Some Ukraine Items ...
Earlier today these two tweets passed my timeline.
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The first lauded UK cybersecurity efforts to protect networks in Ukraine. The next one reported of successful efforts by some group from the Donetsk republic to hack into the U.S. provided military software used to manage the battlefield in Ukraine.
The hack seems to be very real.
Back in April I warned of uncontrolled weapon proliferation from the war in Ukraine:
The U.S. and its proxies in Europe are moving an enormous amount of weapons into Ukraine. But no one has an idea where those weapons will end up. It is likely that many of those will proliferate outside of the Ukraine and some of those weapons will inevitably hit those who now deliver them.
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The U.S. pushed an enormous amount of weapons into Syria. Those weapons did not end up with the 'moderate rebels' the U.S. propaganda had elevated but in the hands the most ideological committed and most brutal actors on the ground: ...
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In a repeat of that 'strategy' the U.S. is currently pushing an enormous amount of weapons as well as mercenaries into Ukraine. The bigger stuff it delivers is not of much concern. But the huge amount of small arms and small ammunition, the anti-tank weapons and the handheld anti-air systems are of serious, long term danger. These fit into a car trunk and can easily be smuggled across boarders.
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If there is a lesson to learn from Syria it is that the most ideological committed and most brutal people on the ground will not only proliferate their ideology into other countries. They are also the groups which inevitably end up holding the most dangerous weapons. They will give some to those groups in other countries which have the same ideology.
On Sunday Finland said that it sees signs that such proliferation is happening:
Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it has received preliminary information that criminals in Finland might have captured military arms, such as assault rifles, meant for Ukrainian forces."Weapons shipped [by various countries] to Ukraine have also been found in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands," NBI Detective Superintendent Christer Ahlgren told Yle.
International media outlets have reported that the European law enforcement agency Europol has anticipated criminal gangs stashing weapons in border areas. This past summer Europol issued a statement warning that the proliferation of firearms and explosives in Ukraine could lead to an increase in firearms and munitions trafficked into the EU via established smuggling routes or online platforms.
"We've seen signs of these weapons already finding their way to Finland," Ahlgren said.
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"Three of the world's largest motorcycle gangs—that are part of larger international organisations—are active in Finland. One of these is Bandidos MC, which has a unit in every major Ukrainian city," he explained. "We know that contacts and routes are being warmed up, so that they're in place."
The Bandidos are an organized criminal group prohibited in several countries. Police is likely able to handle them. The Ukrainian Nazis and their international proliferation are a much bigger problem.
In response to the concerns voiced by Finland the U.S. military yesterday announced that is has finally started to check where all those weapons are ending up:
A small number of U.S. military forces inside Ukraine have recently begun doing onsite inspections to ensure that Ukrainian troops are properly accounting for the Western-provided weapons they receive, a senior U.S. defense official told Pentagon reporters Monday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide a military update, would not say where the inspections are taking place or how close to the battlefronts the U.S. troops are getting. The official said U.S. personnel can’t do inspections “close to the front lines,” but said they are going where security conditions allow.
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The effort is part of a broader U.S. campaign, announced last week by the State Department, meant to make sure that weapons provided to Ukraine don’t end up in the hands of Russian troops, their proxies or other extremist groups.
Notice the slimy propaganda phrasing AP has been using here: "... Russian troops ... or other extremist groups."
That it took eight month to even start this lame weapon control effort shows the lack of concern our well guarded rulers have for their own security.
For some curious reason the New York Times has been unable to 'independently confirm' that 10 Russian suicide drones were sufficient to apparently hit 18 targets:
The Ukrainian military said Russia fired 55 missiles on Monday, 45 of which were shot down. Thirteen civilians were injured, the Ukrinform news agency reported. The Foreign Ministry said 18 “objects of civilian critical infrastructure” were damaged. None of the figures could be confirmed independently.
One really wonders why ...
Posted by b on November 1, 2022 at 11:39 UTC | Permalink
next page »Regarding weapons given to Ukraine that will reach criminals and terrorists.
Our God fearing Necons are going to say they are all from Russia. That Russia is proliferating weapons to destabilize Europe. Our U.S. MSM believed everything our govt said about Russia and Iran arming the Taliban - another transparent lie.
Posted by: Christian Chuba | Nov 1 2022 12:08 utc | 2
Moscow has at last entered the world of positive PR. Theyre on the offensive in the info/media war.
The Dirty Bomb campaign was a good success and caught the west wrong footed. Then the attacks on sevastapol has equally been handled with skill....another success.
This needs to continue.
Posted by: HERMIUS | Nov 1 2022 12:18 utc | 4
.....and lets not forget the succesful exposure if liz truss's "its done" text message to Blinken...
Posted by: HERMIUS | Nov 1 2022 12:29 utc | 5
... it might have been more wise by the DPR chaps to stay silent about this hacker success and gather valuable, life-saving information from it.
Posted by: CM of Berlin | Nov 1 2022 12:37 utc | 6
In the very beginning Ukraine handed out firearms to the population of Kiev, when the Russian army was at the gates of Kiev. What happened to those weapons?
Posted by: Arne Hartmann | Nov 1 2022 12:39 utc | 7
Thinking ahead too much is un-american. And Putin has already noted the tendency to crap all over anything good that can be "weaponized". The main thing is to act crazy, try to spook the herd, and fund-raise.
Posted by: Bemildred | Nov 1 2022 12:45 utc | 8
Already in early summer were first publicly admitted signs that ATGM and shoulder launched AA weapons were flowing through certain Balkan countries to rest of EU.
Swedish and Danish gangs and mafia are among major recipients. There's no doubt they will start inventing some "uses cases" to benefit their respective enterprises as they stockpile more.
The basic scenario is - the more UAF loses - the more will be sold on the dark web and transported outside. So this is becoming a much larger problem than is admitted, they are always admitting things several steps behind. Also the economic woes contribute. If they try to smuggle small helicopters inside containers, you can imagine how many stingers and Javelins get through.
