It Was A Very Intense Day...

 ... to put it politely. First Nima and Dmitry Orlov talked. So unusual to see Dmitry without his signature beard. 

Then this was Ania, Scott and my turn.  

How to put it mildly;))

Yep, that's about right.

Andrei Raevsky (The Saker) Sent A Message...

Andrei, as you all know, took a much needed break, a vacation, to rest and clear his mind, but he sends messages once in a while. This one is today and it is a good one. He gives some bullet points and in one of them he writes:

It is now also undeniable that what began as a special military operation (SMO) has now turned into a open and full-scale war between the consolidated West (aka the Anglo-Zionist Empire) and Russia: the Empire has now “hit” Russia with everything it had short of a direct military attack.  The (originally 200’000+ strong) Ukrainian military, arguably the strongest NATO military force (which is otherwise mostly composed of small and thoroughly woked-out “parade militaries”!), especially with the full support of the West (intelligence, weapons, money, political, etc. etc. etc.) is being “demilitarized” and “denazified” by a vastly superior Russian military force (but not one bigger in size: Russia has used only a fraction of her full military power).  The outcome here is not in doubt.

Read the whole thing at The Saker's blog. It is a good write up, good summary.