Will Moscow heed the wisdom of Cyrus Ching, an obscure U.S. Government employee in the 1940s, who is credited with this gem– “I learned long ago never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides the pig likes it.”
The United States and NATO have been busy throwing toxic, lethal mud at Vladimir Putin and the Russian people over the past month that has stoked outrage in Russia. I am referring to the terrorist bombing and murder of Darya Dugina, the sabotage of the Nordstream gas pipelines and this weekend’s truck bomb on the Kerch bridge. These recent attacks are viewed in the context of continued shelling of the Donbas by Ukrainian artillery, which has killed close to a 100 men, women and children in the past two months. The Donbas is now part of Russia, regardless of what the West thinks about its new status. It would be understandable if Russia decided to have a mega-Howard Beale moment–i.e., they’re mad as Hell and are not gonna take this anymore:
But I suspect Vladimir Putin and his advisors are not keen on emotionally ventilating and shaking their fists at the empty air. Russia is going to do more than open and window and scream in anger. I anticipate something more substantive and severe is in the offing on the battlefields of Ukraine than choleric shouts.
The outlines of the impending Russian response are becoming clear. For example, Putin appointed a new commander to lead all of its forces in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin. This is noteworthy because, prior to today, Russia had not named a single commander to oversee all of its forces in Ukraine. This indicates, I believe, a decisive shift from the Special Military Operation to a combined arms war effort.
What does “combined arms” mean? “The full integration and application of two or more arms or elements of one Military Service into an operation.” In other words, Russian military operations going forward will employ all ground and air capabilities in a coordinated system. No longer will the former militias of Donetsk and Lunhansk wage war in their own sphere with support from Russia in terms of artillery and missile fires, intelligence and electronic warfare. These units are now part of Russia and their capabilities will be applied in accordance with a broader, comprehensive plane with the likely objective of the complete defeat of Ukraine.
While some pundits have speculated that Russia might unleash its intelligence and special operations forces to carry out sabotage and “terrorist” attacks against U.S. and European targets, along with clubbing Ukraine with an iron fist, I do not believe that Vladimir Putin wants to sink to that level and give the West more reason to label it as a sponsor of terrorism. I do not mean to imply that Putin is afraid of being labeled a “terrorist”, but I think Putin understands that “terrorism” is an act of weakness and he is not about to take actions that portray Russia as feeble. Strength, baby, strength.
I do not think Russia is going to embark on a counter terrorism operation akin to what it did in Chechnya. I imagine many readers of this piece have forgotten or never paid attention to the radical Islamic terrorism that wreaked havoc in Russia over a ten year period:
- An August 1999 bombing of a shopping arcade and a September 1999 bombing of an apartment building in Moscow that killed sixty-four people.
- Two bombings in September 1999 in the Russian republic of Dagestan and southern Russian city of Volgodonsk. Controversy still surrounds whether these attacks were conclusively linked to Chechens.
- A bomb blast that killed at least forty-one people, including seventeen children, during a military parade in the southwestern town of Kaspiisk in May 2002. Russia blamed the attack on Chechen terrorists.
- The October 2002 seizure of Moscow’s Dubrovka Theater, where approximately seven hundred people were attending a performance. Russian Special Forces launched a rescue operation, but the opium-derived gas they used to disable the hostage-takers killed more than 120 hostages, as well as many of the terrorists. Basayev took responsibility for organizing the attack, and three Chechen-affiliated groups are thought to have been involved.
- A December 2002 dual suicide bombing that attacked the headquarters of Chechnya’s Russian-backed government in Grozny. Russian officials claim that international terrorists helped local Chechens mount the assault, which killed eighty-three people.
- A three-day attack on Ingushetia in June 2004, which killed almost one hundred people and injured another 120.
- Street fighting in October 2005 that killed at least eighty-five people. The fighting was in the south Russian city of Nalchik after Chechen rebels assaulted government buildings, telecommunications facilities, and the airport.
- An attack on the Nevsky Express, used by members of the business and political elite, in November 2009 killed twenty-seven people.
- In March 2010, two female suicide bombers detonated bombs in a Moscow metro station located near the headquarters of the security services, killing thirty-nine people. Islamist Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov claimed responsibility for the bombing; he had also claimed responsibility for the derailment of the Nevsky Express.
- Two days after the metro station bombing in March 2010, two bombs exploded in the town of Kizlyar, in Russia’s North Caucasus, killing at least twelve people.
That was terrorism, yet it was not an existential threat to Russia. Russia launched a comprehensive counter terrorism operation and, when it ended, quelled the violence and secured the loyalty of Chechnya to the Russian Federation. In fact, Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, and his troops have become something of a folk legend in Russia.
Russia is being attacked by the United States and NATO via proxies–i.e., Ukrianians–and now realizes that it must not only defeat Ukraine militarily; it must neuter the West. Those are the stakes and Putin’s upcoming meeting with his National Security council will shed light on how Russia plans to deal with this genuine existential threat.
The west is all about perception, from finance markets to energy security and real prosperity.
I think they will work through the evidence such that it is, its already alleged the lead investigator of the nord stream incident has suddenly died from a bee sting and was cremated within 2 hours of his death… this is pretty shocking if true…
One suspects Russia will merely accelerate the exposure of the weaknesses. Pulling these levers dose not expose Russia to direct harm as they are not choices or decisions or actions set in motion or made in any one in Russia. (huge western 31 trillion debt)
I expect personally anti NGO and NED campaigns and information provided to third party governments who are both friendly and neutral to russia about ongoing activities in there states that are there to destabilize them, in this case Thailand is one example.
Russia will continue to play the alleged underdog, as almost all non western countries associate them selves as the underdog striving to fight against the injustices against them selves. the western PR campaigns play right into russias hands in this regards the bombastic statements from biden and others particularly rankle less powerful nations who are unable to defend them selves from the west or have in the past suffered from such actions previously.
Counter terrorism efforts to remove non native, western franchise T groups such as al, and sisi will be stepped up.
the real people doing the damage are such a small subset of society, finding out who they are and if they are in the combat zone are likely high priority’s.
South Bird, can you offer any links wrt US destabilization efforts in Thailand. I was stranded in Thailand 11 years ago by a freak accident and now have a wife and five year old son here and am constantly weighing options.
Thanks.
Herk
Brian from new atlas
https://landdestroyer.blogspot.com/
he is a former soldier living in Thailand now with wife and kid, he found many odd happenings in Asia and started digging around and discovered many NGO’s related to the current W F crowd.
you tube
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheNewAtlas
This is a decent primer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKYSzaZQyro
Since when is striking a bridge regularly used for transporting supplies and heavy armament to occupying forces an act of “terrorism”? Your premise is rather bent out of shape (at best) and intellectually dishonest is the more likely appropriate label.
Russia is not an easy state in which to conduct terrorist acts, much less get away with them, even if only for a short time. I’ve always wondered about who might have been backing at least some Chechen terrorist groups during that 10+ year period.
Read an article a while ago that talked about two categories of covert operations: plausibly deniable, and then untraceable (“zero footprint”). Multiple cutouts, layered accounts and shellcos, the “wilderness of mirrors” really starts to come into play.
But the shadow dwellers on both/all sides are quite comfortable, indeed in their element in this wilderness, and so “the unending game” (to quote the title of the first book by an ex-head of India’s external intelligence agency) continues, unendingly.
This post also brought to mind a book I read a while ago – an interesting one written by a very interesting lady: “Outsourced” by RJ Hillhouse – who grew up in the Ozarks, earned an MA in Russian and East European Studies, and might well have been a shadow dweller herself at one point in time.
The US and KSA were backing the Chechen rebels/terrorists. Many of them hoped over from Afghanistan in the 90’s. The first Chechen War was mostly a war of Chechen independence, which is why Chechnya is an autonomous region of the RF today. The second was not and led to the terrorism of the late 90’s and 00’s (I lived in Petersburg during the bombings of ‘99). That was Putin’s coming out party.
Akhmat Kadyrov was the Grand Mufti of Chechnya. He had fought with the rebels in the first Chechen war, well respected. He switched sides to the Russians in large part because the rebels of the second Chechen war were more and more foreign fighters and Wahhabists with ties to the west. He was assassinated, which is how his son Ramzan came to power. It’s part of the reason the Chechens have been so active in Syria and Ukraine. A bunch of those foreign fighters ended up in ISIS (and similar) and then in Ukraine. There’s a good old fashioned Caucasian blood feud mixed in with geopolitics.
Putin has a dweeb paper shuffler image he has to get rid of.
So Pianodik and his gov’t wants to do terrorist acts — do what Israel does destroy their family homes (blow them up in this case).
Also life looks too easy in Kiev with the fire hose of Euros and Dollars flooding it. Cut off the electricity.
Blow up a different gov’t office building every day.
That’s not the image he has in Russia, or much of anywhere outside the “west” sphere of influence.
Many are frustrated including Kadyrov. Also many on telegram channels. The “West” has the image of mafioso murderer not paper shuffler. I see on the my telegram channel a missile or two landed in central Kiev an hour ago near Pianodik’s office — so maybe my ideas were prescient.
