News & views related to the war in Ukraine …
Back to Main
July 3, 2025
Ukraine Open Thread 2025-147
Comments
Good morning ukraine.
1.305 casualties
DS avows 43.2 km² ( so more than 110 km² in 3 days, “no gains” trolls please abstain)
Still no new posts from marat or S
More details on Tass https://tass.com/politics/1984927 (just copied a slice)
Russian troops liberated two communities in the Kharkov Region and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.
In the Kharkov direction, Battlegroup North units “liberated the settlement of Melovoye in the Kharkov Region through decisive operations,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Battlegroup Center units liberated the settlement of Razino in the Donetsk People’s Republic through active operations,” it said.
Kiev loses over 1,305 troops along engagement line in past 24 hours – latest figures
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 3 2025 13:54 utc | 1
I see the VKS find a new kind of targets : TCC centers are the new Geran magnets. 2 down , much more to go …
Posted by: Savonarole | Jul 3 2025 14:17 utc | 2
If tass reports it I’ll assume they’re talking https://tass.com/world/1985031
Trump says he will speak with Putin by phone at 10 a.m. EST
The Russian president earlier said he planned to hold phone talks with Trump on Thursday
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 3 2025 14:19 utc | 3
I see the VKS find a new kind of targets : TCC centers are the new Geran magnets. 2 down , much more to go …
Posted by: Savonarole | Jul 3 2025 14:17 utc | 2
On the previous thread, gerans’ usage on/near front-line was discussed as a possible game changer …
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 3 2025 14:21 utc | 4
We’ve often discussed trains in RF logistics
But first article on these babies
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russian-armoured-trains-resupply-frontline
Milites? I think you might have something to add…
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 3 2025 14:27 utc | 5
@ Savonarole | Jul 3 2025 14:17 utc | 2
Recently, certain military-connected Russian social media channel started proper banderite mobilization center data gathering from the oh so “united” 404 population.
Judging by said population’s eagerness coupled with overabundance of Geran munitions, it’s worth expecting more of that.
Posted by: boneless | Jul 3 2025 14:57 utc | 6
Geran strikes on the TCC facilities serve four purposes:
1. Motivate potential conscripts to fight conscription personnel, who are actually regime enforcers. Up to now, conscripts might game the system by going to the TCC, then deserting at the front. Now they need to fear dying at the TCC from a Russian strike.
2. Motivate the general population to fight conscription forces to protect men from dying in Russian strikes on TCC’s.
3. Kill ideologically fanatical regime enforcers.
4. Position the Russians as the “good guys” who are protecting Ukrainian men from the regime enforcers.
This is not a short term project. It will take months of strikes on TCC’s to slowly shape the perception of the Ukrainian people that Russia will liberate them from the fear their fathers, husbands and sons will be snatched off the streets to be dragged to their deaths on the front.
The slow Russian advance does not come from incompetence or corruption, as CIA bots and anti-Russian sock puppets claim, but from an understanding that it takes years of stress and fear to change a hostile population into one that sees the Russian army as their liberators.
Geran strikes on the TCC’s show us the Russians are pursuing a careful, long term strategy to create a passive, pro-Russia, anti-war Ukrainian people.
Posted by: Nobody Special | Jul 3 2025 15:20 utc | 7
Posted by: Nobody Special | Jul 3 2025 15:20 utc | 7
A brilliant asymmetric move by the Russians. Bravo! Get to Elensky and his henchmen by making people afraid to be close to them -even at recruitment- whilst knocking off the henchmen one at a time. The supply of recruiters will dry up due to fear or be killed off . Sheep-dipped NATO -ers will have to fill the breach , and Russia can start neutralising them as well. “ I’M SoRREE…were they British you say, what were they doing here?”. “ Surely you know franc tirraileirs (sic) are accorded no rights”
Then , it will only be the naked idiot king with his NATO handlers. Haha
Posted by: Total | Jul 3 2025 15:36 utc | 8
Posted by: Nobody Special | Jul 3 2025 15:20 utc | 7
Yup. But not just passive internal resistance. The Russians are helping create the Kadirov’s of the Ukraines.
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Jul 3 2025 15:37 utc | 9
B really needs to create a regular thread covering the USA/Empire.
Not only are Ukraine and Palestine separate theaters in the global war of conquest (GWC?), but round 1 in Ukraine is essentially over.
Whether it takes another 3-5 years, the region will end up looking just like Medvedev’s map. Perhaps something will happen in the Baltics, but regardless the lines will be set.
Does that mean it’s over? Hardly, rather it’s just the start. Maybe we’ll look back someday and conclude this phase was the last great conflict involving conventional weapons.
What the USA/West are doing is conceding the already obsolete idea of explosives, an era that lasted maybe 700 years? Next up are all kinds of interesting and novel ways of pursuing politics by other means.
Remember the objective is power and control, the ability to exploit resources, direct economic activity, and levy taxes not killing (useful) people; kinetic warfare simply a means to an end.
Keep on eye on bio, chem, neuro, AI, and other agents targeting the very genetics of willpower, decision making, allegience, etc to effectively hijack and redirect entire populations.
Don’t forget we evolved from fish, we still have schooling instincts.
Posted by: Markw | Jul 3 2025 15:49 utc | 11
The snake has many heads. The TCC is one of the heads.
After the Poltava TCC strikes, some Ukrainian reactions on social medias are happy. Waiting for their liberation.
Posted by: Naive | Jul 3 2025 16:07 utc | 12
The Ukrainian Neo-Nazi’s want their EU Neo-Nazi supporters to sneak more weapons into Ukraine.
“Ukraine wants its EU backers to purchase American-made weapons on its behalf in order to offset the suspension of key US arms deliveries to Kiev, Politico reported on Wednesday.
US media outlets reported earlier this week that supplies of Patriot missile interceptors – touted as important in repelling Russian strikes – as well as GMLRS rockets, Hellfire missiles, and thousands of 155mm artillery shells have been put on hold. NBC noted that some US cargo had already reached Europe but was being withheld from transfer to Ukrainian forces.”
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jul 3 2025 16:16 utc | 13
@Newbie | Jul 3 2025 14:19 utc | 3
Trump says he will speak with Putin by phone at 10 a.m. EST
The Russian president earlier said he planned to hold phone talks with Trump on Thursday
🇷🇺🇺🇸 Kremlin should set up an automated answering machine for every time Trump&Co call them.
“Thank you for calling, the SMO will continue until ALL goals are achieved. Press 1 to hear Russia’s goals.”
https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/154423
Posted by: Norwegian | Jul 3 2025 16:28 utc | 14
❗️Putin tells Trump ‘Russia will NOT back off’ its military goals – Ushakov
Kremlin aide says phone call was ‘frank, businesslike, concrete’
Trump called for quick end to conflict, Putin said Russia ready for negotiated solution
https://t.me/rtnews/101582
Maybe Trump pressed 1
Posted by: Norwegian | Jul 3 2025 16:31 utc | 15
@11
Put your eyes on economic warfare.
Michael Hudson did a stream with Deisen. He reviews how since the U.S. with Nixon abandoned gold back currency, making U$$A dollar truly fiat, aka paper backed now by U.S. Treasury debt.
Most of the U.S. debt is created to defend the U$$A empire, which is not paying for itself as U$$A debt is exploding the Treasury printing $$ as fast as it can sell debt.
U$$A paper money is inflated….
When the makers decide to either shun U$$A fiat or stop buying U$$A treasury notes the empire collapses
Why Iran regime is target, a big add of crude to U$$A empire might put de-collaring off a few months. Gutting Iran harms BRICS, and China’ Belt Road Initiative. Also puts Russia back to 1979 with NATO off the Caspian.
