Putin Recognizes Donbass Republics, Sends Russian Military to 'Denazify' Ukraine

Some in Ukraine claim they can construct crude nuclear weapons (lower yield than the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombs):

Just asking Russia to destroy them. Wishful thinking psychopaths
 
The general leitmotif of my message today is the difficulties of the occupiers.
Indeed, what can an American teach? They fought many wars and were occupiers everywhere, according to their experience, they teach ukrops.
"Do not take food even from Ukrainians": The instruction of an instructor from the United States revealed the real attitude towards the Armed Forces of Ukraine
An instructor from the United States taught the Armed Forces of Ukraine not to take food even from Ukrainians and always carry a weapon with the safety off, Ukrainian prisoner of war Igor Martynenko told RIA Novosti.

A Ukrainian born in 1975, originally from the Mykolaiv region, was mobilized on May 15, 2023, in August of the same year he deserted from the Ukrainian army and hid in the frontline zone for a year and a half.

According to the prisoner, the servicemen of the 37th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were trained by an instructor from the United States.

"They told me how to behave with the population, that you can't drink anything, eat anything, do not take anything in your hands, even if it's mine, I'm Ukrainian, and I'm in Ukraine, I was forbidden to drink water, that I could be reset (killed — ed.)," Martynenko told the agency.

He also added that the instructors asked to always walk in full gear, with weapons at the ready and with the safety off, which caused conflicts with the local population.
https://rusvesna.su/news/1731662625

Low-quality weapons and ammunition, unfortunately, this is a commonplace, applies not only to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. However, if in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation such a problem manifests itself mainly in the form of the inability to conduct targeted artillery fire with North Korean ammunition due to poor calibration of powder charges of artillery ammunition, but at the same time it is possible to shoot, so to speak, "in areas", the Ukropian problems with this are much more serious. For example, from the very beginning of the fighting, the Ukrainian-made Molot mortar has significantly thinned the ranks of the Ukropian mortars. The rupture of the barrel when fired from this mortar became simply systematic. Also, ATGM missiles, as well as mortar mines, falling and exploding immediately after departure from the barrel, are quite common.
We were maimed by Polish bullets, — AFU soldier

The Ukrainian military, recruited into the Armed Forces of Ukraine from places of detention, were given Polish ammunition at the training ground, which could explode in the barrel and injure a person, Maxim Musiets, a captured soldier of the 58th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who fell into the Ukrainian troops from the colony, told RIA Novosti.

"There were moments at the training ground when the muzzle and the gas box burst during shooting practice, because we were given Polish cartridges. And the same thing happened with machine guns. These cartridges simply exploded in the barrel," says the prisoner.

The injuries received from defective Polish ammunition were not officially recorded by the AFU command, says Musiets.

"There were injuries at the training ground. Some moments were recorded, it was written on paper that the person was injured. And some moments were simply hidden, and people did not even go to the hospital," the prisoner continues.

Musiets said that his friends had their fingers torn off when using a NATO machine gun with Polish ammunition.

"Polish cartridges were for the AKM, the Swedish machine gun, and we even had a Browning (American M2 Browning machine gun - ed.). These machine—gun cartridges (Polish - ed.). And there was a moment when even the guys' healthy fingers were torn off when they pressed fire — their fingers were chopped off," he explained.
https://rusvesna.su/news/1731734590

Общий лейтмотив моего сегодняшнего сообщения- трудности оккупантов.
В самом деле, чему может научить американец? Они вели много войн и везде были оккупантами, соответственно этому своему опыту они и учат укропов.
Некачественное оружие и боеприпасы это, к сожалению общее место, касается не только ВСУ, но и ВС РФ. Однако, если в ВС РФ такая проблема проявляется в основном в виде невозможности вести прицельную артиллерийскую стрельбу Северокорейскими боеприпасами из-за плохой калибровки пороховых зарядов артиллерийских боеприпасов, но при этом не прицельно, так сказать "по площадям" стрелять вполне можно, укропские проблемы с этим гораздо более серьезные. Например, с самого начала боевых действий миномет Молот украинского производства изрядно проредил ряды укропских минометчиков. Разрыв ствола при выстреле из этого миномета стал просто систематическим. Также ракеты ПТРК как и минометные мины, падающие и взрывающиеся сразу после вылета из ствола, довольно частое явление.
 
