Wars & Rumours of Wars

nivek

As Above So Below

'Putin is crazy': China 'thinks Russia is going to fail in Ukraine and will emerge from the conflict a minor power'

Chinese officials have blasted Vladimir Putin as 'crazy' and claimed Beijing thinks Russia is going to fail in its war in Ukraine (right). Several Chinese officials warned Beijing must not 'simply follow Russia' and blindly support the war in Ukraine in a rare rebuke of Putin's barbaric invasion. The officials said they believe that Russia will fail to win the war in Ukraine - and the impact of such an expensive and deadly conflict will see Moscow emerge as a 'minor power' with a diminished economy and a poor standing on the world stage. The scathing comments from the Chinese officials, with some accusing Putin of being 'crazy', mark a significant turning point in the supposedly amicable relations between Russia and China - just a month after the two countries vowed to deepen their bilateral ties. It now appears that President Xi Jinping (left with Putin) may be doing his best - through his officials - to distance himself from Putin and his war, as the Chinese leader now focuses on improving his diplomatic relations with the West.

China 'thinks Russia is going to fail in Ukraine and will emerge from the conflict a minor

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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable

Iran vows to station WARSHIPS in critical trading route the Panama canal after building ties with Latin American dictators in bid to threaten the US on its doorstep

Iran's navy said it will have a presence in the Panama Canal by the end of 2023. The move is the latest Iran has made to establish itself in America's backyard. Iran has been building strong ties with anti-American Latin American leaders like Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, who many have called a dictator. Experts say Iran's activities in Latin America are intended to defy the US.


Iran vows to station warships in the Panama canal after building ties with Latin American

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Iran's largest warship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman

Iran’s largest warship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman​

By AMIR VAHDAT and JON GAMBRELLJune 2, 2021

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The largest warship in the Iranian navy caught fire and later sank Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman under unclear circumstances, the latest calamity to strike one of the country’s vessels in recent years amid tensions with the West.

The blaze began around 2:25 a.m. and firefighters tried to contain it, the Fars news agency reported, but their efforts failed to save the 207-meter (679-foot) Kharg, which was used to resupply other ships in the fleet at sea and conduct training exercises. State media reported 400 sailors and trainee cadets on board fled the vessel, with 33 suffering injuries.

The ship sank near the Iranian port of Jask, some 1,270 kilometers (790 miles) southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. Satellite photos from Planet Labs Inc. analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Kharg off Jask with no sign of a fire as late as 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Photos circulated on Iranian social media showed sailors wearing life jackets evacuating the vessel as a fire burned behind them. Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning. Satellites from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that track fires from space detected a blaze near Jask that started just before the time of the fire reported by Fars.

Iranian officials offered no cause for the fire aboard the Kharg, though they said an investigation had begun.

Meanwhile, a massive fire broke out Wednesday night at the oil refinery serving Iran’s capital, sending thick plumes of black smoke over Tehran. It wasn’t immediately clear if there were injuries or what caused the blaze at the Tondgooyan Petrochemical Co., though temperatures in the capital reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and hot summer weather in Iran has caused fires in the past.

The fire Wednesday aboard the Kharg warship follows a series of mysterious explosions that began in 2019 targeting commercial ships in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Navy accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, timed explosives typically attached by divers to a vessel’s hull.

Iran denied that, though U.S. Navy footage showed Revolutionary Guard members removing one unexploded limpet mine from a ship. The attacks came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Negotiations on saving the accord continue in Vienna.

In April, an Iranian ship called the MV Saviz believed to be a Guard base and anchored for years in the Red Sea off Yemen was targeted in an attack suspected to have been carried out by Israel. It escalated a yearslong shadow war in the Mideast between the two countries, ranging from strikes in Syria, assaults on ships and attacks on Iran’s nuclear program.

The Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday regarding the Kharg. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. was aware of the loss of the ship, but declined to comment further.

State TV and semiofficial news agencies on Wednesday referred to the Kharg, named after the island that serves as the main oil terminal for Iran, as a “training ship.” The vessel often hosted cadets from the Imam Khomeini Naval University on the Caspian Sea.

