Alexander Mercouris in yesterday’s broadcast discussed the the press conference President Putin gave to Russian journos in Sarakand.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JFAAowWtT6o
Alexander Mercouris particularly highlighted Persident Putin’s remark regarding terroristic an attack against nuclear power plants in the Russian Federation, but Mercouris also remarked that is did not hear of any such events.
It might be that Putin was referring to the attack on the Kursk Nuclear Plant happening middle of August.
Dima of the Military Summary channel reported on August 16 on terroristic action aimed at affecting the Kursk nuclear power plant; allegedly carried out by Ukrainan saboteurs; go to 3min 35sec of his video of 08/16 linked below.
https://youtu.be/hRulpWZuiUE
for more details also see the article linked below:
https://en.topwar.ru/200393-ukrainskie-drg-podorvali-opory-linii-jelektroperedachi-atomnoj-stancii-v-kurskoj-oblasti.html?ysclid=l876tp2gvv173952860

Posted by: Sternberg | Sep 18 2022 12:47 utc | 4

For the west, narrative is king, and the narrative is that russia is failing and being seen to fail in its invasion of ukraine. glacial progress on the donbass front combined with ‘stunning’ gains by ukranian forces on the battlefields as they push russia back to its borders in the north and press forwards in the south is providing a field day for media gossipists and youtube channels like ‘professor’ patrick boyle. not good.

Posted by: Oh | Sep 18 2022 12:53 utc | 6

sorry for the typos in
Posted by: Sternberg | Sep 18 2022 12:47 utc | 6
should of course be “Samarkand” and “that he (Mercouris) did not hear of any such events”

Posted by: Sternberg | Sep 18 2022 12:56 utc | 8

Jo Dominic@3
Excellent overall wrap of the current situation. Yes, popular unrest in the NATOstani minion and puppet regimes is currently at a fast simmer. As economic and daily life conditions rapidly disintegrate as winter looms, even the police and military upon which those regimes maintain their power, may become unglued and join in with their civilian relatives, friends and neighbors, much like Czarist soldiers and sailors did in March of 1917.
T.S. Eliot penned some prophetic lines in his ca. 1920 poem “Wasteland”: “The center cannot hold, mere anarchy is loosed upon the land.” One would hope that those growingly probable popular uprisings do not take that course of total anarchy, but that there are sane and sober voices in the crowd who have the capacity to steer those ships of state into new and untroubled waters.
Fair and objective trials will need to be held for all those who have heavily contributed to this elitist war against common humanity. Smaller fry should be treated in a manner similar to those placeholders in South Africa during the “Truth and Reconciliation” hearings. Though I do not favor the Vatican and its rites and rituals, one which would be useful in a reconstitution of reality would be confessions (not forced like that of the Bolsheviks) by the vast majority of those who merely “followed orders”. However, even minor minions who tortured and falsely imprisoned their countryfolk, should be required to pay for their “sins”.

Posted by: aristodemos | Sep 18 2022 13:08 utc | 10

I am sure this has been asked before and I missed it. Allow me to indulge in a repetitive question.
Is the status of Gonzalo Lira known?

Posted by: chunga | Sep 18 2022 13:10 utc | 12

@chunga | Sep 18 2022 13:10 utc | 16

Is the status of Gonzalo Lira known?

Yes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trePeF5q3X4

Posted by: Norwegian | Sep 18 2022 13:14 utc | 14

Thanks Norwegian. I’ll listen to that this afternoon. I think Gonzalo’s take from some time ago will prevail. At least I hope it does. An agreement will eventually be made to stop the whole thing on the condition that troublemaking Americans get kicked out of Europe. I think everyone would benefit from that.

