Ukraine Open Thread 2022-186
[Note: While the Typepad frontend now seems to again work, the backend, through which I edit, post and moderate, is still extremely slow - that is when it works at all.
I am therefore now sure I will be able to post later today as I had planned.
-b.]
Only for news & views directly related to the Ukraine conflict.
Please stick to the topic.
The current open thread for other issues is here.
Posted by b on October 28, 2022 at 13:39 UTC | Permalink
next page »I know that this will explode some minds, but when I look at a current map of Ukraine https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/36a7f6a6f5a9448496de641cf64bd375, Russia controls almost 100% of the 3 Oblasts that they annexed in their referendum.
The big territorial gains for Ukraine were almost all in the Kharkiv Oblast but it's possible that Russia did not have an interest in holding it. If Ukraine takes Kherson, yes, that would be a big deal but until then - meh.
Posted by: Christian Chuba | Oct 28 2022 13:59 utc | 2
"I would like to take this opportunity to tell our friends from BP that the $700 million dividends they are entitled to for the second half of 2021 have been transferred to the accounts opened for them," said Sechin."
https://www.vesti.ru/finance/article/3012441
This latest pearl from Sechin at Rosneft, well it doesn't seems to be well received by the russian street. And people did notice the obsession of Putin latest speech with "negotiations".
But at least those words have the merit of honesty: capitalism is a small globalized club, and you are not in it. But now that Moscow's elite owning and selling its ressources to the west, is threatened in its survival (the zionist binationals are fleeing and offering themselves as the alternative local managers) well, they finally, but reluctantly, unprepared, unwilling, moved to a war mode. Well a strange war, while offering cash and energy units to the existential enemy of the nation. And communicating an obssession for negotiations with the "dear partners".
Thank God for the resilient russian people, and its own "war reflexes", because with such an internal sabotage of the morale of the rear, who needs an enemy psyops?
Posted by: Kareem | Oct 28 2022 14:15 utc | 3
A day or two ago, one of our fellow barflies posted a link to an article which stated that the U.S. now has the ability to completely destroy all of Russia's retaliatory missile system, and also to decapitate the Russian government, with no harm done to the U.S.
I've lost track of the link, but is there anyone here who can say with certainty whether or not the situation is really that dire?
Posted by: AntiSpin | Oct 28 2022 14:30 utc | 4
Intel Slava Z summary of US reporting on Putin's speech:
Western media discuss Putin's speech at the Valdai Forum:New York Times:
The Russian president was trying to win over a conservative audience abroad and intended to capitalize on political divisions in the West. Many of the topics of the speech have gained particular resonance, given the upcoming elections in the United States and disagreements in Europe over aid to Ukraine.Financial Times:
Putin repeated his reproaches against the West, accusing it of striving to dominate, but called for mutual respect rather than making new threats.Washington Post:
Putin denounced the "liberal elites" of the West in a speech that was addressed mainly to conservatives outside of Russia.
Laughable that they think this is still about them. Apparently they missed the key analysis of them in the Valdai speech:
I would like to quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s famous Harvard Commencement Address delivered in 1978. He said that typical of the West is “a continuous blindness of superiority”– and it continues to this day – which “upholds the belief that vast regions everywhere on our planet should develop and mature to the level of present-day Western systems.” He said this in 1978. Nothing has changed.Over the nearly 50 years since then, the blindness about which Solzhenitsyn spoke and which is openly racist and neocolonial, has acquired especially distorted forms, in particular, after the emergence of the so-called unipolar world. What am I referring to? Belief in one’s infallibility is very dangerous; it is only one step away from the desire of the infallible to destroy those they do not like, or as they say, to cancel them. Just think about the meaning of this word.
Another in a long line of missed opportunities for self-reflection.
Posted by: Opport Knocks | Oct 28 2022 14:36 utc | 5
Pretty good estimate on the number of AFU soldiers killed in action and the ones detained + others on the wartears website which was created to link ukranian parents and relatives looking for news on their loved ones directly from Russian governmental and open sourced after identification was done (rybar, podolyaka and Boris Rozhin endorsed and promoted the idea in March):
wartears . org / posts / math-model /
Add spaces to recover the website.
Roughly, 100k confirmed so far killed in action.
Posted by: Boo | Oct 28 2022 14:38 utc | 6
A day or two ago, one of our fellow barflies posted a link to an article which stated that the U.S. now has the ability to completely destroy all of Russia's retaliatory missile system, and also to decapitate the Russian government, with no harm done to the U.S.
Apparently you are not aware that Russian Forces now routinely down HARM, HIMARS, Artillery Shells, Drones, Manned Aircraft, Cruise Missiles, and Ballistic Missiles.....
BEFORE they reach their targets...
The article mentioned is virtue signalling....
Actually the situation is the reverse....
It is the Russians who are now capable of a decapitation strike...
INDY
Posted by: Dr. George W Oprisko | Oct 28 2022 14:54 utc | 7
I know that the trolls just throw whatever out there, but as pointed out upthread, Russia controls most of the adopted oblasts and under the current legal regime the portions of Zaporozhia and Kherson that it does not control are not necessarily adopted in the RF at this point. In the strategic sense then, Russia can mostly maintain a defensive posture as long as it wants. The whispers of "maybe lets negotiate" starting to grow in the west are problematic because the US/UK told Zelensky they had his back until victory. Zelensky has painted everyone into a deep corner by saying no negotiations until all of Ukraine 1991 is under Ukrainian control and defined victory as such. So what does the west do with this situation? The odds of Ukraine recapturing the territory it has lost to date are extremely low, no matter how much support the west gives. But from the sponsors' perspective any negotiations need to be presentable as a "victory" and not a backing down.
So Biden will eventually have to make a choice that includes forcing Zelensky to change his tune (not guaranteed that he can force that change), getting rid of Zelensky (also difficult after he's been puffed up as the 21st century Churchill), committing to a long war that has little chance of success. No good choices. Now Biden liked the idea of a long war of the Iraqi insurgency style but the "slow" pace that Russia opted for makes that difficult to impossible. The west needed the quick, US style regime change it predicted and lots of Ukrainians left in the field. The fundamental issue the US will have to deal with but will struggle with is how to extricate itself from this quagmire without losing face.
Posted by: Lex | Oct 28 2022 14:57 utc | 8
Putin has frequently let the US save face -- for example the repeated deals and ceasefires in Syria. Kerry had to sell the compromises to the awful warmongers in the US. Russia never lost anything in those deals. So there is an established past practice. But Russia would be foolish not to end the SMO without a resounding military victory, whatever that would be. The war mongers in the US need to understand who won and lost, and so do Russia's allies.
Posted by: Wilbur | Oct 28 2022 15:09 utc | 9
Reply to #4: It as likely John Helmers article in "Dances with Bears" a couple days ago: http://johnhelmer.net/the-us-signals-readiness-to-launch-nuclear-strike-against-russia/ . He was referring to an open U.S deployment of a ballistic-missile sub to the Indian Ocean, close enough to the Russian ICBM deployment area to overwhelm it with reduced-trajectory missiles before the Russians would have time to react.
The Russian nuclear exercise took place a day later.
Posted by: Seward | Oct 28 2022 15:11 utc | 10
🇷🇺❗️Shoigu announced the completion of partial mobilization in Russia - the main statement from the report of the Minister of Defense to the President of the Russian Federation- the task of partially mobilizing 300,000 people has been completed, the military registration and enlistment offices will continue recruiting volunteers and candidates for contract service;
- the average age of those called up as part of partial mobilization is 35 years;
- 13,000 Russians went to the troops as volunteers, without waiting for summons from the military registration and enlistment offices;
- 218,000 mobilized are at the training grounds and are undergoing training and combat coordination, 82,000 people are currently in the SMO zone, of which 41,000 are operating as part of units;
- all the problems that arose at the initial stage of partial mobilization have been resolved;
- The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation must be equipped with modern types of weapons.
https://t.me/intelslava/40205
Posted by: Down South | Oct 28 2022 15:12 utc | 11
Posted by: AntiSpin | Oct 28 2022 14:30 utc | 4
The US says many things. Most of which are false. I wouldn’t take such claims seriously.
Posted by: Jax | Oct 28 2022 15:17 utc | 12
A day or two ago, one of our fellow barflies posted a link to an article which stated that the U.S. now has the ability to completely destroy all of Russia's retaliatory missile system, and also to decapitate the Russian government, with no harm done to the U.S.I've lost track of the link (...)
Posted by: AntiSpin | Oct 28 2022 14:30 utc | 4
The Onion? The Postillon? The Babylon Bee? Le Gorafi?
Posted by: Leuk | Oct 28 2022 15:51 utc | 13
The US has had several deceitful policies in place since WWII, and these include massive government disinformation campaigns directed at the public and at "adversaries". Also, there has been a definite policy of "ambiguous unpredictability", which translates roughly to "make them think you are crazy, and they will not mess with you". And while the US has committed criminally despicable mass murder atrocities like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for the most part the "we are crazy so you better watch out" schtick is usually bluster. Putting these two tactics together it is pretty clear that you will get a better idea of what the US is planning by reading between the lines than by listening directly to what is said. Any talk that the US could easily win a nuclear exchange is pure bluff, and the US knows it. Russia knows it too.
Posted by: John R Moffett | Oct 28 2022 16:00 utc | 14
@ Lex | Oct 28 2022 14:57 utc | 8
it is cia and m16 that are driving this for the financial elites.. biden doesn't have much of any say as i see it.. not sure they can change direction now, even if they started to sense a need to... it seems to me this is on track to get much worse before it gets better.. everyone is hoping biden or whoever will stop the madness... i think they are wrong to think biden will play any useful role here.. thanks for your posts..