Like much of Iran’s major military hardware, the Kharg dated back to before Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. The warship, built in Britain and launched in 1977, entered the Iranian navy in 1984 after lengthy negotiations. That aging military equipment has seen fatal accidents as recently as Tuesday, when a malfunction in the ejector seats of an Iranian F-5 dating back to before the revolution killed two pilots while the aircraft was parked in a hangar.

In recent months, the navy converted a slightly larger commercial tanker called the Makran to use it as a mobile launch platform for helicopters. The Kharg also could launch helicopters on a smaller scale.

But the newer vessel likely can’t fill the role of the Kharg, which could handle both refueling and replenishing supplies of ships at sea, said Mike Connell of the Center for Naval Analysis, an Arlington, Virginia-based federally funded nonprofit that works for the U.S. government.

The Kharg also was seaworthy enough to sail through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea and into South Asia in the past and could lift heavy cargo.

“For the regular Iranian navy, this vessel was very valuable because it gave them reach,” Connell said. “That allowed them to conduct operations far afield. They do have other logistics vessels, but the Kharg was kind of the most capable and the largest.”

The sinking of the Kharg marks the latest naval disaster for Iran. In 2020, during an Iranian military training exercise, a missile mistakenly struck a naval vessel near Jask, killing 19 sailors and wounding 15. Also in 2018, an Iranian navy destroyer sank in the Caspian Sea.

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Knock yourselves out there fellers.

Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut and developments like these sounds troublesome, especially when our own multibillion dollar warships have been running into stuff . That said, they might want to remember who they're screwing around with. Game of chess, indeed. Pull up a chair.

Arrogant, yes of course. Also true.

I love this clip and the godless commies were far more credible adversaries than those doorknobs







New Iranian Warship Signals Longer Maritime Reach, More Aggressive Strategy

New Iranian Warship Signals Longer Maritime Reach, More Aggressive Strategy
by Farzin Nadimi Sep 16, 2022
The Iranian catamaran missile corvette Shahid Soleimani on its launch in 2022


Although Tehran tends to exaggerate its naval achievements and blue-water capabilities, the heavy investments it has made in this sector are yielding regionally significant progress.
On September 5, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy launched the Shahid Soleimani, its first of at least three new catamaran missile corvettes with potential stealth features. According to IRGCN chief Adm. Alireza Tangsiri, the vessels will increase the navy’s operational reach beyond the Persian Gulf to as far away as 9,000 km, which would cover the entire Indian Ocean down to Cape Town. The IRGCN has long aspired to send warships to waters near the United States as a propaganda achievement and show of defiance, but it has not been very successful with long-range naval operations thus far—notwithstanding the July 2021 voyage in which the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) deployed the converted supertanker Makran and another vessel to St. Petersburg, Russia, using a circuitous route that circled Africa and crossed in and out of the Mediterranean Sea.

During the launch ceremony for the Shahid Soleimani (FS313-01), IRGC chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami called the aluminum warship a new high point in Iran’s strategic competition as a world-class power bent on establishing regional hegemony over its adversaries. According to him, the country’s “national security domain and radius go as far as where our interests rest”—including faraway seas if so determined by the Armed Forces General Staff.

The New Ship’s Capabilities

Similar in length (65 meters) and capability to Taiwan’s Tuo Chiang-class missile corvette launched in 2014, the Shahid Soleimani is designed to support and provide protective fires for high-speed armed boats far from Iranian waters. This includes the three boats it can carry itself. The Taiwanese class is designed to counter Chinese naval vessels via hit-and-run tactics and has been dubbed a “carrier killer.” The same nickname has been applied to the smaller Chinese Type 22 catamaran missile boat, which Iran reportedly tried to buy in past years before producing its own class (Beijing refused to sell). The IRGCN also claims that the Shahid Soleimani is a “stealth” vessel with the radar cross-section of a small boat, though its actual capabilities in this regard are uncertain.

