Russia Begins Operations in Syria: End Game for the US Empire?

[DougEE]

Over two months ago, my computer automatically (without permission) downloaded Windows 10. I've been having a host of problems with it. A week and a half ago, it automatically downloaded an 18 minute upgrade.

If you notice, I rarely Post anything from RT - mainly because I get a 503 error and if I do get on the site, it freezes. Occasionally, I have problems with other sites. It uninstalled my Printer and messed up video to the point, I can't even watch short clips from local news and these are only some of the problems. I have had to log into my own account on several occasions - just so it can prompt me for a security question.

I wish I had the know-how but I don't. It's scheduled to be worked on, the first week of September.

If you want you can work on the other OS, for example "linuxmint.com/about.php". You would have everything you need to work, and you wouldn't be disturbed by unnecessary things and events, I hope.

If you install Windows 10, then better if you will do this after format with fresh start with Windows on CD or USB.

I agree wholeheartedly!
I switched over to linuxmint when Windows XP was discontinued and after a small learning curve I am so happy with this new system. NOT ONE virus infection and this is using the straight DVD installation, ie no anti-virus programs needed. I like the Cinnamon desktop the best (I've tried the others).

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Army’s General Staff of Russia: 1000 terrorist killed in Aleppo during the latest days

http://sana.sy/en/?p=85013

Moscow, SANA-General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation announced on Wednesday that the losses of the armed terrorist groups during the military operations south-west of Aleppo in the last 4 days reached at nearly one thousand killed and two thousand wounded terrorists.

“The operations also led to destroying 7 tanks, 8 armored vehicles, 29 weapons and cannons and 85 cars equipped with heavy machine guns,” Lieutenant General Sergey Rodskoy, Commander of the operations’ department at Russian General Staff said in a statement.

He added the seven humanitarian corridors specified to evacuate the civilians and gunmen who want to throw away weapon are still open and work 24/24 hours.

“A daily 3-hour humanitarian truce will start on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. in Aleppo to deliver the humanitarian aid to people,” Rodskoy said.

Russia’s General Staff: About 7,000 militants amassed on Aleppo approaches

http://tass.ru/en/world/893616

According to the Russian general, militants are pulling in additional forces from their controlled areas in the provinces of Idlib, Homs and Hama

MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/. Terrorists have concentrated about 7,000 fighters on the south-western approaches to the Syrian city of Aleppo together with armored vehicles and artillery, Head of the Main Operations Department at Russia’s General Staff Sergei Rudskoi said on Wednesday.

"The most alarming situation has developed on the south-western approaches to Aleppo where terrorists have created a grouping of about 7,000 gunmen over the week with tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, artillery and vehicles with armament mounted on them," he said.

This grouping continues to be replenished through terrorists’ reserves, he added.

"The militants are pulling in additional forces from their controlled areas in the provinces of Idlib, Homs and Hama," the Russian general said.

As was reported earlier, the Syrian troops left on August 6 their defensive positions on the territory of the compound of military schools in Aleppo. At the same time, they were able to prevent the delivery of ammunition and militants’ reinforcements to the city’s eastern part encircled by government troops.

On August 9, the Syrian troops again cut off the enemy from the corridor leading to east Aleppo.

Moscow and Damascus started a joint humanitarian operation in Aleppo in late July, opening several corridors for civilians and militants for exiting the city. The corridors are also being used to deliver food, medicines and essential items to Aleppo.

Hama: Terrorists Sustain Heavy Losses Near Mourek Town

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950520001428

At least 20 terrorists were killed in the Syrian army attack in al-Tavina village near Mourek town.

The terrorists' military hardware, including two military vehicles equipped with heavy machinegun were also destroyed in the Syrian army strikes.

In the Eastern countryside of Salamiyah, the Syrian army also killed scores of terrorists.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Syrian army soldiers and National Defense Forces, backed up by heavy fire of the army artillery units, struck ISIL's positions along a strategic oil pipeline in Eastern Hama and inflicted major losses and heavy casualties on the terrorists.

Syrian government forces hit ISIL's centers near hills parallel to the oil pipeline and pushed them away from their positions and restored more security to the pipeline and the Eastern side of al-Salamiyah town.