Posted by: chunga | Sep 18 2022 13:19 utc | 16

A note from my study of Linguistics and in regard to English usage of the definite article ‘the’:
Common usage in former times was to always use ‘the Ukraine’ when referencing this country. This is because of native English speakers intuition of the grammatical meaning of the definite article ‘the’. When we refer to “the Philippines” we recognize the archipelago making up this one country. Similarly, we say “the Azores”, “the Canary Islands” because these places are composed of many islands. On the other hand, we say “Hawaii”, “Taiwan”, and “Long Island” because these places are singular, one entity. In politics this contrast shows in “the United States” versus “America”, “the United Kingdom” versus “Great Britain”, “the Russian Federation” versus “Russia” and so forth. The observed rule is that a multiple noun is signaled by the definite article while a unity is signaled by no article at all.
For a brief time, people intuited that Ukraine was united, one thing, one country. Political divisions re-emerging in the past decade, however, changed perceptions so that many people return to referencing as the Ukraine. This is a case where politics and grammar converge. I learned this insight into English grammar from a Finnish professor of English while researching English usage of articles.

Posted by: Tedder | Sep 18 2022 13:21 utc | 18

Gonzalo Lira just did a 2 hour live stream with The Duran and Brian Beretic of the New Atlas a few days ago

Posted by: Lauren Michele | Sep 18 2022 13:35 utc | 20

@too scents | Sep 18 2022 13:21 utc | 21

How can the Europeans fight without their industry?

Twitter is all that counts /s

Posted by: Norwegian | Sep 18 2022 13:39 utc | 22

Tragic coward Zylynskyyy ran for President on a platform of making peace in the Donbass provinces, and actually moved toward embracing the Steinmeier formula for implementing the Minsk Accords, but then he capitulated to neo-Nazi war-mongers and brought ruin to Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine as Ukraine was preparing to deep-six the moribund Minsk Accords and invade the breakaway Donbass republics.

Posted by: John Schmeeckle | Sep 18 2022 13:53 utc | 24

@ John Schmeeckle | Sep 18 2022 13:53 utc | 28
Tragic coward Zylynskyyy . .capitulated to neo-Nazi war-mongers and brought ruin to Ukraine
Reminds me of Mr. Hope-and-Change in the USA, Obama sending 70,000 more troops to the graveyard of empires.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Sep 18 2022 14:05 utc | 26

Posted by: aristodemos | Sep 18 2022 13:08 utc | 14
With respect. Yeats. Not T.S. Eliot. But on the main, I agree.

Posted by: Andaréapié | Sep 18 2022 14:21 utc | 28

Leuk@23
Thanks for the correction. My early morning postings do tend to get blurred. Not a morning person, but this time nature called and sleep was no longer an option. Memory glands sag a bit, as I knew that, but…

Posted by: aristodemos | Sep 18 2022 14:29 utc | 30

John Schmeckte @ 2 postings:
Pressure on Piano-Dick-Tater also came from Boris Johnson on behalf of his directors, those who own the Bank of England and have full control over the Crown and MI6.
Reason why Russia made the incomplete move on Kiev was at least twofold: #1 was to draw in UAF forces from Donbass and #2 was to bring Kiev to the negotiating table. These two may be turned around, though both are operatively real. Do bear in mind that the Neo-Khazarians call the shots and that their Banderite buddies are their enforcers.

Posted by: aristodemos | Sep 18 2022 14:36 utc | 32

The iranian drones are doing a killing on Ukronazis: https://t.me/SergeyKolyasnikov/42436?single
One can expect a discreet but steady increase in military and civilian cooperation between Moscow and Tehran…
Interesting years to come.

Posted by: Kareem | Sep 18 2022 14:44 utc | 34

I do not believe in any revolt in EU.
The population is brainwashed and obediently trust their governments.
The masses (and specially the upper classes) hope they shall get some crumbles when “Russia is defeated”.