Leaked UK documents suggest that the denazification aspect of the SMO may be a long and difficult police operation, as the Western powers, have already been formulating stay-behind terrorist networks. Even if the Russians achieve some form of operational victory, this will be a difficult bunch to root out and destroy. The other take-home message is that the UK war hawks and 'sideways thinkers' seem prepared to continue the Ukraine nonsense unilaterally, even if Trump reduces or ends American participation.


Leaked files show top UK military figures conspired to carry out the Kerch bridge bombing, covertly train “Gladio”-style stay-behind forces in Ukraine, and groom the British public for a drop in living standards caused by the proxy war against Russia.

Emails and internal documents reviewed by The Grayzone reveal details of a cabal of British military and intelligence veterans which plotted to escalate and prolong the Ukraine proxy war “at all costs.” Convened under the direction of the British Ministry of Defense in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the cell referred to itself as Project Alchemy. As British leadership sabotaged peace talks between Kiev and Moscow, the cell put forward an array of plans “to keep Ukraine fighting” by imposing “strategic dilemmas, costs and frictions upon Russia.”

The leaks obtained by The Grayzone expose a hidden hand behind Britain’s policy in Ukraine, showing in unusually granular detail how it aimed to engineer a long, grinding war through covert operations that stretched the bounds of legality.

Project Alchemy’s proposed schemes spanned every conceivable field of warfare, from cyber attacks to “discreet operations” to outright terrorism. The secret cell even put forward a plan to “aggressively pursue” and “dismantle” independent media outlets – including The Grayzone – through an aggressive campaign of legal harassment and online censorship, so they “would be forced to close.” The incendiary blueprints were fed to the highest levels of the British state and national security structure, where they were apparently well-received.

Founded by a senior British Ministry of Defence official, Project Alchemy is composed of veteran military and intelligence operatives united by a desire for all-out war between the West and Russia. Some have trained Ukrainian forces in clandestine sabotage tactics.

Members of the national security cabal tacitly acknowledged that their proposed operations stretched the bounds of British law. Thus they suggested that London should be “prepared to creatively use the law” to meet its goals, and even be willing to erase “legal restrictions on UK deniable ops” against Russia.

Some of Project Alchemy’s most extreme recommendations have already been implemented, often with calamitous results. These include the cell’s proposal to strike Crimea’s Kerch Bridge, which prompted a Russian escalation that saw punishing attacks on Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure. Alchemy also envisioned the construction of a secret, Gladio-style army of Ukrainian partisan fighters to carry out assassination, sabotage, and terror missions behind enemy lines.

It appears the British premier, Keir Starmer, fell under the influence of the Project Alchemy cabal soon after his election in July, when he eagerly embraced the role of “wartime prime minister.” After pledging to support Ukraine “as long as it takes,” however, Starmer is quietly backing away from the maximalist policy. In Kiev, Ukrainians are left to ponder how their “friends” in London got them into this mess, and why they can not, or will not get them out of it.

The British spooks who gathered around Project Alchemy reasoned that the longer the proxy war continued, the more Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “credibility at home and abroad drops, and his ability to fight NATO is degraded.” Today, Project Alchemy’s gambit has clearly backfired, as Putin remains popular within Russia, while a crumbling Ukrainian army loses territory by the day despite constant re-arming by the West. But the war planners in London remain staunchly committed to escalation, refusing to shelve their diabolical proposals.

Britain takes ‘unilateral lead’ on ‘regime change’ in Russia​

Project Alchemy was founded on the personal orders of Lt. General Charlie Stickland, who is charged with “planning, executing and integrating UK led joint and multinational overseas military operations” as the head of Britain’s Permanent Joint Headquarters. Stickland boasts in leaked communications that his family “come from a long line of pirates and buccaneers.” In his email signature, the general identifies himself as an “LGBTQ+ Advocate” in rainbow-colored text.