Regarding weapon systems, the new vessel is the first Iranian warship equipped with vertical launchers that can fire antiaircraft missiles up to a claimed range of 150 km. It can also use six box launchers to fire antiship missiles such as the Nasir, Ghader, and Ghadir, with ranges of 35 to 300 km. Taken together, these capabilities led Iranian officials to claim that Shahid Soleimani has a “lethal range” in excess of 750 km. To be sure, Iran already has other weapon systems that meet or exceed that range, such as the Abu Mahdi antiship and land-attack cruise missile unveiled in 2020, which can reportedly reach 700-1,000 km. Yet the Shahid Soleimani could greatly extend its reach (albeit with less destructive punch) by launching suicide drones such as the Shahed-131 or 136, which can strike targets up to 1,000 km away (or even 2,200 km according to some unconfirmed sources). The vessel may also be able to launch the Quds-1/2 cruise missile and “Article 385” loitering antiaircraft cruise missile that Iran previously provided to Houthi forces in Yemen.

As for electronic warfare capabilities, the ship is reportedly able to carry extensive equipment of this type, including advanced decoy launchers. In its current configuration, however, Shahid Soleimani has minimal electronic equipment installed.

Catamarans are generally faster and more maneuverable than conventional ships and offer better stability and seakeeping at rougher seas thanks to their twin hull design. This also makes them harder to sink—though aluminum ship hulls tend to melt quickly if set afire by a sea mine, missile, or other projectile (as seen when a catamaran operated by the United Arab Emirates was wrecked by a single Houthi missile in October 2016 while transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait).

A Naval Industry in the Making

More missile corvettes of the same type as Shahid Soleimani are currently being built at shipyards in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, and Bushehr, and the IRGCN claims it will roll them out at a rate of one per year, indicating an expedited delivery schedule. The prime contractor for this program is the IRGCN’s Shahid Mahalati Naval Industries, with the Defense Ministry firms Shahid Darvishi and Shahid Mahboobi working as subcontractors.

In November 2018, Iran’s parliament passed a law merging all Defense Ministry marine factories and industrial groups into one entity, the “Marine Industries Organization of the Armed Forces.” Collectively, these firms produce everything from small speedboats to frigate-size warships, medium submarines, Aframax tankers, diesel engines, waterjets, gearboxes, and so forth, with the aim of making Iran’s domestic naval production fully self-sufficient. This goal may be facilitated by the fact that Iran’s marine industries are believed to be less affected by U.S. sanctions than its aviation and missile industries.

Strategic Implications

Iran vehemently objects to the U.S. naval presence in Middle East waters, with IRGCN officials noting that they work daily to prepare and expand their arsenal toward the goal of repelling U.S. forces. Another key mission has emerged over the past couple years: deterring Israel from expanding its maritime reach to waters near Iran following Jerusalem’s normalization of relations with the UAE and Bahrain. Tehran has also been expanding its supposed “maritime security” presence in the Red Sea after a slew of strikes against Iranian ships there, culminating in the April 2021 attack on the floating armory/spy ship Saviz.

In addition, IRGCN officials note that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called on them to expand their reach to “far seas,” framing this mission as a supplement to IRIN’s “strategic blue-water responsibility” but looking more like direct competition with it. In any case, once the Shahid Soleimani completes its protracted sea trial period, the new vessel class may give the IRGCN significant new capabilities—namely, longer-range deployment of missile boats, antiship/antiaircraft missiles, and drones. Coupled with the converted mothership/replenishment vessels Shahid Roudaki (L110-1) and Shahid Mahdavi (110-3), the new corvettes will likely enable sustained IRGCN operations farther into the Indian Ocean and perhaps beyond, including support for smaller and more covert speedboat missions.