Posted by: marko | Sep 18 2022 14:51 utc | 36

Garland Nixon has a 55 minute piece on what Europe will look like this winter and next Spring. I’ve never watched him until now but his predictions make a lot of sense and are worth the time to watch. In summary he says:
Europe will likely be crippled beyond repair from the winter cold;
Leaders will be replaced one way or another;
Lots of people will die;
Spring will not bring a return to normal– Europe will be a third world region;
Russia will prevail in Ukraine and they know it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tikL5RBRN4

Posted by: migueljose | Sep 18 2022 15:02 utc | 38

What are the implications for the EU if war becomes WW3? No energy from the east. Those tankers coming from the US to the EU? It’s a big ocean filled with subs. Possibly a very short war. Who knows?

Posted by: Leroy | Sep 18 2022 15:19 utc | 40

Report of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine – as of September 18, 2022
🔻The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
▪️In the Nikolaev-Kryvyi Rih direction, the enemy, with the help of three company tactical groups of the 60th Infantry and 57th Motorized Infantry Brigades, supported by six tanks, made unsuccessful offensive attempts in the areas of MIROLYUBOVKA, MALA SEYDEMINUKHA and BELOGORKA of the Kherson region.
All attacks were successfully repelled by units of the Russian armed forces.
▪️High-precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces near the city of Nikolaev hit the personnel and military equipment of units of the 28th mechanized and 79th air assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
During the day of hostilities in this direction, the losses of Ukrainian troops amounted to over 180 military personnel, 2 tanks, 7 armored combat vehicles, 3 guns and 10 vehicles.
▪️The Russian Aerospace Forces, rocket troops and artillery delivered massive fire strikes on units and reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Units of the 65th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were defeated by concentrated fire strikes near the settlement of KIROVO, Zaporozhye region. Enemy losses amounted to up to a hundred Ukrainian servicemen, as well as more than ten units of military equipment.
▪️As a result of strikes on the positions of the 54th, 93rd mechanized brigades and the 10th mountain assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of VERKHNEKAMENSKOE, SPORNOYE, BERESTOVOE, ARTYOMOVSK and ZAYTSEVO of the Donetsk People’s Republic, the losses of the enemy amounted to more than 110 servicemen and 20 units of military equipment.
▪️High-precision strikes of the Russian Aerospace Forces on the places of concentration of manpower and military equipment of the units of the 14th mechanized brigade in the areas of the settlements of KOCHETOK, ROHAN, DOROSHENKOVO, VELIKA BABKA and CHUGUEV of the Kharkov region, the 63rd mechanized brigade in the VEREMIEVKA area, as well as the 3rd of a separate territorial defense battalion in the MIROLYUBOVKA area of ​​the Kherson region, more than 150 Ukrainian servicemen and 17 units of armored and special military equipment were destroyed.
▪️During the fighting in the area of ​​the settlement ZAYTSEVO of the Donetsk People’s Republic, the 24th battalion of the Aidar national formation of the 53rd mechanized brigade lost more than half of its personnel. The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine withdrew the remnants of the unit to the CLOCK YAR of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
▪️The strikes of operational-tactical and army aviation, missile forces and artillery hit the control and coordination point of missile strikes of the Primorye group in the SHURINO region of the Mykolaiv region, three command posts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the regions of CHERVONOY OSKOL of the Kharkiv region, PERSHOTRAVNEVE of the Zaporizhia region and SEVERSK of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
▪️Also, 47 artillery units, manpower and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit in 127 districts, including the bases of foreign mercenaries of the American private military campaign “Academy” and the national formation “Kraken” in the regions of KRAMATORSK and NIKOLAEVKA of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
In addition, an ammunition depot of the 14th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which contained more than seven and a half thousand shells for Western artillery systems, and an ammunition depot of the 128th mountain assault brigade in the DOLINKA district of the Zaporozhye region were destroyed in the KHARKOV region.
▪️High-precision strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces near KRAMATORSK destroyed a US-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system guidance radar in the area of ​​the DVURECHYE settlement, and an air defense radar station in the VASYUKOVKA region of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
▪️Russian air defense systems shot down eight unmanned aerial vehicles per day in the areas of the settlements of MALIEVKA, YAGODNOE, Kharkiv region, LEBEDEVKA, Luhansk People’s Republic, TOKMAK, CHERVONOARMEYSKOE, Zaporozhye region, VLADIMIROVKA, ANTONOVKA, Donetsk People’s Republic.
In addition, eight shells of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system were destroyed in the air in the area of ​​NOVAYA KAHOVKA, Kherson region and the city of KHERSON.
🔻In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 293 aircraft, 155 helicopters, 1981 unmanned aerial vehicles, 375 anti-aircraft missile systems, 5022 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 837 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems, 3397 field artillery guns and mortars, and also 5680 units of special military vehicles.