The Syrian military forces captured two positions in the Northeastern side of the village of al-Mofaker and Aqarib near the pipeline.

Also on Tuesday, the Syrian army continued its advances in the Northern part of Hama province, killing nearly two dozen terrorists in fierce clashes.

At least 20 terrorists were killed and their military vehicles equipped with machineguns were destroyed in the Eastern part of Morek region in Northern Hama.

Syrian Air Force Inflicts Heavy Losses on Terrorists in Homs Province

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950520001407

The Syrian warplanes hit ISIL's military positions in Jab al-Jarrah region in Eastern Homs.

Tens of ISIL terrorists were killed and wounded in the Syrian airstrikes on their military positions in Eastern Homs.

Earlier on Wednesday, Syrian army soldiers alongside National Defense Forces, backed up by the Russian fighter jets, stormed ISIL's centers in Eastern Homs and captured three more villages.

Syrian government forces took back the village of al-Mashirfeh, Rajm al-Sawan and Um al-Sahrij after hours of non-stop battle with ISIL.

Russian fighter jets played crucial role in army's advances in Eastern Homs.

Russian jets also pounded ISIL's centers in silos region and near Arak oil-rich region, Unq al-Hawa and Northeastern side of al-Quaryatayn Dam, destroying their machinegun-equipped vehicles, armored vehicles and missile launching-pads.

Syrian army and its allies are engaged in tough battle to take back two power plants near Arak in Eastern Homs, military sources said.

Syrian air force, for its part, targeted gatherings of ISIL in al-Habra al-Gharbiyeh, al-Habra al-Sharghiyeh, Unq al-Hawa, East of Rajm al-Qassr, West of Um Sahrij, Rahoum and South of Maksar al-Hissan, killing tens of terrorists and destroying many of their vehicles and positions.

Jihadist rebels suffer heavy casualties in failed Latakia counter-offensive

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/jihadist-rebels-suffer-heavy-casualties-failed-latakia-counter-offensive/

Latakia, Syria (11:00 A.M.) – The jihadist rebels of Jaysh Al-Fateh (Army of Conquest) launched a wide-scale counter-offensive in the northern Latakia countryside on Wednesday in order to recapture the territory they lost to the Syrian Armed Forces over the last 48 hours.

Launching the offensive from two different axes on Wednesday, the jihadist rebels attempted to bypass the defenses of the Syrian Armed Forces at Kinsibba and Jabal Al-Qal’at.

However, this jihadist offensive was over before it began, thanks in large part to the stiff defenses of Syrian Armed Forces.

According to the Desert Hawks Brigade field correspondent Eyad Al-Hosein, the Syrian Armed Forces did not give up one meter of territory to the jihadists; instead, they inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy units that were attempting to advance today.

As a result of the failed assault, the jihadist rebels were forced to retreat north towards the Turkish Hatay Province, as Syrian military choppers chased to the border.

Hezbollah drone pounds militant positions in Syria's Aleppo

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/10/479417/Lebanon-Syria-Hezbollah

The Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, has carried out drone strikes on foreign-backed terrorists in the northwestern Syrian province of Aleppo.

The War Media Center, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, tweeted on Tuesday that a "resistance-operated aircraft accurately struck several militant targets in the town of Khalsa," located in Aleppo's southern countryside.

The center further released a video showing the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hitting three targets, including a pick-up truck, a command post and a gathering center for the militants.

The footage is taken by a camera attached to the drone operated by Hezbollah.

In one scene, two bombs, which do not appear to be guided, were dropped over a target directly below the UAV.

It was the first time that Hezbollah acknowledged that it was deploying drones in its fight against the militants in Syria.

Hezbollah had previously used drones to target positions held by the Jabhat Fath al-Sham terrorist group – formerly known as al-Nusra Front – in the Lebanese town of Arsal.

The militants briefly overran Arsal in August 2014, taking several Lebanese army and police forces hostage, some of whom were executed. In December last year, most of the captives were released as part of a prisoner swap deal.

