Tag: Russia

Remember Terrorism?

First of all….I would like to wish everyone a ‘Happy Earth Day’….

Now he is a subject that has taken a backseat in the media….and because it is under reported the American people have moved on to the point of blocking this out of their minds.

AQ is a mere shadow of its former self and ISIS, well ISIS is still there and still performing acts of terror and mayhem.

Then just recently the world got another wake up call….the attack in Moscow.

With its “war on terrorism,” the United States launched a global campaign against the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks as well as a number of other targets. The campaign probably created more terrorists than it killed. Moreover, U.S. interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq—the first with only a tangential relationship to al-Qaeda, the second with no connection whatsoever—killed a huge number of civilians as well.

Having failed to accomplish its poorly defined objectives, the United States eventually refocused on other national security threats. The “war on terrorism” disappeared from the headlines. Today, the world is more worried about the wars conducted by states: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s attack on Gaza, and the potential conflict between China and Taiwan.

But as the latest attack in Moscow demonstrates, some terrorist organizations are still going strong. On May 22, militants associated with the Islamic State chapter in Afghanistan attacked concertgoers at a Moscow venue, killing more than a 100 people. It was a shocking reminder of how vulnerable states can be in the face of determined non-state actors.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or Daesh according to the Arabic acronym) is perhaps the most prominent terrorist organization operating in the world today. It emerged from the wreckage of the U.S. war in Iraq and the civic uprising against Bashar al-Assad in Syria. For several years beginning in 2014, these radical Islamists managed to govern a vast swath of territory straddling Iraq and Syria. Though it attracted recruits from around the world, ISIS also attracted the enmity of a range of states that otherwise didn’t agree on anything else. After repeated attacks by these diverse states—the United States, Russia, Syria, Iraq—the self-declared caliphate collapsed in 2019.

Even without its mini-caliphate, the Islamic State persists. It still launches attacks within Syria and wields considerable influencein the huge al-Hol facility in eastern Syria for detained ISIS fighters and their families (along with many unfortunates who have no connection to ISIS).  It still has something of a foothold in Southeast Asia. Several groups in both the Sahel and in sub-Saharan Africa are still operating.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/04/09/the-return-of-terrorism/

Terrorism did not go away nor was it defeated….however the importance in the media did go away….but now with this attack there should be a renewed interest in the happenings around ISIS and other groups bent on destruction and death.

But after all how important can it be when we have an election to fret over?

How will this play out?

Your thoughts, please.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Scary Scenario For The UK

Ever since Vlad the Invader went into Ukraine and starting thumping his chest with nuclear warnings and threats the whole world has been a tither with predictions of Putin marching down some Main Street…..but a report by an UK general gives a dire prediction….

A British general admitted on Tuesday that the UK couldn’t handle a war with Russia for more than two months as London has significantly depleted its military stockpiles by arming Ukraine.

Lt. Gen. Robert Magowan, the deputy chief of the defense staff, made the comments during a British parliament hearing where he was urging for more military spending.

MP Mark Francois, a member of the Conservative Party, asked Magowan if it was true that the UK “couldn’t fight Putin for more than a couple of months in a full-on shooting war because we don’t have the ammunition and the reserves of equipment to do it.”

Magowan said Francois’ statement was true. British Defense Minister Grant Shapps was also at the hearing and downplayed the lack of UK military readiness, saying any war with Russia would be fought alongside NATO allies, and referred to Article 5 of the alliance’s treaty that outlines mutual defense commitments.

“For people watching, and hearing that the UK isn’t ready for war exclusively with Russia, it’s important to understand that because we are in NATO and Article 5 exists, we would never be in that situation,” Shapps said, according to The Telegraph.

The comments came after a report from the House of Commons defense committee found that the British military was “increasingly overstretched” and wasn’t ready for a war with Russia. In December, The Times of London reported that the UK had “nothing” left in its military stockpiles after sending so many weapons to Ukraine.

Despite the state of the British military, the UK is one of the NATO countries most involved in the Ukraine proxy war. A recorded conversation between two German military officers that was recently published by Russian media revealed that British soldiers are “on the ground” in Ukraine helping Ukrainian forces fire Storm Shadow missiles.

(antiwar.com)

So arming Ukraine and now Israel is putting the UK at risk in the of a Russian conflict.

Would not commonsense dictate that country comes first and screw the others?

Just a thought.

Please if there is nay more info on this situation then share with my readers….I am sure they will appreciate it.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Defeat Russia At All Costs

Hit them hard with everything you have…..but not like that.