U$$A empire never covered the bills for the pentagon.
Posted by: paddy | Jul 3 2025 16:34 utc | 16
Kremlin aide says phone call was ‘frank, businesslike, concrete’
Translation: they did not mince their words.
Posted by: MorePain4Cakes | Jul 3 2025 16:56 utc | 17
MorePain4Cakes @ 17
Kremlin aide says phone call was ‘frank, businesslike, concrete’
“Frank” is the usual diplomatic code word for “achieved nothing”.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 3 2025 17:01 utc | 18
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said:
“If the US refuses to provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons, this will be a serious step back not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe and NATO.”
https://t.me/c/1668032400/433524
Some people say we need more women in politics. I beg to differ after Frederiksen, Sanna Marin, von der Leyen and several others.
She is however right that the current situation is a serious step back for Ukraine, for “Europe” and NATO. But It only gets worse by sending weapons to Ukraine.
Posted by: Norwegian | Jul 3 2025 17:01 utc | 19
” 🇷🇺🇺🇸 Kremlin should set up an automated answering machine for every time Trump&Co call them.
“Thank you for calling, the SMO will continue until ALL goals are achieved. Press 1 to hear Russia’s goals.”
https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/154423
Posted by: Norwegian | Jul 3 2025 16:28 utc | 14″
Beautiful Dry Humor. Thank you.
___________________________________________________________
Posted by: paddy | Jul 3 2025 16:34 utc | 16
Hudson’s explanation of excess US dollars for killing Vietnamese, after the US determined Vietnam was just another failed French Project, like the Panama Canal, pushing US dollars out of “Indo-China” and back to France, was nothing taught in US Universities on US Monetary Policy. In turn, France’s converting all those US printed dollars into Hard Gold, forced Nixon to do the then unthinkable, close the Gold Window that backed up the US (FRN) dollar. I did not know the subsequent, quick, relatively seamless diversion of Foreign Holders of excess US dollars into Interest-Bearing US Government Debt – the first snort of Cocaine for the now street-shitter, crack US Debt Cokehead.
$3 Trillion more coming out the Flood Gates to “prime” the pump of the worn-out US Socialism for Billionaires economy.
Posted by: kupkee | Jul 3 2025 17:03 utc | 20
🇷🇺🇺🇸 Kremlin should set up an automated answering machine for every time Trump&Co call them.
“Thank you for calling, the SMO will continue until ALL goals are achieved. Press 1 to hear Russia’s goals.”
https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/154423
Posted by: Norwegian | Jul 3 2025 16:28 utc | 14
They did
https://tass.com/society/1985163
“The presidents will continue their communication, there is such an agreement. Moreover, any of the leaders can pick up the phone literally during the day, if necessary, and we, as their assistants, will arrange a telephone contact,” Ushakov said.
https://tass.com/politics/1985161
“Our president said that Russia will achieve its goals, that is, eliminate the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, to the current harsh confrontation. And Russia will not give up on these goals,”
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 3 2025 17:16 utc | 21
Some people say we need more women in politics. I beg to differ after Frederiksen, Sanna Marin, von der Leyen and several others.
Posted by: Norwegian | Jul 3 2025 17:01 utc | 19
my own wife says that woman have no place in politics because they are too emotional, thus lack rationality, and are also way too easily emotionally manipulated.
id say, woman are way too ruthless when it comes to other peoples lifes and prosperity. its always “me me me”. dont tell her ive said that.
Posted by: Justpassinby | Jul 3 2025 17:41 utc | 22
“The slow Russian advance does not come from incompetence or corruption, as CIA bots and anti-Russian sock puppets claim, but from an understanding that it takes years of stress and fear to change a hostile population into one that sees the Russian army as their liberators.
Geran strikes on the TCC’s show us the Russians are pursuing a careful, long term strategy to create a passive, pro-Russia, anti-war Ukrainian people.”
Posted by: Nobody Special | Jul 3 2025 15:20 utc | 7
Quite so. Russia will pull off in Ukraine what they did in Chechnya. From enemy to closest ally. In future wars – for instance fortifying a newly separated East Germany (GDR) – Ukrainian elite soldiers will serve Russia alongside the Chechens.
Posted by: Andrew Sarchus | Jul 3 2025 17:44 utc | 23
“Some people say we need more women in politics. I beg to differ after Frederiksen, Sanna Marin, von der Leyen and several others.
Posted by: Norwegian | Jul 3 2025 17:01 utc | 19
my own wife says that woman have no place in politics because they are too emotional, thus lack rationality, and are also way too easily emotionally manipulated… “
Posted by: Justpassinby | Jul 3 2025 17:41 utc | 22
Germany’s Baerbock was magnificent:
“We don’t care what the voters think, we’re going to support Ukraine!”
Posted by: Andrew Sarchus | Jul 3 2025 17:47 utc | 24
One must be able to laugh at how the Axis handles Trump during “negotiations”.
Trump makes his calls headline events, and Putin almost seems embarrassed to acknowledge that they happened and if they do admit it, patronize Trump’s strength and greatness.
And Iran refuses to speak by phone, insisting that all contact be via snail mail.
The obvious observation is that America’s diplomatic “clout” is at an all-time low.
Don’t get me started on Chairman Xi or Chairman Kim.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jul 3 2025 18:11 utc | 25
Posted by: Andrew Sarchus | Jul 3 2025 17:47 utc | 24
Don’t for get the 360 degree turns. They are a game-changer.
Posted by: Jams O’Donnell | Jul 3 2025 18:30 utc | 26
🤔Why Azerbaijan Acts as Israel’s Proxy and a Tool for British Interests in the Caucasus
Sandwiched between Russia and Turkey, Azerbaijan serves foreign agendas aimed at destabilizing Russia and Iran. It is Israel’s top arms buyer in the Muslim world, relying heavily on Israeli weapons like drones and missiles, with increased deliveries ahead of its Karabakh campaign. Azerbaijan supplies 40% of Israel’s oil via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, in exchange for military tech and intelligence, now expanding into AI and cybersecurity.
Azerbaijan’s 30,000-strong Jewish community, concentrated in Quba, wields political influence. The 2017 Azerbaijani Laundromat scandal exposed $2.9 billion in bribes funneled through Jewish-linked NGOs to boost Azerbaijan’s image in Europe.
The Zangezur Corridor, backed by BP and Israeli security firms, aims to link Turkey to Central Asia. BP controls Azerbaijan’s gas exports, offering Europe an alternative amid Russian sanctions. In 2025, crypto-based trade deals with the Bank of England were under discussion.
Britain’s pan-Turkic strategy uses Azerbaijan to weaken Russia. Baku promotes separatism in Russian regions like Tatarstan, aligning them with NATO and Turkish interests.