Posted by: unimperator | Nov 1 2022 12:50 utc | 9
The last two articles only just showed up ! So a partial repost from earlier:
It seems that the Turkey Shoot started early in the Ukraine for these dumb Yankee Turkeys who went to earn their 2,000 bloody bucks per day there, as ‘deniable’ mercenaries, but when they get mullered there is no hiding the fact of their deployment.
The retaliation for the pipelines, naval ships and of course actually manning of Weapons systems has picked up pace. There must suddenly be hundreds of casualties maybe thousands.
How to explain to the dumb yank voters how suddenly our boys are coming back in bags or blown up and in need of lifetime care?
“We have military observers there to check that the weapons we are supplying are there - they are not involved in any actual use of these weapons…”
There are MANY mercenary casualties.
That there aircraft carrier group on its death walk to parking up outside Portsmouth ( too big to actually get into) … I wouldn’t fancy being on that sitting duck!
Posted by: DunGroanin | Nov 1 2022 13:00 utc | 10
Posted by: Arne Hartmann | Nov 1 2022 12:39 utc | 7
Good question. Considering all the Ukies do is lie / spin / propaganda I'm inclined to believe this was most likely just another publicity stunt by Kiev. Yes, a few photos / video opportunities of guns being handed out for the western MSM audiences to devour but I seriously doubt tens of thousands of machine guns and rifles were actually given out to civilians en-masse - if at all. The ones given out on camera were likely quickly taken back once the cameras stopped rolling. That's my opinion at least.
Posted by: Jax | Nov 1 2022 13:04 utc | 11
@ HERMIUS #4
"Moscow has at last entered the world of positive PR."
I think you're right. It's kind of hard to rally around things like dirty bombs, shooting at bridges and grain corridors, blowing up gas pipelines. The US/UK/NATO/Ukraine does not occupy any high roads and the thinking world can see this clearly.
Posted by: chunga | Nov 1 2022 13:51 utc | 12
Europol issued a statement warning that the proliferation of firearms and explosives in Ukraine could lead to an increase in firearms and munitions trafficked into the EU via established smuggling routes or online platforms.
Both b and the establishment seem to be concerned with the far right but there is little evidence that these motorcycle gangs in Scandinavia will do anything more than fight each other and other immigrant gangs of Balkan and North African origins. Most likely they'll just keep them around not using them. (The amount of fully automatic weapons these types of gangs have and never use just keeping them around because they're cool seems much higher than the amount ever used in anger)
But "established smuggling routes or online platforms" seems to imply that Balkan dealers who gained so much business in the aftermath of the Balkan wars and the large asylum created disaporas that also fostered significant organised crime elements (Particularly Albanians) and who used the connections abckt o the old country to get Yugoslav era grenades and AKs. (Thus why Malmo became the 'grenade attack capital of Europe') it is this existing distribution network that the guys siphoning the arms to Ukraine will fence their stuff to. Already we had that video of the guy with a car with Albanian reg plates seeming to offer LAW and Jevelin rockets for sale out of his car very early on.
We know the weapons used in the Bataclan massacre were bought from these networks. (Through increased familiarity due to proximity of the same diaspora gangs in Brussels where the North African attackers came from)
https://euronews.al/en/europe/2022/02/15/30-arrests-as-belgian-police-crackdown-on-albanian-mafia
So really we have a much greater risk of these weapons (Particularly the Javelin which when fired from the limits of almost all airports poses a direct threat to any civilian or more importantly military aircraft taking off or landing) being used by terrorists opposed to the cultural hegemony of the natives such as Islamists or diasporas opposed to the local military being involved in some war. For the far right there is little incentive and almost all of these organisations are heavily infiltrated with informants. Only lone wolf far right attacks with such weaponry is a risk and even then, it's very hard for lone wolves to do such actions due to lacking the contacts to buy the weapons.
But I understand why we must pretend otherwise in order to get through to the 'Slava Ukraine!' crowd.
If I were the US president I'd only fly to continental European countries with secure airbases to land in from now on.
Posted by: Altai | Nov 1 2022 13:56 utc | 13
Weapons going everywhere? How many will end up being trafficked to fund CIA black ops?
I doubt it’s intentional. It’s more that the people who create these shadowy terror networks and out-of-control paramilitary schemes never suffer professionally for it. The public’s grasp of the negative consequences are delayed by years.
think how long it’s taking the U.S. medicinal system to stop overprescribing anti-depressants - they have a short term boost and do long term damage. If the negative feedback is too far removed, institutional learning just doesn’t happen.
Posted by: GoFast | Nov 1 2022 13:58 utc | 14
Pepe Escobar claims some 400,000 Ukrainians killed including some 50,000 mercenaries. Personally, I think this is a bit high but it might be realistic for total casualties of killed, wounded and missing.
https://t.me/rocknrollgeopolitics/5381
Posted by: leaf | Nov 1 2022 13:58 utc | 15
This unexplainable phenomenon, as the regime in dc has been calling it for years, is exactly how the terrorist groups have been supplied with arms in many different theatres of operation for many years. Ironically, Ukraine has traditionally ben a hub for the international trafficking of these 'unaccounted' weapons.
I hope some of those smuggled US weapons arrive in Gaza and the West Bank. The Lion's Den could wreck havoc in Israel with a dozen or so Manpads. Did you see that Iran and Syria have teamed up to send advanced weapons into Gaza using drones to make deliveries? Elijah Magnier reported on it last week.
Posted by: Chas | Nov 1 2022 14:19 utc | 17
15: "400,000" Uke fighters killed.
I think Pepe is overstating it; I would conjecture 150,000 Ukes dead and another 175,000 severely injured that won't be able to fight anymore. So 325,000 total casulaties
Zelensky/NATO's war is senseless. Though the Uke Slavs are excellent fighters. As Churchill said of his early WW2 Generals in the Libya/Egyptian theater, "lions led by donkeys".