Of course, the IRGCN has made a habit of exaggerating its accomplishments in the past, and its overall capabilities remain a far cry from America’s both quantitatively and qualitatively. Yet its modest progress toward sustained blue-water operations is undeniable, and there are a number of scenarios in which it could pose a considerable threat to U.S. Navy assets and facilities, not to mention international freedom of commerce and navigation. Going forward, IRGCN assets can be expected to cause trouble farther down the Indian Ocean, both to divert attention and resources from the Persian Gulf and to disrupt regional maritime security initiatives. Iran might also seek to project naval power in the East Mediterranean and escort cargo ships carrying weapons to Syrian ports, especially now that Israel is increasingly pressuring its air-land logistical hubs deeper inside Syria.

Accordingly, the United States and its partners should closely scrutinize the IRGCN’s evolving role and development of new systems. This is especially true today because Iran’s domestic industrial base is gradually beginning to catch up and deliver suitable platforms and associated subsystems, whether by building them from the ground up or converting and repurposing merchant ships.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Prince Harry is dubbed 'a stupid boy' as growing number of ex-top brass criticise him for revealing his Taliban kill count after Iran used it to justify hanging Brit citizen amid growing row over 'maniacal' regime's bid to excuse the execution

Prince Harry is slammed for 'giving ammunition to Iranian regime's propaganda machine'

Prince Harry has been called a 'stupid boy' and told to 'take responsibility' after his confession of killing 25 Taliban was used by Iran to defend its hanging of a British-Iranian citizen. Current and former British military commanders, including by former First Sea Lord Admiral Lord West (bottom left), have accused the Duke of Sussex of 'giving ammunition' to Iran's propaganda machine and exploiting his military career for financial gain. In response to UK criticism of its execution of Alireza Akbari, 61, (inset) at the weekend, Tehran said Britain was 'in no position to preach' on human rights after the prince's recent admission about killing Taliban in his memoir Spare. Pictured (top left) is Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

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nivek

As Above So Below

Ukraine Parliament Cheers Nazi Collaborator

Even neighboring Poland, a staunch ally of Kiev in the ongoing war with Russia, has criticized the Verkhovna Rada’s Jan. 1 celebration of the birthday of Stepan Bandera.

Ukraine’s support for neo-Nazi groups and its attempts to officially recognize pro-Nazi legions and Nazi collaborators from World War II have been steadfastly criticized by communists and other anti-fascist groups in the region.

Kiev’s supporters in Europe and North America have, until now, maintained a complicit silence about these maneuvers. However, the latest gesture by the Ukrainian parliament — cheering on the birthday of the Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera — has drawn sharp criticism even from neighboring Poland, its staunch ally in the ongoing war with Russia.

On Jan. 1, a post celebrating the 114th birthday of Stepan Bandera — notorious Ukrainian far-right leader and World War II Nazi collaborator — was tweeted from the official handle of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament.


View: https://twitter.com/haaretzcom/status/1609923719094312961


According to reports, the tweet contained “a quote from Stepan Bandera and a photo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces chief, General Valery Zaluzhny, with a large portrait of the Nazi collaborator in the background.” After receiving a significant amount of criticism, it was later deleted from the twitter handle of Verkhovna Rada.


View: https://twitter.com/Navsteva/status/1609951643008733184


The tweet triggered spontaneous outrage from Poland, otherwise a staunch supporter of Kiev and President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Jan. 2, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki denounced the glorification of Stepan Bandera by the Ukrainian parliament.

While addressing the media on Jan. 2, Morawiecki stated, as per RT, that “no nuances were possible that would make the continued glorification of Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera palatable,” adding that Bandera’s nationalists had committed “terrible crimes.” He is reported to have said that Poland would not tolerate the minimization of those crimes.

On the same day, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper also slammed Ukrainian authorities for celebrating and quoting an anti-Semitic Nazi collaborator.


(More on the link)

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nivek

As Above So Below
I think this article is true to every point made...

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Putin's pivot in Ukraine will bring about permanent war in Europe

Last week, Russia announced that it will make "major changes" to strengthen its armed forces’ during the 2023-2026 time period, a sign that Moscow is recasting its approach in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s new strategy is focused on fighting a large-scale war rather than a "special military operation." Here’s why this change will likely result in a permanent conflict in the European theater.