Posted by: james | Oct 28 2022 16:00 utc | 15
Biden is but a metaphor for the US administration . It is run by Susan Rice who takes her orders for the PTB
The fundamental issue the US will have to deal with but will struggle with is how to extricate itself from this quagmire without losing face.
Posted by: Lex | Oct 28 2022 14:57 utc | 8
---
Lex, that is so sweet and naive. Are you not American, or don't have much familiarity with the Empire?
There's a phrase for what's going to happen: down the memory hole. Or, colloquially, "look, squirrel!"
Yesterday, the day before, and hundreds, thousands of days before that, shootings occur on a regular basis. If the number gets above 5 victims, it might warrant 1 day of coverage. Exceptional achievements get maybe a week or two at most.
What happens to these stories? Are political movements formed to address societal problems? Lulz, so much to learn. No, people shrug, forget and get back to the business of 'getting ahead'.
When Ukraine drops from the news cycle, which I'm thinking could happen within 2 weeks, it will be entirely forgotten by Thanksgiving.
In all types of competition, whether life, business, sports, etc a key feature of success is the ability to move on from set backs and defeat. It's a feature, not a bug in the American pysche.
Posted by: B9k9 | Oct 28 2022 16:49 utc | 17
@ James-15: Spot on. Whoever is pulling the strings does not appear to be willing or even able to de-escalate. As per the Reset function, they seem to want to bring down the entire house and rebuilt in some horrid neo-feudal technocratic format. Putin and the RF offer a chance to save face now and again and as well as keep channels open for the day when the people trying to destroy them become civil again. OF course I wont be holding my breath, but the day will come. As far as the executive branch in the USA goes, it pretty much does as it's told. Biden the person is so far gone, he's making senile Reagan look downright scholarly....
Posted by: Chevrus | Oct 28 2022 16:59 utc | 18
Down South | Oct 28 2022 15:12 utc | 11
I think the key part of this update is "82,000 people are currently in the SMO zone, of which 41,000 are operating as part of units;" that is a very significant addition to the forces in the smo zone especially those 41,000 that are operating as part of units. The tide is turning on the Ukrainian numbers advantage, jmho.
Posted by: ctiger | Oct 28 2022 17:07 utc | 19
https://twitter.com/zvezda279/status/1585918827598032896
Is this Russian tank trolling Victoria Nuland? Probably not but it got me thinking. I wish Russia could raise funds like Ukraine by letting donors design slogans and art painted on equipment. My idea would be an Iranian drone painted with "Don't Die for Israel". The slogan subtly reminds not only Ukrainians but US soldiers who are the real masters pulling the strings behind the war. I wish people in Russian leadership or at least military information section could understand what is going on with Kanye West and the "Jewish media" criticism. They should try to help amplify Kanye West because both the Russian military and Kanye West are fighting the same force. Jews are at the center of the events leading up to the Ukraine War. Jews are proving their power by destroying Kanye's business and ending his Addidas endorsement.
Posted by: sanmiguel | Oct 28 2022 17:09 utc | 20
@AntiSpin 4
I saw a video or radio recording of Scott Ritter a few days ago in which he said that our submarines can fire low flying missiles with nukes to try to decaptitate the military command and Putin, and also hit a number of silos...but he believes that Russia has a dead hand system. I found a short video of Ritter addressing this topic at: https://www.bitchute.com/video/FaG7nZ0JALjJ/
In short, Ritter believes that Russia has sensors that will detect blast waves, radiation or other indications of a nuclear attack, and if so, will launch a missile that has a communication package, and this missile will fly across Russia sending out launch codes to all remaining missiles, and these will be more than sufficient to destroy the U.S. and basically, life on earth. When Russia detects a launch against them, their policy calls for retaliating with everything they've got. If a launch is detected, they don't wait for the nuke to strike them, but in case it does in an attempt to decapitate them, they rely on their dead hand system to settle the score.
Posted by: OdessaConnected | Oct 28 2022 17:12 utc | 21
BASF-Leaving
ArcelorMittal - Closing
Who's next?
Germans must wander around Germany like mental patients unable to comprehend what is happening: The wholesale dismantling of their society.
Don't worry, your rules based overlords and your pimp Govt whisper into your ears how its all good and Zelensky says keep taking your meds; it will all be over soon.
Posted by: intp1 | Oct 28 2022 17:26 utc | 22
Posted by: sanmiguel | Oct 28 2022 17:09 utc | 20
"If you want to know who rules over you, simply note who you are not allowed to criticize"
Posted by: Deplorable | Oct 28 2022 17:29 utc | 23
Reply to 21
I would point out a simple point often missed: the US must defeat both Russia and China at the same time in a nuclear war. Otherwise, the US gets wrecked and China dominates the remaining world by default.
Posted by: Eighthman | Oct 28 2022 17:31 utc | 24
"..When Ukraine drops from the news cycle, which I'm thinking could happen within 2 weeks, it will be entirely forgotten by Thanksgiving.
"In all types of competition, whether life, business, sports, etc a key feature of success is the ability to move on from set backs and defeat. It's a feature, not a bug in the American pysche..."
B9k9@17
America's psyche is not what is at issue here. What matters is not what the US people make of these defeats but the interpretation put on them in Pretoria, across the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia, in Saudi Arabia and in Indonesia.
US power-soft or hard- is not built on love but on fear. When South Africa and Tanzania stop fearing the US and regard Chinese or Eurasian power as equally or more important it won't matter what the idiots watching CNN believe. If they choose to believe that they are omnipotent and their government rules the Universe they are welcome to do so.
Russia, currently, is exposing the paper tiger of NATO, with its vast budgets and enormous arsenals: with every advantage (including, if you want to believe in it, breathtaking incompetence at the highest levels in the Kremlin) Russia is on course to achieve its aims, military and political.
And the world-whose rulers don't have the time or inclination to binge on the MSM- is watching carefully as the US, systematically smashing its allies' economies and setting them up for social explosions, inevitably begins its retreat. And return to, its historically destined task, of beating the already beaten and bullying the terminally disabled.
What matters is what the leaders of Kyrghystan and Tajikistan, both under permanent pressure to betray their people, buy Florida Real Estate and make life difficult for Russia and China, make of Ukraine (not to mention Zelensky's) fate. And what Africa's governments, also continually being assured that only Uncle Sam will protect them, make of the de-industrialisation of Germany and the de-population of the Baltic lands.
The United States, under Joe "Last Chance" Biden, has been playing all its cards, calling in all its markers, using every threat at its command and investing trillions in its bribes and corruption. Ot has broken every trust it ever had in international finance, stolen everything it could lay its hands on. It has to win, because unless it does the entire castle of cards will collapse immediately.
The air is full of the rough music of CIA lies and the howls of its expiring intelligentsia, coming up with one more lie, one more misrepresentation, "Defend Democracy in Ukraine!!"
And the world, which has been tittering for months is beginning to howl with laughter.
Democracy in Ukraine! Are you kidding? When was that? You call that 'democracy'?
"Tell that to the Marines" people used to say when a particularly incredible claim had been made. "Tell that the American people" has taken its place.
Posted by: bevin | Oct 28 2022 17:33 utc | 25
Here's an interesting question about the U.S. How is it that democrats and republicans differ dramatically on virtually every important issue, from inflation, to drilling for oil, to the open border, to performing sex change operations on children, whether abortion should be allowed up to the moment of birth, and other issues...but on one issue, they all seem to cuddle up in harmony, and that issue is that Putin is evil, and the folks in Kiev did absolutely nothing to provoke Russia to intervene? I can't think of a single democrat or republican who has said otherwise.
The only voice that has said anything truthful is Tucker Carlson on Fox News, and his observations, while true when he says Ukraine is not a democracy, that they have banned all opposition parties, and they control all television stations, etc., has not really told the full truth to the American people about the ongoing genocide in the Donbas, or about the reasons that Crimea seceded.
As far as our democrat and republican politicians go, they all seem to be serving the same master; and I include Trump in this group because he did not fire Victoria Nuland but let her pick the next U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and he then bragged about giving lethal weaponry to Ukraine whereas Obama only gave blankets. In other words, Trump continued the march toward isolating Russia which started under Obama when Russia refused to allow gays in the U.S. to adopt Russian babies. That's where this started, and the pace picked up when our media warned gays against going to the Sochi olympics because they claimed Russia would arrest them, lies naturally, but effective in spreading hatred for Russia and Putin.
Trump, either because he serves the same war mongers as Obama and Biden, continued down the same path, and allowed the training of Ukrainian soldiers after they signed the Minsk II accords. Did Trump ever at that time call on Ukraine to abide by those accords? No, rather, he started giving them lethal weaponry and tried to get Zelensky to investigate the Bidens. Now, I think such an investigation was warranted, but I'm not sure whether Trump was trying to win Zelinsky to his side by providing lethal weaponry and training of the Ukraine military, or whether Trump was just serving whoever is really in charge of the country. I tend to think it's the latter.
Posted by: OdessaConnected | Oct 28 2022 17:35 utc | 26
A new banner was hung from a building of the Czech interior ministry today. It portrays Putin in a body bag..
Posted by: karel vp | Oct 28 2022 18:01 utc | 28
«"later, on February 24, 2022, Putin and the Stavka decided they did not have the right to step out of this life, and that faced with the war Germany has been planning since the Third Reich, and the US since 1945, Russia would not commit suicide."»
That's a vast exaggeration: most germans just want to do vert good business with the russians, even if many families, like many russian families, still have resentment for the massacres the other side did to their relatives (and most of the soviet responsibility is for handing Prussia to Poland, which proceeded to ethnically cleanse it) to grab the polish east and incorporating it in the Belarus and Ukraine SSRs, without ethnically cleansing it.