Posted by: Summary | Sep 18 2022 15:20 utc | 42

LLYFH@13
Thanks for the Mercuris link. To time to take in the entire talk, but he shares some incisively explored insights into Putin’s Samarkand speech by going to original Russian sources rather than Western “translations”.

Posted by: aristodemos | Sep 18 2022 15:30 utc | 44

Marko@36
When people are cold, tired and hungry, embedded propaganda often gets shoved into the back-seat. Even here in the U$$A, rural folk and the laboring working class types in the cities are already seething and simmering.

Posted by: aristodemos | Sep 18 2022 15:36 utc | 46

Before anyone gets butthurt about Russia using Iranian drones, yes, we know Russia has fancy and expensive drones on par with what the US uses. But using expensive drones in environments where your opponents have some limited air defenses (stingers, in the case of the Ukraine) is like using benjamins for toilet paper, and that is before Benjamin went on a diet with all of this inflation lately. Big and expensive strike drones are easy targets, so they are best used against goat herders who are only armed with pointed sticks. This is why the Russians are mostly using their Orlan-10 drones; because they are good at what they do and they are dirt cheap.
The Iranians, on the other hand, have had fiscal responsibility imposed upon them in no uncertain terms. Their domestic Military Industrial Complex cannot afford $10,000 toilet seats and $600 hammers, but they have to produce effective weapons systems nonetheless or face being destroyed by USUK psychos and zionist freaks.
Remember, Iran is ranked #5 in the world for graduate STEM students, and if you count only domestic students they are #4 and ahead of the US. Iran has real engineering talent, even if they don’t have bottomless pockets like the Empire of Delusion does. Because of this, if I were to place a bet, it would be that Iran’s drones are superior to Turkish drones, and approaching the effectiveness of American and Russian drones, but at a small fraction of the cost. Those who have been diligent in their study of Marxist analysis will know that cost tracks manufacturing efficiency so one can expect that lower cost items are easier to mass produce than higher cost ones (yes, I know the difference between value and price in Marxist analysis, but most people don’t and I’d rather not spend a bunch of electrons trying to explain it).
Basically, Iranian drones are almost certainly a good buy, and a nice cost-effective way to say “Good bye!” to Nazis and their NATOady hardware. Russian bulk purchases will also help grow the Iranian tech and manufacturing sectors, so it is win-win on the SCO side of things. Bear in mind that even should Russia successfully conclude the SMO in the Ukraine by Christmas, the war against the Empire of Lies will continue for some time to come. Also keep in mind the industrial component of warfare. With these considerations Russia will do well to have some industrially and technologically healthy allies. China is certainly one such ally but they are still a little gunshy.

Posted by: William Gruff | Sep 18 2022 15:49 utc | 48

Just a countermeme to all this:
Its kind of funny to see fantasists dealing gradually with the fact that they are loosing. Russian military is almost spent, and they seem to have no plan for a winter in the trenches with HIMARs raining down on the leaders. The only opåtion is to go suicide bomber with nuclear weapons, and seriously, thats just sad. Its like a schoolshooter hating daddy so much he just wants to kill as many on the way out as he can. Duginism is just a loosers religion, always the victim.