The roots of the war

Russia and US-led NATO -- a proxy party to the war -- view each other as their respective top security threats. Biden’s current National Security Strategy describes Russia as an "immediate threat." Russia’s post-Soviet military doctrine has codified NATO as the "primary danger."

Ukraine is the buffer state that each side seeks to rely on in the event of a direct NATO vs. Russia war. Trading territory for enemy’s blood to protect the heartland is the essence of this approach. It is why the question of control over Ukraine has been festering since the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991, and it is where the balance of power in Eurasia has been contested for centuries.

Having won the Cold War, the U.S. has been incorporating Ukraine into the Western orbit, allowing the U.S. and Europe to reduce their military posture in Europe. Ukrainians are valiantly fighting the Russians, having sacrificed thousands of military personnel and 20,000 to 40,000 civilians to death or injury to hold the line, while the majority of NATO countries, 22 of 30, fail to contribute the required two percent of GDP towards common defense. Washington views the arming of Ukraine as a sound investment to bleed the Russian military.

Russia, which has been invaded three times in the last 200 years and has seen its buffer zone with NATO reduced to as little as 100 miles, after the Baltic states joined NATO in 2004, has drawn a red line over Ukraine.

Moscow views NATO expansion into Ukraine in the same way as if a Russia-lead Collective Security Treaty Organization moved into Mexico. In other words, the outcome of this war is existential for Putin, who is determined to keep Ukraine away from NATO, even if he has to destroy it.

All Out War Strategy

Putin believes his ultimate fear of having to fight a conventional war with NATO is becoming reality. The arrival of 100 Ukrainian troops in Oklahoma to train on the Patriot missile defense system and the Pentagon’s commitment to provide 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Kyiv is taking the conflict to a new level.

Putin is moving to an all-out war strategy, developed on his orders after the Russian military strategists forecast a direct confrontation with NATO a decade ago.

In anticipation of retaliation by Ukraine and possibly NATO to his massive escalation in the theater, Putin is fortifying Moscow, to protect himself, his family, and the Russian elites.

Pantsir anti-aircraft systems were reportedly installed on several rooftops in central Moscow, including near the Kremlin, on top of the ministry of defense building, and near Putin’s Valdai residence in Russia’s Novgorod region. The system is placed on combat alert.

On December 22nd, Putin, for the very first time, referred to the conflict in Ukraine, as war, rather than a "special military operation." Fighting a large-scale war, based on the Russian military doctrine, is a different animal than a "special operation." It involves a lot more personnel, new generation weapons, and cyber and space warfare capabilities. Russia believes what it views as America’s low tolerance for casualties and reliance on technology as vulnerabilities.

On December 21, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced a plan to beef up Russia’s military from 1 to 1.5 million. Towards this goal, Russia is adding half-a-million conscripts, according to Ukraine’s defense intelligence, to the previously mobilized 315,000 additional soldiers.

Last week, Shoigu emphasized Russia’s goal to augment, naval, aerospace, and nuclear forces, in order "to guarantee the military security of the state." Earlier, Putin also assigned the chief of the military general staff, Valeriy Gerasimov, to lead combat operations in Ukraine, a notable move as Gerasimov is the author of a special anti-U.S. doctrine.

Endless War in the European Theater

Putin, consistent with Russian warfare traditions, is preparing for a long-term war of attrition. Russia’s way of winning wars is relentless attrition of manpower. It is how Russia has fought every war for centuries – throwing millions into the meat-grinder to prevail.

The Russians sacrificed 25 million lives in World War II and their current losses are approximately 100,000. Given Russia’s population of 143 million, there’s a lot more bleeding that lies ahead before Washington could reach its goals of Ukrainian victory and weakening Russia.

The upcoming admission of Sweden and Finland into NATO will create a permanent flashpoint in the region. Contrary to Washington’s belief, this move is more likely to further destabilize Europe than bring peace.