«I repeat my assertion.... Operation Barbarossa II failed.... Operation Bagration II began on 24 Feb 2022... Destination Berlin.....»
I think that is a wild exaggeration. It is all USA organized. Some smart people have described the general contemporary feeling of germans that they want their country to be "Greater Switzerland" and their great flaw is essentially navel-gazing and risk avoidance, not taking many risks to conquer an empire.
I doubt that the Russian Federation has a different attitude: they are one of the very few states self-sufficient in both fuels and cereals, and they have an immense area to develop and improve.
Reports are that Putin himself reject what seemed an offer of the Donbas by Poroshenko:
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/vladimir-putin-turned-down-petro-poroshenko-offer-take-donbass-east-ukraine-1495181
“Poroshenko made the offer during a peace summit in Minsk in February 2015, Putin reportedly told a senior member of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs on 19 March. An anonymous source present at the closed door meeting revealed to Forbes Russian edition that Putin told the summit: "[Poroshenko] told me directly: 'Take the Donbass.' I replied: 'Are you out of your mind? I don't need the Donbass. If you don't need it, declare it independent.'" Poroshenko reportedly asked Putin to take financial responsibility for the region, where the city of Donetsk called itself a 'People's Republic' after the Maidan Revolution last year. Putin replied that the region was Kiev's financial responsibility, as long as it remained part of Ukraine.”
Posted by: Blissex | Oct 28 2022 18:04 utc | 29
LOL!!!
Along with the other issues at MoA we currently have comments pegged to the bottom of the two Ukraine threads but not the Open thread....grin
Nothing to see here folks....move along....GRIN!
Posted by: psychohistorian | Oct 28 2022 18:08 utc | 30
Roughly, 100k confirmed so far killed in action.
Posted by: Boo | Oct 28 2022 14:38 utc | 6
I heard Ritter quote a western source that said it was 390,000 dead.
Posted by: Drinky Crow | Oct 28 2022 18:09 utc | 31
For all the bar flies that worry that Russia is going too slow, there's a method to their madness. As the sanctions, they are working for Russia against the Axis-the more the West gives war materiel to the Ukraine the less they have and the poorer they become.
As well, as pepe Escobar comments, they want to show the Global South that they aren't as ruthless as the Americans.
Time is on Russia's side not the Wests'.
«As per the Reset function, they seem to want to bring down the entire house and rebuilt in some horrid neo-feudal technocratic format.»
The "Great Reset" has already happened, gradually, only silly conspiracists are deluded that it is planned for the future.
What remains is the mopping up afterwards. The "Great Reset" has been carried out by the upper class (the "inner party") with the solicitous, even enthusiastic complicity of the middle class (the "outer party") because they have been drugged with "housing heroin", enormous real estate profits redistributed to them from the lower classes (the "proles"),
Fundamentally the "Great Reset" has been that the "Washington Consensus" masters class have fired most of their servants and hired in their place much cheaper immigrant servants or offshore servants. Lee Kuan Yew already in 2009 explained:
https://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/spiegel-interview-with-singapore-s-lee-kuan-yew-it-s-stupid-to-be-afraid-a-369128.html
“The social contract that led to workers sitting on the boards of companies and everybody being happy rested on this condition: I work hard, I restore Germany's prosperity, and you, the state, you have to look after me. I'm entitled to go to Baden Baden for spa recuperation one month every year. This old system was gone in the blink of an eye when two to three billion people joined the race -- one billion in China, one billion in India and over half-a-billion in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. [...] If your workers were rational they would say, yes, this is going to happen anyway, let's do the necessary things in one go. Instead of one month at the spa, take one week at the spa, work harder and longer for the same pay, compete with the East Europeans, invent in new technology, put more money into your R&D, keep ahead of the Chinese and the Indians.”
Just as in the past several million usians worked for USA companies in USA factories, nowadays 1-3 million chinese work for Apple in chinese factories, even if there is a few middlemen between them.
Now the only giant corporations that have hundreds of thousands of USA workers are Wal*Mart and similar.
https://stockanalysis.com/list/most-employees/
The dream of the europhile/5th columnist ukrainians and russians was to replace an usian or german worker by getting hired in an offshored USA or german factory or research centre.
Posted by: Blissex | Oct 28 2022 18:22 utc | 33
I guess you all saw the other day about all those weapons going onto the black market. That set me to wondering if the tail might not be wagging the dog here. Let’s assume that “black market” might mean “Azov”. Now if that lot were armed to the teeth - with plausible deniability- can either Zelensky or NATO say “No” to them at this point in time?
Posted by: Guy L’Estrange | Oct 28 2022 18:29 utc | 34
"Tell that the American people" has taken its place.
Posted by: bevin | Oct 28 2022 17:33 utc | 25
---
Oh, I completely agree. I've consistently noted that Russia has indeed won, and the US empire will collapse.
My point to Lex was in response to the many who constantly attempt to project their ethics, their morals on 'murica.
We don't do shame, we don't do remorse, and we certainly don't do (sincere) apologies. I'm not even sure that many will fully realize what's happened when it's over.
Maybe it will be blamed on ultra Maga, or climate change, long covid or some other convenient story.
Posted by: B9k9 | Oct 28 2022 18:41 utc | 35
Replying to "AntiSpin | Oct 28 2022 14:30 utc | 4" regarding nuclear primacy.
I do recall a very old think tank paper dated in the late 90's that pondered how the U.S. could use nuclear primacy to out mussel Russia in other countries. The premise was that with nuclear primacy, the only option available to the other country is to launch a preemtive strike and then be destroyed. This in effect took away Russia's deterrent power but we in the U.S. could threaten Russia with nuclear obliteration.
I do not have a link to that paper but that situation is no longer true. In the late 90's it was possible because Russia's nuclear arsenal had deteriorated so much. At that time, they weren't even able to deploy their nuclear submarines, they were kept in port.
------------------
Don't you just love Neocons? Their 'rules-based world order' consists of the U.S. extorting other countries.
Posted by: Christian Chuba | Oct 28 2022 18:44 utc | 36
Posted by: Drinky Crow | Oct 28 2022 18:09 utc | 31
Both rybar and Rozhin dismissed that number of ~400k as wildly overblown for whatever reasons, but mainly for funding according to them. This study is actually very close to what the relatives of the Ukrainian soldiers are looking for.
So the authors admit both under and overcounting - the former because some soldiers either don't have relatives or theirs are not contacting them, and the latter because some claims/searches are duplicated under slightly different names. The authors of the model are working on dedup strategy that will address the latter. Also, there is always a delay between a death and a request since the Nazis in Kiev keep lying to the relatives that their loved ones are fine long after they have been abandoned to death or capture.
Posted by: Boo | Oct 28 2022 18:56 utc | 37
Having recently visited Israel and being a history buff, I read about their history and their wars - which having spoken to a number of Israelis I thought to a large extent still define their national sense of self. However I was struck by the intelligence failure of the Yom Kippur war, both the USA agencies but also oddly Israeli too.
Simplifying things this has been put down to 1. Group think - ignoring evidence that doesn't fit preconceptions; 2. Hubris - believing in ones own invincibility and prowess; 3. Failing to understand the enemies' motives - ie the IDF thought the Arabs would not attack because they could not win but in fact they wanted pride back so they could negotiate a peace later.
There are a lot of parallels with today's situation in the Ukraine. It is hard to discern who has fallen into the "Yom Kippur" trap. However I'd offer two personal observations.
At the end of August I had the opportunity to speak to two very (VERY) senior people recently in the NATO establishment - one Intelligence and one Military. Both recognised the problems that Ukraine is facing but both were relatively confident that Ukraine could (not certain) find a path to victory. Bear in mind this was BEFORE Russia upped the ante with mobilisation and infrastructure strikes. [ps I am a Joe Average, not in any way involved]
Whilst in Israel I was able to access TASS and RT which have been blocked in my home nation. The contrast between their sober reporting and the hysterical press reports in the western MSM is stark.
Having considered this in the context of the Yom Kippur failure, I'm left thinking that western leaders and therefore the media actually do believe the narrative being promulgated. I actually think also that western intelligence agencies by and large believe it too. I had thought earlier that they could not be so naive but it looks like that. I now consider that they honestly think that Russia will accept a defeat in this war and is heading for one.
Like many here I doubt this proposition very much. But it begins to explain many of the events in this war. And as to motives, this war is a proxy for a wider struggle and I think the west has fundamentally mis-understood the wider Russian game. You only have to look at the crisis building in Europe to see this. I don't see this from the Russian side.
Both sides in this conflict will to a point suffer from the "Yom Kippur" syndrome. And I venture that actually explains a lot of what has occurred. But long term, someone is going to be proved tragically wrong. Is this Kabul 1989 or Kabul 2021?
Posted by: marcjf | Oct 28 2022 18:58 utc | 38
Eighthman @ 24
I would point out a simple point often missed: the US must defeat both Russia and China at the same time in a nuclear war. Otherwise, the US gets wrecked and China dominates the remaining world by default.
I believe it was always USA policy throughout the Cold War to hit both Russia and China if a strategic nuclear exchange ever happened with either. The Chinese and Russians always knew that. During the Cold War it always seemed to me a logic of if we are going to pay this high a price we might as well get all the commies in one shot. But today it’s what you state, but probably was then to.
OdessaConnected @ 21
but [Ritter] believes that Russia has a dead hand system.
Correct me if I got it wrong but isn’t this what Poseidon is? It’s not a torpedo with a tsar-bomba but an autonomous drone that can stay submerged deep and still or moving evasively for up to six months. It has an atomic electric motor, the atomics create heat to run a generator for the batteries. It’s dead quiet and can go way deeper than any submarine. In theory it could make risky, expensive strategic submarines obsolete like drones have made bombers obsolete. Get rid of the crew life support requirements and you have one hell of formidable undersea weapon.