Also, traditionally trunks of cars are more useful at final distribution points, while grain ships are much more useful at transit points.
The only development we can wish for is that those weapons will end up being used only to harm the criminals responsible for their proliferation, ie, those who recklessly passed the laws allowing for their sale to Ukraine, and not the citizens of the countries powerlessly watching the horror show unfolding around them.
Posted by: Et Tu | Nov 1 2022 14:26 utc | 20
@Posted by: unimperator | Nov 1 2022 12:50 utc | 9
I'm curious what they want to do with all those weapons. I doubt everything goes to local mafia, this is so large it must be at government level. Both Finland and Sweden repeated today that they want nato nukes. Once they get nukes they can start terrorism against Russian transport, ships and airplanes, using Ukr weapons. If Russia complains, they'll threaten the use of nukes.
Weird that Russia is so quiet, any normal country would at least advise against deploying nukes at its borders. If Poland, Sweden, Finland and maybe the Baltic nothings get nukes, their defense is screwed. Russia seems to be very good at creating more problems for itself, just like they slept when Ukr turned into a nato tool many years ago.
Posted by: rk | Nov 1 2022 14:27 utc | 21
Posted by: rk | Nov 1 2022 14:27 utc | 21
Re Finland and Sweden 'wanting' nukes. I'd argue this is more a case of these states being too weak to object to US desires to station nukes on their territories. That aside, I don't think Russia will sit idly by while watching nukes being installed on its borders. The Twitterati will be putting "I stand with Finland" or "I stand with Sweden" in their bios long before that happens.
Posted by: Jax | Nov 1 2022 14:41 utc | 22
First, I’d like to second Colonel Applewhite @ 1.
One does not become an established criminal enterprise “gang” in major European cities without a reliable and secure pipeline for weapons, especially of the small arms variety. Perhaps according to Uncle Sam’s rules-based European gang order, the wrong criminal enterprises are running the streets. Ergo, the Ukro arms may be funnelled to the order of rules-based would-be usurpers. Then the police and the established native tough guys will become very significant.
Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Nov 1 2022 14:48 utc | 23
Bruised Northerner | Nov 1 2022 14:48 utc | 23
A few manpads, javelins and switchblades can kill any government if it stops doing what is told to do. Or kill any opposition that might protest.
Posted by: rk | Nov 1 2022 14:55 utc | 24
Although I cannot say where when what or for whom, I DO know that when military armaments get scattered about the landscape they tend to get used now and again.
Possible uses: Gladio type chaos event. Rival gang shootout. Banditry with a combat assault element. Frustration/revenge attacks against perceived object of grievance. I'm sure there are others. The idea that 'The police will handle it' does not compute. There are several cases (in the USA) of combat veterans getting it on with law enforcement and there were a lot of casualties. One weapon squad with ample trigger time could stage an ambush which would wipe out a unit four times it's size. When things get ugly in Europe this winter, conditions will be ripe for this kind of thing. It has happened before....
Posted by: Chevrus | Nov 1 2022 14:59 utc | 25
Ever since Allen Dulles was the CIA director in the 1950s, the US has had a policy of arming bad actors and then using the ensuing chaos to obtain more funding and power, in order to deal with their newly created threats. This, combined with constant fear-mongering in congress and with the public, is their best path to job security and growth. So arms leaking out of Ukraine and making it to other hot spots is an absolutely undeniable strategy the US has used for many decades. Here we are in 2022 with this strategy being used on a massive scale, including huge weapons shipments that go missing along with the constant din of Russia-is-evil scare-mongering. It is important to frame discussions around what the US is doing in Ukraine this way. If people understood how deceptive and deceitful US policy was, they would not support what is happening.
Posted by: John R Moffett | Nov 1 2022 15:04 utc | 26
TASS now "the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) mission to the Joint Control and Coordination Center on issues related to Ukraine’s war crimes (JCCC) reported that the Ukrainian military had fired over 70 shells at the republic's populated areas since the beginning of the day."
What was this thing about "now you are attacking Russia" baloney?
Posted by: Elmagnostic | Nov 1 2022 15:05 utc | 27
"It's done." Truss to Blinken right after the Nord attack. Will go down in history next to "Fuck the EU."
Posted by: gottlieb | Nov 1 2022 15:06 utc | 28
rk @ 24 who puts forward the lone gunman hypothesis, jus’ when crazy and started shooting … it does not work like that, that’s for the plebs. Deterrence; it works for nuclear weapons, it works for the underworld!! Who’s rules rule, tho’ right? Gotta get past the native tough guys and the armed official officers. And it’s not the 80’s or 90’s anymore.
Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Nov 1 2022 15:09 utc | 29
Posted by: Chevrus | Nov 1 2022 14:59 utc | 25
The only way EU can survive the economic decline is by morphing into a control economy. Why is this type of system necessary?
Because the euro zone can no longer collectively afford to import all the stuff, which the Euro commission has been so busy destroying and ensuring any previous domestic supply/self-sufficiency gone all across the board. The euro zone is a basket case, it will morph into a Ukraine style economy (albeit it's a bigger ship / takes longer to sink). Inflation is a cause of export base disappearance, resulting in less desire to accept euros by an outside exporter.
This means if people protest against rolling blackouts, at or above 20 % inflation or confiscating private lands and banning of meat resulting from pre-mentioned developments, the Gladio type operations can easily force the planned control economy down their throats. If Eurozone were not a totalitarian system, it would have disintegrated maybe back in 2009 or 2011-2012 debt crisis. The current situation is magnitudes worse.
I think Gonzalo Lira in his recent video was right, where he described the connection between inflation and wars. A war is an attempt to hide the screw-ups of the economy by the Davos controlled puppet politicians.
Posted by: unimperator | Nov 1 2022 15:25 utc | 30
If the hack into NATO Command and Control (C2) were real, then it would be of such immense value, both tactically and financially (for the hackers) that the LAST thing the hackers would do would be to brag to the world about it. That is, of course, unless the hackers were 13-year-old, pimply-faced Southpark lookalikes with zero impulse control.