If Azerbaijan has already secured all the support it needs from Western overlords, what makes resources-deprived #Armenia believe it can outperform Baku?
via21 st century wire
Posted by: Jo | Jul 3 2025 19:32 utc | 27
Indications of another heavy night for Ukraine are emerging, initial reports of 30, then 90, now 110 drones airborne, with “arrivals” already reported:
There are already at least 110 Geranium UAVs in the sky over Ukraine
They are flying in the direction of:
Rivne region;
Khmelnitsky region;
Zhytomyr;
Korostenya (Zhytomyr region);
Makarova (Kiev region);
Vyshgoroda-Buchi (Kiev region);
Obukhov (Kiev region);
Bila Tserkva (Kiev region);
Boryspil (Kiev region);
Of Kiev;
Chernigov;
Nizhyn (Chernihiv region);
Priluk (Chernihiv region);
Cherkassy region;
Cherkassy;
Smely (Cherkassy region);
Shpoli (Cherkassy region);
Zvenigorodki (Cherkassy region);
Kirovograd region;
Kirovograd;
Mirgoroda (Poltava region);
Luben (Poltava region);
Poltava;
Kremenchug (Poltava region);
Shostki (Sumy region);
Konotop (Sumy region);
Romain (Sumy region);
Lebedina (Sumy region);
Izyum-Lozovoy (Kharkiv region);
Dnipropetrovsk region (several groups);
the territory of the DPR occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces;
Krivoy Rog;
Kamenskoye (Dnipropetrovsk region);
Samara (Dnipropetrovsk region).
http://t.me/ukr_2025_ru
https://news-pravda.com/world/2025/07/03/1489167.html
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jul 3 2025 19:42 utc | 28
I know I’ve said it before, but Shaikan is connected to the Ceyhan pipeline.
Posted by: Orson Cart | Jul 3 2025 19:42 utc | 29
There are almost 100 “Shahids”in the sky over Ukraine
There are a lot of enemy drones flying over Ukraine again
This is reported by RegioNews with reference to the Air Forces of Ukraine.
As noted, several dozen groups of enemy UAVs are located in the airspace of Ukraine.
Some telegram channels write about at least 90 “Shahids”.
“New groups of enemy attack UAVs are entering the north of Sumy region, heading south-west,” the report says.
Earlier, we reported that more than 20 “Shahids” are flying to Kiev region.
https://regionews.ua/ukr/news/ukraine/1751570386-u-nebi-nad-ukrayinoyu-mayzhe-100-shahediv (via translation add-on.)
Some Telegram video has already popped up, not showing a lot apart from a summer dusk skyscape, but the sound of drone engines is audible for over a minute; the most notable aspect is the complete lack of air defence fire, not even one flash.
Ukrainian claims of shootdowns don’t just need a pinch of salt, nor a bucket, but an entire salt mine.
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jul 3 2025 20:07 utc | 31
I glossed over this at first, just another big boom from an Iskander I figured, then watched Nicolai Lilin (Italian Russian commentator) report on youtube, inside word is that the Russians hit a NATO/AFU chemical warfare factory or warehouse, you read that right, according to Lilin the FSB know that NATO is organizing terror strikes using chemical weapons, Russia has warned NATO and the Zhitomir was the result of this.
Now the fearsome red mushroom cloud makes more sense. When you watch the TG vids you will see that the UKR claimed targets of houses and the the gas station is bs, they are at least a kilometer away, the damage is from the blast wave, not the missile, you will see this in the vid of the truck where the windshield shatters from the shock wave and the truck is pretty far away.
Granted the Russians could be playing the chemical weapons card to avoid the blowback from attacking some nasty chem plant, but I trust Lilin on this, and NATO and UKR are losing, desperate, and running out of conventional weapons.
https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/154320
https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/154319
https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/154316
Footage from the scene shows that the nearby gas station sustained only minor damage, despite claims by the Zhitomir city council that the blast occurred at the station itself.
Meanwhile, Serhiy Sokalsky, head of the Hlubochytska community, suggested the explosion may have actually occurred at a warehouse belonging to an industrial facility in the village of Berezyna.
—
Residents of the Zhitomir district are being urged to close their windows following the explosion (https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/154320).
The Zhitomir Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning due to a large fire caused by the blasts, advising people to keep windows closed, minimize time spent outside, drink plenty of water, and, if possible, run air purifiers at maximum capacity.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 3 2025 20:09 utc | 32
Why does Armenia go along in the projects of the Turkic world? Will they give up their independence? They have been a state for more or less 1800 years…
Posted by: Teraspol | Jul 3 2025 20:13 utc | 33
@ LightYearsFromHome | Jul 3 2025 20:09 utc | 32
Yeah, I posted some links about the Zhitomir explosion in the previous thread, the truck windscreen cracking was the one that stuck in my mind.
My first thought was *r*shn*k, but none of the vids I saw had any kind of flash or streak in the sky, even briefly.
I’m leaning towards some kind of well-organised internal sabotage strike, with the knowledge about exactly where the really volatile stuff was and how to make it go bang.
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jul 3 2025 20:22 utc | 34
@ Teraspol | Jul 3 2025 20:13 utc | 33
you might want to read the non ukraine and palestine thread to get some ideas..
Posted by: james | Jul 3 2025 20:49 utc | 35
Jeremy Rhymings-Lang @ 34
According to Lilin it was a Kinzhal.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 3 2025 20:54 utc | 36
According to Lilin it was a Kinzhal.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 3 2025 20:54 utc | 36
Not to argue for the sake of arguing, but all the reports I saw pointed out that no air raid alerts were operating; now my understanding is that when a MiG-31K is detected as airborne by NATO ISR the whole of Ukraine gets an alert, quite simply because nobody knows where any launched Kinzhal is targetted; indeed the Russians sometimes wind things up by sending up a MiG-31K, letting it stooge around for a while without actually launching anything, in the full knowledge that the whole of Ukraine is on edge while the MiG is active.
Do you have a link for Nicolai Lilin’s Youtube please? I can deal with any translation issues if necessary.
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jul 3 2025 21:07 utc | 37
The South China Morning Post writes that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi explained to Kai Kallas about geopolitics, saying that Beijing cannot allow Russia to lose, because then the United States will fall on China with all its might. But at the same time, to the Estonian woman’s claims that the Chinese allegedly give Russia money and weapons (in her view, it works the same way as in the West with Ukraine), the diplomat replied that the war would have ended long ago if China had really supported Russia financially and with weapons.
https://news-pravda.com/world/2025/07/03/1489350.html
Does Kallas really not know the score? Are these EU front pieces really so out of the loop? Is this just peanuts for the peanut gallery? I really doubt these EU junior nazis aren’t privy to the 4th Reich agenda, does Wang Yi believe that Kallas is Klueless and it’s worth explaining basic geo-strategic shit to her? To what end? Why would he even bother?
Why is he even Europe? China should be building bases in Western Russia and Belarus, 100K Chinese missile troops on the border with the Baltics would be a nice start. Carl Zha in a recent Youtube was half kidding that Chinese have dark missile factories, ie fully robotized that don’t need lights, they operate in the dark to save energy, they run 24/7 churning out state of the art missiles. Time for the Chinese to stop talking to ClownWorld and at least open a Chinese base in Belarus, something akin to NATO’s MK base in Romania would would klue in Klueless Kallas and the EU Krowd.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 3 2025 21:28 utc | 38
Jeremy Rhymings-Lang @ 37
https://www.youtube.com/@nicolai_lilin
https://t.me/nicolaililin
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 3 2025 21:32 utc | 39
BTW Lilin gets his news straight from Russia, checks their media and state bulletins, he is also a Chechen War war vet and is in contact with friends in the SMO and military, invited to their private channels in TG, obviously nothing secret there but it is first hand info which puts him above most of the youtube punditry who even if intelligent are totally speculating.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 3 2025 21:46 utc | 40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxbyVsLnWEA
Not much justice in this world, you’ve got to appreciate what little you can find. EU deserves every bit of misery and financial bleeding they receive from Ukraine. No path to victory, not their sons and fathers dying @ maybe 1300 per day, just keep the thing going no matter the futility of it all. Not the slightest recognition that this goes on because Zelensky is dead if the war stops.No leader demanding a permanent ceasefire on reasonable lines.