Russia shares an 832-mile border with Finland. These two countries’ acceptance into the alliance will automatically double the border between NATO and Russia, from around 750 miles to about 1,600, exacerbating Russia’s security worries.

Russia shares a turbulent past with both Sweden and Finland dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, having fought multiple wars with them. In fact, Russia defeated Sweden and ended the Great Northern War in July 1709 at the battle of Poltava, which today is located in the eastern part of Ukraine.

Long-range disruptions

The lives of millions of people have already been upended by the war, with more upheavals on the way. The disruptions caused by migration, human tragedy, food insecurity, and energy shortages will go far beyond the immediate crisis, straining the U.S. and European economies, militaries and societies.

The International Monetary Fund warned in a recent study that "geo-economic fragmentation" could decrease global gross domestic product by up to 7% over an unspecified "long-term" period, reversing the economic integration and globalization trends of recent decades.

The IMF forecasted greater impact, 8-12%, on low-income and emerging economies, attributing it to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries are heavily dependent on Russia and Ukraine for food imports and on Russia, for energy. The World Bank recently issued a similar report, highlighting the food crisis as the "most alarming concern."

What originated as a localized conflict is now firmly on a path towards an endless war with international ramifications. Having invested heavily -- financially and emotionally – in this existential battle, the warring parties have no exit strategies.

This long-term impact on Europe and the world will be incalculable.


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nivek

As Above So Below

Moscow's fury over German and US tank deal: Russia vows Western vehicles will 'burn' and blasts 'blatant provocation' as Putin's TV puppets call for Bundestag to be NUKED after 'game-changing' decision to send M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 vehicles

Russia branded the move an 'immediate provocation' and one raging Putin mouthpiece called for the Bundestag to be destroyed after weeks of bitter rows between Germany and NATO allies looked set to finally resolve. While there is yet to be official confirmation, officials in Germany and the US said M1 Abrams tanks and Leopard 2 tanks will soon be sent to the battlefield, to the delight of Kyiv. Volodymyr Zelensky's officials hailed the move as a 'punching fist' for democracy, while Russia had previously warned it would cause a 'global catastrophe' and escalate the war beyond Ukraine's borders.

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nivek

As Above So Below
This decision to give Ukraine tanks is going to backfire I think, I hope not but it sure does escalate the war...Seems no one wants peace now...

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nivek

As Above So Below
This just gets dumb and dumber...

We don't have enough tanks to send to Ukraine, Pentagon admits: Biden's promise to send 31 Abrams could take up to a YEAR - because the US has to buy more

The Biden administration's plan to send Ukraine a battalion of lethal Abrams tanks will be hampered by the production timeframe and the Pentagon's insistence that it does not have any in surplus, the Defense Department revealed Thursday.

Unlike some of the high-tech weaponry the U.S. has been shipping to Ukraine as part of a multi-billion effort to deter Russia's invasion, the U.S. military does not 'have these tanks available in excess in our U.S. stocks,' deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh' told reporters.

The means it could take months before the tanks, which President Biden called the most capable in the world, reach their destination. It is anyone's guess what the state of play in the war will be at that point. The one-year anniversary of Russia's brutal invasion is approaching.

'These things are going to require training maintenance, sustainment, that is going to take a very long time to also train in Ukrainians on,' Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh Singh told reporters Thursday, a day after Biden announced the transfer.


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nivek

As Above So Below

Is WHO preparing for nuclear war? Health body publishes list of medicines for nations to stockpile in case of 'radiation or nuclear emergency' as EU warns 'Russia is at war with the West'

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has updated its list of medicines to stockpile for 'radiological or nuclear emergencies', just hours after the EU warned that Russia 'is at war with the West'.

The global health body issued guidance on how to survive a nuclear catastrophe in a new report today, warning against 'intentional uses of radioactive materials with malicious intent'.

The report was published as the spectre of nuclear war looms over the world after the West supplied state-of-the-art tanks to Ukraine to the fury of Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin accused NATO of a 'blatant provocation' and threatened a 'global catastrophe' in response to the deal.

