractive for Russians (Soviets) not so much for its cultural "values", but primarily for its seeming wealth and access to consumer goods not available in USSR, today is nothing more than a declining, per Dostoevsky, museum under the open sky, which is viewed by overwhelming majority of Russians with contempt. As yesterday's report from Ren TV has shown, Russian girls touring Barcelona have been very disappointed with the fact of Spain's mandatory blackouts and instead of seeing Sagrada Familia in all its glory in the night saw nothing but lifeless dark structure. 

The myths of European wealth are long gone, Moscow and St. Petersburg make any European city look like a dump plus:

Food producers across Europe are contending with soaring energy prices, with that increase quickly felt in the pockets of consumers grappling with a cost-of-living crisis, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. According to the report, citing a Bank of England forecast, a third of UK households are set to spend more than 10% of incomes on energy, and now surging grocery costs are driving up food poverty. “It is the domino effect that has happened with us having to take a huge increase on energy,” Ryan Peters, managing director of Brioche Pasquier UK, told the outlet. “We have to try and raise our prices to retailers a little bit, and unfortunately that goes on to consumers,” he said. Kona Haque, head of research for commodities trader ED&F Man, warned: “I think the worst is still to come as energy prices rise. This winter will be a game changer and processing costs will likely go up.”

Yes, "food poverty" is a euphemism for different stages of going hungry. I elaborate extensively on this issue in the US in my last book. And Europe did it to itself. Because of that, they will hate Russia and Russians even more. As per "freedom" which was perceived and desired so much from the confines of the Soviet Union in 1970s and 80s, only mentally challenged fringe Russian pro-Western community buys this BS of EU being a "democracy" and having "freedom". While India walks the talk and ditches US Dollar, while in the same time, India teaches EU how to run real economy:

Russia’s share of the Indian oil market is growing at the expense of Saudi imports, Bloomberg has reported, noting Russian oil has been selling at a sizeable discount to Saudi crude. Russia became the second-biggest oil supplier to India in June, after Iraq, which remained the biggest oil supplier to the subcontinent. India and China became key markets for Russian oil after the Ukraine invasion as Europe began to wind down its purchases. The EU plans to suspend almost all imports of Russian crude and fuels by the end of the year, when an embargo will come into effect. China and India, however, have only been too happy to absorb some of the crude that Europe is shunning, with both Asian giants dependent on imports for their energy consumption. As of July, the two accounted for 55 percent of Russian seaborne oil exports.

But Russians have the advice for Europeans. 

"Comrade, conserve water! Take baths with your female neighbor". Good advice, especially when one begins to get a whiff of a combined West being scared shitless. Disclaimer: the physical appearances of female neighbors may vary and may differ significantly from one shown in the PA Poster.