Yeah, Joe Biden represents the tough Cowboy American leader to the tee, c’mon!!!!
SteinwayCock, 88Tickler,
Ivory-4Skins. Van Climaxburn, Artur Pubenstein.
– internet thesaurus on entry PiaknowsDick.
GladImHere Sorosvitz is listed in another direrectory.
You actually strike me as a keyboard warrior with no real world experience. But that’s just my opinion.
a mark of obvious troll :
– concern trolling while insulting russia
– always go for putin weak nonsense
– blood thirsty and over the top ‘russia must bomb xxx’ nonsense
– doom saying while never providing source/link
– focusing on 1 or 2 incidents and then claiming ‘all is lost’
and the worst ? the useful idiots who forget that the whole SMO is not just battlefield gain/loss but a much much more complex confrontation spanning the globe
everyone have access only to the limited visible public information , the tip of the iceberg while they have zero knowledge on the whole iceberg. yet the trolls and useful idiots continuouosly lament the weak russia , weak putin , all is lost nonsense.
the trolls like ash i know they are here for the paid-pet-post job , but the useful idiots who agreed with the trolls are the worst people here.
I APOLOGIZE LARRY FOR THE HARSH WORDS , BUT THE INFLUX OF TROLLS POSTING NONSENSE AND LIES HERE ARE THRU THE ROOF RECENTLY
trolling is part of Cognitive Warfare;
https://www.innovationhub-act.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/20210122_CW%20Final.pdf
but the moment you understand the methods being used to mess with your mind you mitigate their effect,
Ronald Thomas West provided a handy guide to trolling methods on his blog and once you understand their approaches they become much easier to dismiss;
https://ronaldthomaswest.com/2017/08/21/the-gentlepersons-guide-to-forum-spies/
I really love Larry picking that Howard Beale scene, there are two movies that have stood the test of time and are recommended viewing for today,
Dr Strangelove, or; How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb. (1964)
Network (1976)
if you want a laugh then “The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! (1966)
and boy, do we need something to laugh about at the moment!
buntalunca,i agree.trolling has become a full time profession.all this SMO expert analysis makes my ass tired.there was one purpose for the SMO.it was an off ramp for US/NATO but alas they missed the exit.avarice,hubris,or blind stupidity?i do not know but it is certain it was the last exit.
Thanks mkultra for recognizing the trolling problem here
we all can see every time the ukrop media propaganda dropped , the whole internet / social media / media suddenly in ONE VOICE and ONE NARRATIVE pushed this same propaganda everywhere.. and the lurker troll here who pretend to be normal ppl suddenly posted doom gloom fake news nonsense with NO EVIDENCE or even any analysis whatsoever other than ‘trust me bro , im ash a regular poster’ nonsense
Now for normal ppl here who have patience of a saint or naivety of a child , the trolling have been increased lately here and it is almost as bad as in Saker , MoA , Smoothie’s sites. The influx of random new posters posting ukrop propaganda are enormous and the ‘troll who pretend to be regular poster’ suddenly posted endless troll post.
Some called me out for stiffling discussion , but do you even see the obvious pattern of trolling / hasbara op 101 enacted here ? these people do not seek discussion but they seek to poison the comment section with endless FUD and fake data to skew the naive and useful idiots.
Agree 1000%!!! Ash and Patton, full-fledged trolls and they’re not even hiding it. I’d ban them in an instant and others like them if this were my blog.
If you had a blog no one would read it.
A troll is actually someone who has nothing to say but just disrupts a site and attacks, like you and buntastan. For Bunta it’s her standard operating mode. You are just a new fool.
Ash, your mouth still smells like tittie milk as we say where I’m from. By definition, a troll is someone who is versed in disrupting dialogue and debate. Often times, they’ll resort to sneering comments and making contradictory statements as in a schizophrenic format, but mostly, they’ll try to subvert the editorial line of the blogger. To repeat the mainstream narrative that Putin and the Russians are weak bla bla bla you are no better than the worst propagandist and presstitutes who work for you know who. Clear? Now, go get your shine box and …….!!!
um… ok… how is that not a description of your present behaviour?
.. wow ..
Ash is a troll , he is not someone seeking discussion or seeking truth/fact. he bided his time and his trolling posts increased everytime ukrop propaganda invent something new..
please check ash’s old posts and you will see the pattern is there.
Like the 40 mile long russkie convoy , ash the concern troll back then cried his heart out
Like the snake island , ash lament why russian so weak and putin a fool to leave the island
Like the Lyman nonsense and so on
I agree, friend. I am sure that de SMO is in the best hands possible. Every move is thought and executed accordingly. Today, Oct 10, it seems rained missiles on Ukraine, response to the evil attacks against people and infrastructure of the now new Russian territories.
God you are stupid. You meet your own definition of troll .I guess I shouldn’t feed the troll, you are obviously desperate for attention since all you do is come on sites and scream at everyone. Moron.
Everyone , this is the Hasbara 101 perfect example of how to act if he got caught.
Ash pretended to be hurt and yet he hurl endless insult to people who smoked him out.
This is common M.O for trolls everyone and if you visit MoA , Saker , Smoothie you will see the same pattern of M.O repeated ad nauseum
I reject your opinion you’re just wrong that’s all.
I listened to Putin’s speeches don’t sound like a “dweeb paper shuffler” to me.
You must forgot what a real leader of a nation of people sounds like. And if you’re from the US the chances are you never heard one.
Putin’s Russia is absolutely in charge
I heard someone say “Russia is f**king this goat you just hold his head.
Image shimige
That’s a Anglo-Atlantist deal.
President Putin,
Events are quickening at such a rapid pace!
Larry Johnson is a towering giant: https://sonar21.com/will-russia-go-tit-for-tat-on-terrorism-or-will-it-take-the-high-road/
“I do not mean to imply that Putin is afraid of being labeled a “terrorist”, but I think Putin understands that “terrorism” is an act of weakness and he is not about to take actions that portray Russia as feeble. Strength, baby, strength.”
I do not have Mr. Johnson’s knowledge or experience but I agree with the above 100 Percent!
“Russia is being attacked by the United States and NATO via proxies–i.e., Ukrianians–and now realizes that it must not only defeat Ukraine militarily; it must neuter the West. Those are the stakes and Putin’s upcoming meeting with his National Security council will shed light on how Russia plans to deal with this genuine existential threat.”
America is now controlled by perverts.
I know you are busy but is there any way you could squeeze in a program that would grant Russian citizenship to Americans wanting to flee the perversion America has become? We no longer have a nation. We have oligarchs and perverts now who control everything!
What are you going to do?
Jim Giles
Radio Free Mississippi
P.S. Mr. Johnson, I once interviewed Jim Neal of Watergate fame: https://rebelarmy.com/audio/RFM-2009-11-04-JimNeal.mp3
100% agree.
The Kerch Bridge attack crossed a red line. Personally, I am disgusted that the Ukrainians would also murder the innocent driver. Just appalling.
I think Moscow needs to take action within Ukraine to raise the risk so high that Ukraine, DC and NATO will be deterred from taking any similar actions.
They need to do it within Ukraine because to take kinetic action outside Ukraine gives DC what it wants – a causus Belli. I also think they can’t use miles or tactical nukes, although there’s been no indication at all that Moscow intends to use them.
The Russians have multiple options within Ukraine. They can take out electricity and water, destroy infrastructure at will, take out all known leadership centres including NATO run centres, and if they know where Zelensky or his thugs are, eliminate them. Whatever they do, however, must deliver such a shock that deterrence is established.
Just my 10 cents.
I am surprised the posters here cannot see the plan that is being followed. My guess is that there are so few students of the second world war that everyone defaults to more recent and largely irrlevent conflicts to identify tactics. Study the Kourland offensive and you will get a sense of what is beginning to form. FYI: that Soviet offensive began in October as well.
That’s right we are ignorant Trump trailer trash not colleeege types like you. Go be disagreeable and boring on some other blog please.
By the way missiles are raining down on Ukrainian cities as I type. Electricity cut in KIev where people are hiding in the subways which won’t run. Finally. Gov’t office hit.
From Russia’s strategic point of view Zelensky is the gift that keeps on giving.
He needs to be preserved and thanked. He is turning into an absolute asset to Russia.
His “success” with the West was all explicitly empowered and cultivated by the West, if it were otherwise he’d have been sidelined and replaced or snuffed out in an instant.
The joy for Russia is that having been elevated to the extreme he has, he’s outgrown his puppet status and become increasingly impetuous, foolish in decision making, demanding in the extreme and is becoming an actual embarrassment to the West.
He’s been subject to enormous stress as a human being/actor and the stress and fear of what comes next both from Russia, his own generals and his handlers will likely propel him rapidly along the current trajectory into some form of very messy self created chaos and or leadership turmoil.
The absolute best he can expect personally is some form of big bang assassination by his handlers as one of their not so distant false flags.
My idea exactly — this blog attracts a few superior know it alls and semi trolls.