Stickland and his assistant, Maj. Ed Harris, did not answer The Grayzone’s calls to their personal phones, nor did they respond to detailed questions submitted to them through WhatsApp.




Stickland convened the first meeting of Project Alchemy’s on February 26, 2022, just days after Russian troops made their initial foray into Ukraine. According to minutes of the gathering, “an assortment of leading academics, authors, strategists, planners, pollsters, comms, data scientists and tech” was on hand to produce a “grand strategy options paper.”

The paper consisted of a series of proposals for the British government to “defeat Putin in Ukraine and set the conditions for the reshaping of an open international order of the future.” Throughout the document, the need to “keep Ukraine fighting” was described as London’s “main effort” in the conflict.

In an email to British military apparatchiks dated March 3 2022, Stickland described Alchemy’s paper as the result of “some mischief I’ve been up to” with “a group of ‘sideways thinkers.’” He expressed satisfaction that “this has been seen by all sorts of people,” including senior British government and military officials, “and landed well.”

Project-Alchemy-Strategic-Thinkers.jpg
An Excel document listing potential and confirmed recruits for the effort, authored by project chief Dom Morris, names a number of individuals from the private sector and academia alongside high-ranking army officials. Currently a fellow at King’s College’s “Centre for Grand Strategy,” Morris was listed in the document as a “civilian leader.” The role of “military leader” was to be carried out by Simon Scott, a brigadier in the British army who was appointed O.B.E. in 2013 for his “gallant and distinguished services” in Afghanistan.

Alchemy-staff.png


Information operations were to be headed by a still-to-be determined member of Britain’s 77th Psychological Operations Brigade. Also listed as a participant in information operations was longtime British psychological warfare operative Amil Khan, founder of the “counter-disinformation” analysis firm Valent Projects.

In 2021, The Grayzone revealed how the then-Prince of Wales, King Charles, enlisted Khan’s Valent Projects to astroturf a pseudo-socialist YouTube influencer to attack skeptics of the government’s ham-fisted response to Covid. Previously, Khan participated in the UK Foreign Office’s program to foment regime change in Syria.

Months after Alchemy put Khan forward as a member of its team, The Grayzone exposed him for plotting with celebrity-left journalist Paul Mason to destroy this publication. One leaked email showed Khan proposing a “full nuclear legal [attack] to squeeze [The Grayzone] financially.” The newly-uncovered documents indicate the decision to assail The Grayzone was met with approval from the highest ranks of the British government.

‘Ukraine’s Next Chapter – Elders Grand Strategy Options Paper’​

Within Project Alchemy’s covert war room, the obsession with a long war quickly took hold. Members of the cell took their cues from a policy paper Stickland attributed to “The Elders,” which he described as “a group of Fusion players,” referring to the strata of academics and defense industry figures with strong ties to the British military.

An Alchemy document composed under Stickland’s watch and titled, “Ukraine’s Next Chapter – Elders Grand Strategy Options Paper,” suggests that members of the cabal had convinced themselves a “palace coup” inside the Kremlin was inevitable. So long as Russia struggled inside Ukraine, they believed, British intelligence would be granted “the opportunity to challenge” Moscow’s ever-growing “stature as a competent international actor” on the world stage.

“A long war against a small state makes [Putin] look a fool,” the Alchemy paper asserted. “He is obsessed by the end of Ghaddafi – he will want to avoid that… Pressure will pile on from oligarchs as a long war drags on – he will not want to give them excuses to threaten his authority.” The group reasoned that “a long war will affect [Putin’s] international credibility,” as “a failure to quickly defeat Ukraine will seriously… reduce his credibility with new rich friends in Belarus, Hungary, China, India, Middle East, Brazil etc.

“Most importantly,” protracted Russian involvement in Ukraine “will embolden NATO,” Alchemy argued. Convinced that Putin would fail in the eastern Donbas region, triggering a collapse of his government, Project Alchemy members openly fantasized about absorbing Russia into the Western-dominated financial order afterwards under the guise of a “Post Putin Marshall Plan.” Of particular interest was London’s “re-engagement” with Moscow “in global energy and commodity markets,” a seeming reference to the West’s desire for cheap Russian gas and wheat.