Posted by: Tom SteChatte | Nov 1 2022 15:27 utc | 31
Posted by: Tom SteChatte | Nov 1 2022 15:27 utc | 31
Most likely explanation is, the Delta command system hack outlived its usefulness as it was discovered, so there was no reason to withhold that information from publication. One could imagine it also had its contribution in foiling ukie attacks over the (x amount of time) it was utilized.
Posted by: unimperator | Nov 1 2022 15:34 utc | 32
@Elmagnostic 27
The Ukraine is on the cusp of having it's forward positions captured and is having it's arms and armies destroyed. In addition
resupply is already almost impossible due to the disruption of the energy supply and rail system and the oceans of mud everywhere. So now they are in the position of "use it and lose it" or just "lose it", which leads to profligate last ditch attacks before they run out out of ammunition, supplies and time.
Posted by: Hermit | Nov 1 2022 15:39 utc | 33
b - i liked the last part of your post.. to quote you
"Notice the slimy propaganda phrasing AP has been using here: "... Russian troops ... or other extremist groups."
That it took eight months to even start this lame weapon control effort shows the lack of concern our well guarded rulers have for their own security."
no shit.. as for weapon proliferation - i think that is what these military industrial complex wants, or its just the cost of doing biz..
@ unimperator | Nov 1 2022 12:50 utc | 9 - thanks... last statement - exactly..
@ gottlieb | Nov 1 2022 15:06 utc | 28 - doesn't have the dramatics of ''fuck the eu''.. maybe.... also - hard to know who is zooming who with that story... i give it a 50% chance of being real..
Posted by: james | Nov 1 2022 15:41 utc | 34
IT'S DONE! - Kim Dotcom solves Nord Stream mystery (not)
I wrote a long comment on the Liz Truss / Kim Dotcom story with multiple sources. Unfortunately it was blocked by the Typepad spam filter, most likely because one of the links was to Sputnik. Removing the Sputnik link did not help. I will now try to repost it for a fourth time, without any links. All the sources used can be found here
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Nov 1 2022 15:53 utc | 35
DunGroanin @ 10
I also assume there are American casualtes by now. Including deaths. It could be 3 guys, it could be hundreds.
The only difficulty stateside is to keep the families from talking to each other. No one in the media is going to run with a non-approved story. Even small town newspapers know better. The families are probably given a closed coffin and told their son or husband had an accident. Military work involves lots of heavy equipment, accidents happen. Only if families discover there have been lots of suspicious accidents is anyone even going to notice.
Posted by: oldhippie | Nov 1 2022 15:54 utc | 36
i'm sure germany has some idiom to match the old saying "closing the barn door after the cows/horses have bolted". this is that.
a lot of the criminal activity in western canada is "MCs" so i've read up on them recently and yeah...not the type you want holding full auto. like i needed another reason to hate assholes on motorcycles.
love the petulant line about "russian troops". because they're eager to trade their ample, working weaponry for NATO garbage that breaks after one use. not surprising that they can't "confirm" anything when zelensky has banned showing damage from russian attacks and has a goon squad following most western "reporters" around every time they leave their hostels.
Posted by: the pair | Nov 1 2022 15:56 utc | 37
Ukraine War Day #251: Kherson Gambit At Ugledar?
this is a good post from yalensis, especially for those who don't have an active imagination!
Posted by: james | Nov 1 2022 15:58 utc | 38
I am inclined to believe the weapons distribution is a feature, not a bug.
The US would anticipate that there would be major protests in Europe this winter and a few Maidan type terror incidents might be required to keep governments from agreeing with their citizens and protesters.
Posted by: Opport Knocks | Nov 1 2022 16:02 utc | 39
IT'S DONE! - Kim Dotcom solves Nord Stream mystery (not)
On October 30 Kim Dotcom speculated on Twitter
How do the Russians know that the UK blew up the North Stream pipelines in partnership with the US?Because @trussliz used her iPhone to send a message to @SecBlinken saying “It’s done” a minute after the pipeline blew up and before anybody else knew?
iCloud admin access rocks!
Asia Markets reported on the tweet the same day:
... end of part 1 ...
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Nov 1 2022 16:03 utc | 40
... part 2 ...
Asia Markets reported on the tweet the same day:
‘IT’S DONE’: Did Liz Truss text Antony Blinken after Nord Stream attack?Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss sent a text message saying ‘it’s done’ to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately after the Nord Stream attack, according to a controversial online commentator.
Kim Dotcom, a self-proclaimed ‘Internet Freedom Fighter’, says the text message is the reason Russia believes the United Kingdom was involved in blowing up the gas pipeline.
... end of part 2 ...
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Nov 1 2022 16:09 utc | 41
@OldHippie-36: I'd bet real money that US military and associated contractors have been there since before 2014. The admit to training the Azov types. Who do you think is operating the HIMARS and various other weapons systems? It aint Ukrainian conscripts. Several US KIAs have been admitted to and there are sure to be alot more. Lots of chatter about big numbers of Poles in the mix, including the rumor that they squared off with the RightSektor types when they refused to be cannon fodder. There are videos of mercs getting ambushed, multiple languages being spoken etc...
Posted by: Chevrus | Nov 1 2022 16:13 utc | 42
does anyone thinks it was pure coincidence that "abarahm zapruder" just happened to be there at the perfect spot to capture what happened w his pretty fancy camera? these people wanted it recorded for posterity, they wanted it on display, these are the people we are dealing with.
Posted by: jayco | Nov 1 2022 16:16 utc | 43
... part 3 ...
“Liz Truss used her iPhone to send a message to Secretary Blinken saying ‘it’s done’ a minute after the pipeline blew up and before anybody else knew,” he told his nearly one million Twitter followers.Dotcom, who was born Kim Schmitz in West Germany, suggested the data was obtained through an iCloud hack.