Are you the same Brad Patton that was banned from the Moon of Alabama and Saker sites for repeated sexual comments directed toward other posters?
Sounds like the same guy. Toward the end he was saying really weird things, mostly toward men, mostly homoerotic. I hope Larry keeps an eye on this guy’s posts.
me thinks thou dost protest too much.
I would have thought that a fiscally and geo-politically rational, competent, knowledgeable US Govt would avoid a “Casus Belli” against two external enemies simultaneously, while it cannot even begin to defeat the first one selected?
There you go, Ive implicitly answered my own question!
a fiscally and geo-politically rational, competent, knowledgeable US Govt
FDR died.
Thanks for the reasonable post , scipio
there’s few people here that i enjoy and respect and you are definitely on the top 5
Never forget that it was the Biden Regime that precipitated this! We’re talking about the CRIMINALLY INSANE who would do anything to stay in power including the threat of a Nuclear War that its DAVOS Masters believe is a winnable strategy!
October is going to be a month we won’t forget where the Regime and is enablers worldwide will stop at NOTHING to achieve their diabolic end of CONTROL OF THE WORLD, the goal of the EVIL ONE from the Dawn of Man starting with Lucifer’s NON-SERVIAM to God!
Pray God, hear the cry of what’s left of the Faithful in fighting this battle for our bodies and our souls!
The Russians are not bluffing. They’ve had enough, and, for one, I don’t blame them. They are NOT the enemy. They’re fighting for what’s left of freedom worldwide from the Globalist Tyranny!
THE enemy is our own rotten government of devils who promote every diabolic evil that the world has ever seen and then some, arrogant devils to be sure to try to force Regime Change on a Superpower with the largest Nuclear Arsenal. God help us all; we’re going to need it!
The USA is no longer the country created in 1776.
1913 – its money supply was taken over
1963 – its government was taken over
2001 – it became a police state under cover of “anti-terrorism”
The sooner the people of the USA realise this, stop living in their dream world of the “exceptional nation” and take action, the better it will be for them and the rest of the world.
Agreed!
Right to Existence
TASS is now reporting that the North Korean leader just said that “the steady, intentional and irresponsible acts of escalating tensions” on the part of the United States and the South Korean regime would only provoke Pyongyang’s stronger reaction.
This news dispatch states that the country’s news station, KCNA, is stating: [[the North Korean leader added that “we would closely watch the unstable security situation on the Korean Peninsula and all military moves by the enemies which cannot be overlooked and strongly take all military countermeasures, if necessary.” He also said with confidence that the DPRK’s nuclear combat forces would maintain their strongest nuclear response posture, while being well aware of their important duty of “defending the country’s dignity, sovereignty and right to existence.”]]
And:
[[SEOUL, October 10. /TASS/. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has no intention of holding talks with the United States or South Korea, describing those countries as enemies, state-run news agency KCNA reported on Monday.]]
https://tass.com/world/1520087
-30-
i pity the occupied south korean people , their govt are totally puppet of US and they dont care about korean people as a whole.
a conflict even limited conflict with ‘real’ korea aka NORK will destroy south korea’s capital and their prized industrial base..
or is this what US wants ? only fools and slaves like south korean govt and japanese govt would allow US to destroy their own country
what a sad fate for both occupied (japan and south kore) slave nations
buntalanlucu, if your aim is to discredit this site and the people trying to have a discussion, you’re doing a lousy job. Way too obvious. You sound like an instructor at a Chinese reeducation camp who just got fired. By any chance, are your comments considered comedy in your part of the world?
It could be that English isn’t his first language. Over time I have observed that his posts do have plenty of merit. And if you can see past his anger you’ll find that he’s coming from a good place. He has a low threshold of tolerance for trolls/idiots. One can’t hold that against him.
Thanks bittu , you understand the meaning of my post which is exposing trolls who tried to ruin SONAR21 by posting endless nonsense / fake news
and you are correct , after being a long time lurker in MoA, Smoothie , Saker i know the pattern of troll at work.
im sorry
explain again why you try to defend trolls ?
never once i tried to discredit the site , in fact the increased troll activity are visible enough to register to any regular here. Your response exposed you as typical troll sock puppet , using different accounts to back up your primary troll account
10 th October re: Pravda news re 5 October.
Laser – US satellites disruption.
Is this part of the coming Russian Offensive?
Is crazy Musk worried about Starlink.
Pentagon worried about Russian Mobile Nuclear Weapons on the move with no satellite coverage.
I will stick to my prediction, when Russia opens up on Ukraine, commanded by General Armageddon, it will be massive. Combined warfare plus the kitchen sink.
Bugger Nordstream 1-2 Bugger the Bridge.
Nothing and I mean nothing in Uki- land will function. Every NATO General will watch in horror and understand just what total war means. Russia has prepared for continental warfare for twenty years and total victory. Old Berlin grandma’s and grandads will have serious flash backs.
Unfortunately the West has been busy on safari shoots, make a killing and then cut and running to the next investment opportunity. A correct pronoun military has got nothing to do with big balls and WW2.
Cop a read of this for the unbelievers.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2021/08/hypersonic-missiles-are-they-a-gamechanger-by-gordog.html
PS. Salty Bear, I know you are reading the above chopping on your cigar with wild excitement. Then again it maybe your research that is being quote.
Larry’s opinion on the “Blind nuke,” movements would be interesting.
Aaron, Yes, and no,
Yes on starlink and other orbital assets. Very deniable. Yes, on oil pipeline in the Gulf (times for a hurricane) – very deniable.
I think Russia will let general winter do most of the destruction (with gentle nudges). The SMO timing seems to have been to degrade the Ukrainian military and fortifications so that ascension of the oblasts will occur during the winter. Also to lull NATO and the EU into a false sense of security during the summer, when panic plans could have assured winter energy. Winter is when Russia military has numerous advantages on its side.
And some of Ukraine will likely join Russia and need rebuilding and supportive (not partisan) citizens (Odessa in particular), so not everywhere. And only irreparable in western Ukraine.
And the missiles dropping all over Uki are what?
Long Planned in preparation for the war’s next phase, which leverages General Winter, moved up a few days to a week to respond to the “ineffective ” bridge bombing – a bridge with minimal strategic value as there now is a land bridge. Look, Putin promised to actually start a few weeks ago.
Russia has shown an ability to target power grid subcomponents to “calibrate” damage as temporary or permanent (good intel). Most targets seem to be in lands that Russia is unlikely to want to keep long-term. Thus, limiting Ukrainian military mobility is a first step to the war’s next phase.
Only when Russia takes out water treatment plants and hospitals – I will start to think they are acting like western barbarians by fighting a total war – Geneva conventions be damned. I just don’t see it.
I note again – every bridge/dam/etc. Russia destroys in western Ukraine will have to be rebuilt with Russian funds and will be inoperable to support the new Russia oblasts.
My argument was for direct targeting of NATO infrastructure.
My understanding is that the Russian military hasn’t always had numerous advantages on its side in winter. Not in the Winter War with Finland and great military commanders try to avoid them because they are disasters.
I am not trying to you on the point, but I thought the same myself at one time —that it would be an advantage for their military but now I am not so sure. If you have other data, I would love to learn about it.
Game theory is well established and the Israelis are the masters. You don’t over-retaliate if you want to maintain control of the situation.
This is not a retaliation for revenge. It is obviously planned from a while ago and is about disrupting the adversary before an offensive. I predict the next wave to be smaller but focused on transmission infrastructure that survived the first wave.
One thing is for sure is that is that Russia has nearly unlimited intelligence on civilian infrastructure. It will be next to impossible for the Ukrainians to keep the electrons flowing except through strategic lines and small generators.
Pentagon funded starlink.
News not reported in the West.
During the first month of this conflict, Russian forces surged forth and seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant that provides half of Ukraine’s electricity. Putin allowed the plant to operate as normal to supply Ukraine as he sought a peace agreement. That failed, and now the power was just turned off. No more electric rail, heat, starlink, or other goodies. Ukraine goes dark. More here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKDPa5kc7a8
Last I heard, Zaporozhia nuke plant had been offline for weeks because of Ukrainian shelling. I may, of course, be wrong. But the video you posted – while mildly entertaining – wasn’t helpful at all.
It “failed” b/c the Ukies shelled it and that was considered DANGEROUS (duh!) so the Russkies shut it down for safety reasons. This was pretty recently so short-term memory applies here unfortunately
I think the Russians will resist the road to revenge and terrorism.
They think they have the moral and spiritual high ground, and they will try not to stoop to the same level. That is actually part of the fight.
I also doubt there will some grand gesture. The Ukrainians will run out of ammo sooner or later, as well as other materiel, and the Russians will roll them up, especially when there is no tree canopy anywhere. The Russians will remain wary of losses, and will keep trying to generate opportunities for Ukrainians to surrender, give up, talk & live.
Meanwhile Putin goes the “Full Monty.”
Wishful thinking helps me sleep at night but the brutal reality of history passed and present is watching me wake up every morning.