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine the US and the NATO nations have imposed heavy sanctions (something I serious doubt) on the invader….financial sanctions mostly economic sanctions all in an attempt to weaken the Russian economy and its war machine….and this included sanctions on their oil industry where they derive a lot of their working capital.

If the West can cripple the oil industry then they, Russia, would most likely try to find a way to end this conflict, right?

So hit them hard and often…..but not like that.

If so then the latest move by the US is a bit confusing….

US officials are losing patience as Kiev fails to heed American demands to stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure. The White House fears the attacks will lead to an increase in oil prices and trigger reprisals by Moscow.

According to the Financial Times, “The White House had grown increasingly frustrated by brazen Ukrainian drone attacks that have struck oil refineries, terminals, depots, and storage facilities across western Russia, hurting its oil production capacity,” adding that US officials are concerned with “driving up global oil prices and provoking retaliation.”

The demands to halt attacks on Russian oil facilities may appear confounding to Kiev after NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg green-lit Ukrainian attacks inside Russia last month. Additionally, President Joe Biden has vowed to cripple the Russian economy, and the West has used sanctions and price caps in an effort to curb Moscow’s energy exports.

The White House may see increasing gas prices at home as a primary concern with the 2024 election on the horizon. Bob McNally, a former White House energy adviser, said, “Nothing terrifies a sitting American president more than a surge in pump prices during an election year,” as cited by FT.

As Ukrainian losses on the battlefield have continued in recent weeks, Kiev has conducted more attacks on Russian soil. This has led the Kremlin to evacuate thousands of children from a border region. Ukrainian forces also successfully attacked seven energy targets in Russia last week.

Washington’s fear that attacks on Moscow’s energy infrastructure will prompt retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian energy seems to have materialized. On Friday, the BBC reported, “A million people are without power across Ukraine after Russian missiles targeted energy infrastructure,” with Kiev’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko saying Moscow aimed to cause “a large-scale failure of the country’s energy system.”

(antiwar.com)

Is it win at all costs or is it just a geopolitical game of Risk?

Biden is really good, like most politicians, of speaking out of both sides of his mouth.

And the game goes on….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What Is ISIS-K?

The other big news on Saturday….

By now most everyone who lives above ground has heard about the horrific terrorist attack in Moscow…..but for those that have been under a rock….

While firefighters continued to pull bodies from the rubble and put out the lingering flames Saturday after a terrorist attack at Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall, people came to the site to leave flowers and teddy bears in honor of the victims. Questions about how such an attack, which killed more than 100 people and injured more than 150, could happen were mixed with expressions of grief and concerns about the future.

Some Russians wondered about the Russian security forces’ inability to prevent the attack. “Why is it that they say that there were warnings from foreign security services, but our services were completely indifferent?” asked a woman in Moscow. “How can this happen in 2024?” Another woman pointed out that the government seems to concentrate on watching dissidents. “There are cameras everywhere that can trace opposition people going to a rally, and they are also stopped in the metro,” she said. “Does it mean that cameras are targeted on people who carry a book … but you can carry a bomb or a Kalashnikov, and that will be OK?”

The group that carried out this attack is known as ‘ISIS-K’….who are these barbaric bunch?

Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), named after an old term for the region that included parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, emerged in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and quickly established a reputation for extreme brutality.

One of the most active regional affiliates of the Islamic State militant group, ISIS-K has seen its membership decline since peaking around 2018. The Taliban and U.S. forces inflicted heavy losses.
But the United States sees the group as an ongoing threat. General Michael Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told Congress last March that ISIS-K was quickly developing the ability to conduct “external operations” in Europe and Asia. He predicted it would be able to attack U.S. and Western interests outside Afghanistan “in as little as six months and with little to no warning.”
Attacks within the U.S. itself were less likely, he said.
 
The United States has said its ability to develop intelligence against extremist groups in Afghanistan such as ISIS-K has been reduced since the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country in 2021. The U.S. military has said it can see the “broad contours” of an impending attack, but does not have the specific detail it did previously.
 
(reuters.com)
This is not a ‘new’ group by any means….
 
U.S. intercepted communications confirming the group carried out twin bombings in Iran that killed nearly 100 people.
 
In September 2022, ISIS-K militants claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing at the Russian embassy in Kabul.
 
The group was also responsible for an attack on Kabul’s international airport in 2021 that killed 13 U.S. troops and scores of civilians during the chaotic U.S. evacuation from the country.
 