...
It’s is important to note that Kim Dotcom, who now resides in New Zealand, did not offer any form of factual evidence to back up his claim.
... end of part 3 ...
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Nov 1 2022 16:18 utc | 44
1. Whereas you (@b) did warn of the proliferation danger, and
2. whereas the intelligence services, police services included (domestic intelligence) do read alternative blogs including this one, and
3. whereas it is in the remit of said police forces to prevent such smuggling, and
4. whereas said police forces failed to arrest their domestic politicians, military services, and propaganda organs for the armament of the Ukrainian nazis,
let it be concluded that said police forces did abet the proliferation of said arms to terrorist and other criminal groups.
It is time to retire the fundamental principle of authority, namely institutionalized legal freedom from responsibility for the authorities for their own actions.
Posted by: Johan Meyer (2) | Nov 1 2022 16:19 utc | 45
... part 4 ...
The tweet has now snowballed into an international incident. From Sputnik today:
Moscow Wants Answers Over Truss' Alleged 'It's Done' SMS to Blinken Moments After Nord Stream BlastsRussian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wants answers regarding the mysterious “It’s done” iPhone message allegedly sent by then-Prime Minister Liz Truss to the US secretary of state moments after the sabotage attacks against the Nord Stream network in late September.
... end of part 4 ...
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Nov 1 2022 16:21 utc | 46
... part 5 ...
“To be honest, I don’t care who got this information and how. I’m interested in London’s answer to the following question: Did Prime Minister Liz Truss of Britain send a message to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately after the Nord Stream gas pipeline was blown up with the words ‘It’s done’?” Zakharova asked in a Telegram post Tuesday.
Now even the Daily Mail is reporting the story as almost confirmed.
... end of part 5 ...
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Nov 1 2022 16:23 utc | 48
TASS 1/11/2022 --
"Kiev must guarantee that it will not use the grain corridor in the Black Sea for military purposes, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said at a meeting with Turkish Ambassador to Russia Mehmet Samsar"
This really isn't a war. 100,000 Ukrainian bullet-stoppers in their graves but there's all kinds of room for this kind of "After you! No after, you, sir!" strategry (sp.).
Posted by: Elmagnostic | Nov 1 2022 16:24 utc | 49
Typepad still down?
I tried to post a long comment on the Liz Truss / Kim Dotcom story but it was blocked. I thought it was because of the links, but turns out Typepad rejects comment over a few hundred characters long.
It is possible that Typepad's problems are a result of sabotage. If so, this amounts to election interference, if nothing else.
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Nov 1 2022 16:28 utc | 50
@ Petri Krohn | Nov 1 2022 16:23 utc | 48
thanks petri... unless russia can come up with the goods - this is all speculation! however, as @ HERMIUS | Nov 1 2022 12:18 utc | 4 notes - perhaps russia has upped its game in the propaganda dept... either way, it is mildly entertaining... this certainly fits with the brits as bimbos in the faulty towers style of humour..
Posted by: james | Nov 1 2022 16:29 utc | 51
In response [email protected],
Exactly. Going public also has its uses in the info space, once tactical utility has been depleted. I doubt the primary motivation is to brag, when there's an obvious propaganda component in play. If the system was breached once, it could be breached again, or it could still be compromised, meaning that a decision will have to be made on whether to revert to traditional methods of battlefield control or continue to rely on a system which may be working for the opponent. Individual commanders and troops may have different opinions on the matter, which promotes disunity. Tech support will be tasked with detecting breaches that they might have plugged months ago, which is impossible, and shortfalls in operations may be blamed on a system that may in fact be secure and working as intended, rather than other discrepancies in the command & control structure.
The allies may have had less than half an hour of access in total, but letting everyone know that they did works to extend that advantage in perpetuity.
Posted by: Skiffer | Nov 1 2022 16:32 utc | 52
Readovka reports on the UNSC meeting about the Black Sea attack:
Western countries could not deny their involvement in the attack on Sevastopol - PolyanskyAt a meeting of the UN Security Council, Western countries failed to directly refute the fact that the attacks on Sevastopol were carried out by Ukrainians with the help of curators. According to the First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the organization Dmitry Polyansky, the delegations, on the contrary, tried to lay the blame on Russia "for the situation in general."
He also noted that developing countries "sounded cautious" and emphasized the importance of the work of the deal. The UN recognized that the use of humanitarian corridors for military purposes contradicts the agreements reached in Istanbul.
That was from the tail end of yesterday's news. One more item from the beginnings of today's news:
Sobyanin said that all proceeds from events timed to coincide with the Day of National Unity will go to help residents of new territories.Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin listed all the events that will be held in honor of the Day of National Unity in the capital. So, according to him, from November 3 to 6, more than 160 lectures, concerts, master classes and other events will be held in museums, libraries, cinemas, parks and cultural centers. In addition, an interactive Open-Air Museum dedicated to the history of the defense of Moscow will open on Red Square.
Sobyanin said that most of the events are free, and the proceeds from the sale of tickets for paid screenings will also be transferred to help residents of new territories.
It would be amusing to learn that the bulk of smuggled weapons eventually wound up in the hands of the Iranian government. Doh!
Posted by: nwwoods | Nov 1 2022 16:35 utc | 54
oldhippie @36: "Only if families discover there have been lots of suspicious accidents is anyone even going to notice."
And that won't happen for the Special Forces types. Their immediate families (roughly) know what they do and those families know there is the chance that their Rambo dad will "die in a helicopter accident". The families know this is just a cover story for dad getting snuffed in a faraway land, and they know not to ask or talk about it. Patriotism and National Security and all of that. "Your dad would have wanted you to help maintain the secrecy of his mission!"
Since they are unlikely to normally interact with very many other Special Forces families, they will only ever know about a couple other fatalities, and that is easily attributed to bad luck. Because of this it is possible to hide the deaths of hundreds of troops with a single "helicopter crash". The body count of dead US forces will have to reach thousands before the Pentagon will have to get more creative at hiding the scale of the losses.