“Discreet operations”: reviving ‘Operation Gladio’ terror ops in Ukraine​

To accomplish the balkanization of Russia, Project Alchemy’s plotters took inspiration from Operation Gladio, a CIA and NATO-orchestrated covert operation that saw fascist paramilitaries carry out false flag terrorist attacks across Western Europe after World War II in a bid to prevent communism from taking root.

A section detailing potential “discreet operations” in Alchemy’s strategy paper, which stressed the “need to intervene in every way except ‘official,’” explicitly recommended “Stay-behind Gladio handbooks/ Partisan Pamphlets” which would be “updated for Information Age.”

Gladio.png


Another move Alchemy proposed was to deploy Britain’s “strong” private military [PMC] industry “to out Wagner, Wagner.” In other words, the group aimed to establish a British rival to the Russian mercenary force founded by the now-deceased commander Yevgeny Prigozhin. This objective required the formulation of “a new doctrine, operating concept, and legal framework, for effectively integrating the activities of PMCs and other [non-military] actors.” Under these guidelines, British mercenary firms capable of using “sophisticated weaponry like SAMS, cyber, combat air, drones” would be employed to “operate and train and accompany Ukraine formations.”

These operations were all intended to ultimately be “sponsored and commanded” by the UK government, “using discreet cover” to avoid triggering NATO’s Article 5.

Following the production of their grand strategy paper, Stickland invited his team of “sideways thinkers” at Project Alchemy to submit further proposals for Gladio-style operations. Among the pitches that arrived was a “mission” to “disable the Kerch Bridge in a way that is audacious, and disrupts road and rail access to Crimea and maritime access to the Sea of Azov.” The blueprints of this highly provocative plot were exposed by The Grayzone in October 2022, in the immediate aftermath of the truck bomb attack that crippled the Kerch Bridge.

Alchemy’s team also produced a PowerPoint presentation entitled, “Training a Ukrainian Commando Force to restore Maritime Sovereignty – Elders,” outlining plans to construct a 1,000-strong Ukrainian commando force “trained in Britain by military veterans equipped with British equipment” to “degrade the Russian Navy and open another flank in the fight for Kherson and the south of Ukraine.”

commandos.png


Alchemy’s team had been working on the plan for at least three months by the time of the presentation’s submission. “Ukrainians abroad and volunteers inside Ukraine” had already been recruited, in advance of 12 weeks basic training “in the use of all troop weapons including mortars, anti-tank missiles, sniper craft, cliff assault, small craft training, demolitions,” the proposal stated.

knife-powerpoint.png


The plan called for formally integrating the commandos into the Ukrainian Navy. Alchemy boasted that the prospective force “will be a force multiplier and highly mobile,” while Russia’s “outdated doctrine will struggle with a highly motivated and well-equipped naval force conducting hit and run operations and targeting Crimea.”



Moreover, “individuals who are fluent Russian speakers and deemed suitable for covert undercover operations,” including “female operators,” would be “inserted into southern occupied Ukraine and Crimea for intelligence gathering and sabotage of key infrastructure targets.” They would be trained by MI6 officers. For this, Alchemy asked the British government for a total of £73.5 million. “The program is at a high state of readiness. We are ready to go,” the presentation forcefully declared.

The enormous sum was to be paid to Elders Services Ltd that was founded by Alchemy members and registered to an address just 15 miles from Fort Monckton, which was described by former MI6 officer Richard Tomlinson as “the SIS’s field operations training centre.” It is unknown how much money, if any, the firm received from the British government for resuscitating Operation Gladio in Ukraine. Elders Services Ltd shuttered in March 2023 after less than a year of operation, without filing financial accounts.

British spies call for ‘action’ against The Grayzone​

Behind the Project Alchemy team’s bravado was a sense that Western hegemony was crumbling on the icy borderlands separating Ukraine from Russia. Referring to the rising BRICS alliance, which gathered in Kazan, Russia this October to challenge the US-dominated financial order, Alchemy planners urged British leadership to “prepare for SWIFT II,” as SWIFT was “going to be destroyed” by the West’s anti-Russia sanctions, “slowly, but inevitably.”