Posted by: Fnord73 | Sep 18 2022 15:58 utc | 50

Reply to “Posted by: Tedder | Sep 18 2022 13:21 utc | 182 concerning using “the” in front of names of lands/countries/states:
When I learned readong English as a 7-12 year child in The US of north A-an English and from my parents prenumerating on a series on “The Countries of the World” Put out by THE National Geographic Society In THE US Of A, the Lands on both sides of the Rio de la Plata were called “The Argentine” and “The Uruguai”.
In German, we have “die Schweitz” and das Aussland” and “die Niedel¨nde” (The Low Countries) for the Queendom ruled by Holland.
“THE UKAINE” is a nice way of differentiating that part of Eastern Central Europe form the area of South Central Kroatia called “Krania”,

Posted by: Tollef Ås/秋涛乐/טלפ וש | Sep 18 2022 16:07 utc | 52

There is a healthy mood of (self)criticism and patriotic anger in Russia right now, at least outside some wealthy moscovites circles. Indeed a great patriotic war type of mobilization is not compatible with decades of capitalist neoliberalism (and years of narcissistic consumerism and its collateral damages of individualism, liberal “fragility” etc.) I have no contacts in Novorussia, but judging from TM of reliable civilians and military from.the Donbass (no they are not subliminal ukronazis trolls mind-controlled by Langley) their spirit is excellent, but their healthy anger at Moscow’s neoliberal elites in the corridors of the Kremlin, is quite sharp.
In that context, the latest piece on Elijah Magnier’s blog is interesting, by its divergence from the stubbornly absurd “world of unicorns” painted by some west-based bloggers for their fanbase. Here Magnier focuses solely on the military strategic and tactical miscalculations (that happens in any war) on RU’s side.
The SMO is dead, russian society naive vues on the collective west too. Now Russian society honeymoon with capitalism (necessarly globalized, integrated) is ending, and this end starts with the rising contradictions between the new ruling class (those who behind a patriotic facade want their kids raised and schooled in NATO land) and the people who is tired of enduring a gutted state, unable to perform its military and civilian duties toward the nation and the workers. (Many russians use the image of the defunded, anemic russian navy versus the “army” of billionaires yachts paid with stolen money, in total impunity.
But, for complex reasons, some US based bloggers of russian origins are painting, to their (mostly US-EU altright) audience, a rosy picture of 8D chess, glorious capitalist/tsarist restoration, imminent victory etc.
HOW RUSSIA LOST THE BATTLE OF KHARKIV, AND WHAT ARE THE LESSONS TO BE DRAWN?
“…defeating the military mechanism of Ukraine necessitates destroying the physical and psychological Ukrainian army leading to a total defeat. This is unlikely to happen because that would mean the US has failed and was defeated, along with all its western allies. Indeed, the US (and the rest of NATO behind it) will continue arming Kyiv because it is the war of the West against Russia, and Ukraine is the medium. In this war, there can be only one winner and one loser.”
Read in full: https://ejmagnier.com/2022/09/16/how-russia-lost-the-battle-of-kharkiv-and-what-are-the-lessons-to-be-drawn/

Posted by: Kareem | Sep 18 2022 16:12 utc | 54

If this is anything to go by Russia is certainly not isolated, and many countries around the world don’t appear to back the Western narrative.
“The West intended to demonstrate Russia’s “isolation” in a vote following Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s video address at the UN General Assembly yet failed.”

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Sep 18 2022 16:20 utc | 56

” Ze is a Nazi President to rival Adolf in a serious way. He is seriously racist and harbours a deep hatred for Russia. He advocates the torture and murder of Russian POWs, the collective West encourage him. ”
Please do tell. What race is Zelensky, what race are the Ukrainians and what race are the Russians ?

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Sep 18 2022 16:24 utc | 58

What year will this war end ?
? Ukrainian Civil War
? Cold War 2.0
Posted by: Exile | Sep 18 2022 12:23 utc | 1

1. There is nothing easier than getting Slavs to fight among themselves, so never.
2. It became a hot war in 2014 with the Maidan Coup.

Posted by: Opport Knocks | Sep 18 2022 16:34 utc | 60

Posted by: Fnord73 | Sep 18 2022 15:58 utc | 50
You are punching in lines that have been said over and over again since the start.
Try again.