The US is a nation at war. Has been for generations. Every American is aware of that, even if they pretend otherwise (patriotic duty), and every American knows that American troops on secret missions could get killed at any time. It is the patriotic duty of every American to "honor the troops" while not thinking to deeply about what those troops might be doing. When the Establishment gets evasive about a conflict it is assumed they must have a good reason, and Americans know, out of respect for the troops, they shouldn't push the issue.
So you see, even if people start to notice, it will still take enormous losses before the issue breaks into public discourse in the US.
Posted by: William Gruff | Nov 1 2022 16:43 utc | 55
@54 I suspect the Iranian government is pretty well equipped when it comes to weapons. They might be interested in a few of the newer items for reverse engineering purposes.
Posted by: dh | Nov 1 2022 16:45 utc | 56
From Pepe Escobar. This does not look good for UK...
⚡️UK's role in attacks on Russia's Black Sea Fleet and Nord Stream pipelines cannot just be overlooked, Moscow is considering its next steps - Kremlin
Posted by: Norwegian | Nov 1 2022 16:46 utc | 57
Sweden went from being one of the more peaceful countries in Europe to one of the more violent because of small arms from the Yugoslav wars. This feels like a repeat.
Posted by: ian | Nov 1 2022 16:53 utc | 58
Gruff @ 55
I completely agree. You said it better than I would have.
Posted by: oldhippie | Nov 1 2022 16:53 utc | 59
Maybe the suicide drones were made by the same people who made the “Magic Bullet” that hit John Connally and killed JFK.
Posted by: Cato the Uncensored | Nov 1 2022 16:55 utc | 60
@54 I suspect the Iranian government is pretty well equipped when it comes to weapons. They might be interested in a few of the newer items for reverse engineering purposes.
Perhaps but having a small arms surplus available to distribute to for example Hezbollah, the Palestinians or the Houthis without depleting Iran's own weapons inventories while concealing the provenance of the supply could prove useful.
Posted by: nwwoods | Nov 1 2022 16:59 utc | 61
I agree with William Gruff. People who assume that the US has some sort of functioning press, with ace reporters sniffing out stories which will then become headline news, are deluded.
The deaths will most likely not be reported and even if a local newspaper in Podunk Nebraska reports on the death of a local son, how would the relatives of dead sons in Kansas or Texas or California ever know and make the connections?
Anyway, Americans are used to ignoring mass death events, usually under the cover of "respect the families".
We are now going through a mass causality event in the US, as are many countries in Europe, and it is only occasionally mentioned, usually with the leading statement "Doctors are baffled..."
Posted by: wagelaborer | Nov 1 2022 17:15 utc | 63
@36
but keeping things under the hat seems no problem, does it? Think of the sheer amount of people who do know the truth about things like 9/11 and who just keep silent? There must be hundreds. Why do people accept and stay silent? Why do even Ukrainian people accept the death rate of their soldiers? Why did the German people accept the WOII catastrophe (because accept it, they did, at least the majority)? If you are ruthless enough, you can get away with quite a lot, as a "leader"! Perhaps it is hard to combine mourning with protesting, or bewilderment with accusing. Somewhere in there the tragedy of human history could be found.
Posted by: Anthony | Nov 1 2022 17:16 utc | 64
nwwoods @61--
Manpads in the hands of Palestinians or Hezbollah would be a fitting result. Javelins are seen as useless but would likely be welcomed. IMO, most is being siphoned off to the Terrorist Foreign Legion groups in Africa which will become the text formal theatre of operations. The Horn of Africa is again on fire. IMO, China via SCO will need to become active in anti-terrorist operations mostly in Africa. Russia's already there, but in Mali on the opposite side of the continent.
I agree with William Gruff. People who think that the US has some sort of functioning press, with ace reporters sniffing out important stories which will then make headline news, are deluded.
Even if the death of a local son in Podunk Nebraska is reported by the local paper why would the families with dead sons in Kansas, Texas or California know about it? There will be no connections made.
We are used to ignoring mass death events in the US. Don't ask questions! It's "disrespectful to the families".
We are going through a mass casualty event now, mostly unreported, in the US and Europe. If reported at all the opening line goes like this "Doctors are baffled...."
Posted by: wagelaborer | Nov 1 2022 17:22 utc | 66
Re: Kim DotCom, Escobar allegations.
Looks like the brains behind the 5-Eyes gang of schoolyard bullies has decided that the UK will be the first to step up and take a punch to the face. Perhaps an "accident" at Porton Down ;-)
A time honored tradition since the Crimean War.
Posted by: Opport Knocks | Nov 1 2022 17:22 utc | 67
I've said it before, but it would be a real coup if someone were to compile every verifiable instance of the Ukrainian military lying and these lies being picked up uncritically by the English-speaking press. It's a whole case study in the Herman-Chomsky propaganda model.
Posted by: fnord | Nov 1 2022 17:22 utc | 68
Anthony @64--
IMO, it's simple--there aren't enough David's in the world to face down the Goliaths. Self-preservation is a powerful inhibitor; plus societal atomization makes solidarity very hard to attain.
Re: Kim DotCom, Escobar allegations.
Looks like the brains behind the 5-Eyes gang of schoolyard bullies has decided that the UK will be the first to step up and take a punch to the face.
A time honored tradition since the Crimean War.
Perhaps an "accident" at Porton Down ;-)
"Into the valley of Meth rode the 600..."
Posted by: Opport Knocks | Nov 1 2022 17:24 utc | 70
@james 51: Zakharova's question is almost certainly rethorical. She wouldn't have picked it up if the Russians don't know the answer and have all means to prove it. It's like a cat playing with a mouse.