According to Alchemy’s analysts, countries across the globe would naturally “see the need for a non-US alternative” means of safely parking their cash and trading. In a rare show of political sobriety, the British spooks predicted that sanctions on Russia combined with the Ukraine proxy war would impose higher prices on consumer goods and “hit British voters in the pocket.”

This posed “a threat to public support” for the British government’s “hard line” on Ukraine, they warned. “Domestic UK public opinion” would understandably get “fed up” paying more for everyday goods, meaning “pressure grows for a compromise.”

To prepare the British public for the coming storm, Project Alchemy’s plotters proposed what they blandly described as “information operations,” but which could be more accurately described as a blend of domestic state propaganda and malign attacks on disruptive media outlets.

The task they outlined not only included “[dismantling] Russian disinformation infrastructure” by pressuring social media to ban RT and Sputnik, but also targeting critical independent media like The Grayzone.

“A number of actions can be undertaken against these outlets. The most obvious is legal since the content of these media outriders is frequently in contravention of media law in the UK, US and EU,” Alchemy insisted.

“Aggrieved parties currently tend to ignore libel/defamation by these outlets. Were they to aggressively pursue these outlets, it is likely they would be forced to close.”

The Grayzone, it was claimed, had thus far “managed to obscure” its funding – a suggestion that this outlet is covertly funded by Russia or some other enemy state, which is completely false. The paranoid fantasies of British intelligence may explain why this journalist was quizzed on the subject by British counter-terror police when they detained and interrogated him at Luton International Airport in May 2023.

grayzone-elders-1024x509.png


Alchemy plotters seek to place Britain at lead of war with Russia

In addition to playing a leading role in media manipulation, Alchemy sought to place Britain at the forefront of the International Criminal Court’s agenda to investigate and prosecute the Russian government for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Alchemy suggested London “set international conditions, collection mechanisms and funding for collection of data and evidence” in the proxy conflict, and “provide all possible support, including intelligence” to the ICC “in its efforts to investigate war crimes,” just as British spies did for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Though not named in the document, high-profile British lawyers, including celebrity Amal Clooney, have since emerged at the forefront of efforts to prosecute Russian officials for war crimes, and establish an ICTY analog. As The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal reported, Britain played a critical role in the appointment of Amal Clooney’s mentor, Karim Khan, as ICC prosecutor.

Project Alchemy’s provocative proposals appear to have reached the desk of PM Keir Starmer in some form. At NATO’s 75th anniversary summit, Starmer issued his full-throated endorsement of deep strikes by the Ukrainian military into Russia. Echoing the aggressive language found in Alchemy documents, he pledged to “deliver £3 billion worth of support to Ukraine each year… for as long as it takes.”

But as the Ukrainian military’s offensive in Russia’s Kursk region falters, the Biden administration has distanced itself from the calls for striking into the Russian heartland. Fortunately for British leaders hellbent on taking the fight to Moscow, Project Alchemy has ensured that a platter of off-the-books options remains handy.

As Alchemy noted in its grand strategy paper, “The UK seeks always to act multilaterally, but is prepared to take a unilateral lead where achieving multilateral consensus might prove time-consuming or difficult.” Among the war’s covert sponsors, who were safely ensconced over 1,000 miles away from the front lines, it was firmly agreed: “we should attempt at all costs to keep Ukraine fighting.”
 
The day of authorization for the use of long-range missiles has arrived, and from what we can read in the article, in principle the authorization would be limited and the missiles would be used only to attack the supposed North Korean troops in Kursk (yes, of course, they are clearly trying to test the red line set by Russia).
Biden Allows Ukraine to Strike Russia With Long-Range U.S. Missiles
With two months left in office, the president for the first time authorized the Ukrainian military to use the system known as ATACMS to help defend its forces in the Kursk region of Russia
President Biden has authorized the first use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine for strikes inside Russia, U.S. officials said.