Sadly, it has a Darwinian appearance to it. The ‘strong” managed to escape Ukraine, the weak get kidnapped into death in the trenches, maybe shot in the back if they try to surrender. So, how long does it go on? Until it can’t go on. Simple as that, the rest is theatrics and nonsense.
Posted by: Eighthman | Jul 3 2025 22:51 utc | 41
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 3 2025 21:32 utc | 39
Thanks!
Last news: destruction of the nato base in Odessa + destruction of the chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Posted by: Naive | Jul 3 2025 22:54 utc | 42
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 3 2025 14:27 utc | 5
A tactic that’s only viable if you’re fighting a proxy who has limited access to long-range strike systems and an airforce in name only. Rail reliance has been a historical necessity for Russia due to a limited and poor road network, paucity of wheeled transport and lack of a logistics system based on commercial practices. Even at the height of the Red Army capabilities, late seventies, early eighties) truck-borne tonnage, available to divisional formations and higher, was two thirds less that NATO forces and rail transport helped bridge this gap in capability. Similarly rotary strength was well below Western capabilities as the Soviets stressed the platforms offensive capabilities over those of its transportation role, training personnel accordingly. The modern Russian Army has addressed some of these problems, but many remain structurally, as increases in defence spending is siphoned off to priority programmes.
This rail reliance and stock-pile strategy was thought to be an easily attacked Achilles heel, but the failure to also remember Russia’s historical capability of rapid wartime evolution and adaptation blunted HIMARS (and similar platforms) promising debut, as operational/strategic force multipliers.
As for the armoured train concept being supposedly resurrected I’d be dubious, given the ISR and devolved strike capabilities available in the conflict, with images of locomotives and stock running the gauntlet of PGM’s and drones, like rail-bound capital ships in the US Pacific Fleet during ‘45, being conjured up.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 3 2025 17:01 utc | 18
As they say on X, readers context added:
‘Overall, I would like to point out that the conversation between the two presidents has, as always, shown that they are on the same page. It was candid, business-minded, and concrete. The two presidents will naturally continue communicating and will have another conversation soon.’
‘Same page’, all you TDS sufferers are in for a rough couple of weeks/month.
Posted by: Milites | Jul 3 2025 23:09 utc | 43
Posted by: Milites | Jul 3 2025 23:09 utc | 43
#######
As usual, Putin told Trump to go screw himself and Trump got NOTHING from the talk. Russia, like China and Iran, isn’t going to do anything for Trump.
He’s got no cards as I wrote about here last year after he won, and my prediction has remained correct that he could not end the Ukraine war, a war that he started and nurtured, which he continues to this day by supplying ISR and military advice.
I’m not complaining, the Axis is kicking the West around, demilitarizing it and burying it deeper into debt. This is a great outcome, and yet, you have convinced yourself that it is all part of some heroic and epic victory. LOL
You guys from CTH are in la-la land. You imagine things that are obviously not true and then accuse others of having mental problems.
Totally cult like behavior.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jul 3 2025 23:25 utc | 44
Rail reliance has been a historical necessity for Russia due to a limited and poor road network, paucity of wheeled transport and lack of a logistics system based on commercial practices.
As for the armoured train concept being supposedly resurrected I’d be dubious, given the ISR and devolved strike capabilities available in the conflict, with images of locomotives and stock running the gauntlet of PGM’s and drones, like rail-bound capital ships in the US Pacific Fleet during ‘45, being conjured up.
Posted by: Milites | Jul 3 2025 23:09 utc | 43
Waiting for china to offer 100.000 transport trucks to RF…
As for armoured train , add a pantsir EW and give area protection with S400 and you might be gold.
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 3 2025 23:49 utc | 45
Posted by: Naive | Jul 3 2025 22:54 utc | 42
Posters are aware that certain rocket propellants are highly toxic if released into the atmosphere, hence the public safety warnings. Calling them chemical weapons is beyond a stretch, and anyway, using a hypersonic missile that is incapable of generating enough heat to destroy such a target, but simply disperses it, is criminally irresponsible.
Doubt it was a missile, which would surely show up in an enhanced, frame-by-frame, study, more like an accident in handling or a sabotage operation, possibly using drones.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jul 3 2025 23:25 utc | 44
You’re going to be one sad and confused puppy soon, but don’t worry, I’m sure you’re unshakeable belief in your own superiority will allow you to construct ever more elaborate coping techniques to survive the wave of dissonance about to wash over you.
The rest of your post is simply second-rate projection. ‘Totally cult like behavior.’, couldn’t agree more.
P.s. are we calling it BRCS now, given India’s cold-feet, or are they going to have to find another agreeable country beginning with I, or will any vowel do?
Posted by: Milites | Jul 3 2025 23:58 utc | 46
In response to
”
P.s. are we calling it BRCS now, given India’s cold-feet, or are they going to have to find another agreeable country beginning with I, or will any vowel do?
Posted by: Milites | Jul 3 2025 23:58 utc | 46
”
Ever hear of a country with the name of Iran?
Do you always advertise your ignorance so clearly?
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 4 2025 0:16 utc | 47
@Milites | Jul 3 2025 23:58 utc
I can’t actually recall a time when India had “hot” feet re: BRICS, can you?
I think it’s time India moved on from (e.g. out of) BRICS. Change the acronym, bring in ready willing and ables, and get on with it.
If BRICS is really a good idea, has a great design, and excellent execution – and in parts it does, India will come around, and take a 2nd tier seat when they do.
India, like Turkey, wants cake and eat it too (fence straddlers) and therefore really isn’t a helpful, reliable ally to anyone.
Build reliable allies. Reliable allies make for great organizations.
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Jul 4 2025 0:16 utc | 48
Posted by: Milites | Jul 3 2025 23:58 utc | 46
Er!!! keep up to date
They already have two additional Is. Iran AND Indonesia are FULL members now. 2 Is, 2 Es and a U are also full members. BRICEUS might do it.
If India leaves Pakistan will probably join as might Malaysia.
Posted by: watcher | Jul 4 2025 0:16 utc | 49
Hey where is our friend anonymous. You know “Russia had a very poor day”. Just a mere 73 squ metres today. terrible!!!
Posted by: watcher | Jul 4 2025 0:20 utc | 50
You’re going to be one sad and confused puppy soon, but don’t worry, I’m sure you’re unshakeable belief in your own superiority will allow you to construct ever more elaborate coping techniques to survive the wave of dissonance about to wash over you.
Posted by: Milites | Jul 3 2025 23:58 utc | 46
########
You don’t understand, I don’t hate Trump. I love how he is destroying the West, and it is funny that his fans think he is doing a bang-up job while accusing everyone else of being mentally unstable. LOL
I want more. More Bills, more war, more “trade deals”.
Mainline it straight into my veins.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jul 4 2025 0:24 utc | 52
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jul 4 2025 0:24 utc | 52
Actually no one hates Trump in terms of self-loathing more than Trump himself. That is at the core of his problem.
Posted by: George | Jul 4 2025 0:32 utc | 53
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 3 2025 23:49 utc | 45
They do give them lots of buggies and ‘golf-carts’. 100,000 trucks sounds good, but they’d have to also supply drivers, spares, logistics etc. (remember a large percentage of supplies eventually shifted by the ‘Red Ball Express’ was needed to keep it running).
No, you could put lots of hard/soft AD on it but it’s still highly restricted, and therefore predictable a target. In ‘45, slow moving planes faced up to a thousand guns, many with RC and proximity fuses and still got through. Imagine swarms of drones, attacking! It’s also a target that does not need to be directly targeted to be mission killed, or worse, given its 1.5km+ stopping distance and reliance on rails, bridges and tunnels.