SMO is now transitioning into Shock and Awe. (Translates into Russian as a Uki shit show.)
PUTINS SECRET “HYPERSONIC PLUS “ WEAPON . Link below.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/cbdcs-sdrs-re-monetization-gold-heres-what-happens-next
give up, talk & live.
Great selling motto
This question has been relevant since the beginning of SMO. Obliterate Ukraine with WMD, or conduct limited operation? Smash all infrastructure, or target only specific ones? This contradiction is integral to the very concept of SMO itself. Maximizing one end is minimizing the other end. I think the ruling elite in Russia is still mostly sticking with the SMO concept, knowing full well that the frontline can ebb and flow as a result. Russia is in it for the long haul. This war is as much a mind game as it is an armed conflict. I believe that keeping their cool is prerequisite to winning this war. IMO, the fact that the referenda took place at all pretty much means that much of Russia’s objective has in fact been achieved. Losing pipeline and bridge certainly sucks, but this needs to be viewed in the larger context of having gained that much territory. I believe that time is on Russia’s side. If recent history is any gauge, these lands are forever gone from Ukraine. Think Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk: an entire generation is growing up only knowing that they are Russians. The longer Russia can hold out, more and more people will be born without any attachment to Kiev at all. I don’t believe this can be reversed. It is Ukraine which is running out of time, not Russia. Ukraine needs to win this one real quick, lest the change becomes more and more irreversible.
The goals of the SMO where very well known from the beginning. Russia has successfully defeated Ukraine during the first 4 weeks. Then NATO stepped in and made sure the remaining force was given equipment, mercenaries and money to keep the conflict going. Russia did not lose NS. Germany did. Russia still has gas and Germany has a big problem now. The bridge is also not “lost”. It was only damaged and will be repaired soon. But, both terrorist attacks have shown that the west itself is very much involved and is ready to escalate further.
In my opinion it is mainly the US that wants Europe to be the center of an all Russia/EU standoff. But I’m also confident it will be the US that will pay the price. Russia has no business to fight/destroy poorly trained EU fighting forces (they are by no means military) and would be better off to go after the one and only country behind this whole charade. US and maybe UK, if they will make any wrong moves. The world would also not sit idle by. Russia has probably their blessing and some support, if they will have to go and do that.
Tensions are rising as are the western escalations against Russia. At some point this will reach the threshold regarding survival. This won’t end well for everyone. Mr. Putin has stated many years ago, that if a conflict is inevitable, the best you can do is, to take the first shot at your opponent. So, Russia doesn’t need to be pushed in my opinion. If they assess that there will be a broader conflict they can’t avoid, they will simply do what has to be done.
“Ukraine needs to win this one real quick, lest the change becomes more and more irreversible”.
Let them try.
My bets on Russia taking the high road. All this time throughout this US-NATO led war on Russia through Ukraine Russia has been mostly open diplomatically and transparent following international law from what I have observed.
They have a lot of countries behind them and they know now this is an open all out war on Russia using the Ukraine proxy being driven by the Straussian Neocon surrogates. This also includes the Henry Jackson Society (named after US Zionist Senator Henry Jackson) based out of the UK. These wonk tanks produce nothing but planned intellectual and likely military strategies to destroy then split Russia up.
The world is observing closely and without taking sides like some kind of a sports game, it seems best to observe rather than judge political and economic motives. We are watching a terror war unfold on Russian infrastructure and projects that not only benefit Russia but could benefit Europe as well. Therefore we see the Straussian Neocon war on Europe as discussed by Thierry Meyssan at Voltaire Network.
The western world is out to lunch as Hollywood and the media direct the narratives. Those not paying attention and not searching for truth are relying on the government for their milk bottles and the media for their entertainment, while Russia and the Russian people are engaged and aware of the existential threat to their nation.
Hmm I wonder if the NATO/CIA MI6 command centers and personnel are being taken out https://www.rt.com/russia/564369-central-kiev-hit-missile-strikes-officials/
It really is shocking how cavalier people are acting about nuclear weapons, the media is now playing the movie War games or Red Dawn etc,I dont think people realize what kind of danger this is ,these things can rapidly get out of control .
Exciting night missiles raining down on Kiev gov’t offices. Electricity cut. People hiding in Kiev subways. Lviv no electricity for the trendy coffee shops. Missiles every where.
All those people in the subway are dressed to the nines with the US dollars and Euros flooding Ukraine. Well no let them live with out lights and water. Ukraine’s economy is now mainly gov’t jobs paid by Uncle Sam and NGO jobs.
Annual Per Capita Income in Ukraine as of 2020 was $3,700.
So reflect about those luxury $100,000 SUVs and $1,000 outfits that one sees in Kiev.
I’d like to be wrong, but the West is raises the stakes. Terrorist attacks on the Nord Stream, the Crimean bridge, thousands of NATO soldiers who are trying harder to hide in Ukraine, it seems that their goal is to force Russia into a big war. I’m afraid they don’t understand that in such a conflict Ukrainian proxy warriors will not be enough.
What about declaring ruble linked to gold?
Bingo!
No. they are going to end this.
I think Russian military just gave everyone the answer. Critical infrastructures are being hit in big cities.
I don’t think the pig likes it. The pig will like it even less in the coming weeks.
Zelensky should stay on the battlefield instead of shelling civilians and civilian infrastructures. Everyone was warned and well aware what might happen if Ukraine keeps attacking (now) Russian territory.
Ukraine’s criminal leadership never cared for the people there, but Russia did. So now they decided to join them. Zelensky failed to bring peace to there breakaway regions.
Now he will see again that he, NATO and the US are no match for Russia, if they escalate further.
For them Russia has lost, gets their ass kicked every day and clearly did run out of missiles months ago. Is there anything else to say?
Everything appears to be going swimmingly in Ukraine, they’ve got complete control, unless you read John Helmer’s posts, who is in Moscow, Ukraine is about to go dark:
https://johnhelmer.online/russian-army-fires-old-sparky-us-loses-the-electric-war-in-the-ukraine/
https://johnhelmer.online/whose-cat-caught-the-german-tongue-no-blame-for-russia-after-german-train-sabotage-on-sunday-morning-no-blame-for-nord-stream-sabotage-yet/
Compared to the nuclear threat, this is peanuts. Of course, you have to investigate this, and take measures to prevent it. But revenge is a nonsense idea from the kindergarten.
The big point is now the nuclear threat, because this, once it has started, will show its unstoppable dynamic, and will put the whole world at risk. The USA knows that, and it looks as if they consider this a poker game. But it is not poker. It may be the first time for more than hundred years, that mainland USA will look like Dresden did in February 45, or Hiroshima a few months later.
It will not be fixed like the Crimean bridge in one day.
So, are people aware of this? It won’t be Hollywood this time. It will mean participation, not just watching the news on CNN. You will be in the news then…..
If this is like poker for the US, then they did already fold. Newest statement on Russia, they don’t see any indications of a nuclear threat.
Why rise the topic and then go back? Something interesting has happened and the US reconsidered.
I wonder if the US midterms will turn out to be a referendum on the Ukraine clusterfuck and wokeism in general?
Don’t know about the mood in US. But I guess people have noticed the inflation, especially prices at the gas pump and the money US government is sending to their loosing proxy. It’s all over the news.
I think that people are very disappointed in Biden and many still think the last election was rigged in his favor. Midterms won’t change a thing but they can mean more trouble for the current regime. They won’t give up now. I think they will be able to create any result they want. US elections are such a scam and apparently very easy to manipulate.
Au contraire, Roland.
All that either adversary has to do is to prove its missiles could breach convincingly the defensive structure of the other one, if Russia lobs (say) a dozen powerful conventional missiles and close to all of them reach the targets on the US mainland, these missiles don’t have to have nuclear warheads but must be accompanied with a diplomatic note saying ‘the next wave, a bigger one, that will get through will be nukes armed unless you get real come to your senses start talking about abandoning the Wolfowitz doctrine plus’.
Neither the American Governing Elites nor Putin and his crew want to live in a world in which one cannot be sure whether the next breath one takes, the next sip of water one drinks or the next bite of food one digests will be the last.
General “Armageddon” Surovikin making an impact. Reports of:-
– Explosions reported in Ivano-Frankovsk and Rovno
– Electricity, communicationd down in Lvov
-Third wave of missile strikes now hitting Ukraine
– Kiev Mayor Klitschko said several hits were on “critical infrastructure facilities.”
– Sumy region hit
– Kharkiv strikes hit energy infrastructure facility, power out in some areas, no water supply.
Gloves are off. Glad Russia responded. You have to feel for the civilians though. This was unnecessary.
In other news Zelensky tightening media laws and Boris Johnson who scuppered peace deal is looking to make a come back.
Army General S.V. Surovikin: “For the enemies of Russia, the morning does not start with coffee””
FWIW, I think Surovikin’s appointment signals a qualitative change in the conflict. There’s not gonna be any tit-for-tat because there’s gonna be an offensive operation across multiple fronts instead. Ph. 3 ain’t gonna be like anything we’ve seen to date.