The weapons are likely to be initially employed against Russian and North Korean troops in defense of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of western Russia, the officials said.

Mr. Biden’s decision is a major change in U.S. policy. The choice has divided his advisers, and his shift comes two months before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office, having vowed to limit further support for Ukraine.

Allowing the Ukrainians to use the long-range missiles, known as the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, came in response to Russia’s surprise decision to bring North Korean troops into the fight, officials said.
Mr. Biden began to ease restrictions on the use of U.S.-supplied weapons on Russian soil after Russia launched a cross-border assault in May in the direction of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

To help the Ukrainians defend Kharkiv, Mr. Biden allowed them to use the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, which have a range of about 50 miles, against Russian forces directly across the border. But Mr. Biden did not allow the Ukrainians to use longer-range ATACMS, which have a range of about 190 miles, in defense of Kharkiv.

While the officials said they do not expect the shift to fundamentally alter the course of the war, one of the goals of the policy change, they said, is to send a message to the North Koreans that their forces are vulnerable and that they should not send more of them.

The officials said that while the Ukrainians were likely to use the missiles first against Russian and North Korean troops that threaten Ukrainian forces in Kursk, Mr. Biden could authorize them to use the weapons elsewhere.
 
Russia's response is a bit of a nothing-burger IMO, but what else is there to say? From Maria Zakhorova.

Moscow comments on Biden’s reported approval of strikes deep inside Russia​


“The president has expressed his opinion on this matter,” Zakharova told news outlet RBK on Sunday."

 
Russia's response is a bit of a nothing-burger IMO, but what else is there to say? From Maria Zakhorova.

Moscow comments on Biden’s reported approval of strikes deep inside Russia​


“The president has expressed his opinion on this matter,” Zakharova told news outlet RBK on Sunday."

Well, they just echoed what they had said already... which is... "this means war" there's truly nothing else to say.

But also, they probably also realize that this is a last attempt by the Biden administration to make a mess of things and make some money.
 
On the 'How are you feeling' thread, Forum member Tomiro recently posted the following (see: How are you feeling?)

While being pleasantly surprised, I'm thinking about this C session from 2022:

So are we already in 'remote' territory (he did survive multiple assassination attempts), or is it likely that some events will unfold between now and inaguration?

Although Trump is now US President elect, he won't be assuming office for another two months (20th January). Some Forum members have suggested that he might find himself walking straight into a crisis, perhaps an engineered financial crash. Afterall, the PTB presented him with the Covid (faux) epidemic last time round. However, could it be a war with Iran and Russia this time? Could the Neo Cons in Washington be setting up a confrontation with Iran whilst the malleable Biden is still the president leaving Trump to pick up the pieces? In rugby terms, this is what would be called a "hospital pass".
It could be my prediction of a hospital pass to Donald Trump is about to come true.

Joe Biden approves Ukrainian use of long-range missiles to strike inside Russia - reports​

Story by Lydia Chantler-Hicks

1731899247812.png

President Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine's use of US-supplied long-range missiles to strike inside Russia for the first time, according to reports.

The decision would allow Kyiv to conduct strikes deeper into Russia and would mark a major US policy shift, just as Mr Biden is about to leave office.

President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to limit American support for Ukraine and end the war as soon as possible.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday the missiles would "speak for themselves".

Two US officials and a source familiar with the situation revealed the significant change in Washington's policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict on Sunday, news agency Reuters reported.

Mr Zelensky later said in his Sunday evening address: "Today, many in the media are saying that we have received permission to take appropriate actions. But strikes are not made with words.

“Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves.”

The weapons are likely to be used in response to North Korea's decision to send thousands of troops to Russia in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, according to one source, AP said.

Mr Zelensky and many of his Western supporters have been pressing Biden for months to allow Ukraine to strike military targets inside Russia with Western-supplied missiles, saying the US ban had made it impossible for Ukraine to try to stop Russian attacks on its cities and electrical grids.

Some supporters have argued that this and other US constraints could cost Ukraine the war. The debate has become a source of disagreement among Ukraine's Nato allies.