Perhaps viable in the pre-drone era though, not really afterwards.
https://warhistory.org/@msw/article/soviet-russian-armoured-trains-from-the-cold-war-to-the-present-day
Posted by: Milites | Jul 4 2025 0:35 utc | 54
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 4 2025 0:16 utc | 47
#######
Go easy on him. Trump thought that Spain was the S in BRICS.
If the leader of the movement doesn’t know, how can we expect his groupies to know?
BRICS is unimportant until it isn’t, and that time is coming this year, IMO.
Mexico has requested observer status in the Brazil conference coming up.
All of the cool kids are interested in de-dollarization.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jul 4 2025 0:40 utc | 55
In his latest video Brian Berletic exposes the fact that: “US President Trump Streamlined the National Endowment for Democracy, not Dismantle[d] it”.
Ha ha!
This may help to understand why convenient colour revolutions continue to take place since NED has frequently funded groups that cause instability sometimes through terrorism in places where the US deep state wants them to take place (Myanmar, Hong Kong, Georgia etc. etc.) Something that Berletic has always been the go to master analyst in exposing. I wonder if that now includes Serbia? It was the first question I asked myself when I read about the recent protests against Aleksandar Vučić.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw_6vFtC7gw
Posted by: George | Jul 4 2025 0:46 utc | 56
… Ukraine war, a war that he started and nurtured, which”
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jul 3 2025 23:25 utc | 44
Started in 2014 by Obama/Biden, `full scale’ started under Biden/Harris in 2022. FTR
Posted by: Laurence | Jul 4 2025 0:51 utc | 57
The reference to root causes is Kremlin shorthand for barring Ukraine from accepting Western assistance and diminishing its sovereignty as an independent state.
This narrative from a WSJ/MSN piece titled “Trump Says He Made No Progress With Putin on Ukraine in Call.” Appears to me as new formulation for anti Russia narrative. MAGA style if you will.
Kind of half hearted and not very effective. The Trump deranged “force” is strong in MSM. So many are fully committed to Trump failure they can hardly act as neocon stenographers anymore.
Posted by: frithguild | Jul 4 2025 0:51 utc | 58
China doesn’t do color revolutions.
Russia doesn’t do color revolutions.
That is what weak and queer regimes do.
Confident civilization states don’t have to manipulate and lie. They engage in diplomacy, build relationships, and solve problems.
That the West uses color revolutions is a sign of how degenerate they have become.
And that is why they are in a sunset phase with a future as historical trivia.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jul 4 2025 1:00 utc | 59
Now i do not hate Trump, nor do i think he actively supported the Ukrainian re-armament or not strongly. He chose a course of least resistance in his term 1 and generally avoided serious conflict with Russia. He had little choice.
Look in Foreign policy in his three contests
Russia 2016: Trump good for peace Score 8/10, Clinton terrible Score 2/10,
Russia 2020: Trump still 8/10, Biden just a little better than Clinton 4/10
Russia 2024: Trump genuinely for peace (on US terms) 9/10, Harris the war is started too late to change 1/10
China 2016: Trump hostile Score 4/10, Clinton slightly better Score 5/10,
China 2020: Trump still 4/10, Biden just better than Clinton 7/10
China 2024: Trump more hostile 2/10, Harris where is China 6/10
Iran 2016: Trump very hostile Score 3/10, Clinton slightly better Score 5/10,
Iran 2020: Trump till 2/10, Biden just better than Clinton 4/10
Iran 2024: Trump 2/10, Harris I’ll do as I’m told 6/10
However Trump is a President with limited real power (like them all). He tried to make peace with Russia but it failed. He has now given up and joined the European chorus. He is not a patient man no a persistent one, nor one with a long term view
Posted by: watcher | Jul 4 2025 1:01 utc | 60
@George | Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:32:00 GMT | 53
Actually no one hates Trump in terms of self-loathing more than Trump himself. That is at the core of his problem.
He probably never lived up to his father’s expectations. Deep down Trump knows he’s a fraud, which is why he constantly seeks adulation.
Posted by: James M. | Jul 4 2025 1:01 utc | 61
However Trump is a President with limited real power (like them all). He tried to make peace with Russia but it failed. He has now given up and joined the European chorus. He is not a patient man no a persistent one, nor one with a long term view
Posted by: watcher | Jul 4 2025 1:01 utc | 60
########
He never tried to make peace with Russia; he started the war. Larry Johnson has posted the researched case on his blog.
And then there is Brian Bereletic, who also has sourced public information, stuff that MAGAs don’t acknowledge.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jul 4 2025 1:20 utc | 62
No account required
>>…Footage of the arrest of a woman in St. Petersburg at the moment she was planting a bomb under the car of an employee of a defense enterprise.
The woman was reportedly working for Ukrainian intelligence in exchange for the promise of citizenship in one of the European Union countries, according to the Russian FSB’s Public Relations Center.
t.me/ClashReport/49987
Posted by: Melaleuca | Jul 4 2025 1:25 utc | 63
Posted by: James M. | Jul 4 2025 1:01 utc | 61
Exactly. His obvious narcissism is driven by exactly that and it is how this form of personality disorder works. It is also why Putin is very clever in how he often compliments him which actually exploits his weaknesses.
“Besides genes, many environmental factors are also thought to play a role. A majority of the causes occur in childhood.
Some examples are abuse or neglect, overly high expectations from parents, trauma, rejection, and unpredictable care or neglect” (Brazier, 2020).
Many people may be envious of Trump but narcissism is no joke if you actually ‘suffer’ from it. It is also a disorder that like psychopathy unfortunately doesn’t just affect the sufferer but also has very negative consequences on many people in their entourage and way beyond as we see.
Posted by: George | Jul 4 2025 1:26 utc | 64
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 4 2025 0:16 utc | 47
Indonesia also interested.
I’d like to see India drop out and Indonesia step in and thrive…
Posted by: Melaleuca | Jul 4 2025 1:28 utc | 65
Posted by: watcher | Jul 4 2025 0:16 utc | 49
Yes, I am up to date with the latest attempt by China to try to gain a brevet promotion, just didn’t realise how eager some posters are to demonstrate their ‘superiority’ or, taking Dr James’ cod psychoanalytical route, how much they are living under the shadow of past patriarchal disappointment, engendering feelings of fraudulent existence, mitigated only by constant online confirmation.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jul 4 2025 0:40 utc | 55
Mexico, Indonesia, Iran? If that’s your idea of the cool kids you were probably a self-hating nerd.
Posted by: Milites | Jul 4 2025 1:38 utc | 66
Xwitter @GrandpaRoy2🇨🇦
A Russian “Shahed-136” long-range kamikaze UAV with a camera and a Nvidia Jetson AI development module that could allow some autonomy was recovered.
The UAV also had a radio modem allowing direct operator control up to 150km, or more with repeaters.
>~Russia is pulling ahead of Ukraine in the crucial field of drone autonomy as witnessed in the “V2U” kamikaze UAV.
Autonomy is the inevitable pathway drone warfare will follow, and Ukraine must not let the Russians lead this race.
>~ The Russian kamikaze UAV with terrain following GPS-free navigation and machine learning capabilities has been named “V2U”.
An Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano AI developer kit provides considerable capacity for various degrees of targeting and autonomy.
>~A still unnamed Russian kamikaze UAV has a powerful 14 MP camera and a laser rangefinder that allows it to navigate using a digital map.
This information is stored in a 100 GB hard drive on a carrier board for a Jetson AI computing module, allowing GPS-free navigation.
>~ A new Russian strike UAV is similar to one first seen in February with a 2.9kg shaped-charge plus incendiary warhead.