And today, Stefano Sannino, secretary general of the European Union's European External Action Service, said Putin had 'moved from a concept of special operation to a concept now of a war against NATO and the West'.

The EU is not looking to escalate hostilities but is 'just giving the possibility of saving lives and allowing the Ukrainians to defend (themselves) from these barbaric attacks', Mr Sannino said.

Dr Maria Neira, WHO Acting Assistant Director-General warned that many governments today are not prepared for a nuclear or radiation disaster.

She said: 'In radiation emergencies, people may be exposed to radiation at doses ranging from negligible to life-threatening. Governments need to make treatments available for those in need – fast.


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nivek

As Above So Below

American weapons left to the Taliban during disastrous withdrawal begin turning up in the hands of Pakistan-linked militants in Kashmir

A senior Republican promised to hold the Biden administration to account on Monday amid a fresh report that weapons abandoned to the Taliban during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan had made their way to another conflict.

Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir claimed that Pakistan-linked militants have been seen with M4s, M16s and other American arms that have rarely been spotted before in the decades-long conflict.

Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, said it was the predictable result of the chaotic 2021 withdrawal.

'House Republicans warned this would happen yet there was zero oversight or investigation into Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan under Nancy Pelosi,' he told DailyMail.com.

'Rest assured, we will be holding hearings and looking into the consequences of leaving so much military equipment behind.'


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nivek

As Above So Below

Taiwan invasion alert: Island scrambles fighter jets, puts navy on standby and activates missile systems in response to 34 Chinese jets and nine warships - as NATO warns of dangerous situation

Taiwan has scrambled fighter jets, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to large-scale manoeuvres of 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships in the Taiwan Strait.

Beijing yesterday instructed its air force and navy to perform a major operation which saw 20 Chinese aircraft cross the central line of the Strait, long seen as a buffer zone between the island nation and mainland China, according to Taiwanese defence officials.

It is the latest escalation of tensions between the two states and comes after weeks of Chinese military drills close to Taiwanese air space, leading Taipei and its US allies to be wary of a potential blockade or outright attack.

China's alarming military manoeuvres came just hours after foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning declared Beijing 'does not promise to renounce the use of force' in its efforts to reunify.


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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Hmmmm. The history geek has a comment.

World War 1 started as a tangle of treaty commitments. Somewhere I posted this before - the story of a British Antarctic explorer who knew the war had started but got stuck in the ice a couple years. When he came back he was astounded that it had continued. At the time the unbelievable ruinous cost of it all was beyond imagination - it just didn't work out the way expected.

I'm not convinced this will either. There's still room for large scale conventional conflict, North Korea excepted. At least with Taiwan the situation is more readily understandable. Ukraine - as I believe @AD1184 has said if I remember correctly - is a manufactured situation and not what we have been told. We've had our fingers in that pie for some time and this is the result.

Taiwan's different. I know that several people have made 'war with China in 2025' headlines and I take that as the same rhetoric the Chinese have been spewing. Other developments which are less obvious are the enormous base expansion and modernization on Guam and the fact that the Marine Corps is restructuring itself for warfare more similar to the WW2 Pacific role it played than as conventional infantry as seen in the last several unfortunate wars we've used them in.

A nice, lively global war can lift a country right out of a Depression. Done it before, right? It would certainly end our reliance of Chinese manufacturing and bring it all home, assuming home's still there.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

'It's like a zombie movie': Wagner recruits 'are pumped full of drugs that enable them to keep fighting until they bleed out, even when hit by machineguns'

Ukrainian soldiers have compared Wagner recruits to zombies, describing drugged-up ex-prisoners climbing over the corpses of their comrades during wave after wave of brutal attack.

The Kremlin's private military company bolstered its numbers by giving jailed criminals in Russia a six-month war contract, promising freedom at the end of their service if they survive the horrific onslaught.

The horde of killers, rapists, thieves and gangsters now populating Russia's military with little training are being used as suicidal human battering rams to blast through Ukraine's first lines of defence, before the experienced soldiers follow behind.