Surovikin is CinC of RU’s Aerospace Forces and the youngest of Russia’s 10 commanding Army Generals (Shoigu & Popov, DefMin & Deputy DefMin respectively make it 12). The Aerospace Forces include the Russian Air Force, Air and Missile Defence Forces and the Space Forces. He’s the only combined arms commander to head the Air Force in Soviet/Russian history. I can’t imagine that the Aerospace Forces won’t be fully involved.
Western media is already painting him as a blood-thirstier version of Pol Pot, but his record shows that he has a talent for achieving his objectives swiftly, conclusively and (yes) ruthlessly in combat. In 2017, he turned Syria around in his first 4 mos on the job, regaining 50% of Syria’s territory and was awarded Hero of the Russian Federation in the process. He’s also received The Order of Courage 3 times, so he knows battle up close and personal.
Prigozhin, head of Wagner Group says that “Surovikin is the most competent commander in the Russian army”. If RU wants the best out of Wagner and the Chechens, their confidence in the overall command is crucial. Surovikin seems to have it.
NATO’s personnel in UA are about to experience war as they’ve never experienced it before. The world is watching to see how they handle it, but I don’t like their or the AFU’s chances once Ph. 3 gets underway. It may even herald NATO’s undoing. We’ll see.
I typed this while ignoring my news feeds, and events obviously outran me.
As of an hour or so ago, >200 hits have been recorded, and it hasn’t ended.
Doubtless, there’s plenty more where those came from.
If Zelenski continues, or is allowed or forced to continue it would be a clear indicator that nobody gives a shit about the Ukrainians and the goal now is to scorch the earth that Russia will inherit.
One thing is certain, relations between Russia and the West will never be the same. How different they’ll be depends on the coming weeks.
The real question is whether the Bridge attack was a one off out of frustration, or really announces an all out Ukrainian attack on the Zaporizhzhia region?
I doubt they have the man power, but I bet they would love to.
I don’t think people realise the trolling effect of those referendums.
On the one hand the high turnout % was the result of technical matters – most no-voters had left the region, most natural non-voters wouldn’t have been registered.
On the other it really showed just how hated the Kiev regime is. It gave the lie to the Kiev Myth that Ukraine is solidly behind Kiev with just a few traitors. It explains what seems to be savage retribution on “collaborators” in regained areas and the shelling of civilian convoys travelling south.
I agree. Which is why I think that Kiev lost these regions for good. Millions of people residing there genuinely resent Kiev’s rule over them. Never underestimate human psychology. The worst part (for Kiev) is that its time to make amends to them is long expired. There was a time in the past when the ruling elite could have tried to win back their hearts and minds, and probably would have succeeded if they really tried (by telling the West to eff-off). Alas, they did not choose this path.
The ruling elite (decision MAKERS, not decision implementers; not merely authority, but power) in Ukraine are not only not Ukrainians, but they at best see Ukrainians as sapient food animals to be utilized and then harvested as convenience or profit dictates. The Russians in the east, living upon the coal, natural gas, and productive farmland that the alien ruling elite covets, don’t even rate that high. There was never going to be an effort by the “ruling elite … to win back their hearts and minds.”
One of many of the threads in the tapestry of tragedy that is Ukraine is that the Ukrainians don’t have a functioning indigenous ruling class. The question is whether their current situation is more like the Russians after the 2nd Russian Revolution had run its course and established the Soviet Union, or more like the Russians after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The victorious Bolsheviks, by the mid-1920’s, had exterminated or expelled Russian ruling elites from their land (including those we would also consider leftists such as agrarian socialist peasant leaders) and thus the Russian people were left completely incapable of organizing for self defense of any kind.
One time dependent pattern in Soviet history is the gradual redevelopment of a nascent ethnic Russian ruling class within Soviet institutions contemporaneous with the sidelining of the mass murdering internationalists. The fall of the Soviet Union after the failed reform effort saw them prostrate and disorganized, but they were able to reorganize, seize control of critical institutions, and fend off the internationalist predators. Vladimir Putin was a crucial leader during this process and that is why the internationalists hate and demonize him.
Hopefully, the latter case is true and Ukrainians can find some measure of local sovereignty when this war ends. The single greatest cause of political instability and consequent war is nationalism denied. Local self-rule (the essence of federalism) adequate to the preservation and perpetuation of local culture and traditions is a precondition for the kind of investment in the commons that over generations makes nice places to live and hence is conducive to political, social, and economic stability both local and regional.
true and this is why Putin and his allies in China, India, etc. keep harping on multi-polar with national sovereignty
The Bridge attack was yet another media victory, just like Snake Island was.
I wonder if the orgy is still going ahead (no pun intended) ?
The “High Road” is that of doing nothing. Issuing a statement. Which is what Putin is good at. Better Medvedev was to be running things. Set the First Guards Tank Army loose until it hits the Polish border.
example of troll post , over the top ‘i demand revenge and pootin is weak’ nonsense
What did you write about reacting to such things? Not everyone is a troll. Some people act more emotional than rational. Just ignore people who bug you. As long as people don’t brake the rules they should be allowed here. Censorship can get pretty quick out of hand and then we are no better than the forces we are against.
Even if there are trolls. We are more and at some point they can’t keep up and disappear.
Top Gum , sorry for the troll hunting posts. I have zero patience of ppl who constantly posts nonsense and fake news from ukrop propaganda source and do not seek to discuss facts here
i have no patience like yours , again apologies
btw i enjoyed your posts in SONAR 21
Pretty short-sided. If millions of people depend on you, you better think twice before you act. I myself think that the Russian leadership is taking care of business just the way it should.
You don’t go all kamikaze on your opponent. You go for his weak spots and save your strength. Lets not forget that this whole mess was initiated by the west to weaken Russia. That is why Russians have to act accordingly to their strength. So far waiting has only worsen the situation of the collective west. There will be no relief for energy resources, see OPEC+. Winter is still on its way. Look at Europe struggling already.
Troll alert
Its 11.00 a.m. here in GB. Watching Al-Jazera.
The assault has started. Kiev is getting a pounding along with other cities.
You kicka mya dog, I puncha your face (?).
From Readovka.news, today at 11:o7 — What is known about strikes on the territory of Ukraine to date
“Mainly infrastructure facilities were damaged
On Monday, October 10, strikes were carried out throughout Ukraine. In most cases, they fell on critical infrastructure facilities.
Many thermal power plants are out of order , in many cities there is no water, and there are also problems with the Internet. By now, it is known that the Kiev and Kharkov subways have been completely stopped .
Currently, strikes have been carried out on Kiev , Kharkov , Dnepropetrovsk , Odessa , Lvov , Ternopil , Sumy , Khmelnitsky and many other cities. In total, more than 150 shells were fired . These are probably not the last strikes – it is reported that the missiles are still flying.”
More at: https://readovka.news/news/115206
In Russian. You know the drill
The news media opened today with a new blast of Putin, saying he used terrorism in Russia to rise to power. They say he was also the one who blew up the apartment building in Moscow and blamed it on Chechnya. Now he is blowing up civilians in Ukraine. It is nauseating to hear the propaganda from the US and western government stooges who feed their media accomplices. Arrogance and accusations are no way to peace. Therefore, they are choosing destruction. Wake up, Ukraine!
Putin/FSB being behind the apartment bombings is an old conspiracy theory of liberal Russians. It was circulating immediately (I was there). Possible, but doesn’t make a lot of sense since he had already been named president in waiting and everyone was so sick of Yeltsin and the horror of the 90’s that he (or anyone not named Yeltsin) really didn’t need much to be popular.
It was grim though. My friend’s Georgian wife didn’t have a residency permit for Petersburg and we always hid her if the authorities were out because most anyone brown was questioned.
Looks like it’s gonna be tit for tat, except I wouldn’t really call it that. It’s more Russia is attaching a high cost to terrorism to make Kiev thing twice about trying more such attacks. It’s the only thing Russia can do – a bonus is the cost they assigned, all the damaged infrastructure, can help the Russian military prevail on the battlefield when they’re ready to make their push. Kiev gave them an excuse, if they felt they needed one. More Wile E Coyote (=Kiev) backfire.
With the Russians, you always know that something is coming. But you never know when, or where.
Speculation;
I don’t know it for sure, but I keep thinking that the Belorussians are going to thrust out of Brest-Litovsk, towards Lemberg/L’vov, and cut off Western Ukraine from Poland. They may even go all the way to Transnistria.
I don’t think that the Russians are gonna let Poland have Western Ukraine. If they ever had that in mind, at all. I don’t think that they have it now. Hungary [may] get the ethnic Hungarian region back, because of their friendly relations with Russia. But that’s it. Romania and Poland will get nothing. Hungary is a useful friend in the struggle to defeat the Liberal/Left NWO in Europe. Maybe the Czechs, too.
This is all a wild guess, until it happens.
This may be speculation but it is reasonable speculation and not wild at all. I doubt the Czechs are on the friendly list though.