It has a tandem 4G modem apparently to access Ukrainian mobile providers.
>~The explosive charge is OLA-15T (ОЛА-15Т) which is an octogen (HMX) explosive with 15% aluminum for incendiary effect.
The new fixed-wing UAV has the battery capacity of a Russian Zala reconnaissance UAV, giving it a range of 40-60 km range with the warhead.
>~Sources
https://nitter.net/GrandpaRoy2/status/1907897943308513491#m
https://t.me/serhii_flash/5310
Posted by: Melaleuca | Jul 4 2025 1:39 utc | 67
George | Jul 4 2025 0:46 utc | 56
Serbia. Vucic visited Moscow. He must surely have anticipated color rev incoming in 3-2-1….
Posted by: Melaleuca | Jul 4 2025 1:42 utc | 68
Posted by: Melaleuca | Jul 4 2025 1:28 utc | 65
“Indonesia officially joined BRICS on January 6, 2025, becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to do so. This membership is seen as a strategic move to enhance collaboration with other developing countries and strengthen Indonesia’s role in global governance.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRICS
Australia should join as well.
India is likely to stay in, and I think it will strengthen ties with China as well given recent signs from Modi and Xi Jinping. China and India have much in common especially British imperialist/colonialist background), and China can help India with its massive problem of infrastructure development. India is hard to read but I think Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, minister of external affairs is the current weather vane for Modi’s government. The other organisation to watch is the SCO which has a defence footing as well that brings India, Pakistan, and China and many more countries together.
Posted by: George | Jul 4 2025 1:44 utc | 69
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 3 2025 23:49 utc | 45
Posted by: Milites | Jul 4 2025 0:35 utc | 54
I posted this on the other thread, but it appears rel event here as well.
The concept of armoured trains appears to be a crazy anachronism today. As pointed out by Milites (and probably others) these things would be vulnerable to drones and other PGM’s and I question their real purpose.
From the pictures I saw (Southtront I think) the train seems to be a heavily armed collection of rail wagons with (apparently) very limited cargo capacity, so I cannot see it as a means to re-supply front line troops.
It does appear to have heavy anti-personnel defences as well as high local AD potential, including possibly extensive anti-drone measures.
So far as I can reason, the purpose of this contraption is as a rail-mobile air defense fortification for protection of assault troops engaged in attacking strong Ukie/NATO fortifications in proximity to rail hubs. I can see limited utility for such a device (maybe around Pokrovsk or Kramatorsk), but apart from that random deduction the whole thing is an inigma.
Posted by: Barrel Brown | Jul 4 2025 1:49 utc | 70
Posted by: Melaleuca | Jul 4 2025 1:42 utc | 68
I think it he sensed this, and his visit to Moscow on Victory Day also prompted such a reaction. Can’t have that sort of thing going on! If NED was in fact behind it and I am not certain of this, then it has been in the planning for some time. Vucic’s always been more supportive of Russia and a critic of Ukraine, even though he visited Ukraine recently as well. What we don’t know is what he told Zelensky + or – ?. I’ve not watched Brian’s video yet so I don’t know if he even mentions Serbia, but what we saw in the weekend was very much like another colour revolution in the making like all the other false flags promoted by organisations like NED.
Posted by: George | Jul 4 2025 1:56 utc | 71
LoveDonbass | Jul 4 2025 1:20 utc | 62
Brute — or systematic — ignorance gets you zero respect.
–“he started the war. Larry”–
Posted by: Laurence | Jul 4 2025 2:06 utc | 72
.. “but narcissism is no joke if y”osted by: George | Jul 4 2025 1:26 utc | 64 /snicker
Posted by: Laurence | Jul 4 2025 2:12 utc | 73
Posted by: Melaleuca | Jul 4 2025 1:28 utc | 65
Indonesia is already a FULL member of BRICS. Amazingly it got zero coverage here in Australia but is very significant for us.
Brics has expanded to 10 members
Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (first 5) plus last year Iran, UAE, Egypt and Ethiopia. Early this year Indonesia became a full member. Other applicants that seem on hold or withdrawn are Argentina and Saudi Arabia. There are also parter members with a lower status but right to be involved in trading matters. thjere are also observers.
Posted by: watcher | Jul 4 2025 2:39 utc | 74
@George | Fri, 04 Jul 2025 01:44:00 GMT | 69
ndia is hard to read but
India is a bag of cats and will remain so for as long as karmic or Hindutva ideology remains to sabotage proper basic ethics. Essentially they have miscalculated cooperation.
Posted by: persiflo | Jul 4 2025 2:41 utc | 75
Posted by: watcher | Jul 4 2025 2:39 utc | 74
Well geographically we have the US on one side and the UK on the other so that’s why we don’t hear much about the 280 million people in Indonesia, a country closer to the Arctic region on the globe except for Bali. In Australia we build barbies out of BRICS I understand. What else could they be?
Posted by: George | Jul 4 2025 2:52 utc | 76
NPR reports that the air-defense and other critical munitions that are currently being held in Poland, after previously being approved by the US for transfer to Ukraine before they were halted this week following a review by the Pentagon into low munition stocks, include:
-30 “Patriots” (PAC-3 MSE) Surface-to-Air Missiles
-92 AIM Air-to-Air Missiles
-8496 155mm Howitzer Shells
-142 AGM-114 “Hellfire” missiles
-252 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Missiles
-25 “Stinger” Surface-to-Air Missiles
-125 AT-4 Grenade Launchers
https://nitter.net/sentdefender/status/1940792942714634684
!!!
Israel stockpiling for Round 2 against Iran
Posted by: Melaleuca | Jul 4 2025 3:36 utc | 77
Melaleuca | Jul 4 2025 3:36 utc | 77
Major Kong – Survival Kit Contents Check https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPwW7RaPO_g
Posted by: Laurence | Jul 4 2025 4:10 utc | 78
Posted by: George | Jul 4 2025 1:44 utc | 69
Australia should join (BRICS) as well.
Yes, that makes a lot of sense.
However, until Australia has its own colour revolution (Sarcasm!) and crushes the present coterie of western trained sycophant politicians -of both major parties -, as well as masses of “yes people” public servants I cannot see that happening.
If the US (and other poodle nations) instigate a serious war with China, then you can be sure the mighty land of Oztgalia will faithfully beat the drum and follow the collective west in this “God ordained holy project”.
If this war goes badly for the west as I suspect it will since there are existential issues for the PRC here, and it will be in the game to win, then Australia will-be in a very bad position. This situation might prompt a new assessment by the people of Oztralia -who are by no means all stupid- as to their real position in the world and encourage genuine respectful relations with the neighbouring countries.
Posted by: Barrel Brown | Jul 4 2025 6:58 utc | 79
George @ 53
Actually no one hates Trump in terms of self-loathing more than Trump himself. That is at the core of his problem.
If you ever watched any interview or film of Roy Cohn talking, behind the arrogance he reeked of self-loathing, enough to make you gag, guess he passed it on to his student, the son he never had, DJT. Trump’s relationship with his real dad, who apparently never had a positive word to say to him, would instill self-loathing, so the perfect formative storm for self-loathing. But, I’m not a psychoanalyst and your not supposed to psychoanalyze at a distance anyway 🤪
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 4 2025 7:38 utc | 80
Melaleuca @ 77
Israel stockpiling for Round 2 against Iran
Looks to be about a days worth!
Actually, I never believe a word about weapon quantities and supplies, from either side. Behind the propaganda and spin that info is top secret and would get someone thrown in jail if released.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 4 2025 7:55 utc | 81
Milites @ 43
‘Same page’, all you TDS sufferers are in for a rough couple of weeks/month.
