June 22... 1941-2022.

This is one of my most favorite paintings of that date:

It encapsulates pretty much what happened at that day in 1941. 27 million Soviet people (most of them civilians) lives and four years later the verdict was announced. But nations and states do not live in a human time-frame, their time is slower and today we are ending the last chapter of the tragedy which started in 1914 and it could be either the end of all this, meaning human civilization, or a new beginning. Even for decomposing and degenerate West. This is what I talked today about:

I guess Putin announcing this should send (It did, most likely) a shock to the "system".

Putin: We are working to create an international reserve currency based on the BRICS basket of currencies

I never bothered myself with the look at the "stock market" and "capitalization". I always follow weapons' development and machine building complex, because they, and what they entail, are the ONLY real indicators of power. In related news, S-500s are being deployed. S-550 is next.

My Yesterday's Talk...

 ... with Piero San Giorgio. 

It was primarily about my second book, but not only.
 

Excellent Write-Up By Larry...

 Dazed and confused, indeed. 

As Larry writes:

Are we witnessing the consequences of legalized marijuana causing contact highs among the intelligence community that surrounds Washington, DC? How else to explain the parade of political and military analysts now seized with angst over the growing gulf between what they claimed would happen to Russia in Ukraine and the stark reality. Hell, even the CIA is trying to figure out what went wrong with its analysis and is still getting it wrong. Remarkable.The problem with the CIA is simple–when you prioritize hiring people because of their embrace of pronouns and degenerate sexuality over recruiting accomplished, genuinely educated people equipped with critical thinking skills, do not be surprised that the juvenile mediocrities perform poorly. How is a gender fluid “them” with no military experience and no foreign language skills going to predict the military outcome of a conflict where the attacking force is outnumbered 3 to 1?Failure is supposed to be a great teacher. But that instruction only succeeds if the pupil is open to learning hard lessons. The CIA has become a purple haired clown show. Just take a gander at the of this article from the Business Insider–US intel officials admit they didn’t see that Russia’s military was a ‘hollow force.’ Here’s what they did see and how they missed it. 

Read the whole thing--it gets to the heart of the issue.

Evidently, There Was a "Slaughter"...

 ... of VSU air-assets during their latest (disastrous) attempt at Snake Island. As Russian MoD reports:

«Замыслом операции киевского режима предусматривалось нанесение массированных воздушных и артиллерийских ударов по острову Змеиный с последующей высадкой десанта и его захвата. В воздушном налете было задействовано более 15 украинских беспилотных летательных аппаратов в ударном и разведывательном исполнении, наведение которых осуществлялось двумя беспилотными летательными аппаратами «Байрактар ТБ-2», – говорится в официальном Telegram-канале Минобороны.«Кроме того, в воздушном пространстве в районе острова Змеиный российскими средствами был зафиксирован на больших высотах стратегический разведывательный беспилотный летательный аппарата ВВС США «Глобал Хок» RQ-4.

Противовоздушное прикрытие украинских БПЛА обеспечивалось зенитными ракетными системами «С-300» с боевых позиций в районе Тузлы и Очакова.Ракетные и артиллерийские удары по острову Змеиный наносились украинскими баллистическими ракетами «Точка-У», реактивными системами залпового огня «Ураган» и 155-мм гаубицами М-777 с огневых позиций западнее Одессы и на острове Кубанский», – сообщил Конашенков.«Российскими средствами ПВО: зенитным ракетно-пушечным комплексом «Панцирь» и зенитным ракетным комплексом «Тор» все средства поражения противника, выпущенные по острову Змеиный, были уничтожены.Сбиты в воздухе: 13 беспилотных летательных аппаратов, четыре ракеты «Точка-У» и 21 реактивный снаряд системы залпового огня «Ураган». Ни одно из украинских огневых средств не достигло цели на острове Змеиный. 

Translation: “The plan of the operation of the Kyiv regime provided for the infliction of massive air and artillery strikes on Zmeiny Island, followed by a landing and its capture. More than 15 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in strike and reconnaissance versions were involved in the air raid, which were guided by two Bayraktar TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicles. “In addition, in the airspace in the area of ​​​​Snake Island, Russian means detected a strategic reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle of the US Air Force Global Hawk RQ-4 at high altitudes. Air defense cover for Ukrainian UAVs was provided by S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems from combat positions in the Tuzla and Ochakov areas. Rocket and artillery strikes on Zmeiny Island were carried out by Ukrainian Tochka-U ballistic missiles, Uragan multiple launch rocket systems and M-777 155-mm howitzers from firing positions west of Odessa and on Kubansky Island,” Konashenkov said. “Russian air defense systems: the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun system and the Tor anti-aircraft missile system destroyed all enemy weapons fired at Zmeiny Island. Shot down in the air: 13 unmanned aerial vehicles, four Tochka-U missiles and 21 Uragan multiple rocket launchers. None of the Ukrainian munitions reached the target on Zmeiny Island.

This explains frustration and attack on... civilian oil rigs in the Black Sea after that. Typical. Well, now some videos of those M-777 being blown to smithereens are also provide by MoD (in Russian). 