Moon of Alabama chronicles the 7 month long Western narrative that the Russian Federation is so short of missiles, they don’t have the ability to bring our Nazi-proxy state to its knees, anytime they want, and that means, our strategy of fighting the Russians till the last Ukranian will prove successful in the end!
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/10/russia-having-run-out-of-missiles-launches-barrage-on-ukraine.html#more
What a farce this has all been, and the cynicism that is at the heart of it is beyond twisted.
More artillery, more tanks, more guns! That’s what Ukraine needs! In the Age of the Missile, you might as well be sending boxes of tissues to your proxies for them to weep into.
There’s an excellent comment, 3 down, from an Erast Fandorin, where he writes:
“Too many won’t get this is still only a shot across the bow … ”
Exactly. And that has been the Russian strategy from the beginning, and by beginning, I mean going back a decade or more. Fire shots across the bow. They must be up to a thousand by now.
Is this the final warning shot? I don’t know all that much about naval tactics. How many shots across the bow is considered a fair amount in maritime circles before you can legally, sink the trangressor?
How many shots across the bow is considered a fair amount in maritime circles before you can legally, sink the trangressor [sic]? — Max424
Russia reached that threshold long ago… Opinion varies, of course, but two shots across the bow is usually considered sufficient warning. By your count, …[t]hey must be up to a thousand by now…, I’d say Russia is well within their rights to exercise whatever level of force is required to bring Ukraine to an acceptable conclusion.
But, of course, Russia is running out of missiles and Putin is desperate…
LOL
So why has Russia held back so far?
Putin understands that altho their people are beginning to get cold, hungry and restless, European politicians don’t care — they only listen to their master’s voice. Thus, Russia appears to be drawing NATO and its “advisors” deeper into Ukraine, and I expect Putin is resolved to teach their governments an object lesson as the Russian Army drives into western Ukraine.
Putin does not want to attack Europe, nor any European nation, but NATO troops in Ukraine… are a different story.
Russia has held back because Putin was hoping NATO (read the US Armed Forces) would join the fray, Spanky, he needs to hit them, to do that he needs the missiles, Ukraine’s neither here nor there, why would he want to take over the country, it was a basket case before the invasion, after it Ukraine will be just the case.
The risk Putin’s running now is that the Americans will furnish long distance missiles to the Ukrainians (officially), but will do the launching themselves, there already are enough NATO personnel in Ukraine, the few hundreds new ones will make no difference.
And how about $12 billion dollars (on top of previous $ billions) going to this half-assed state while Americans can’t afford gas, food, energy, housing, etc. U.S. Congress just as evil as regime in Kiev.
Your comments about Chechnya are spot on – how it got folded back into Russia and is one of the most patriotic places in Russia now. It speaks volumes about Putin’s successes.
In general, this is one of the things people in the West do not understand about the Russian FEDERATION – the federation part means a mix of 100s of nationalities living in different republics and they are all of mixed religion. You could travel Russia from the far east and people there resemble Mongols/Chinese and are Buddhists. Then you can go elsewhere and the people are Muslim. Then elsewhere and they are Christian. But, they all live next to each other and they all speak Russian and they all wear the uniform for Mother Russia.
There is a channel on Youtube – Eli from Russia – she travels the whole country and describes each place. It is eye opening how they live in harmony. Not only that, but Russia is flush with cash. Things are being built everywhere. In fact and for example, go to her channel and watch her reportage from Grozni (Chechnya). Rich, rich, rich.
Now come back to the West – infrastructure falling apart, spending billions on proxy wars while population sinks in every development measure and drowning in debt, we still have systemic racism and our racial/religious issues are still not worked out, heck we have not even worked out the civil (North vs South). We also exploit each other in all sorts of ways – because, well, once you have built a country on genocide and colonialism, it is very easy to see everyone (including your own people) as something to be used and exploited.
As for terrorism – Putin will not stoop so low. He is very happy to show the whole global south what the West is about: cheering on terrorism when it suits it (Ukraine) and condemning it when it doesn’t (Palestine, for example). The whole world can now see this hypocrisy. It also exposes the “objective western journalists” who openly cheer the destruction of the bridge (and murder of bystanders etc.). If you are really an objective journalist, you report it as it is.
Here is the level of how low we have sunk: the western “presstitutes” celebrated that Russian TV anchor lady who protested the Russian SMO on TV and risked jail or worse (apparently) while at the same reporting here that there is no freedom in Russia. Meantime, did we have a single CNN or any other western anchor protest their biased reporting on TV at home? The whole collective west is digging a moral hole for itself for the whole world to see – only the west cannot see it! Such is life in a self-imposed dictatorship of political correctness… We could go on and talk about all the illegal seizures of homes, yachts, foreign currency reserves etc. etc. – all illegal under international law. Of course, there is no uproar here in the West but rest assured, everyone see it on the outside. How many rich people and in fact, governments, are going to put money into a western bank or invest into a western economy after these acts of piracy? Not many.
Suddenly, the west has exposed itself to be what some suspected for a long time – a predatory, exploitative grouping that used its economic, political and military weight to take what it wants and wash it off in moralizing drivel on one hand and outright propaganda on the other. Well, it appears Vlad has now exposed all that and is busy providing an alternative. Xi, Modi, everyone is watching this and even if they are not in approval of the Russian SMO, they can see what’s happening and you can bet they are in support of Russia.
Let’s face it – we are morally bankrupt in the West. We are also on the way to being financially bankrupt as well. Putin really doesn’t have to do much at this point – he can just watch the West disintegrate all by itself.
Link her up Oddo! Eli from Russia:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ElifromRussia/videos
It was by watching Eli,* that I came to the realization that vlogging, when done right, can be a beautiful art form.
My journeys with her also confirmed a suspicion I had, that although I can’t attest to which people are more free, her’s or mine, as I no longer know what freedom means exactly, I can say without hesitation that the Russian people are far less propagandized than mine. In fact, it’s not even close.
*And by watching a vlogger from China, called Walk East. The best of the China walkers, in my opinion, and they are legion at this point. They just take you for walks around various parts of China great and small, and let you decide what to think.
And what I think, is China is 50 years ahead of my country in nearly every category imaginable, that makes a nation-state great.
And that gap, is growing rapidly by the day.
A superb lament, Oddo, thanks, and so right.
As always Mr. Johnson an excellent article. The Chechen history lesson is very valid. The Beslan school affair in 2004 was probably the most horrifying incident in modern history. I also do not think Putin will go the terrorist route. BUT. I think the gloves are off now. I think the insane policy leaving Nazi infrastructure standing is dead. I do not think today’s strikes are a one off. There has been one side fighting this war. That was Ukraine. I think Putin saw the polls, and he is a politician, and woke up. The West has a war now. I hope they enjoy it.
Mr. Johnson,shouldn’t Beslan be on that list? Just asking.
Beslan was Dagestani separatists rather than Chechens, I believe.
Russia will not go “tit for tat” on Ukraine : they were so very careful to act “by the rules” from the beginning of the whole shit to begin a “Rolling thunder” or engage some ISIS terrorists themselves now.
The list of the objectives deemed as “strategic” will just include a bit more of places in the “strike if available means” categories than before in Ukraine.
Those that are not in Ukraine might see some interesting developing in they own countries, like emerging corruptions scandals , social movement , brutal strikes etc… BUT ; be well aware than the, so called, elites are very good at not solving people problems and very good at blaming others for the consequences of their own mistakes …
There is one thing that bothers a little as I look at all the missile hits. A surprisingly large number seem to have gone astray and landed rather harmlessly. I expect a bias on the UA side towards releasing these photos, but the number is still higher than I’d expect.
RU’s missile strikes have been astonishingly accurate up to now, so one wonders if something has changed in UA’s AD. If it has, RU has gotta come up with a correction fast, or a large part of their offensive power may have been compromised.
Yes, some truth there, not all strikes resulted in dramatic explosions. However, two points: (1) long overdue reaction from Russia and finally; and (2) Ukraine is indeed having some issues with the electrical grid (which powers their electrical rail network).
Check how many of them are Ukrainian air defence missiles falling back
Good point. In much of the video I was allowed to see of Kiev by my media, there seemed to be a focus on these relatively small, random fires about the city that had nothing to do with missile strikes.
That would explain it.
Agreed with max42, good point. Thanks.
I’ve gone back and reviewed some of the videos I watched earlier and at least some of them were indeed best explained as wayward AD missiles landing randomly.
There remained a few who’s blast crater seemed much too large for an AD missile, so the point still sorta stands. Anyway, it seems a moot point now. A LOT of targets were hit, and the barrage was large and successful enough to shift everybody’s calculus.
Russia really had been rope-a-doping until US/NATO/EU/UA had punched themselves out. Now they know that this ain’t what they it was.
Majority of air defences were reportedly overwhelmed missed targets and hit other areas.
I think Russia answered your question:
https://www.thesun.ie/news/9541835/us-citizens-get-out-ukraine-putin-missiles/
“THE US has issued an urgent warning to its citizens in Ukraine to flee now after Vladimir Putin’s deadly missile strikes across the country.”
I guess that’s tit for twats.