Posted by: mk | Nov 1 2022 17:26 utc | 71
Medevdev on his Telegram today:
The well-known thesis of Western countries: "Russia cannot be allowed to win the war." What does it really mean? Follow the simple formal logic.If it is not Russia that wins, then, apparently, Ukraine.
Ukraine's goal in the war is called the Kiev regime – the return of all the territories previously belonging to it.
That is, their rejection from Russia.
This is a threat to the existence of our state and the collapse of today's Russia.This means a direct reason for the application of paragraph 19 of the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear deterrence.
And then who is planning a nuclear conflict, let me know?
What is this, if not a direct provocation of a world war with the use of nuclear weapons?
Let's call a spade a spade.
Western countries are pushing the world towards global war, and only a complete and final Russian victory is a guarantee against a world conflict.[Emphasis Original]
To 15:
The 400,000 figure is not Pepe Escobar's. He refers to the article he had just linked to in the post above that one (Big Serge: Sound and Fury.)
Posted by: Piero Colombo | Nov 1 2022 17:30 utc | 73
"It's Done" is escalating as RT and other media outlets are running stories about it and the UK denial. Kim Dotcom has a curious relationship with the hacker world and was very specific about how that info was obtained. The timestamp evidence is beyond damning and is akin to the metadata involved in the theft of DNC data implicating it in numerous crimes that RussiaGate was supposed to cover up. Given all the very interesting and damning evidence discovered by hackers over the years, my verdict is Truss sent it because of her very tenuous hold on power, thinking that would allow her to remain PM.
Something very odd about the Truss>Blinken SMS. For purposes of this comment I am assuming it occurred just as we are told.
It sounds like two kids in a high school clique. Does not seem at all like normal chain of reporting. Also places these two at the center of events.
Truss and Blinken look and act like underlings. Neither ever conveyed the slightest air of authority. I have presumed they were figureheads. The SMS makes it look that they were not only in the loop, they were in charge. And in charge of some special purpose group operating far from normal bureaucracy. If these two nitwits actually have power and agency no wonder it is all a mess.
Posted by: oldhippie | Nov 1 2022 17:54 utc | 75
@ mk | Nov 1 2022 17:26 utc | 71
perhaps this is true and @ karlof1 | Nov 1 2022 17:45 utc | 74 - they have the proof... but as the victoria nuland statement made the rounds, the west never replied... i can't see the uk replying here either, although it is different and it appears russia is forcing the issue.. it is hugely relevant given the sabotage of nordstream and how it relates directly to the relationship of usa-uk and germany in a power equation that screws germany... germany ought to be especially interested, but i suppose it is like everywhere else in the west - politicians are completely inept and hopeless, or completely subservient to their financial masters, as opposed to the general public..
Posted by: james | Nov 1 2022 18:00 utc | 76
Jacq no. 62
And the same goes for yobs who own rottweilers.😂
Posted by: ThusspakeZarathustra | Nov 1 2022 18:00 utc | 77
Russia seems to be very good at creating more problems for itself, just like they slept when Ukr turned into a nato tool many years ago.
Posted by: rk | Nov 1 2022 14:27 utc | 21
Russia is not creating problems for itself. the West, i.e. the US and NATO bloc countries are creating problems for Russia and all the non-Western nations. But there is nothing that the West can do that the emerging multipolar nations can't do as well. If the US/NATO puts nuclear missiles in Finland and Sweden, then in Russia or China can place them in Cuba, Brazil, or even in Iran. If the UN were anything more than a paper tiger with its head up the US arse, it would demand that all nuclear powers keep their arms inside their own borders to be used only for defensive purposes, and any one the Security Council (SC) who wants to veto such a motion should be removed from the SC as a danger to humanity. There is no reason the world should tolerate such international brinkmanship by any national leaders.
Posted by: Ed Nelson | Nov 1 2022 18:07 utc | 78
Russia seems to be very good at creating more problems for itself, just like they slept when Ukr turned into a nato tool many years ago.
Posted by: rk | Nov 1 2022 14:27 utc | 21
Russia is not creating problems for itself. the West, i.e. the US and NATO bloc countries are creating problems for Russia and all the non-Western nations. But there is nothing that the West can do that the emerging multipolar nations can't do as well. If the US/NATO puts nuclear missiles in Finland and Sweden, then in Russia or China can place them in Cuba, Brazil, or even in Iran. If the UN were anything more than a paper tiger with its head up the US arse, it would demand that all nuclear powers keep their arms inside their own borders to be used only for defensive purposes, and any one the Security Council (SC) who wants to veto such a motion should be removed from the SC as a danger to humanity. There is no reason the world should tolerate such international brinkmanship by any national leaders.
Posted by: Ed Nelson | Nov 1 2022 18:08 utc | 79
I want to know what the "Delta" battle management suite does. Can you order air strikes or drone attacks from your app like an uber eat? American-style war right there.
Also - this Kim DotCom guy is a hero, if what he is saying is true and he has the evidence. I'd really like to see as much of the evidence and understand it as well as possible, because this is a conspiracy theory worth understanding.
Posted by: GoFast | Nov 1 2022 18:11 utc | 80
Russia seems to be very good at creating more problems for itself, just like they slept when Ukr turned into a nato tool many years ago.
Posted by: rk | Nov 1 2022 14:27 utc | 21
Russia is not creating problems for itself. the West, i.e. the US and NATO bloc countries are creating problems for Russia and all the non-Western nations. But there is nothing that the West can do that the emerging multipolar nations can't do as well. If the US/NATO puts nuclear missiles in Finland and Sweden, then in Russia or China can place them in Cuba, Brazil, or even in Iran. If the UN were anything more than a paper tiger with its head up the US arse, it would demand that all nuclear powers keep their arms inside their own borders to be used only for defensive purposes, and any one the Security Council (SC) who wants to veto such a motion should be removed from the SC as a danger to humanity. There is no reason the world should tolerate such international brinkmanship by any national leaders.
Posted by: Ed Nelson | Nov 1 2022 18:19 utc | 81
Biden's talk about weapons getting into wrong hands is because republicans brought it up. Everything in that madhouse is geared to November; not that it will make any difference.