Turns out that after Trump’s “positive” call with Putin Russia hit Kiev with the widest strike yet. Granted strikes are planned well before hand but they can be stopped at the last minute, which they weren’t.
Kiev has been on fire and smoke for hours: helicopters are trying to put out the fires, streets are blocked, there are crushes in the metro
▪️The right bank is covered in smoke after the night shelling. What exactly caused such smoke is not reported.
▪️A large-scale fire after the shelling is being extinguished with the help of a helicopter.
▪️There is a crush in the capital’s metro after an air raid alarm. There are also traffic jams on a number of highways due to blocked streets after landings.
▪️After a massive attack in Kiev, there is a high level of air pollution, the Ministry of Environmental Protection reports.
▪️Until the situation stabilizes, residents of the capital are advised not to be outdoors, not to ventilate the premises, because there is a high concentration of harmful substances in the air. The air situation is especially difficult on the right bank.
“>https://t.me/Slavyangrad/134109
Seems the call went something like this:
Kremlin should set up an automated answering machine for every time Trump&Co call them.
“Thank you for calling, the SMO will continue until ALL goals are achieved. Press 1 to hear Russia’s goals.”
“>https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/154423
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 4 2025 8:23 utc | 82
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 4 2025 7:55 utc | 81
Info is classified but money, production sites, workforce cannot be hided so easily.
We are looking to production/stockpiles tenfold what is disclosed.
RF regularly use 100+ drones/missiles each night with spikes up to 500.
You need a combined number of interceptors at least equal to the targets number.
Posted by: Mario | Jul 4 2025 8:31 utc | 84
The Kissingerarians are making their move.
Even the Carnegie Institute are in to them.
https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/03/trump-russia-china-disruption?lang=en
And the Council of economic affairs
https://www.cfr.org/article/trumps-abrupt-turn-russia-and-whether-us-russia-team-could-gain-any-sway-south-and
Picture the scene…..
Medvedev turns out to be a Kissingerarian ( never trusted him as the West groomed him for many years ) or any of the St Petersburg faction takes charge in Russia after Putin.
The right in America and Russia continue to work very, very, very hard at the St Petersburg economic forum and the UN to bring Russia and America closer together and are never away from Moscow. They Begin to isolate China and America uses one of their proxies against China.
Now tune in to the alt right media. What are the framing and narratives like now ?
There’s a big geopolitical play happening and right now the majority of the alt right media is one big psyche- op.
Excuse after excuse after excuse after excuse.
He’s boxed himself in with the neocons he hand picked himself to spread Peace through strength in Brussels and Singapore.
Europe are to blame.
The tail is wagging the dog. Insert anybody you like to be the tail. Insert anybody you like to be the dog.
He’s betraying the right wing populists. Who actually fully support America being able to end the peace when they want and call a ceasefire When it suits them. Monopolize peace on American terms to protect the US rules based order.
It’s NEVER trumps fault.
What really , really, really annoys the Kissingerarians and the alt right media is when Trump does something that moves Russia and China even closer. While they try and repair that damage he has caused using the excuses above.
Now is the time to make a list of all the faces on the alt right media and Mark beside their names – Kissingerarian or good guy.
It is really quite amazing, that economists from the Chicago school who developed the economic school of thought to represent NATO and the EU imperial expansionism. Which in the end got a fancy name called ” shock therapy “. That was used to try and carve Russia up after the wall came down. Used by the EU on a weekly basis.
Are still welcomed with open arms at the St Petersburg economics forum every year. Naomi Klein has made a career exposing these frauds
Posted by: Sun Of Alabama | Jul 4 2025 9:21 utc | 85
P.s. are we calling it BRCS now, given India’s cold-feet, or are they going to have to find another agreeable country beginning with I, or will any vowel do?
Posted by: Milites | Jul 3 2025 23:58 utc
are they going to have to find another agreeable country beginning with I
IRAN
Posted by: simply simple | Jul 4 2025 9:27 utc | 86
Posted by: George | Jul 4 2025 0:32 and many others
Trump’s mother had mental illness and was locked away quite early so I can see how Trump would have been affected.
His father looked and acted like the stereotypical Jewish Anti-Freier ; always out to rip-off others and an absolute adzehole by most accounts.
Cohn was also very gay , but was closeted and thus embarrassed/self loathing due to his instilled anti-gay Jewish values. I wonder if Trump was Cohn’s young lover, a la Ancient Greek pederasty? Hard to see why a supposed mucho guy hangs out with a “tough -guy “ old Jew whose homosexuality is an open secret ,isnt it? Hmm? Plenty of blackmail material there.
So poor Trump had very few good mentors to choose from. Only others were Mafia dons and anti-union headcrackers.
No excuses, just speculating on his grandiose but weak personality .
Posted by: Total | Jul 4 2025 9:40 utc | 87
apparently, the sbu academy was hit, and the zhulyany airport as well. the latter houses some patriot complexes as seen on previous sattelite images. probably hit because the launchers are empty. according to ukrainian sources, not a single ad missile was fired. only manpads and aa guns engaged the “iranian militia” (gerans).
Posted by: Justpassinby | Jul 4 2025 9:44 utc | 88
Posted by: Milites | Jul 4 2025 0:35 utc | 54
This has always been the case.
Armored and fighting trains have always been mainly about protection of rail lines against partisans/raiders and bringing heavy guns to bear against ships and fortifications. Frontline use has always been marginal.
There is still a small niche for both tasks, though heavy artillery would be replaced by heavy ICBMs, Patriot or whatever else was too bulky o slow to set up for rapid road transport.
Track has also always been easy to blow up but relatively easy/quick to repair.
Neither side has targeted track much so far.
Posted by: Satepestage | Jul 4 2025 9:44 utc | 89
Looks like another big Russian strike on Kiev with cokehead claiming to have shot down 80% with non existent AD missiles.
Posted by: Surferket | Jul 4 2025 10:22 utc | 90
Posted by: Total | Jul 4 2025 9:40 utc | 87
Well I think it is important to look into the history behind people (or anything else) to see went went wrong rather than just dismiss someone for being evil or some other claim. No doubt Trump’s father was a tyrant who only saw that certain types of people were valid – mainly people like himself – and so Trump became a bit of a carbon copy because he probably realised this worked the best. His brother was a pilot who made it to international airline flight status but struggled with alcoholism most of his life. I read once that Trump’s father tended to idealise Donald but treated his brother with contempt at times because he did not follow in dad’s business direction. He told him he was just a bus driver in the air. So no easy family, and look how it is impacting the world today with dire consequences.
Posted by: George | Jul 4 2025 10:31 utc | 91
The Neo-Nazi supporting government in Germany, wants to secretly buy US weapons and send them to the Neo-Nazi dictatorship in Ukraine – brothers-in arms.
“Germany wants to agree a “secret deal” with the US to buy two Patriot air defense systems in order to hand them over to Ukraine, Bild has reported, citing government sources.
Several US media outlets claimed earlier this week that Washington had paused deliveries of various critical munitions to Kiev, including Patriot and Hellfire missiles, GMLRS rockets, and thousands of 155mm artillery shells. The White House later confirmed that supplies of some weapons have been halted, saying the “decision was made to put America’s interests first.”
The freeze in deliveries is “causing alarm” in Berlin, Bild reported on Thursday.”
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jul 4 2025 10:32 utc | 92
New Marat post
https://maratkhairullin.substack.com/p/brief-frontline-report-july-3rd-2025
Mainly oskil line north most position and encirclement of pokrovsk
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 4 2025 10:33 utc | 93
Russia conducts a huge strike on Kiev early this morning – the strikes came hours after Putin spoke with Trump on the phone -maybe Trump told Putin I’m done with Zelensky – so you (Putin) should finish the job.