If the Poseidon doesn’t receive the dead hand shut down code it maneuvers to the target position at its preset day and time and sets off its warhead. Granted whatever of the USA survived MIRV’d ICBMS, Avangard Sarmats, Zircons and Kinzhals, it could evacuate the coasts for six months. No bass fishing or surfing right after the apocalypse.
For now it seems the purpose is to send it off when tensions are at a boiling point just before an expected strike or if a Belgorod missile sub finds itself caught and about to be sunk. Poseidon could be a myth and if not they only have one or two right now. I doubt it's a myth though, it's likely an early limited prototype for autonomous strategic subs.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 28 2022 19:03 utc | 39
Posted by: Eighthman | Oct 28 2022 17:31 utc | 24
the US must defeat both Russia and China at the same time in a nuclear war.
Worse, it will have to concurrently destroy Iran and Syria to defend israel (and prevent them from becoming regional powers).
It will have to destroy North Korea to defend South Korea.
It will have to destroy India because once China is destroyed, India will become the regional power in Asia ...
Posted by: Arch Bungle | Oct 28 2022 19:08 utc | 40
A day or two ago, one of our fellow barflies posted a link to an article which stated that the U.S. now has the ability to completely destroy all of Russia's retaliatory missile system, and also to decapitate the Russian government, with no harm done to the U.S.
Yes, that was a link to Russian Nuclear Arms Expert saying what are options for US after it was showing its submarine in Arab Sea. Low altitude missile spread option to neutralise Russian Southern Nuclear Forces launch sites. All well and shown to some analyst 'expert'might sound good and sure, let us go for it.
However and here is the source PDF and I add just some ideas from the very US Army evaluation of Vostok 18 (the biggest military exercise held in 2018).
As it concerns EMP and other strategies of Russian Armed Forces it is an interesting read and shows exactly how US obfuscates its war propaganda.
A few excerpts:
Russia has “Super-EMP” weapons specialized for HEMP attack that potentially generate 100,000 volts/meter or higher, greatly exceeding the U.S. military hardening standard (50,000 volts/meter).
As a result of its HEMP nuclear tests, the Soviet Union, and today Russia, probably knows a lot more about HEMP effects than the United States.
“Super-EMP is a first-strike weapon,” according to Aleksey Vaschenko, who describes Russian nuclear weapons specially designed to make extraordinarily powerful HEMP fields as Russia’s means for defeating the United States.
Hypersonic vehicles are potentially a new avenue for surprise HEMP attack, flying at 50-100 kilometers altitude: the optimum height-of-burst for Super-EMP warheads.
Russia has the technical capability to clandestinely orbit a nuclear-armed satellite or satellites to be maintained in orbit for years until needed to make a surprise HEMP attack.
HEMP attack could achieve for Russia a key objective the USSR could not achieve during the Cold War—neutralizing U.S. ballistic missile submarines at sea.
Russia probably remains the world’s leader in Non-Nuclear EMP (NNEMP) weapons, also called Radio-Frequency Weapons (RFWs).
Marriage of NNEMP to drones or cruise missiles, equipped with sensors to follow high-power electric lines and target control centers and transformers, introduces a major new threat to national power grids.
As Russia categorizes HEMP attack as Information, Electronic or Cyber Warfare, Moscow’s already very loose strictures for nuclear employment may not even apply to HEMP.
So, here are rather fresh facts from 2021 and I do not advise pres. Biden and his administration to provoke and even try their luck there.
Russia never lies - why go nuclear? When...well.
Posted by: whirlX | Oct 28 2022 19:13 utc | 41
«an open U.S deployment of a ballistic-missile sub to the Indian Ocean, close enough to the Russian ICBM deployment area»
That was show business, but it is not a new idea: when the elites of the English Empire during WW2 had the delusional folly of trying to persuade the USA to garrison their colonies for the benefit of England at the USA's own expense, this happened before: they tried to persuade the USA to help them keep Egypt so there could be bomber bases there for a nuclear strike on the USSR southern regions and western Siberia. Then the USA got missiles and bases in Turkey.
Posted by: Blissex | Oct 28 2022 19:24 utc | 42
what we see here are the clear contours of two different civilizational realms which have nothing in common with each other and whose values are mutually exclusive.
A quote from the Saker.
I am interested in what the bar here thinks about this.
Myself, I think this is more or less the core of the conflict. Seeing how dedicated the population is on both sides - more so in Russia.
Everything is downstream from this.
Posted by: alek_a | Oct 28 2022 19:34 utc | 43
IIRC, during WW2 the UK also wanted to bomb the Soviet oil fields in Caucasia. After that, Churchill wanted to drop the American atomic bombs into Soviet cities. The only thing preventing that was that there were very few available until the first Soviet atomic bomb was tested.
The British are nasty business and not good for anyone's health, even when they might look innocent. Now we had the series of terrorist and sabotage attacks in Russia, all organized by Mi6. They are currently also developing various different kinds of plots to get a war between all east European countries and Russia. If you let their SOF forces in your territory to cause havoc and provocations... enjoy the ride.
Posted by: unimperator | Oct 28 2022 19:35 utc | 44
I disagree that time is on Russia's side, too many unknowns in war, too much at risk to wait for some colossal SNAFU or FUBAR to come crashing down. This is a hybrid war with attacks from perfidious Anglos coming at you from all sides plus above and below.
Putin and MoD's initial plan was to have the SMO over in three months. Surovikin's plan is to get this over by spring. Longer it goes on more deranged crazy shit will come from the west. Deadly deranged crazy shit.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 28 2022 19:36 utc | 45
Posted by: marcjf | Oct 28 2022 18:58 utc | 38
“Having considered this in the context of the Yom Kippur failure, I'm left thinking that western leaders and therefore the media actually do believe the narrative being promulgated. I actually think also that western intelligence agencies by and large believe it too. I had thought earlier that they could not be so naive but it looks like that.”
From the propaganda they say, and the action they actually take (e.g. the frantic calls by the ukrainians for supplies and "boots on the ground"), obviously they know better, at least the people who are steering policy, not the frontmen, who are not principals but hired help. As to the media they obviously know better because one way or another they do get privileged access, but they don't want to lose their jobs.
Consider for example this bit from an interview with _elenski himself, where he was quite candid:
https://www.economist.com/europe/volodymyr-zelensky-on-why-ukraine-must-defeat-putin/21808448
«Mr Zelensky divides NATO into five camps. First are those who "don‘t mind a long war because it would mean exhausting Russia, even if this means the demise of Ukraine and comes at the cost of Ukrainian lives".»
That obviously means USA, UK, Poland.
«I now consider that they honestly think that Russia will accept a defeat in this war and is heading for one.
I think that's a big misunderstanding: the USA goal has little to do with Ukraine, it is regime change in Moscow, the means are as _elenski says “a long war because it would mean exhausting Russia”.
From the point of view of the USA the Ukraine's war against the Donbas must end with a an ukrainian defeat, and a very bloody one, because the next phase must be a long and guerrilla war in Ukraine and southern Russia, afghan-style, full of atrocities committed by fanatical revenge-seeking "freedom fighters" banderites trained, funded and armed in bases in NATO countries. I think they expect it could 5 to 10 years, and maybe 15, for this to happen.
The idea is that will cause a collapse of the Russian Federation and its dismemberment just like the afghan guerrilla war did.
«Is this Kabul 1989 or Kabul 2021?»
Obviously it is expected to be Kabul 1989. But also note that despite many claims Kabul 2021 was yet another big USA mission success, they managed to demonstrate four things:
* They can smash a country to rubble.
* They can occupy a country for as long as they wish, even 20 years.
* They can extract themselves quickly and efficiently.
* That country then collapses even further.
To some extent it was a demonstration that Osama binLadin was wrong with his "imperial overstretch" strategy. When the USA got other priorities then they simply moved on.
Jonah Goldberg, “Baghdad Delenda Est, Part II: Get On With It,” National Review, April 23, 2002.
“Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business.”
Posted by: Blissex | Oct 28 2022 19:48 utc | 46
Interesting. Russian military equipment discovered being sent to US, Canada France
After the authorities searched the suspect's home, they discovered 500 units of military equipment - including body armor plates, dosimeters, camouflage kits, raincoats, military uniforms, and many other things.
Authorities Foil Attempt to Smuggle Russian Military Equipment and Uniforms to US, Canada, France
Posted by: Granite | Oct 28 2022 19:50 utc | 47
"I would like to take this opportunity to tell our friends from BP that the $700 million dividends they are entitled to for the second half of 2021 have been transferred to the accounts opened for them," said Sechin."
https://www.vesti.ru/finance/article/3012441
It is disgusting that Russian elite is crying for negotiations with the West.
No shame because of all dead Russians.
Posted by: marko | Oct 28 2022 19:51 utc | 48
«Kabul 2021 was yet another big USA mission success, they managed to demonstrate four things:»
There is another one, perhaps more important than the other: that the upper-middle and upper classes, the "comprador" locals of any USA vassals, depend utterly on USA "protection". USA imperial strategy is a not so different variant of the english one of suborning and controlling the local "paramount chiefs", e.g.Evelyn Baring (Lord Cromer) statement that "We do not govern Egypt, we govern the governors of Egypt" just as the East India Company did with many sheikhs, mahrajas and sultans in various other areas.
Posted by: Blissex | Oct 28 2022 19:54 utc | 49
unimperator @ 44
They are currently also developing various different kinds of plots to get a war between all east European countries and Russia.