More info will be passed on as it becomes available to people like me.
 
You now know as much as anyone else on this group.
 
I Read, I Write, You Know
 
“lego ergo scribo”
 

US Says ‘No’ To Ceasefire

I have a problem with this story….Russia offers ceasefire and the USA rejects it….(say what?)

Russia’s attempt to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, along the current lines of control, was met with a firm rejection in Washington. US officials reiterated their stance, stating that they would only engage in talks with Moscow with Kiev’s consent.

According to Reuters, in late 2023 and early 2024, Russian intermediaries reached out to US officials seeking to establish a ceasefire. The Kremlin was hoping to freeze the fighting along the current lines of control. “The contacts with the Americans came to nothing,” an unnamed senior Russian official told the outlet.

Russian officials said some progress was made, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan agreed to a call with his counterpart in the Kremlin. Putin’s adviser, Yuri Ushakov, suggested the idea of a ceasefire to Sullivan, but Sullivan refused to talk about Ukraine.

Putin has also suggested talks during public remarks, including in his interview with Tucker Carlson.

US officials speaking with Reuters said there was no formal contact with Russian negotiators and stressed that Washington would not engage in talks with Moscow without Kiev. However, some admitted that Russian officials had floated talks in an unofficial manner.

The Joe Biden administration has steadfastly refused to engage in talks with the Kremlin. Before the war in Ukraine broke out, Moscow sent Washington the outlines of a deal to prevent the war. A Biden admin staffer later acknowledged that the White House refused to negotiate with Russia on Putin’s top issues, including NATO military buildup in Eastern Europe and the alliance’s expansion to Ukraine.

During the first two months of the war, Moscow and Kiev engaged in talks hosted by US allies Turkey and Israel. Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, and Israeli officials have all confirmed that a deal was nearly reached; however, the US and UK pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to forgo a deal with Putin.

Washington’s current refusal to talk with Moscow comes as the war is going poorly for Kiev, with Ukrainian forces losing significant territory to Russia in recent months. Additionally, Kiev lacks the manpower and ammunition to mount an effective defense.

(antiwar.com)

DC rejects this?

Sorry but since the death and destruction is taking place in Ukraine should they not be the ones to decide whether to accept or reject?

Or is Ukraine just a client state that we totally control?

I guess DC does not have to worry about Zelensky for he will do and say anything to keep US cash rolling in.

At what point does sanity creep into this saga?

Just wondering.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What Are Putin’s Plans?

I know there are many that think Putin will finally give the word and launch a nuclear strike against the West…(personally I do not think he will but that is just my thought)….I read a couple of articles in recent days that I think some readers will find interesting.

Putin’s State of the Nation speech left some speechless…..

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has warned of the “destruction of all civilization” in a major threat to the West.

It has been just over two years since Putin first launched his invasion of Ukraine, and threats appear to be ratcheting up over the West’s support of the country and its army.

In his annual State of the Nation address, Putin gave his most chilling and explicit threat yet as he suggested nuclear weapons could be utilised causing the end of civilisation.

Putin suggested that sending NATO troops to fight in Ukraine “really risks a conflict using nuclear weapons, which means the destruction of all of civilisation”.

His comments come just days after French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine.

Putin added: “They think this is some kind of game. They are blinded by their own superiority complex.”

Elsewhere in his speech, Putin warned the West against going to war with Russia, suggesting, “the consequences for potential invaders will be far more tragic” than in the past.

https://www.indy100.com/news/vladimir-putin-nuclear-weapon-threat

Threats yes….but where would he target….

The Pentagon, the Norfolk Naval Station, the Comfort Suites Kings Bay Naval Base Area, the Barksdale Air Force Base, the Whiteman Air Force Base, the United States Strategic Command, the VLF Array Lualualei Facility in Hawaii, the Kirtland Air Force Base, the 21st Force Support Squadron, the Warren Air Force Base, the Minot Air Force Base, the Hill Air Force Base, the Malmstrom Air Force Base, and the Naval Radio Station Jim Creek.

While Putin’s threat hinges upon the possibility of NATO and EU troops in Ukraine, an idea that was floated by French President Emmanuel Macron at the meeting between NATO and EU member states in Paris, several participants of the meeting refused to join the call to avoid drawing into a direct conflict with Russia.

Where Would Putin Strike in the U.S. After Threatening Nuclear Attacks?

An impressive list.