Biden had remained opposed, determined to hold the line against any escalation that he felt could draw the US and other Nato members into direct conflict with Russia.

But North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to Russia to help Moscow try to claw back land in the Kursk border region that Ukraine seized this year.

As many as 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, according to US, South Korean and Ukrainian assessments. US and South Korean intelligence officials say North Korea also has provided Russia with significant amounts of munitions to replenish its dwindling weapons stockpiles. [MJF: Codswallop!]

Trump, who takes office in January, spoke for months as a candidate about wanting Russia's war in Ukraine to be over, but he mostly ducked questions about whether he wanted US ally Ukraine to win.

He also repeatedly slammed the Biden administration for giving Kyiv tens of billions of dollars in aid. His election victory has Ukraine's international backers worrying that any rushed settlement would mostly benefit Putin.

News of Biden’s alleged approval of the missiles came hours after Russia carried out its largest air strike on Ukraine in almost three months.

In the early hours of Sunday, Russia launched around 120 missiles and 90 drones in a "massive" combined air strike on Ukraine's energy infrastructure that killed at least seven people, Ukrainian authorities said.

“These attacks again highlight Ukraine's need for additional air defence systems from our allies," Mr Zelensky said at the time.

All I can say is nice one Joe!

And as if in lock step:

UK, France approve Ukraine's use of long-range missiles for strikes inside Russia, Le Figaro reports​

France and the U.K. have granted Ukraine permission to conduct deep strikes into Russian territory using their SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles, Le Figaro reported on Nov. 17.

This decision coincides with U.S. President Joe Biden’s authorization for Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles for strikes inside Russia, a significant shift in U.S. policy following months of hesitation.

Ukraine had received several long-range systems from its partners, including U.S.-made ATACMS, French SCALP, and British Storm Shadow, but was not permitted to use them against targets within Russian territory.

Ukraine's partner countries often cited fears of Russian escalation as a reason to withhold approval for firing the provided missiles.

The changes in policy from the three countries were long-awaited. Proponents of the decision have long argued that this authorization would significantly enhance Ukraine’s defence capabilities, especially with Russia increasing military offensives on many fronts, and intensifying drone and missile attacks in recent months.

***************************************​

Assuming Zelensky sanctions a strike with these missiles deep into Russian territory, this will cross President Putin's red line. If Russia then retaliates directly against NATO targets, Zelensky will get his wet dream of bringing NATO into the conflict and by doing so provoke World War 3 into the bargain.

At the end of the recent session dated 19 October 2024, the C's said:

A: Pay attention to last final messages. Things are really heating up. There are certifiable, insane persons in positions of power.

Well, I am convinced Zelensky is one of these.​
 
The planned multiplication of ukrops infrastructure by zero continues. Some "evil tongues" call this decommunization.
The large-scale shelling of almost the entire territory of Ukraine has become the most powerful in the last three months and has seriously damaged the country's energy infrastructure (PHOTO)

Russia has launched 120 missiles and 90 drones. The attack targeted energy infrastructure facilities across the country.

Explosions were heard in Kiev, Dnipro, Odessa, Zaporizhia, Krivoy Rog, Nikolaev, Vinnytsia, Transcarpathia (rockets rarely reach this region).

The attack severely damaged thermal power substations. Emergency blackouts have been introduced in some regions. Electric transport and water supply have been stopped in Odessa.

This is the first massive shelling of Ukraine for the first time since August. The country's authorities warned of the possibility of such strikes on the eve of winter. The extent of the destruction is still being assessed.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister calls today's shelling "one of the largest air attacks" on infrastructure.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the strikes, calling them a target of "critical energy infrastructure facilities and enterprises producing military products."
https://rusvesna.su/news/1731855214

A rabid clown, what will he achieve? A dozen or more missiles launched on the territory of Russia will not be forced Russia to surrender, nor will it force the use of nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine, it is simply useless, rather it will force Russia to move from words to deeds and finally shake up missile suppliers to Ukraine. The situation is fundamentally similar to the one that was immediately before the start of the SVO. NATO members, both the military alliance and almost all individually, have long mode no secret that they are preparing for war with Russia. At some point, Russia will realize that nothing can stop the preparation, and then the logical question arises - why wait until they prepare?
"The missiles will speak for themselves": Zelensky — on the US permission for ATACMS strikes on the Russian Federation (VIDEO)

Zelensky commented on the US permission to strike deep into the territory of Russia.