With the promise of the spoils being doled out by the by the Emperor to his attack dogs. That's why they bark and growl so loud and fiercely, pulling at the leash. Baltic and Moldovan poodles, Finish, Polish, Romanian hounds have been promised that when the master carves up the Russian carcass they'll be thrown big meaty chunks. Germany and France yesterday's news hail the new vassal chiefs of the re-positioned NATO powerbase to Central Europe.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 28 2022 19:57 utc | 50
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 28 2022 19:36 utc | 45
I think it was the Biden Plan to be dividing up Russia in 3 months,
no plan B available. The Russians were dumbfounded by NATO's ability to completely self destruct their societies.
Posted by: SwissArmyMan | Oct 28 2022 20:03 utc | 51
Posted by: james | Oct 28 2022 16:00 utc | 15
I agree on CIA/MI6, but Biden is and has been on board with the plan since he had the Ukraine brief as VP. Plus he’s the guy holding the bag for CIA when it comes down to it. It’s Biden who will have to extricate himself and his political allies while CIA moves on to the next dumbass and destructive plan it has cooled up.
Posted by: Lex | Oct 28 2022 20:07 utc | 52
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 28 2022 19:57 utc | 50
The Poles, Balts and Finns are opportunistic SOBs. They are cowards, but ready to be hyenas at an opportune moment. I think you're right re. what has been "promised". One thing I continue amaze every day is how are the Russians willing to let their respective medias operate and spew absolute garbage, despite these countries are trying every way to kick all Russian media influence out.
EU and the collection of vassals went all-in in the first week of SMO. They really gave everything they got in an effort break the Russian state. They are still producing garbage mostly based on British "analysis". This propaganda also helped send thousands of mercenaries. Of which most are probably dead by now, but they send more and more.
Now Ursula VDL declared that Russia has "been defeated in Ukraine" and that's it. Seems to me they want to declare victory and leave, or dump it, as the Saker puts it.
Instead, it is Ukraine that gets sliced and diced. Let's see how eager the anglo's are really to "invest" 750, 1000 billion euros (or whatever the current figure of the day is) into the rump Ukraine with no resources but only corruption and black hole finances. Millions of ukrops already went looking lucrative factory jobs in Germany (joke intended).
Posted by: unimperator | Oct 28 2022 20:13 utc | 53
Posted by: B9k9 | Oct 28 2022 16:49 utc | 17
I’m American and quite familiar with the empire. Memory holing it will work for the average American public but not so much for higher level imperial machinations, internal and external. Geopolitically this has become existential for the US because the US made it so. Just walking away is a sign of extreme weakness on top of the Afghan withdrawal.
Internally there are a power centers like intelligence, DoD, lobbies, etc etc. And trump is still out there just off stage ready to remind the public that Biden and the Dems ran away after losing at great cost. The imperial state is bipartisan traditionally, but the internal contradictions and sectarian divisions are becoming a lot more pronounced. Ditching the great fight for “democracy” won’t play well in more than a few halls of power. It especially won’t play well with the intelligence services.
And given that the US is a banker’s dictatorship operated by the intelligence services (CIA has always been tied at the hip to Wall Street), Biden being forced to extricate himself from their shared project is more complicated than moving on to the next important thing.
Posted by: Lex | Oct 28 2022 20:16 utc | 54
canuck | Oct 28 2022 18:16 utc | 32
For all the bar flies that worry that Russia is going too slow...
This article explains plausibly what we are seeing right now. About the Slowness of the SMO.
Posted by: OttoE | Oct 28 2022 20:20 utc | 55
[email protected] Ukrainians need to be pushed back to the operational depth of whatever NATOUS HIMARS systems they have available, with 300km gps guided missiles in the offing Russia can ill afford to sit at the current border/LOC. Even with a ceasefire truce....Minsk 3.0...like that'll work, eh.
Cheers M
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Oct 28 2022 20:24 utc | 56
'"..what we see here are the clear contours of two different civilizational realms which have nothing in common with each other and whose values are mutually exclusive.".. the Saker.
'...Myself, I think this is more or less the core of the conflict. Seeing how dedicated the population is on both sides - more so in Russia...' alek_a@43
Saker mysticism.
The two different civilisational realms in the world stretch across it. The one is communitarian/socialist/cooperative; the other individualist/capitalist/selfish.
The major support of the capitalist realm in which the interests of the few are preferred to those of the many is in the imperialist system.
The Eurasians, generally against the wishes of their governments, have been increasingly expelled from that imperial system, as punishment for their refusal to accept US hegemony.
The Empire is acting irrationally, here, as it has been throughout the past two or three decades in which it has made it increasingly impossible for the rulers of Iran, Russia, China and other countries, despite their general acceptance of the capitalist system, to do anything except oppose imperialism.
This irrationality, taking the current form of a strategically illiterate attempt to use Ukraine to humiliate Russia because of long term fears that, in other circumstances Russia might decide to resist imperial neo-liberalism (something it had not done until NATO forced it to begin, halfheartedly, to do so after the sanctions imposed in February) has led to the United States weakening its only reliable source of assistance, either military or economic, the EU.
Smashing up Europe was not part of the plan. It only weakens the US to debilitate its strongest ally. But irrationality works that way.
Just as the US did not plan to drive turbo-capitalist Russia into China's arms. Or to unite the leaders of Islamic fundamentalist Iran with atheist communists or Orthodox Christians. Or to turn its loyal allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE into supplicants at the gates of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Or racist Hindutva India, run by fascists, into the anti-imperialist camp. etc etc
But that too is the way irrationality works.
And capitalism, as those of us who understand the dangers of climate change realise, is determinedly irrational. Its premiss, that the war of all against all leads to peace and plenty, is irrational.
That is why the threat of nuclear war is so real: the people running the Empire have irrational, unachievable ends, and pursue them in ways that make no sense.
The sooner the capitalist class is relieved of its power and escorted, by kind but firm guards to the padded cell it will surely make uninhabitable, the better we-the many- will be able to turn the planet into a heaven for all and a refuge forever.
And to start using the vast well of talent and intellect, love and imagination for the good of all.
Posted by: bevin | Oct 28 2022 20:24 utc | 57
Posted by: alek_a | Oct 28 2022 19:34 utc | 43
"what we see here are the clear contours of two different civilizational realms which have nothing in common with each other and whose values are mutually exclusive."
«A quote from the Saker.»
The latest missive from the titular blogger seemed quite ridiculous to me, with that claim and the "good versus evil" theme, because it looked so much like any article in the WaPo, NYT, "The Guardian", "The Times" with the names swapped around. Sauron: Biden or Putin? Mordor: Washington or Moscow? Orcs: russians or ruthenians+americans?
I am sure that the titular blogger their is earnest and really believes that Washington is Mordor and the ruthenians and americans are Orcs, and that is not a wholly ridiculous idea in the eyes of much of those peoples whose tyrants and exploiters have been supported or imposed by brutal USA intervention.
But that is a point of view that to me is useless, international relations are not wholly a morality tale like "Lords of the Rings", they are as in the talk to the Melusians by the athenian ambassadors, about "realpolitik".
So for example as a cynical person:
* I am pro-american because, as resident of some 2nd and 3rd USA vassals, I think that being under their vassalage is still better than the realistic alternatives.
* Still I wish that the USA government get somewhat weakened by the RF and PRC so their control of their vassals loosens a bit, and not because I think that the oppressed people of the Donbas and their RF allies are more deserving than the fascist ukrainian government and the fascist fanatics that the USA are using as proxies.
«Seeing how dedicated the population is on both sides - more so in Russia.»
The Russian Federation population has two main points of view:
* Most still remember how catastrophic was the end of the USSR for them, the surge in deaths because of poverty, lack of medicines, food, heating, and know very well that is the goal of USA strategy. Most of them are lower middle class and working class.
* A minority (most oligarchs, many business owners, many young people with advanced degrees) feel that their interests would be best protected under USA vassalage, and to them independence is rather less important that doing deals with or working for big USA corporates.
The latter point is pretty much the same in Ukraine, Poland, Germany, UK, France, etc.; even if part of the upper and upper-middle classes of Germany, UK, France, Latin America, Gulf countries, Japan, Korea-south, Taiwan are, in private, still nationalist and anti-american because they would rather take more risk ruling fully their own countries than being "protected" by the USA oligarchs.
Posted by: Blissex | Oct 28 2022 20:32 utc | 58
He was referring to an open U.S deployment of a ballistic-missile sub to the Indian Ocean, close enough to the Russian ICBM deployment area to overwhelm it with reduced-trajectory missiles before the Russians would have time to react.
The US has subs in the Arctic Ocean. Those are the ones capable of firing missiles with very short travel times.
The Arabian Sea is under Iranian surveillance 24/7 because they are the target of US Sub launched missiles therein.... not Russia.
The CNO visit was pure theatre.
INDY
Posted by: Dr. George W Oprisko | Oct 28 2022 20:40 utc | 59
Posted by: Dr. George W Oprisko | Oct 28 2022 20:40 utc | 59
I read the John Helmer article. It was also referring to that American ballistic Trident missiles would have capability to fly flat inside the atmosphere, which would then provide short travel time.
Of course this also implies that the MIRVs get released inside the atmosphere, where they have already a very high velocity relative to the ground. These MIRVs would then suffer greatly in terms of accuracy since the ability to maneuver is very limited, but if aimed correctly, the MIRVs could have a time delay or approximity fuse to ensure it doesn't fly past the target (which would be the second major problem).
TBH, I have never heard of this before and don't know if true, but that seemed to be the main point what was implied. But I have a hard time believing the MIRVs would get released by the missile inside the atmosphere and somehow fly with their own momentum to target, that completely defeats the idea they exist for.