Posted by: alek_a | Sep 18 2022 16:46 utc | 62

@ Jo Dominich | Sep 18 2022 12:30 utc | 2
I often refrain from writing anything because many of us are simply rephrasing the same ideas in refreshingly clever and succinct ways. But, channeling Mercouris, “I just have to say” what you wrote was especially so.
Bravo.
@ North Patagonia | Sep 18 2022 13:16 utc | 15
>> Putin should be looking to end the SMO sooner rather than later.
In case it’s not clear, I suggest the desired goal appears in the post after yours, where chunga wrote:
>> An agreement will eventually be made to stop the whole thing
>> on the condition that troublemaking Americans get kicked out of Europe.
>> What year will this war end ?
@ Exile | Sep 18 2022 12:23 utc | 1
>> What year will this war end ?
>> ? Ukrainian Civil War
2026, because of deliberate go-slow approach
>> ? Cold War 2.0
2030, because by then one side will deploy AI-controlled wonder weapons that wipes out the other side’s conventional forces. The losing side will have to decide whether to go nuclear.
Sadly, I don’t foresee a multipolar world, because the imperial “Western” rulers seem as incapable of change — swords to ploughs — as that scorpion in Aesop’s fable. Unlike China And Russia. So, the RoW will have to defeat and demilitarize the west.

Posted by: dfg | Sep 18 2022 16:49 utc | 64

Posted by: Kareem | Sep 18 2022 16:12 utc | 54
The SMO is not dead. The thinking that they need to defeat militarily the Ukraine in a very absolute way is only espoused by clueless nationalists.
The RF needs to hold onto territory now and slowly advance in the Donbass to a spectacular effect at the moment when the Ukrainians and the World cant escape the realisation anymore that they are in fact the agressors in the liberated territories and cant move an inch.
Every day those territories are outside the central control of Kiev, they drift further away from it. With every day passing that the allies are holding this territory, NATO will need increasing modes of escalation. Terrorism, shelling cities, border towns etc. The whole world is watching.
At a given moment, it will be clear to everyone that NATO has become the agressor.

Posted by: alek_a | Sep 18 2022 17:01 utc | 66

@Fnord73 | Sep 18 2022 16:54 utc | 65
An army marches on its stomach.

Posted by: too scents | Sep 18 2022 17:04 utc | 68

It is true, an army does march on its stomach. How good is russian food for the folks lying in the trenches,the actual soldiers? Not very good by all measures.

Posted by: Fnord73 | Sep 18 2022 17:26 utc | 70

What is really amusing is this Kharkiv “offensive” is not even the first one.
Remember the “captured border crossing” that was clearly a paper mache in spring? The same thing happened then: Russian troops advanced to surround Kharkiv, then pulled back. Then they advanced forward again, now they’ve pulled back again.
In both cases: no serious combat between Ukrainian and Russian/LDPR/Rosgardia forces, although I am fairly certain a lot more Ukrainians died in this “offensive” than the previous one.
And in both cases: a complete sideshow.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 18 2022 17:34 utc | 72

Posted by: S | Sep 18 2022 15:29 utc | 43

Топчу русню
112 БР теробороны
which means
I’m trampling [literally] on rusnya
112th Brigade of Territorial Defense
Rusnya is a very strong ethnic slur referring to Russians; in my opinion, the most hateful one. So the expression is the same as “I’m trampling on Kikes”, “I’m trampling on niggers”, “I’m trampling on chinks”, etc.

I think it is even more sinister than that. It has a connotation like stomping leaves or whacking weeds and shrubbery.

Posted by: hopehely | Sep 18 2022 17:41 utc | 74

@ Fnord73 | Sep 18 2022 16:54 utc | 65
Have you driven through your cities and taken a good look? Are you bothered by the panopticon your rulers have built as part of your conversion from freedom to fascism? How about the crime families that alternate running the countries while jailing protesters and journalists? Are you bothered by mass murder they commit in your name?
Your best bet is to remove your evil rulers demilitarize and stop their aggressive wars.
Understand who your real enemies are. They go through great pains to hide it from you. You’ll have to work hard to see through them.