If you saw those creeps with their shirts off you’d consider: Twits or Tatts.
In other words, I agree.
https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/resized/1200xH/media/img/6/30/756654031060306.png
Announcements concerning explosions on Ukraine territory
10 October 2022
According to the Ukraine authorities, infrastructure facilities have been damaged throughout the country. Power has gone out in some cities and the water supply, communication has ben broken, and transport stopped.
Explosion reports.
Power outages in the region.
Regions that have signed accession agreements to Russia on 20 September.
Territories under Kiev control.
I think they are now dealing with the threat of domino-like blackouts through the UA. Important is now, whether the strafing will go on.
doh, looks like Russia went tit for tat.
Once again Larry proven wrong.
Lol @wrong. Where? Do you have a reading comprehension problem? He has been stressing from the beginning to not take the Russians lightly.
Larry is proven correct about the overall trajectory and future of the conflict if the “tit” is also the part of the opening phase of a large Russian push to kick the Kiev regime troops out of the new Russian territories.
Shutting down power grids, etc. would definitely serve to diminish Kiev re-supply. Starlink being down as of recently is another clue that a big push is probably coming, finally.
Things can serve more than one purpose simultaneously.
Eric, Yes!
I doubt it had much to do with the bridge/Nordstream/Durgin attackes and was planned as the step before the 300k re-inforcements begin to move. All the twaddle about months to train was BS – the mobilized can replace already trained troops currently occupied on other activities.
My guess is long range weather forecasts had more to do with the timing. Plus or minus a few days.
Let’s see how many civilians fell victim to Russian precision strikes before you make such a statement. This was not a violent act per se. It was stated long ago that attacks on Russian territory will have serious consequences. This was such an consequence. The message here is pretty obvious.
Ukraine has had it’s own little victory two days ago. They did choose a civilian target instead of going against Russian forces on the battlefield. They clearly made the wrong decision.
Russia didn’t “suddenly get mad” or “go tit-for-tat”.
It’s called escalation of the pain dial or how a superior deals with bad behavior in a subordinate.
First you ask nicely; next you ask firmly; then you take away treats; then you punish lightly, then heavily.
Russia really, really doesn’t want to deal with this crap, it would rather focus on internal issues and make trade deals with its neighbors, but it must given Ukraine and NATO’s oppression and violence against Ukrainian (now Russian) civilians and the geography of the situation.
It seems that Russia offered Ukraine an “attitude adjustment” opportunity. Any bets on whether they will take advantage of it?
Don’t know if it is fabricated but Bismarck is quoted as saying “The Russians are slow to get into the saddle, but when they do, they ride!”
I know about saying that Russians saddle slowly, but ride fast.
Till jews who are in control of all central banks on Earth, till jews who run the EU, USA, Australia, Canada there will be never peace on Earth. Around zelenski in Jewkraine are all jews and behind pedophile Biden everyone is jew.
And here is the EU control commission of satan : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De1cdeVE8bg&t=9s
Better take that to The Unz Review – that’s where your comment belongs
Not so much “tit for tat” as bludgeoning with a massive dose of medicine.
A deluge of missiles, including Kiev center. Power & water outages throughout the country.
President Putin,
I keep Jersey cows because I love their raw milk. I posted a video of me Milking Mildred on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/VikingHoney (I am a beekeeper and honey vendor.)
This morning I got a YouTube private message from Rizvonali Burizoba stating:
“Цу”
Google translate says it is Serbian:
“Cu”
I posted this at Larry Johnson’s website: https://sonar21.com/will-russia-go-tit-for-tat-on-terrorism-or-will-it-take-the-high-road/
I have never been anonymous on the Internet. I have always used my legal name except I sometimes shorten Jimmy to Jim.
Given the talent that is present here, I encourage all of you but especially the honorable with lots of knowledge and experience in the military to use your real name and tell us what your rank was.
Is it not extraordinary the times in which we live? No media, no representative government, only a terroristic government hell bent on WW III.
I am anxiously waiting on Mr. Johnson to comment on President Putin’s response.
And I will forever look at America differently after America sabotaged Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines, flagrant American terrorism.
What do you think ZOG will do next?
Jimmy D. Giles
173 Pear Lane
Pearl, MS 39208
601-613-1290
Jim Giles
Radio Free Mississippi
Am I CRAZY? That scene from the movie “Network” brought tears to my eyes. No, I’m not a woman nor am I a child. I’m a man who is tired of watching this intentional destruction of my country. What is happening to America effects every race and every creed. It’s unseemly, it’s gross, and the traitorous behavior, by almost every politician and their Globalist pay masters, is an act of war against the common man, against the world. The Great Reset with its Green New Deal is a death sentence. Don’t believe me just look at Sri Lanka. Look at Germany, look at the EU. Without oil and gas their windmills can’t spin and their EVs are useless. Some of us get it. Oil and gas are renewables. In a fair market oil would be $20 per barrel maybe less. As it is structured America cannot survive in a fair competitive world. America cannot survive without war. Are we really this demented? I’m afraid so. It’s time to shift gears and beg the world for forgiveness.
https://www.rt.com/russia/564390-putin-acknowledges-mobilization-stupidity/
Adjusting to reality, sign of a leader.
Contrast Zelensky and EU doubling down.
Putin mentioned sabotage attempt of south turkstream thwarted. His speech to RSC worth a read. He is clear that all the terrorist provocations required a response.
Protests in France against EU and NATO not even covered. No European leader moving an inch! yet they can see the damage to their countries, winter coming.
There are also reports of some division with US and EU feels they are taking advantage of situation re LNG prices. Expecting that friction to escalate.
I am sure you are all tracking the recent strikes on UKR targets…my guess is that we will see more of this as the weeks progress:
https://www.rt.com/russia/564398-russia-strikes-ukraine-successful-mod/
https://www.rt.com/russia/564385-putin-promises-response-ukraine-terrorism/
The attacks were combined and joint…both capabilities the UKR does not have
Zelsky’s Western handlers assured him they would be right behind him so he instigated attacks on Russian infrastructure, “promised”.
Of course they’ll support him now, all the way, cough, cough.
It is logistically impossible for the West to supply the total war supplies Ukraine needs.
Take a look at the resources the US had to invest in Europe to enact D Day, even just a fifth of it for example, and then they have to transport these a few thousand miles to Poland.
Ain’t gonna happen, once the billionaire warmongers have filled their boots, they’ll merely walk away, he’ll be granted exile I’m sure, but the FSB have a long arm if they want to do that..
It’s a dirty game Geopolitics.
Ordinary people suffer as always, but the billionaire warmongers care not, the BOJO buffon wrecked any chance of a peaceful solution in April, I’m sure he’ll be rewarded well.
Now Ukraine must face a very angry Bear, not a good place to be.
You don’t win in a conflict by weapons only. Ukraine has had tons of hardware and did not succeed in anything substantially. A lot of that hardware fell into the hands of the Donbass militias.
You win conflicts by being smart and by having a sound and working strategy. Skills NATO and Ukraine clearly don’t have. They haven’t even see Russia using it’s full potential. All the trolls on social media going ballistic again how Russia is running out of missiles. That is what NATO does to “counter” Russia. What a joke.
Precision missile strikes with, so far, 10 unlucky civilian causalities. They should give Russian military a big medal for such low numbers. Instead they cry “terror” and “genocide”. The double standard can’t be more obvious.
Escalating was never a good idea. But when those bubble-heads in the west think Russia is running on fumes and about to collapse, you get stuff like that. They made many phony threats too. Let’s see if there is really an army ready to poke Belarus. I smell the usual NATO-bluff.
Been seeing reports of vast numbers of mercs assembled on the Ukie side of the front. The claim is that a majority are from Bulgaria and Romania and the money said to be 3K per day. If so, then it would seem to indicate that the actual Ukie army barely exists anymore. And that we got an idea now of how them billions from the USOG are being spent when not siphoned off to somewhere. Wagner pays 2K a month and as risky as that proposition is, it’s a way better deal than going to the slaughterhouse that is the Ukie front lines.
Most numerous foreign fighters are Poles.
Ukrop army still exist, and it’s because they are using freshly mobilized troops to take the damage.
Russia has to respond, if for no other reason than to speak to the home front’s concerns.
I dont know what the long term consequences of these latest strikes will be. To keep the lights off permanently, will require a more sustained campaign.
It’s to Russia’s advantage to keep the war contained to Ukraine even if it means Russia takes some hits. Russia must also play carefully to the sensibilities of it’s quiet friends like China, India and Saudi. Of course, they cant just be a punching bag. The people at home have a vote.
Generally, I think carefully calibrated violence is a losing proposition, but maybe that is the way it plays these days.
The knowledgable heads in the west must know that the war is lost for Ukraine. The choice now is: do they escalate ? Escalate for what ? There is nothing they can do to change the outcome unless their aim is to provoke a Russian response they could turn into an Article 5. Is that the goal of policy ? But if they are so determined why play around.
I suspect this is a game that has gotten out of hand. They (the west) went in expecting an easy win and are now facing a disaster and are uncertain what to do. They cant bring themselves to accept losing, but the costs of changing the game keeps escalating.