Posted by: unimperator | Oct 28 2022 21:01 utc | 60
marko @ 48
"I would like to take this opportunity to tell our friends from BP that the $700 million dividends they are entitled to for the second half of 2021 have been transferred to the accounts opened for them," said Sechin."It is disgusting that Russian elite is crying for negotiations with the West. No shame because of all dead Russians.
You need to spark up some extra brain cells and learn to think in a more complex, or lets say adult way, if you want to hang here as more than a troll. I could respect a troll that tries hard.
The Russians are appealing to the part of the global corporate economy that actually makes things the eight million people need and use, the part of the 85 trillion dollar global economy that provides the tangible collateral for the fantastic financialized bubble machine to spin its magic. Yeh, Wall Street and the MIC are big (and mean) but so is 21st century global corporate capitalism.
This war has shown that companies like Nestle, Renault, Ford, Daimler, Mercedes, Apple, H&M, McDonalds, Siemens, LVMH, SMC, Maersk, Nike, Samsung, Toyota, Sony - you get the picture, have as much say in their future as you or I do. So far no one seems to have asked the world richest company Apple what it thinks of possibly loosing its manufacturing base and its multi billion dollar consumer market in China. Or how thrilled McDonald is to have lost 850 franchises in Russia. Yeh, McDonald's ain’t Raytheon but it’s not chop liver either.
Russia can’t appeal to the sane part of the populace of the UK, USA, or EU, what are they going to do vote for Starmer, Melechon, Meloni or Trump? But it’s very possible the heads of productive global capitalism, the ones with real factories, global supply chains, and global markets might just rise up with their immense and very real lucre and influence and have a powerful big bosses coup d’etat against the small clique of neo-cons and MIC financial parasites.
My guess is that the major part of global corporations were as surprised and caught off guard by the sanctions blitz and SMO as any of us pleebs were. Their response is delayed and confused as much as that of the pleebs but once organized they are certainly in a very real position to overthrow this neo-con idiocy. And unlike the brainwashed pleebs much more likely to know the real score - of the true scale of idiocy and misguided adventurism of the present political class.
That is why Putin is putting their money in escrow, money talks, especially real money, money backed by resources, workers, and consumers - and good faith contracts. I’m not a capitalist fan but in this case it looks like our and Putin's best hope is for Ronald McDonald to kick some nazi ass.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 28 2022 21:03 utc | 61
Gleb Bazov weighs in.....https://t.me/Slavyangrad/17146
The reasons for the Russian success in defending the ever-more-desperate attacks by Ukraine—anywhere they can—have been the 78,000 mobilized men that have been arriving at the front. They are the heroes that have turned the tide. Praise be upon their names.
Apart from the 300,000 mobilized, a further over 80,000 volunteers have also signed up to fight in Ukraine. Among these is a number of actual military recruitment officers that oversaw the mobilization effort. Individuals that saw others being sent to the front have also voluntarily gone there. There are thousands of managers, government workers and officials, and a vast number of common folk that have gone to war. Because they believe in ridding the world of the scourge of fascism.
The actual figure of the mobilized is 300,000 and could likely be more. The extra 80,000 are on top and above. Some of those have joined volunteer or mercenary battalions, like Strelkov’s. Others are being allocated to the Russian army units that need them the most.
Russia will go through waves of mobilization over the coming year. There will be at least two more, bringing the overall number of Russian servicemen to nearly 1,000,000. This will not happen only if the unthinkable happens: a (shameful) peace or a ceasefire. Neither one will be allowed by the West.The current mobilization effort—if stretched—might be enough to complete the liberation of Donbass and the taking of Nikolayev, although the latter is speculative and would only happen if serious mistakes are made by the Ukrainian General Staff in the Kherson theatre. But the 380k+ will be enough to turn the tide. Catastrophic mistakes by Ukraine aside, the current additionally-mobilized force would not be enough to take Zaporozhye (in addition to Nikolayev and Donbass), and, for that reason at least, mobilization would have to continue.
Would it have been better to leave the mobilization open? No. Russia is not a place where these kinds of decisions will be hidden. It is better to be honest with everyone about the demands of the war. I am categorically against the fact that this mobilization was called “partial.” I believe it should have been declared honestly as the mobilization that will be required to finish this war with victory. That means repeating it as necessary. Characterizing it as partial was a bureaucratic decision that paid heed to the need to segment government action into workable chunks.
The average lifespan of a Ukrainian mobilized recruit now is approximately 10 days—from the time he is grabbed off the street to the time he falls on the battlefield. Foreign mercenaries—which by and large have become regular Polish and Romanian (and other NATO countries’) troops masquerading as “volunteers”—loath the idea of being used as cannon fodder and behave as regular colonial expeditionary forces. I am not concerned—just like I was never, and still am not concerned with HIMARS and the like—with these. The only reason for the reversal of fortunes for the Russian Army has been the lack of troops, of infantry. This is Russia’s war to lose, and to win.
With the arrival of new mobilized men at the front, the key aspect of the equation has changed. Let’s see the outcome within a month.
Russia has no choice... NATO is giving it none.... It's "go for broke"...
INDY
Posted by: Dr. George W Oprisko | Oct 28 2022 21:03 utc | 62
A day or two ago, one of our fellow barflies posted a link to an article which stated that the U.S. now has the ability to completely destroy all of Russia's retaliatory missile system, and also to decapitate the Russian government, with no harm done to the U.S.
{...}
Posted by: AntiSpin | Oct 28 2022 14:30 utc | 4
Pure fantasy: if real would already be done ...
Actually Russia may soon (if not yet) have capability to first strike NATO assets WITHOUT use of Nukes, thanks to hypersonics.
SO decapitation of most NATO - and US - strategic assets inclusing sinking all CSG, minutemen and most SSBNs, might be in the cards ...
Posted by: Greg Galloway | Oct 28 2022 21:11 utc | 63
xor | Oct 28 2022 21:57 utc | 60
President Putin is more akin to a cat playing with a mouse...
Posted by: donten | Oct 28 2022 21:12 utc | 64
Arch Bungle @ 40
Worse, it will have to concurrently destroy Iran and Syria to defend israel (and prevent them from becoming regional powers). It will have to destroy North Korea to defend South Korea. It will have to destroy India because once China is destroyed, India will become the regional power in Asia
You're asking way too much of USA geo-political strategic thinkers. Looking at the present mess they can think two steps ahead but three steps ahead and they fall down the stairs.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 28 2022 21:31 utc | 65
@ B9k9 (17)
"a key feature of success is the ability to move on from set backs and defeat. It's a feature, not a bug in the American pysche."
This feature/bug only exists inside the American psyche. 2/3 of the world has a functioning memory, so the inevitable defeat of an evil empire will be noted and will be, I hope, permanent.
Posted by: JessDTruth | Oct 28 2022 21:32 utc | 66
Posted by: Blissex | Oct 28 2022 20:32 utc | 58
You're not being cynical but are simply honest.
I think that how individuals feel about either side is shaped by their experience with them. I for example find myself more attuned to what the Saker writes then some of the posters here on the forum. Even though he is a nationalistic conservative christian (orthodox)-values driven that I am really opposed to. Probably because the people I share a cultural and ethnic link to from my youth have been on the receiving end of the Western way of doing things. So I guess I am motivated to take sides strongly, on a cultural level, looking for retribution or a way to settle grievances with the Imperium.
How many Russians feel like this?
For me if is not really banksters this, capitalism that, Israel, etc. (the prevailing themes here) but precisely what you identify as ‘mysticism’ and which I think is more at the core of the conflict and the miscommunication with the West. They simply cant make themselves apologize of admit fault. I even think that when friendlies but yet westerners reduce this cultural divide to mysticism, it just aggravates the chasm.
In any case, it is for me not a pragmatic issue or realpolitik as you point out. It is about grievances which, in the absence of resolving, turn to a polarization on a cultural and identitarian level.
Since I am living in the West for the second half of my life, it is suffocating mentally to be in this situation.
Posted by: alek_a | Oct 28 2022 21:45 utc | 67
@OttoE 55
I previously read that article and I don't buy the notion that going slow is good for the SMO goals and objectives. Yes, when simply defending, you are likely to kill more of the other side's soldiers if they are willing to come into the open to try an offensive operation. But what if they simply dig in and wait? In that case, Russia would continue sitting right where they are and the longer they do this, the bolder the West gets in concluding that Russia is weak and can be defeated, thus more money flows to Ukraine along with more mercenaries.
If Russian territory is being attacked, as it is now that they consider the four annexed regions to be part of Russia, it can't be a winning strategy to sit back while Ukraine continues shelling and killing civilians in the four newly annexed territories. How many civilians need to die before Russia takes the offensive?
The Russian offensive is perplexingly overdue. It makes no sense that Ukraine continues to move troops and equipment around in trains, along both west-east routes and north-south routes, then attacks if they have superior numbers. Why haven't the trains and train tracks been destroyed? It makes no sense that train tracks coming out of Lviv have not been destroyed. It makes no sense that the main roads from Lviv to the eastern front have not been destroyed. In war, if you want to win, you cut off supply lines and you aggressively flank or encircle the enemy and either capture or kill them. Sitting around and waiting to be attacked because this improves your chances of killing without being killed really makes no sense at this point.
There is another issue that no one here appears to be aware of, and that is that the people who would normally support Russia, in south Ukraine, are being brainwashed every single day and thus are more and more supportive of the liar Zelensky, and they are more and more likely to believe the propaganda that Russians slaughter the populations that they conquer. In this sense, time is on the side of Ukraine, and it's amazing to me that the Russians don't seem to factor this into their calculations. By the time Russia eventually gets to Odessa, if ever, they may find that the general population will be fighting them rather than cheering them -- which is likely what would have happened had Russia intervened in 2014 after the Odessa protesters were slaughtered by Right Sector thugs while the police watched and did nothing.