Posted by: dfg | Sep 18 2022 17:44 utc | 76

@William Gruff 28. NATOrcy is better.
Imhop

Posted by: Tannenhouser | Sep 18 2022 17:47 utc | 78

@ GoFast
I sympathize.
In particular, your 4th paragraph makes a good point succinctly: “We have already learned that Russia is not capable of threatening American national security interests. If they can’t take over Ukraine in under six months, they aren’t going to take over Poland or the Baltics. We can all relax over Russia.”
Although one might argue Russia could “do more, more quickly” by putting more resources into it, that wouldn’t change the view from 50,000 feet. IOW, I very much agree. The western rulers’ alarmism to rile the crowd is, once again, rooted in fiction.

Posted by: dfg | Sep 18 2022 17:50 utc | 80

BigBalls @67: “There is no evidence… that they’re using or need Iranian drones.”
Russia’s Use of Iranian Kamikaze Drones Creates New Dangers for Ukrainian Troops (WSJ – paywall, but the clever can find their way around it)
Anyway, nobody said Russia NEEDS Iranian drones. Using drones like the Shahed-136 would just be a wise decision on the part of the Russians for a very large number of reasons, some of which I mentioned. The Russians seem to posses a fair bit of wisdom so it shouldn’t offend or be a surprise if they make decisions that have multiple layers of benefits.
What drawbacks are there to Russians using Iranian drones? I don’t see any, except in the make-believe narrative sphere among people who are overly sensitive about the size of their cojones.
Furthermore, there is the possibility that Iranian drones are being used in the Ukraine, but not by Russians! Ever think of that?

Posted by: William Gruff | Sep 18 2022 17:55 utc | 82

What drawbacks are there to Russians using Iranian drones?
Posted by: William Gruff | Sep 18 2022 17:55 utc | 82
—
The supply chain.
That said, Iran is filling the void left by Renault in Russia’s automobile industry.
https://www.intellinews.com/iran-and-russia-save-each-other-s-car-industries-254091/

Posted by: too scents | Sep 18 2022 18:03 utc | 84

Meanwhile back in the real world…
The European countries are going to have a rough winter, but they are not on economic suicide watch.
The US is not in steep economic decline and it is not going to get driven out of Europe (see next point).
NATO has expanded in size. Yes, really.
The SMO is not going well for Russia. Even Russian talkshow TV acknowledges that.
100,000 North Korean troops are not going to be fighting in Ukraine anytime soon or ever.
Ukrainians are fighting and dying to protect their homeland. If they were Nazi’s, or brainwashed or any other half-baked nonsense this conflict would have been over in the three day campaign the Russians originally planned.
Finally, and this is a shocker. Russian forces commit atrocities and have done so in Ukraine. All occupying armies do.

Posted by: Tom UK | Sep 18 2022 18:17 utc | 86

Kazakh living in Germany tapes a Z on the Back of his car, gets reported by his Ukranian boss‘s wife to the cops. judge throws the book at him 1,800€ fine, 30 days loss of driver‘s license, plus 120 probation.
Hilarious article ( in German use machine translator)
https://www.merkur.de/lokales/wolfratshausen/wolfratshausen-ort29708/mit-am-heck-durch-die-gegend-gefahren-geldstrafe-und-fahrverbot-91766479.html

Posted by: Exile | Sep 18 2022 18:22 utc | 88

Posted by: Tollef Ås/秋涛乐/טלפ וש | Sep 18 2022 16:07 utc | 52

“THE UKAINE” is a nice way of differentiating that part of Eastern Central Europe form the area of South Central Kroatia called “Krania”,

Yes, the word krajina is (usually) not used by itself but you have to say which one, because they are many of them (srpska, bosanska, vojna, …). So, putting definite article in front of it you say The Special One. 🙂
And it seems that Krajina is Mark in German.