I am sorry but I think this was all so much chest thumping….for Putin knows the retaliation would be swift and destructive.

I may be wrong….but I hope I am not proven wrong any time soon.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

500,000 Dead And Maimed

Now that Ukraine has taken a backseat to the other ‘war’ across the pond the news seems to glaze over much of the reports coming out of that conflict.

Of course we in the West get the news when it is something dire that could push more money to start flowing again into Ukraine.

Like this recent report….

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned allies on Saturday that an “artificial deficit” of arms for his country risks giving Russia breathing space, highlighting the need for artillery and long-range weapons after his military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka, “the first major gain Russian forces have achieved since May of last year,” reports the New York Times. Zelensky spoke to the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of security and foreign policy officials, per the AP. Ukraine is back on the defensive against Russia in the nearly two-year-old war, hindered by low ammunition supplies and a shortage of personnel. “Ukrainians have proven that we can force Russia to retreat,” Zelensky said. “We can get our land back, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin can lose, and this has already happened more than once on the battlefield.”

See a report for the spending of more US dollars.

But let’s think about what has happened as a result of 2 years to basically total war in Ukraine.

As we approach the second anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, it’s worth reflecting on who bears the main responsibility for the subsequent “inter-imperialist US-Russia proxy war,” an epic slaughter that produced 500,000 deaths and injuries so far and more than 300,000 fatalities (exact figures are hard to come by).

As we approach the anniversary could all this death and destruction could have been avoided?

Yes it could have been.

The Ukraine War could have been averted if Ukraine’s Western tool of a president Volodymyr Zelensky had said just five words after being elected in 2019:  “Ukraine will not join NATO.”

Five words versus 500,000 casualties.

Think about that.

As Benjamin Abelow pointed out in his short, expertly crafted, and Noam Chomsky-endorsed 2022 bookHow the West Brought War to Ukraine, the standard Western narrative claiming that Putin is “an insatiable, Hitler-like expansionist who invaded Ukraine in an unprovoked land grab” is complete nonsense. The real cause of the February 2022 invasion that led to the war was the misguided and reckless policy direction taken by Washington and its imperial tool NATO over the last three decades.

500,000 Dead and Maimed in Ukraine, Enough Already

Sorry but it is time for peace….or there will be nothing left of Ukraine for Zelenskyy to rule….

The mass slaughter on both sides in this long battle was a measure of the strategic value of the city to both sides, but it is also emblematic of the shocking human cost of this war, which has degenerated into a brutal and bloody war of attrition along a nearly static front line. Neither side made significant territorial gains in the entire 2023 year of fighting, with a net gain to Russia of a mere 188 square miles, or 0.1% of Ukraine.

And while it is the Ukrainians and Russians fighting and dying in this war of attrition with over half a million casualties, it is the United States, with some its Western allies, that has stood in the way of peace talks. This was true of talks between Russia and Ukraine that took place in March 2022, one month after the Russian invasion, and it is true of talks that Russia tried to initiate with the United States as recently as January 2024.

https://original.antiwar.com/mbenjamin/2024/02/21/after-two-years-of-war-in-ukraine-its-time-for-peace/

Nobody cares about who has died or why just that Putin is being confronted and the US has a permanent bad guy to blame everything on.  Most people cannot see past their chest thumping bullsh*t.

At what point is enough enough?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Are Nukes In Space a Real Threat?

The blogosphere is a light with news and opinions on a new ‘threat’.

Recently a report came out the we had a ‘serious national security threat’….and of course I had to write and give my opinion….

Just a subtle reminder….

“A Serious National Security Threat”

I think it was a GOP ploy to game the system….but a smarter person than me had a different take on the news….

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said he is “skeptical” of the threat posed by the development of a Russian anti-satellite capability in a recent interview on CNN.

“[I]n terms of destroying another satellite, like I said, there [are] already ways to do that. There are these… what they call kinetic kills, where you can take a missile, no explosives necessary at all, because the satellite’s already moving 18,000 miles an hour,” Tyson said in the interview with CNN’s Abby Phillip.

“All you have to do is get in its way, and the thing explodes,” Tyson continued. “Russia’s done it, China’s done it, we’ve done it, India has done it. So… and then you can target the satellite at will. If you’re stuck in orbit, you might not be near a satellite that you wanna take out. You have to wait until the orbits line up… just seems so inefficient. So, I’m just skeptical of how dangerous this thing can be, relative to everyone’s emotions attached to it.”