Posted by: OdessaConnected | Oct 28 2022 21:46 utc | 68
No one in the West (with its myriad of nominal democratic governments) is making any effort toward de-escalation of the conflict (except for Orban). All movement is toward escalation. The road to Armageddon seems to be unobstructed and completely open. People whine about global warming, while ignoring the threat of nuclear winter. How do we survive when vastly more political effort is directed at transgendering children and discrediting Trump than in de-escalating a conflict far more dangerous than the Cuban Missile Crisis?
I doubt a quick shock & awe would have been more advantageous but here's the full article.
Posted by: xor | Oct 28 2022 21:57 utc | 69
Posted by: OdessaConnected | Oct 28 2022 21:46 utc | 69
🇷🇺🇺🇦 The Ukrainian command continues to throw its soldiers into new suicidal attacks in the area of the Donetsk airport. As a result of the competent actions of the scouts of the DPR special forces battalion, the enemy suffered heavy losses, and now the approaches to our positions are literally strewn with the bodies of destroyed Ukrainian militants.
With attacks like these, "cutting supply" soon becomes a moot point. All the men and equipment that managed to get the front just get wasted like this.
Aerial and ground recon is crucial identifying the groups and then hitting them. I have no doubt which side has won.
Yes, the shelling of Donetsk and Lugansk are very unfortunate things... you never know where they will hit next, and everyone would need to stay in cellars, permanently.
Posted by: unimperator | Oct 28 2022 22:03 utc | 70
Lots of great points from everyone. I would just add a few other items for consideration:
- the demographics/characteristics of the USA/EU have changed even more dramatically over just the last 10 years
- it's not just physicality, ability and group cohesion, but also sentiment, attitudes and orientation
- I just don't think (personal opinion) that we can play a long game
- we should also note the steep drop off in energy production, as well as our overall financial situation
- so again, i don't think we have the means in this arena either to play out any long war
- that all being said, I wouldn't be surprised if we regrouped and decided to exploit our key advantage, which of course is media
- not just obvious narrative establishment, but the ability to define glamor, beauty, interest, desire, success, confidence, etc
- so, usa bails on Ukraine, memory holes it for everyone, subsumes the $100b into our $28t, and gets back to the business of undermining Russia via sex, drugs and rock n roll
Posted by: B9k9 | Oct 28 2022 22:03 utc | 71
@OdessaConnected 21
I can confirm that the Perimeter system exists.
Read about it at Dead Hand System. It has many technical safeguards, but if a nuclear attack occurs on any part of the CIS, a large number of launches against a broad range of systems will be initiated automatically unless countermanded. Note that this will involve *all* known enemy sites and systems capable of attacking the CIS. I discuss some of the implications of this at some length in my Wars of Depopulation.
Posted by: Hermit | Oct 28 2022 22:07 utc | 72
Bevin #57
"And capitalism, as those of us who understand the dangers of climate change realise, is determinedly irrational."
The 'invisible hand' was always a rather tenuous prospect. It didn't lack legitimacy but it had that ethereal quality of being unproveable.
We are shackled to religion no matter how strongly we appeal to rationality. I think the climate change motif has a religious element; again, not that it lacks legitimacy, just that it is so complex that you'll struggle to define unequivocal causal links.
Politics and economics might be discussed in a rational fashion, since that provides the veneer of understanding and implicit control. However ultimately at its root is tribalism and who's god is greater.
Blissex #58
"Still I wish that the USA government get somewhat weakened by the RF and PRC so their control of their vassals loosens a bit..."
I feel similarly but am concerned that I subcontract my own political agency to another nation. If there is no vehicle available for political change in my own polity then is it sensible to call on an outsider to do that I am incapable of?
If I'm incapable of effecting political change under the current regime, is regime change the solution to my quandary? I suspect not but in the absence of alternatives I am willing to partake in such treason. However the bottom line is that there is an absence of political control.
Posted by: Cyclops | Oct 28 2022 22:15 utc | 73
Report on battle action from Kadyrov:
To everyone who is interested in the details of the hostilities in the NVO zone, I bring to the attention of the successes of a special separate operation called "Retribution". In the period from 25 to 27 October, only in the Nikolaev-Krivoy Rog direction, 657 manpower were destroyed by means of fire destruction. 300 people are wounded. The weapons of military special equipment were also destroyed - 40 units. Tanks - 8 units. BMP - 5 units. Armored vehicles - 20 units. Mortars - 7 units. Howitzers - 4 units.
Iblis detachments were also punished in the Akhmat special forces sector under the command of dear BROTHER Apta Alaudinov @AptiAlaudinovAKHMAT - Soledar direction. In one day, the fighters shot down here: 4 tanks, 5 infantry fighting vehicles, 1 armored vehicle, 4 pickup trucks. Destroyed 95 Satanists and 2 fortified positions with mortars. This is only preliminary and most compressed data.
Excellent work was also done in the Donetsk direction by the forces of our battalions and the regiment of the RF Ministry of Defense. The special operation continues.All this time we repulsed their sorties, but now events are developing under our dictation. Now the enemy is not at all up to counterattacks. This week, our units are developing offensive operations, covering new enemy lines. Satanists and the NATO mercenaries who help them do not have a minute rest.
Posted by: unimperator | Oct 28 2022 22:17 utc | 74
I should have added, who were the biggest supporters of the war in the west? That's right, women.
Have we all forgotten so quickly (see, memory holed already) the sudden blooming of Ukraine flags/color codes accompanied by slava ukraini pasted everywhere?
All to score virtue points for yet another group led cause to satisfy deeply desired longings for peer approval
But like any other shallow element, the blossoms fade, the pageantry states and its time for another cause to rally behind
Posted by: B9k9 | Oct 28 2022 22:26 utc | 75
@ intp1 | Oct 28 2022 17:26 utc | 22
Moral arrogation is an inferior opiate.
Except of course to the cheerleader-class.
Posted by: John Kennard | Oct 28 2022 22:41 utc | 76
I refreshed the page to see if there were any new posts and before the page reloaded a mostly white page popped up that said:
"Did you know botnets can be used to take down a website?"
There was no further text.
Was that a warning...or a suggestion?
Posted by: Ocean Jasper | Oct 28 2022 22:50 utc | 77
the demographics/characteristics of the USA/EU have changed even more dramatically over just the last 10 years
In case you missed it.... among those inoculated with the mRNA vaccines 1 in 27 develop Myocarditis shortly thereafter, worst among males. Virtually all have heart problems later.
All have spike proteins appear shortly after inoculation in their heart muscle, which stimulates the auto immune system to attack heart muscle.
To maximize profits CDC/Pfizer/Moderna have just mandated use of these products in NATO children.
So, to your point.... shortly, if not now... NATO won't have a fighting force.... because virtually the entire male population will be unfit....
I just learned... that boat yards in Canada cannot find skilled workers...
Did you take your Ivermectin this week???
INDY
Posted by: Dr. George W Oprisko | Oct 28 2022 23:20 utc | 78
Thank God for the resilient russian people, and its own "war reflexes", because with such an internal sabotage of the morale of the rear, who needs an enemy psyops?
Posted by: Kareem | Oct 28 2022 14:15 utc | 3
Thank God Russia still believes in upholding laws, honouring contracts and such. We could use more of that and not less. Russia may have also calculated that stealing a small sum of money ($700m is nothing in these crazy times) from BP may harm their reputation for honest dealing among potential business partners in China, India, Pakistan, and Iran.
The selling point of this "multipolar world" being that it's based on predictable rules and laws and is widely accepted as being fair, know what I mean?
Posted by: ZX | Oct 28 2022 23:23 utc | 79
@77 One wonders if the ladies would be so anti-Russia if Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova took over from Putin?
Posted by: dh | Oct 28 2022 23:25 utc | 80
I should have added, who were the biggest supporters of the war in the west? That's right, women.
Posted by: B9k9 | Oct 28 2022 22:26 utc | 77
Women: is there no end to their fiendishness? I swear, they're worse than cats
Posted by: ZX | Oct 28 2022 23:32 utc | 81
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 28 2022 21:03 utc | 61
Thanks LightYearsFromHome .
Posted by: marko | Oct 28 2022 23:36 utc | 82
SwissArmyMan @ 51
The Russians were dumbfounded by NATO's ability to completely self destruct their societies.
Yes. I'm still wondering if the whole Truss thing actually happened or if someone put LSD in my coffee.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Oct 28 2022 23:50 utc | 83
"Is there a possibility that the 'great reset' is not strictly western? On the side of this theory is the observation that the zero covid policies of China are entirely insane and seem only to serve the interests of working out systems for total control, and testing populations for 'how much they will take'. And it seems likely the origin of the pandemic are US led but with Chinese collaboration, perhaps not 'state' collaboration but still at a high level..." Grant@65
There is a schizoid quality to these cogitations. On the one hand you say that China's determination to keep Covid at bay,and to root it out whenever it appears is "entirely insane.' And then you suggest that this appearance of Chinese eccentricity is only an illusion because China and the US jointly developed the virus in order to 'work out systems for total control of the population.'
The reality is that China and the US have been diametrically opposed on the Covid question since it was first discovered in Wuhan. China has pursued 'zero covid' policies, whereas the US and the capitalist west generally has only gone through the motions of eradicating a virus which they appear not to fear because most of its victims are old and poor. And if they die the Capitalists care not at all.