Ukrainian soldiers Andriy and Borisych, speaking from the besieged city of Bakhmut, said they have been battling hundreds of Wagner fighters for weeks in an attritional conflict.

Andriy told CNN: 'They're climbing above the corpse of their friends, stepping on them. 'It looks like it's very, very likely that they are getting some drugs before attack.'

In one particularly savage battle, Andriy said he was a group of 20 soldiers fighting uninterrupted waves of 200 Russians for 10 hours.

He said their AK-47 rifles became so hot from constant gunfire that they had to keep changing them.

The fighter added: 'Our machine gunner was almost getting crazy, because he was shooting at them. And he said, 'I know I shot him, but he doesn't fall.' And then after some time, when he maybe bleeds out, so he just falls down.'


(More on the link)

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AD1184

Celestial

'It's like a zombie movie': Wagner recruits 'are pumped full of drugs that enable them to keep fighting until they bleed out, even when hit by machineguns'

Ukrainian soldiers have compared Wagner recruits to zombies, describing drugged-up ex-prisoners climbing over the corpses of their comrades during wave after wave of brutal attack.

The Kremlin's private military company bolstered its numbers by giving jailed criminals in Russia a six-month war contract, promising freedom at the end of their service if they survive the horrific onslaught.

The horde of killers, rapists, thieves and gangsters now populating Russia's military with little training are being used as suicidal human battering rams to blast through Ukraine's first lines of defence, before the experienced soldiers follow behind.

Ukrainian soldiers Andriy and Borisych, speaking from the besieged city of Bakhmut, said they have been battling hundreds of Wagner fighters for weeks in an attritional conflict.

Andriy told CNN: 'They're climbing above the corpse of their friends, stepping on them. 'It looks like it's very, very likely that they are getting some drugs before attack.'

In one particularly savage battle, Andriy said he was a group of 20 soldiers fighting uninterrupted waves of 200 Russians for 10 hours.

He said their AK-47 rifles became so hot from constant gunfire that they had to keep changing them.

The fighter added: 'Our machine gunner was almost getting crazy, because he was shooting at them. And he said, 'I know I shot him, but he doesn't fall.' And then after some time, when he maybe bleeds out, so he just falls down.'


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And what are the drugs that could make someone do this? Is there any toxicology testing to prove this? Or are they just going on the surmise of a few Ukrainian soldiers formed in the heat of battle?
 

nivek

As Above So Below
And what are the drugs that could make someone do this? Is there any toxicology testing to prove this? Or are they just going on the surmise of a few Ukrainian soldiers formed in the heat of battle?

The article doesn't mention the particular drugs used but I would assume its probably a combination of adrenaline/epi and other stimulants similar to what the insurgents were using during the Iraq war...Using drugs during wartime to make troops more effective has been going on for decades dating back to at least ww2...

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nivek

As Above So Below
This is sort of war related as it mentions wars as a means to an end...

John Coleman predicted everything happening today in 1992. Read the short passage of the book, below:



J. Coleman is a former MI6 British Intelligence Officer and attended meetings of the Committee of 300. Here is the full book if anyone's interested (PDF, no Amazon link)

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nivek

As Above So Below

US government monitoring suspected Chinese spy balloon over northern states

The United States government is monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been moving over northern states over the past several days.

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a briefing on Thursday afternoon that the U.S. government has detected a high altitude surveillance balloon over the continental United States.

"The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. The U.S. government to include Norad, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information," Ryder said.

A senior defense official said that the U.S. government is "confident" that the surveillance balloon belongs to the People's Republic of China.

The defense official said that the balloon was recently over Montana, and said that officials were considering bringing the plane down with military assets, but decided against doing so because of the risks associated.

"You did see reports yesterday of a ground stop at Billings Airport and the mobilization of a number of assets, including F-22. The context for that was that we put some things on station in the event that a decision was made to bring this down while it was over Montana. So we wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area. But even with those protective measures taken, it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didn't drive the risk down low enough. So we didn't take the shot," the official said.


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