As I am on record for years, neither Pentagon nor, let alone, NATO lapdogs can provide any serious operational advice to VSU due to the fact that they never fought anything like this. The United States altogether has no experience of fighting under the fire impact from the enemy to the operational depth. In fact, and I am also on record, all this Iraqi and Afghanistan experience is useless for the modern combined arms warfare. Per Global Hawk and, now traditional, ISR support by the US of VSU's disastrous attempts at fighting war of the 21st century--any US air asset (from strategic bombers to F-35, to UAVs) in the Black Sea theater is an easy target and, in case, God forbids, real war wouldn't be flying there. Not to speak of slow and "stealthy" Global Hawks one of which was an easy target for Iranian Air Defense in 2019.   

It is clear that Pentagon and NATO are trying to gain some kind of insight into the operations in Ukraine, including by being directly involved into operational planning for VSU, but the truth is--NATO militaries, led by the US, are not configured for protracted and extremely painful and brutal combined arms operations against the opposition which is not only "peer" (a condescending BS invented in Pentagon) but is fully capable to disrupt NATO's C4ISR and has air defense which is simply the best and most advanced in the world. Situation with the Snake Island and VSU's utter failure there exposed a complete obsolescence of Western fighting doctrines which are designed for one thing only--intimidation and bombing with impunity of the third world defenseless nations. And that is the main lesson of yet another Ukie failure.

The Rooks Flew In.

Not the famous Savrasov's 1871 The Rooks Flew In (original Russian title, Грачи Прилетели, not Anglicized The Rooks Have Returned) painting. 

Nor Nikolai Anisimov's, piercing in its genius poetry, song about Rooks (Su-25s) combat work in Chechnya. This phrase alone: "Bernoulli's equations carry The Rook in the skies", is something that only those who went through it could write. No, these are SU-25SMs now in Ukraine. Excellent show of combat work.

One can clearly see the terrain which is highly conducive for air-defense ambushes, including with still not 100% annihilated Ukrainian Buk-M1s, Osas and even remaining S-300s, albeit most of those are being hidden or deployed around key military objects in 404 and in Kiev. I am not talking about Stingers which performed dismally and are absolutely obsolete at the modern battlefield, and new Russian ECM employed on all combat aircraft of RuAF reduced them to merely a PR.   

Meanwhile, Peskov didn't mince words in his interview to NBC today and was very blunt:

This crisis (meaning Russia-West) will be long and "We will never trust West (again)". I guess it is very clear and requires no additional elaboration. 

Douglas MacGregor On Ukraine.

Here is him with Tucker.

He touches briefly on the issue of targeting for VSU, but as latest from Donetsk tells us--HIMARS were used, of course, on civilian population. A great achievement of Biden Administration. Obviously, those HIMARS will be hunted down and annihilated, but what can I say--it looks like killing civilians is a skill well developed in Western armies. Just overall good talk by MacGregor, including the brief discussion of the end-state of SMO and Russia emerging from it--a topic many are afraid to talk about in the West.

More Clarification On "Realism", Plus Larry Is Being Sarcastic.

In continuation of this whole discussion on American "realism", my suggestion for many to go here, the preview of my second book on Amazon, and read attentively in the available part of the first chapter WHY so much discussion about Mearsheimer and American "realists". I make on those pages a case about "liberal" view of history and geopolitics as not valid. 

In related news, Larry went full sarcastic and acerbic yesterday, reacting to the stream of statements by officials of mighty British Empire on how they are going to defeat Russia. 

Dear President Putin:

I write with the greatest of respect and sorrow to inform you that your gamble in Ukraine has failed and you have lost a strategic battle. How do I know? Well, UK Admiral Tony Radakin, the head of the UK’s Armed Services says so. Here is what he said:

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said Russia was suffering heavy losses, running out of troops and advanced missiles and would never be able to take over all of Ukraine. “This is a dreadful mistake by Russia. Russia will never take control of Ukraine,” Tony Radakin told PA Media in an interview published on Friday. The country’s highest-ranking military officer said the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, had lost 25% of Russia’s land power for only “tiny” gains and it would emerge a “more diminished power” while strengthening Nato. . . .“The Russian machine is grinding away, and it’s gaining a couple of – two, three, five – kilometres every day,” the admiral said. “And Russia has vulnerabilities because it’s running out of people, it’s running out of hi-tech missiles. “President Putin has used about 25% of his army’s power to gain a tiny amount of territory and 50,000 people either dead or injured. Russia is failing.”

If Admiral Tony says it is true you can take it to the bank. I mean, who can deny the British victory at Dunkirk and their smashing successes in quelling the natives in India, Iraq and Afghanistan. Not to be presumptive Mr. Putin, but when Russia comes to grip with the mighty military prowess of the United Kingdom, I can understand why you will quiver in your snow boots.

Read the whole thing at Larry's blog, it is excellent. But that does bring forth the question of mental adequacy of British military top brass, since, obviously, they are not only going through the stages of Kubler-Ross, but, evidently, do not know basic operational facts and truisms about losses. In other words, they fully confirm my assertion that they are good only for fighting in PR area and, but then again, it is MI6's field, killing innocent people and cats for the sake of provocations.