“The exact locations and types of facilities hit are difficult to verify, as the Ukrainian authorities heavily censor the flow of information and punish those who share footage of the impacts – The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet issued a statement on the incident. Moscow regularly conducts drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure, maintaining that its operations do not target civilians and accusing Kiev of placing air defense systems in densely populated areas.”
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jul 4 2025 10:41 utc | 94
Once the military targets in Kiev run out then what, how do you keep up the pressure? Of course the RuMoD understands this and have a Grozny at the ready, which will be up to Putin. I wonder if Bankova and Brussels understand this? As these are not in any way popular or representative structures my guess is they do and have already calculated Kiev, a Russian city, as expendable, in fact all of the ex-Warsaw pact is IMO calculated as expendable. Do the people of Kiev and Ukraine understand this or will they only get it after the city is reduced to ruins? In history you rarely see uprisings during wars so, my best guess is people will systematically leave causing city services to collapse compounding the damages. Writing is on the wall, written in Russian, get out while you can.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jul 4 2025 10:48 utc | 95
Ukraine and World Affairs: Weekly Update, 4th July 2025: May be useful to some: https://robcampbell.substack.com/p/ukraine-and-world-affairs-weekly-a47
Posted by: The Busker | Jul 4 2025 11:12 utc | 96
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jul 4 2025 10:32 utc | 92
The US says it will no longer ship weapons to Ukraine.
Instead, Germany will buy weapons from the US, and Germany will send the weapons to Ukraine.
When the US speaks, you have to assume they have written the manual on lying.
Posted by: Passerby | Jul 4 2025 12:08 utc | 97
@LightYearsFromHome
I saw that SCMP article. China has been very measured in its statements WRT Iran, Syria, Ukraine. (I’m not even sure if they’ve registered opinions on Romania and Georgia)
This is a change in tone and perhaps a change in action from China. Wait for Wang Yi to make an official public statement to see if this turns into a global-strategic move.
I hope this finds you well
Posted by: ockham | Jul 4 2025 12:14 utc | 98
Good moring Kiev-nam quote : “I love the smell of the Gerans in the morning”.
Posted by: Savonarole | Jul 4 2025 12:48 utc | 99
Very interesting discussion on railways here. (I took the precaution of reading to the end of the comment section as far as its then end (Satepestage, 89,) before submitting this comment. But I will have missed subsequent comments when submitting this.)
It’s an odd war, the SMO, and though very new and modern in some respects it still harks back to WWI in others. Especially when considering the use of rail.
WWI on the Western Front was often called the railway war. The sheer amount of materiel to be moved, first on normal gauge then often by improvised narrow gauge when closer to the front, dictated that. Also for moving large concentrations of troops and materiel fast: one side would build up for an attack quickly and the other would have to build up to meet it quickly and that was all about logistics.
One might say it was sometimes a battle of rail timetables and routing and the scheduler – the man who worked all that out, often under urgent time pressure and always having to cope with conflicting demands – was key. Sometimes, when possible, the heavy rail transported artillery was used but rail came into its own mostly for the donkey work of just moving materiel around. Both sides adept at that so you can’t say the static phase of that war was won by railway timetables. It could well have been lost by failure to use them well though. It was not until the more fluid manoeuvre warfare of the final Haig offensive that that pattern changed.
Eastern Front, WWII, which was where that war was won and lost, the same. Horse drawn transport or motorised transport mattered of course and most of the photographs are of that. But rail was key.
The difficulty there was nothing to do with different gauges, more to do with distance. The German logisticians had said explicitly that they could not guarantee adequate supplies after the first few hundred miles of Barbarossa. They were ignored – there’s some doubt as to whether their assessment actually got through to the planners – because collapse of the Soviet Union under the weight of that fearsome initial attack was what was anticipated.
When that collapse didn’t occur logistics was the perpetual Achilles heel of the German forces. Tanks, ammunition, provisions, winter clothing – you couldn’t get it all there as needed and sometimes you couldn’t get enough of any of it there. I doubt the woollens and parcels one of my German relatives, sadly long since departed, knitted and packed at home for the soldiers at the front, and those that thousands of others did, ever got anywhere near Moscow. Mannstein is said to have been one of the most capable German Generals going but he was on the back foot from early on, having to make do and mend with the often exiguous supplies and reinforcements he was able to get railed out to him.
If I remember him correctly Martyanov states that today’s Russian armed forces haven’t forgotten any of that. A separate and vital department focuses on logistics. Sourcing, stockpiling, transport. Martyanov states it’s regarded as a discipline on its own – that important. Up against a proxy NATO army that some accounts give as amounting to three quarters of a million men and up against a continuing stream of NATO supplies – much of it cast-offs, granted, but those cast-offs still weaponry – very important. For that, rail is still key. After the opening blitzkrieg attack from the Donbass was done with, and that was very brief, it was one of the determining factors in the SMO.
The Russians had wrong-footed us strategically. We’d expected then to storm right in and take the country, afterwards having to cope with partisan resistance. Instead they held back and let our proxies and equipment come to them to be destroyed. Or, as now, forced the enemy to come to them for that purpose. Brutal business, as it proved. The resultant proxy casualties horrendous and the destruction of equipment spectacular. But part of that strategy was based on bread and butter logistics.
Sitting in the Donbass, with good rail connections from the entirety of Russia right up to the Donbass border and often beyond, they were very comfortably sited, still are. We have to rail whatever we provide for hundreds of miles from the NATO border and those supply lines always vulnerable to interdiction.
The importance of rail transport surely proved by the trouble the Russians went to to construct an entirely new railway in the Donbass, a little further away from the guns. As for interdiction, it’s often pointed out that the Russians still haven’t done that much of it although their air and missile superiority would allow them to
.
For a start they have to an extent. What Helmer calls the electric war has put a spoke in Ukrainian rail supplies. Only a little while back they were at one time said to be having to bring old steam engines back into use. Helmer reckons what’s been done in that line so far is merely exploratory. The Russians now know in detail how to disable the Kiev rail supply system when that’s necessary.
But it’s not necessary yet. It may not be necessary given that Kiev’s close to collapse politically. And in any case, destroying rail lines as opposed to cutting power isn’t that easy. Both the Ukrainians and the Russians are expert in getting them back in use quickly. As for bridges and tunnels, no need. The Russian strategy is based on allowing or forcing the Kiev armed forces and equipment to come to them to be destroyed. Easier to destroy equipment with artillery and drones when it’s got to the front, rather than having to use expensive missiles to destroy the equipment en route. I noticed a couple of time, though, that when it comes to sensitive cargo the Russians don’t hold back on destroying that as its being railed in.
Rail, then, is still key in this odd sort of warfare we’ve been seeing in the Donbass. We, that is “We” in NATO, had hoped to ditch Russia in the sanctions war. I bet none expected that instead, we’d be thrown back a hundred years and more into what in some important respects is a rerun of WWI.
………………………………
Posted by: Milites | Jul 4 2025 0:35 utc | 54
Milites, and the other’s on “b’s” site who follow the military action in detail. Some interesting observations from Ritter on the “Three and Six” method of assault. Might I ask, are you seeing this method of assault used a lot?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxj8MOTg_YI&ab_channel=DannyHaiphong
Should say, Ritter loses his temper in a big way later in the video, if you let it run on that far. Give him some rope. He’s got a lot to lose his temper about.
Posted by: English Outsider | Jul 4 2025 13:21 utc | 100