Expect a few more terrorist attacks to make Biden claw back some votes and expect Russia to hit Ukraine hard to counter USA bull sh.t. that's before the offensive sure to come.
USA has no interest in gun control as their country is out of control. Bring down Europe to their level of mayhem, chaos and insanity.
Well the EU elites gave it to their societies so reap what you sow.
Biden's talk about weapons getting into wrong hands is because republicans brought it up. Everything in that madhouse is geared to November; not that it will make any difference.
Expect a few more terrorist attacks to make Biden claw back some votes and expect Russia to hit Ukraine hard to counter USA bull sh.t. that's before the offensive sure to come.
USA has no interest in gun control as their country is out of control. Bring down Europe to their level of mayhem, chaos and insanity.
Well the EU elites gave it to their societies so reap what you sow.
This is how 10 drones can hit 18 targets. Some of them are really Top Secret, Russian "Ricochet Rockets." These unique weapons are able to hit and destroy a target with pin point accuracy, after which they bounce off of the destroyed target and attack a new target, also destroying. Some have speculated they have the capability to attack and destroy a third target, after destroying the first two. Their NATO codename is "Putin's Penis" and are considered to be impossible to defend against.
Posted by: Jack | Nov 1 2022 18:32 utc | 85
"Their NATO codename is "Putin's Penis" and are considered to be impossible to defend against.
Posted by: Jack | Nov 1 2022 18:32 utc | 85"
.
Link in support, perchance?
Posted by: Merkin Scot | Nov 1 2022 18:41 utc | 86
Can't get comments to preview or post aside from short sentences. Here's more for james:
"The UK Ministry of Defence reacted to the allegation in a tweet that accused its Russian counterpart of 'peddling false claims of an epic scale.'"
@Posted by: rk | Nov 1 2022 14:27 utc | 21
"Both Finland and Sweden repeated today that they want nato nukes. Once they get nukes they can start terrorism against Russian transport, ships and airplanes, using Ukr weapons. If Russia complains, they'll threaten the use of nukes."
I wonder what Russias response would be if Finland and Sweden, behind the scenes, threatened to nuke Russia.
Article five only applies if a member is attacked and not if it is an aggressor,
And no matter what started it NATO doesnt have to respond.
Seems to me stepping up things like that would lead to economically costly retaliation against Finland and Sweden.
After that their leaders would probably sober up.
Posted by: petergrfstrm | Nov 1 2022 18:45 utc | 89
@Anthony | Nov 1 2022 17:16 utc | 64
"Think of the sheer amount of people who do know the truth about things like 9/11 and who just keep silent? There must be hundreds. Why do people accept and stay silent?"
Answer: There are millions of freemasons. It is masonic networks which keep secrets
Posted by: petergrfstrm | Nov 1 2022 18:50 utc | 90
Putin should record a series of short videos in German aimed at debunking the western myths. Beginning with why 2014 was a coup. They should be 2 to 3 minutes long. Having putin speak in German will guarantee widespread exposure. Despite censorship attempts.
He should stop making long and boring speeches. The Russians need to convey messages for the tim you generation.
Posted by: 40 Shades | Nov 1 2022 19:00 utc | 91
petergrfstrm | Nov 1 2022 18:50 utc | 90
Private property was a mistake.
Posted by: sippy the shot glass | Nov 1 2022 19:01 utc | 92
Posted by: petergrfstrm | Nov 1 2022 18:45 utc | 89
Eh... more late S-300 and S-400 systems will control well over 70%, maybe even 80% off the whole Finnish airspace. The nukes that are referred are most likely meant to be the American "redesigned (with a control fin!)" B-61 bombs to be delivered by the F-35, which Finland is supposed to get sometime in 2025 if they're lucky..
Posted by: unimperator | Nov 1 2022 19:07 utc | 95
@Bemildred, #8:
Thinking ahead too much is un-american. And Putin has already noted the tendency to crap all over anything good that can be "weaponized". The main thing is to act crazy, try to spook the herd, and fund-raise.
Your concise comment above hit the nail on the head!!!
Posted by: Oriental Voice | Nov 1 2022 19:18 utc | 96
@90
I accept the masonic lodges are powerful (just look at a dollar bill), they also have counterparts (like Opus Dei) but I keep thinking there should be some conscience, in some individual, amid all those hundreds, it's disheartening really...But then again, looking at our press, I guess it is pretty hopeless to express yourself if you go against the grain...So, what can we do? Build spaces, such as this blog, that can withstand the hordes of trolls and digital attacks that "they" can can invent. Let free thinking roam! But also, let conscience survive. At least somewhere in the world...
RT now reports the USA admits having its soldiers active in the UKR. Another little push by NATO, and another and still another. One thing is clear, humanity does have a problem with a lack of conscience, especially the Western part. It is so hard to think of effective resistance.
Posted by: Anthony | Nov 1 2022 19:24 utc | 97
Mobilisation. Russia has done a partial mobilisation. To escape the draft, thousands of Russians have fled to neighboring countries.
What would happen if NATO mobilized?
Look at the typical 18 to 25 year old in a typical German town. If you order him to take up arms, and defend his (new) fatherland on Ukrainian soil, what do you think will happen?
Posted by: Passerby | Nov 1 2022 19:32 utc | 98
Some of those weapons are going to end up in the hands of the Proud Boys. You watch.
Posted by: Robert Browning | Nov 1 2022 19:35 utc | 99
Posted by: GoFast | Nov 1 2022 18:11 utc | 80
Why don’t you send Kim DotCom a message and ask him for the evidence?
You say he’s your hero, so I’m sure he’d be delighted to hear from you and reveal to you his sources within the intelligence community.
Posted by: Jax | Nov 1 2022 19:38 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
So glad you're back
Posted by: Colonel Applewhite | Nov 1 2022 12:06 utc | 1