Is it true that Nato war stocks are really drawn down. The US produces 14k rounds of 155 per month. They plan to increase that to 36k round per month…IN 3 YEARS. 36k rounds per month is 6 days of current Ukrainian consumption and 1 or 2 days of Russian consumption.
Russia now has at least a 2 or 3 month headstart on Mobilization of both manpower and industry. Has there been any effort to mobilize in the west ? Any announcements of plans to move 2 armored divisions to Europe.
The whole plan relies on the idea that F35 and F22 will sweep the skies of Russia and carry out a SEAD in a few days allow the US to bomb at will ? Is that clear thinking ?
Let’s see it that way … Russia is a nuclear power. The west can’t trigger Article 5 without being turned into glass. You might be right about them being lost, after their idiotic plans of a fast victory did not work out. That is maybe why they did risk being hurt back by their own sanctions too. They all thought this would be a quicky.
From what I read, they are now ready to settle. I would not buy it. First they have to stop sending their crappy war equipment as support, but that is not happening so far. The west will go down in my opinion. They got crippled simply by high energy prices and reduced supplies. They will never recover from that. People will take it to the streets once their money runs out. USD/EUR are doomed. They are backed by military only and that is also being crushed in the conflict. They are running out of stock and mercenaries very fast.
Excellent post. Mobilize in the West? If you even mentioned a draft, governments would fall from London to Washington. The US Army enlistment missed by 25% this year. Your average American loves to watch war overseas but he is not joining. And for the F35 and F22 loons. Remember when they lost the F22’s in Florida to a hurricane? They couldn’t get them flying to evacuate. They have a 40% readiness rate. And they have never faced Russian air defenses. The US has a purpose built military that is used to terrorize third world countries. And never forget. Russia will lose a million men in a war. And not flinch. The US loses 5000 men and the government falls.
I for one am convinced that SEAD anywhere near Russia is impossible. In fact, it may primary lesson I’m taking from this war, that layered surface to air has rendered the fixed wing warplane obsolete.
They are nothing more than glorified airborne weapons platforms, and small ones at that, that can only fire and forget, usually from behind their own positions, and return to base.
As my Speaker of House, and 3rd in line to the Presidency, Nancy Pelosi, astutely (and drunkenly) counciled her hand-picked “journalists” back in March, when discussing why establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine might not be that easy, “When I see that column, I wanna bomb the hell out more than anyone, but I’ve been told the Russians have these thingy-dingies that come up from the ground that can … you know,” and then she made some vague hand gestures that intersected above her head.
The lethality of the airspace over Ukraine cannot be overestimated, in my opinion. And that is exactly what Obama was talking about, back in 2012 or whenever was, when he stated that the Russians have “escalatory dominance” in the region, so any dreams of dogfighting your way to victory over there, should be put to bed.
The US has two choices now that sanctions have backfired most spectacularily, and only two, fight it out by proxy, or fight out with nukes.
I don’t think, in war, there is a high road or a low road. There’s just a winning road. And Russia is on it. Putin has already shown that he can keep his powder dry and proceed with his long-term plans without being distracted by every terrorist act of the weaker Ukrainians. It will all be over soon.
Russia’s statement is basically this.
Any further attacks on Russian soil that includes I suspect newly aquired wil be met with swift retaliation they are not bluffing, clearly stated.
All the hardware moving towards the West will halt at those new borders.
WW2 British General Montgomery stated you need 3x the forces to successfully attack a determined defense, Russia will merely hold that line shouldn’t be too difficult with what they are sending there.
Belarus is another red herring to tie down UKR forces in the East.
NATO’s move now.
I suggest the negotiating table, before we all fry.
I used to play Water Polo a very violent game if you let it get that way. One way to keep it friendly is to punish an aggressor. If you take a nasty, uncalled for elbow to the eye socket, then soon you will be dishing one out. You have to, or else, your opponent might think he has to hit you harder next time. As for the pig thing, bad example. There has to be a price for thuggery.
If you want to see creative insults exchanged between commenters Zerohedge or Jim Kunstler’s Clusterfuck blog are the best places I’ve found. Zerohedge has me howling sometimes, funny dudes on there.
The West is running out of most supplies they need to run a ‘proper’ war. The latest batch of Himars announced was actually an order on the supplier, delivery time 12 months plus. The Russians will get bored waiting for them to turn up and will have to find something else to blow up in the meantime.
Still hard to discern what the ‘plan’ of the West is. Now they’ve destroyed the EU’s energy supply and economies, lost most of the Ukrainian army and the galvanised support for Russia in the non-West, what comes next?
The Kerch bridge was only symbolic and operationally irrelevant.
The perennial question is “are they really as stupid as they look, or is it a deliberate plan to sow chaos?”
Looks like Bakhmut will fall to the Russians soon. That would be a strategic victory. Also looks like Russian troops massing in Belarus – perhaps to cut NATO rat lines? A real attack on Kiev? Another Kiev diversion while the real attack occurs on Odessa (pretty sure the Russians want to take Odessa before the fighting ends)?
US/NATO supplies beginning to dwindle. Ukraine to be out of commos, fuel, ammo, men before too long. Russians finally fighting a war with new leadership, General Armageddon. The worm about to turn.
The west’s plan to bleed Russia is going to fail now that Russia is getting off its ass. Plan B? Make a lot of noise and tell a lot of lies. More cowbell, er um sanctions, LOL. Stir up trouble for Russia in former Soviet republics. More terrorism. Freeze, starve, experience civil unrest and deny that it’s even happening and, generally, retreat farther into fantasy land.
Jim Kuntsler is brilliant and his blog is my twice a week treat. He has a great podcast as well. Tom Luongo on the latest one, I emailed him suggesting getting Larry on the show. That would be well worth listening to.
I have done his show early on in the SMO.
Martin Armstrong posted today:
“These people have played a dangerous game. Putin never intended to wage war on Ukraine. He was there to do what he said, protect the Russian population in the Donbas and Crimea, which have NEVER been occupied by Ukrainians. Zelensky should go back to dancing in high heels and leave the real world to serious people.”
While I imagine Putin will not go the terrorist route, the Russians have a lot of wiggle room on how to progress without seeming to the sane world to have become terrorists.
The behavior of the US post WW2 and especially post 911 positions the American Empire clearly (to the sane world) as an aggressive end justifies the mean country. The American Empire’s behavior in Ukraine has shown it to be more of the same: hypocritical and aggressive with no interest in diplomacy, only in getting its way in destroying a country it sees as in its way. Compared to that, Putin can do most anything besides straight terror and still be seen as the sane one by sane people.
Russia’s involvement in Syria was, in addition to helping a valued ally, a continuation of the Chechen civil war, wherein, Russia unleashed Kadyrov’s men on their blood enemies, the Sunni Chechens and their allies whom Kadyrov and his father blamed for devastating their country. The Sunni Chechens were disproportionately represented in leadership roles in ISIS and constituted much of their most effective fighters, along with many other formerly Soviet Central Asians. Syria was a great opportunity for Kadyrov; destroy his personal enemies and help another Shia regime to maintain control of its country, but could the Chechens be relied upon to serve Russia and defend Russians. I think that we have our answer now. This may be one reason that Russia left much of the fighting in the hands of the locals and others whose loyalty might be suspect, like Chechens and other Muslim troops from the Caucasus and the Cossacks, who, historically, have been somewhat changable in their loyalties. Even the local Donbass authorities were suspect as they had been part, for decades, of one of the most corrupt regimes in history, with some of their leadership accused of profiting from the conflict since 2014. Loyalties have now been established. All of the above have performed loyally and brilliantly given their limited resources. Now they will fight together with the Russian army as a whole. The ultimate end result is not in question.
Alex,
Thank you for your text message and I mean no offense but I assume anyone who contacts me is a police informant.
Again, no offense intended.
BTW, I once interviewed James Kunstler but I cannot find the interview.
And you mentioned Vietnam. I once interviewed Joseph Galloway: https://rebelarmy.com/audio/RFM-2008-07-23-JosephGalloway.mp3
I interviewed Hal Moore twice but lost the first interview which was over an hour in length. I interviewed him a second time and captured that interview: RFM-2010-08-04-HalMoore.mp3
I think you mite have missed on of the worst terrorist attacks in Russian history. The September 2004 Beslan school siege which killed over 333 people including 186 children. I remember vividly when it happened. I went to the Russia the next year and people where still talking about it.
Tengo una loca pregunta:
Se hablaa mucho d eque la otan o USA podrian iniciar en determinado momento la loca aventura de un disparo nuclear.
se dice que inmediatamente s etendria respuesta y que perderiamos todos.
Mi pregunta: se puede ocultar un primer lanzamiento nuclear junto a la hueya de un lanzamiento d eun Falcon 9, o algun cohete similar. o d eplano s epuede disfrasar uno de estos vehiculos y portar ojivas nucleares con la intencion de engañar a los adversarios?
Ya se que es una idea loca. pero es posible?