As to the idea that Covid is a test run to 'work out systems for total control of the population' it amounts to quite a complex experiment don't you think? The Chinese are well are of how to control populations. They needed no 'plandemic' to work that out. The division of Chinese society into self monitoring small units comes from the Han dynasty, well before Jesus was born. In recent years, under continual attack and subversion at the hands of the US, all these old techniques have been burnished. What China wants is not to test whether it can control its population but an end to the repeated waves of warfare against it, recently evidenced in Xinkiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan where the US have run massive campaigns to discredit the government, breed terrorist groups and encourage social warfare.
As to the US or the its 'western allies needing to learn how to control the population do you honestly think that this began with the pandemic? It has been going on for a very long time. There is hardly any dissent organised, the population believes just about every enormity it is told to swallow. Some people even believed that 'herd immunity' to covid would work and that a few million dead pensioners, or otherwise vulnerable groups, would be no loss.
That is the real point about covid: how close to accepting mass deaths society got. And how little accountability there was when governments were discovered to have destroyed the very systems designed to prevent epidemics from taking hold. And how even now, in the light of experience thousands of idiots who consider themselves critical thinkers, are insisting that it is not Covid which is killing people but the vaccines, almost all of them the products of capitalist corporations chasing profit, sold to provide some protection. And an alibi for governments to cheap to close down factories simply in order to halt a pandemic in its tracks.
Posted by: bevin | Oct 29 2022 0:01 utc | 84
This claim that Amerikastan can take out Russian missiles has been around since 2014. They roll it out to reassure the rubes that nuclear war is no big deal, nothing to get anti war about.
Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Oct 29 2022 0:13 utc | 85
Lucky George Oprisko.. got through on the injections.. my full piece got DELETED.. I wonder why?
Posted by: Thomas Turk | Oct 29 2022 0:25 utc | 86
@unimperator 71
@ Grant 75
Unimperator -- I assume your post is from 2014-2015 when the battle for the Donetsk airport was going on. Yes, at that time, with limited personnel and resources, the DPR played it smart and waited for winter and fog cover to approach the AFU positions and eventually overcome them. That was the DPR, not Russia. No one really thought the DPR could win as they were outnumbered and simply a volunteer force. I think we should hold the professional Russian army to a different standard. We don't expect that a superior professional fighting force would dig in and wait for suckers to expose themselves so they could be slaughtered. Yes, this does happen when the Right Sector enforcers demand that the available cannon fodder make a charge, else get shot in the back, but a few days ago it was reported that mercenaries would not comply and actually killed a sizable group of Right Sector enforcers. The times may be a changing...
Grant -- Your supposition that the slow roll SMO could be serving the interests of the elite who have interests that are not apparent to us seems like a pretty good theory. It would explain a lot.
Posted by: OdessaConnected | Oct 29 2022 0:44 utc | 87
I started taking megadoses of Vitamin D in early 2020 and have been taking them ever since. In all that time, no respiratory infections. No covid, no flu, not even a cold. If that had been adopted as a policy by governments, covid might have killed some sickly old people (I myself am 78 years old with several comorbidities), but covid would not have been or be a serious problem at all.
Posted by: Lysias | Oct 29 2022 0:50 utc | 88
@Grant 91
No high rise building has ever collapsed due to a fire, much less collapse at free fall speed into the building's footprint. I think we can conclude that the collapse on 9/11 of WTC building 7 is no exception -- thus I believe we are in total agreement.
Posted by: OdessaConnected | Oct 29 2022 0:56 utc | 89
Grant
Please take your stupid rant over to the open thread. You are so absurdly WRONG WRONG WRONG about controlling a respiratory virus by isolation, the sort of stuff only a spoiled rotten western brat would say that I have no patience what so ever. It is in fact so blindingly obvious that isolation/lockdown is the ONLY really effective way to control a respiratory virus- known since ancient times that your comments on everything else must be questioned.
Sure argue about the relative effectiveness or even danger of vaccines, but because you are so absurdly stupid about lockdowns and isolation your opinion carries less weight than my 2 year old granddaughter- who I suspect would grasp the value of isolation better than you will. 2 year olds are excluded form creche almost weekly because guess what they have a respiratory virus. They understand.
Posted by: watcher | Oct 29 2022 1:29 utc | 90
Below is the title of a ZH posting that shows that protesting is not entirely dead in America
Watch: Ilhan Omar Calls Anti-War Protesters "Dangerous Propagandists" For Disrupting Town Hall
The posting notes that candidate Ilhan Omar was against handing out weapons in March of this year and is now raging against any questioning Ukraine support.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Oct 29 2022 1:34 utc | 91
"It is in fact so blindingly obvious that isolation/lockdown is the ONLY really effective way to control a respiratory virus"
Posted by: watcher | Oct 29 2022 1:29 utc | 99
I guess you missed Covid 19. What a freaking moron you are.
Posted by: Muthaucker | Oct 29 2022 1:50 utc | 92
Sorry, arithmetical error. I'm currently 76 years old, not 78, as I said. I guess age has interfered with my ability to do arithmetic.
Posted by: Lysias | Oct 29 2022 1:56 utc | 93
Sorry, arithmetical error. I'm currently 76 years old, not 78, as I said. I guess age has interfered with my ability to do arithmetic.
Posted by: Lysias | Oct 29 2022 1:57 utc | 94
Sorry, arithmetical error. I'm currently 76 years old, not 78, as I said. I guess age has interfered with my ability to do arithmetic.
Posted by: Lysias | Oct 29 2022 1:57 utc | 95
Sorry, arithmetical error. I'm currently 76 years old, not 78, as I said. I guess age has interfered with my ability to do arithmetic.
Posted by: Lysias | Oct 29 2022 1:57 utc | 96
Sorry, arithmetical error. I'm currently 76 years old, not 78, as I said. I guess age has interfered with my ability to do arithmetic.
Posted by: Lysias | Oct 29 2022 1:58 utc | 97
Below is a link to the latest from Pepe Escobar about Putin's Valdai Club speech
Putin: ‘The Situation Is, to a Certain Extent, Revolutionary’
A barn burner as they use to say
Posted by: psychohistorian | Oct 29 2022 2:17 utc | 98
fyi - Scott Ritter is back on twitter
https://twitter.com/author_himself
This account is in open violation of Twitter rules prohibiting banned persons from making new accounts. Free speech is everything.
https://twitter.com/author_himself/status/1585917606573350914
Scott Ritter @author_himself
@aaronjmate
@richimedhurst
@MaxBlumenthal
@elonmusk
I’m back.
Test, test, test.
Bucha was a war crime. Ukraine did it.
Test, test, test.
Posted by: michaelj72 | Oct 29 2022 2:22 utc | 99
Posted by: Grant | Oct 29 2022 1:48 utc | 101
Grant I only KNOW you are wrong about isolation and lockdown. You can argue that with our spoiled western society dependent on air conditioning, that lockdowns do not work- which is why i called you a spoiled westernised brat. But the fact that Western society is so emotionally dependent on air conditioning is not the same as saying lockdowns and isolation od on work.
So you actually understand how a virus (or bacteria) etc spread? if you do not come into contact with it it cannot catch you. it is harder for lockdowns to work with a respiratory virus- yes of bloody course, but other that letting everyone catch it and having a large death rate it is the only way, other than vaccines. Treatments for viruses exist but are still very much at the early experimental stage and vaccines have their risks. Now bloody obviously good food, sunlight, vitamin D, vitamin C, fresh air and exercise will help considerably- those old wives knew a thing or two, but they help stop infection and help recovery, but they will not work for everyone- and of course many poor people cannot afford it.
Are you aware of the devastation caused by the great plague where 30-50% of the population died? People who treat viruses (or bacteria0 as insignificant problems have never read history nor indeed never read a novel.
Posted by: watcher | Oct 29 2022 2:35 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
John Helmer reviews "Not One Inch Back" a new book about the last of the Gorbachov years in power, and the demise of the Soviet Union....
http://johnhelmer.net/stab-in-the-back-not-one-inch-but-right-to-the-heart/#more-69049
"Sarotte reports the Americans and Germans were cock-a-hoop. “Bush and Kohl needed,” she concluded, “to persuade Gorbachev to give up his legal [sic] right to keep troops in divided Germany. While doing so, they needed to avoid undermining Gorbachev so much that it might hasten the storm that Kohl feared: a coup that would topple the Soviet leader before he blessed reunification.
As Baker put it, ‘ensuring a unified Germany in NATO’ would ‘require every ounce of our skills in the months to come.’ He was more right than he knew.”
That’s another of Sarotte’s faulty ideas. By the time in August 1991, when Kryuchkov and Akhromeyev had the opportunity to remove Gorbachev for his betrayal, Yeltsin delivered on the first part of his assignment by rallying support for Gorbachev in Moscow; four months later he delivered the second part – the coup the US backed, not the one Kohl had been afraid of.
Not US nor German skills, but the betrayals of Gorbachev and Yeltsin delivered the outcome they were hoping for.
This is how the President of Russia, the Defence and Foreign Ministers, the General Staff, the intelligence agencies – the Stavka – understand the history and judge US assurances to be worth today. Not to understand these things is not to understand why we are at war.
What can be said is what Akhromeyev’s last words mean. “I cannot live when my fatherland is dying and everything that has been the meaning of my life is crumbling. Age and the life that I have lived give me the right to step out of this life. I struggled until the end.”
The end for the marshal came on August 24, 1991.
Almost thirty-one years later, on February 24, 2022, Putin and the Stavka decided they did not have the right to step out of this life, and that faced with the war Germany has been planning since the Third Reich, and the US since 1945, Russia would not commit suicide.
I repeat my assertion.... Operation Barbarossa II failed.... Operation Bagration II began on 24 Feb 2022... Destination Berlin.....
INDY
Posted by: Dr. George W Oprisko | Oct 28 2022 13:53 utc | 1