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby also said Thursday that the anti-satellite capability wasn’t “active” or deployed yet, but called Russia’s pursuit of it “troubling.”

“We’re not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack human beings or cause physical destruction here on Earth,” Kirby said. 

(thehill.com)

While Tyson is correct I still like my opinion better (of course I would) the timing of the announcement was suspect to aid in the passing of the multi-million dollar aid package for Ukraine (and Israel and Taiwan).

These slugs in Congress will try anything to con people into following their lead.

I’m finished now…..but I may return if news warrants more of my opinionated stuff.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Starlink Goes Russian

Surely you have heard of Elon Musk’s SpaceX….did you know the SpaceX also makes and sells the Starlink satellite dish system?

I bring this up because even with Western sanctions on technology the Russia soldier is buying up Starlink systems.

It’s not just a few Russian soldiers using SpaceX’s Starlink system here and there, according to the Ukrainian government. Instead, the country’s military intelligence chief claims that Russian military units are using “thousands” of Starlink dishes in occupied areas of Ukraine.  

The allegation comes from Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, who spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the threat of Russian troops using Starlink to communicate on the battlefield. 

The SpaceX technology was once exclusive to Ukraine, including the country’s military, becoming a vital way for the country to supply broadband on the frontlines. But according to Budanov, “Russian army units down to company level” have been buying Starlink dishes from Russian private vendors, who source the satellite technology from intermediaries. 

Budanov made the statements as Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has been releasing audio recordings intercepted from Russian soldiers talking about using Starlink. In one recording, a Russian occupier mentions a convoy acquiring the Starlink hardware from Arab suppliers. In addition, a number of Russian vendors have been spotted openly selling Starlink units online, often for around $3,000 per dish. 

https://www.pcmag.com/news/ukraine-russian-soldiers-are-using-thousands-of-starlink-dishes

I have questions….like where is the Russian soldier getting that extra $3000 from….or is this a propaganda ploy by Ukraine to punish Musk for his half-ass comments about Russia?  Does Musk know about this or does the cash mean more to him? (Do not answer it is the later)

This is just another example of why I say sanctions are a worthless endeavor….there will always be someone that will get the sanctioned country the stuff they need……maybe Musk is doing just that.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“A Serious National Security Threat”

I awoke yesterday to “a serious national security threat”….WTF?

Of course I had to dig to find out what was so serious.

Moments after the Senate bill to provide cash for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan went to the House a convenient threat was announced…. a “serious national security threat” is on the horizon….and as it were it is Russia.  The announcement was made by GOPer Mike Turner….

“I am requesting that President Biden declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat,” Turner continued.

That statement was followed a short time later by a letter from Rep. Jim Himes, a Democrat from Connecticut, who called the issue an “urgent matter” about “a destabilizing foreign military capability that should be known by all congressional policymakers.” But, again, Himes didn’t provide any details and only set off hours of speculation on Capitol Hill about what it could involve.

The intelligence reportedly involves “Russians wanting to put a nuclear weapon into space,” according to ABC News. If that seems relatively underwhelming, it gets even weaker when it’s clarified that Russia’s desire for nukes has nothing to do with dropping them from space onto targets on Earth. Apparently, Russia wants to put the nukes in space to “possibly use against satellites.”

(gizmodo.com)

Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, made a vague public warning on Wednesday about an unspecified “serious national security threat,” prompting accusations that he did so to pressure the House to pass the $95 billion foreign military aid bill that just made it through the Senate.

US officials later told the media that the “unspecified threat was related to Russian space capabilities and a plan to develop a nuclear weapon that can target satellites.

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) wrote a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) calling for an inquiry into Turner’s decision to release the information.

Ogles said Turner likely did so to bolster support for passing new aid for Ukraine and for extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows mass warrantless surveillance of Americans. Section 702 was due to expire but was extended by the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act until April 19.

A cryptic request that led to House Speaker Mike Johnson later assuring reporters there is “no need for public alarm” on the matter. Two Democrat representatives also said there’s no “imminent danger right now” and that “people should not panic,” Axios reports.

Seriously?

No one is for sure of anything that Russia is up to right now…..a lot of supposition little fact.

This whole thing is about wanting to scare the House into passing the massive aid package from the Senate.

Funny how that works.

It is all a game funded by special interests and dark money.

I say screw those countries and move on to something important like the cost of meds for Americans….especially seniors that live on a fixed income.

But that is just me!

I have a hard time taking anything that comes out of our Congress seriously.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”