"The plan to strengthen Ukraine is a Victory Plan that I presented to my partners. One of the main points is the range of our army. Today, many in the media are saying that we have received permission to retaliate. But the blues are not stuck with words. Such things are not announced. The rockets will speak for themselves. Absolutely."
https://rusvesna.su/news/1731877112

Продолжается планомерное умножение укропской инфраструктуры на ноль. Некоторые "злые языки" называют это декоммунизацией.
Бешеный клоун, чего он добьется? Десяток, другой ракет, запущенных по территории России никак не заставит
Россию сдаться, как и не заставит применять ядерное оружие по территории украины, это просто бесполезно, скорее это заставит Россию перейти от слов к делу и наконец то встряхнуть поставщиков ракет на украину. Ситуация принципиально похожа на ту, что была непосредственно перед началом СВО. Члены НАТО, как военный альянс, так и почти все поодиночке давно уже не скрывают, что готовятся к войне с Россией. Россия в какой то момент поймет, что ничего не может прекратить эту подготовку и тогда встает закономерный вопрос- зачем дожидаться, когда они подготовятся?
 
Well, I am convinced Zelensky is one of these.
And the majority of the western political cabal. We're ruled by psychotic individuals entrenched in their deeply disturbed reality with no thoughts or feelings for anyone except themselves.
If this happens, the missile attacks on Russia. it will all depend on Mr Putin's response regarding escalation and WW3. I was if the thought that the west wouldn't want an all out war but who knows.
I would imagine Putin and his allies have plans in place and no exactly what they will do to respond to an attack.
Popcorn time again!
 
Emboldened by Biden'move regarding long range strikes, unsurprisingly France and Germany took the same step towards open war :

Paris, London authorize strikes inside Russia — newspaper​



PARIS, November 17. /TASS/. France and the United Kingdom have authorized the use of their long-range weapons to strike inside Russia, Le Figaro reported.

According to the newspaper, Kiev "will be able to use SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles for these purposes."

Earlier in the day, The New York Times reported that US President Joe Biden has allowed to use US-supplied long-range missiles, known as the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, to strike inside Russia.

The Pentagon, however, refused to comment on these reports, while the White House and the Department of State have not yet responded to TASS’ inquiry.

From the latest simplicius'article :

Trump takes office in two months and could presumably instantly roll-back Biden’s ‘deep strikes’ authorization, completely negating any effect by limiting their use to a tiny irrelevant time window.

The other thing is that Europe continues to crumble, with Macron having no favor at home, and Germany’s government now lacking a majority, with Scholz on the way out. Ukraine’s future vis-a-vis the mythical ‘European solidarity’ is on quite shaky grounds. Couple this with Russia’s now-resumed ‘Dark Winter’ campaign, and the next few months could be extremely rocky for Ukraine, particularly given the fact that Russia’s advances and territorial captures continue accelerating.

The new strikes authorization is presumably meant to tide Ukrainian societal morale over for a few months, with perhaps some kind of flashy ‘hit’ somewhere, that will be oversold as “devastating” to Russia, but it’s questionable how much mileage they can get even out of that anymore.

Remember: for the Storm Shadows to be fired “deep” into Russian territory, the F-16s—or whatever platform carrying them—would have to get almost right up to the Russian border, and risk almost certain shoot down by Russian patrol craft, long range AD, etc. The same goes for ATACMS—everyone just assumes it can hit max distance into Voronezh, but to do that the ATACMS would have to be right on the border. They learned the hard way what happens when they try that, as a slew of HIMARS trucks were destroyed not far from the border in the Kursk fiasco.

With stockpiles for both ATACMS, Storm Shadows, and even future-potential Taurus missiles scraping the bottom of the barrel, it’s not expected they could make any real mark.
 
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