The term is equal to German Mark and French marche.[5] In the Habsburg Empire, a large region in modern Croatia was referred to as a Military Frontier (Militärgrenze; Vojna krajina).

Posted by: hopehely | Sep 18 2022 18:32 utc | 90

Posted by: Tom UK | Sep 18 2022 18:17 utc | 86
Considering the size of Western and NATO involvement, which surprised everyone, the SMO and Russia’s economy is doing quite well.
DNR and LNR militias, soon to be joined by Crimean volunteers, are fighting and dying to defend their territory from anti-russian supermacist rule. You know, rule like Russians in the Baltics “enjoy”.
The Ukrainians, unable to take what is not theirs anymore, in the meanwhile commit terrorist acts against the administrations in the liberated territories, are shelling cities and border places in retribution. This is done under advisory of NATO btw. They are complicit.
As for the EU economy, I reserve judgement. You may be right but who knows: there seems to me to be a awful lot of faith in the money printing press a.k.a. MMT. We already saw what that did with the pandemic. But I might be wrong, IDK.

Posted by: alek_a | Sep 18 2022 18:35 utc | 92

When will the …..SMO, Ukrainian conflagration, WWIII … end?
The quantity of posts suggesting this or that date, after or before the US mid-terms, spring, summer or winter, is revelatrice of a wish for it to be clearly marked out, and the final whistle….eeerrr sorry, missile blown.
The US was in Afghanistan for twenty years. The Russians have already prepared for the long haul. The level of fighting and use of arms has been exactly calculated. Bows and arrows ready, saws for amputations, a healthy dose of brandy as anaesthetic, and captagon and priests for the morale if not the morals.
But who is getting stretched? The EU is doing a wonderful job of bankrupting itself with US help. The US is doing a wonderful job of using a conflict in a foreign land while contemplating a second one or two. Bases being built and troops installed (Third one in East Syria, new one in Australia), new weapons. Great, but the standards for actually becoming a US soldier are drooping like dried out knickers. There is no longer any substance left in the greenback. The era of living off the fat of the land, has become the fat living on the sidewalks.
Which side will find themselves stretched the tightest?
*
(The rant is finished).
***
I assume that the “New” Russian policy will be the accurate targeting of higher ranking NATO and US officers who have had the bad idea that they are untouchable, plus the newbies who have been “invited” to participate, the UK, Poland, Germany and probably Israel. (Zele-has invited Israel and has called Ukraine the “new Israel”). Pity for the inhabitants. Mercenaries are prime targets.
https://avia-pro.net/news/vmeste-s-amerikanskimi-nayomnikami-udarami-rossii-mogli-okazatsya-unichtozheny-i (Its in English)

Posted by: Stonebird | Sep 18 2022 18:52 utc | 94

@Tom UK | Sep 18 2022 18:17 utc | 86
Also, the water in the state of Mississippi’s capital city Jackson is unsafe for weeks now.
Jackson’s water has been unreliable and unsafe for decades. Why? The city is 82% Black.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Sep 18 2022 19:07 utc | 96

Here in the US we are staring to say that war is when your government tells you who the enemy is. And revolution is when you figure it out for yourself. Politicians. Just suck.

Posted by: Leroy | Sep 18 2022 19:10 utc | 98

@Stonebird #94
Anything is possible, but I don’t see even Ukrainians being stupid enough to keep fighting the SMO for too much longer.
The fact that Kiev is drafting breeding age women is a definite sign of manpower problems, so to speak.
I also don’t see the MIC risking their reputation too much longer in Ukraine: the litany of Wunderwaffe and resulting real world “not successes” is bad for business longer term. Then there’s the electoral issue: between bad economy and ongoing money funneling to Ukraine, and structural inflation, I have a hard time seeing the previously relatively prosperous people of Europe continuing to “suck it up”.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 18 2022 19:15 utc | 100