Lebanon is suffering from the spillover of militancy in neighboring Syria. Terrorists have been active on the Lebanese areas situated close to the Syrian border.

Hezbollah fighters have been assisting Syrian army forces inside Syria and have also fended off several terrorist attacks inside Lebanon.

Tuesday’s drone strikes come at a time of intensified fighting between Syrian army soldiers and terrorists over the strategic city of Aleppo.

Aleppo has been divided since 2012 between government forces in the west and the militants in the east.

Since March 2011, Syria has been gripped by militancy it blames on some Western states and their regional allies.

The Takfiri terrorists operating in the Middle Eastern state have suffered major setbacks over the past few months as the Syrian army, backed by allied fighters, has managed to liberate a number of areas.

Hezbollah releases spy photos of Israeli Army movements

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/hezbollah-releases-spy-photos-israeli-army-movements/

Hezbollah’s media wing released several photos of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday, showing the latter’s movements near the Lebanese-Israeli border.

The captured photos were taken by Hezbollah at the Meskafam Settlement, which is situated just south of the Lebanese border-village of Marjayyoun in Israel’s North District.

The photos above show 4 IDF soldiers operating near the border fence on the Meskafam Settlement.

While, it is not uncommon to see army soldiers operating near the Lebanese-Israeli border, Hezbollah’s intentions were expose the vulnerability of the IDF troops operating near them, should they choose to attack.

Hezbollah scouts likely took these pictures from the mountains that overlook the northern countryside of Israel.

This terrain is considered a thorn in the IDF’s side because these mountains in southern Lebanon provide Hezbollah a clear military advantage, thanks in large part to its steep hills that are protected by an array of dense trees.

Israel is to install five new police stations in al-Quds

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/10/479438/Israel-East-Jerusalem-Quds-police-stations

Israeli officials say five new police stations will be opened in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds despite international bans.

Gilad Erdan, a member of the Israeli cabinet, claimed Wednesday that the new stations will be installed to fill the gap between policing in western and eastern parts of the occupied Palestinian city.

“Over the years, a large gap has opened between the western and eastern parts of the city in terms of policing,” said Erdan, adding that Israel wants to erect the posts to exercise in full its long-disputed control over East Jerusalem al-Quds.

He said some 1,200 new police officers will be hired as part of a four-year plan that includes the construction of the five posts.

East Jerusalem al-Quds was occupied in 1967 and Israel later annexed it heedless of international condemnations.

The Palestinian Authority, which administers the occupied West Bank, views the city as the capital of its future state. Palestinians have also resisted numerous Israeli plans for exerting full control over the territory with the most recent one being an alleged move to change the status quo of al-Aqsa Mosque, a move which triggered clashes last October. More than 210 Palestinians, over 30 Israelis, and a number of foreigners have been killed in the violence since then.

A spokesman for the Israeli military later provided details about the new police stations. Luba Samri said the stations will be installed in Ras al-Amud, Jabal Mukaber, Silwan, Issawiya and Sur Baher, five neighborhoods with most recorded cases of clashes between the Palestinians and the Israelis over the past months.

Reports said the plan is being enforced despite the unwillingness of the Israeli forces to be deployed to the area.

Police official, Yuval Ben Ami, said some 200 officers had been recruited so far, but admitted that there were problems hiring officers “because some do not want to be deployed in the neighborhoods.” He said police seek to increase salaries as a draw.

 

[angelburst29]

“It is the rare fortune of these days that one may think what one likes and say what one thinks”. Tacitus, Histories of Tacitus.

Obama as Narcissist and Militarist
http://katehon.com/article/obama-narcissist-and-militarist

After Obama was elected President of the United States, during his first years in office, there were liberal British academics who praised Obama’s writing as similar to the ancient Roman consul, Cicero, who had distain for the Roman plebian class but was the darling of the middle class of Rome. Obama’s writings were praised in America and the Western world as being gems of literary brilliance, and the list could go on about his generous and kind personality, in which all this pandering to the man, we could say influenced those who awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize. Ironically, Obama would become the longest war president in American history, although he accepted the Noble Peace Prize without blushing. Barack Hussein Obama II will be remembered as one of those world leaders, who like previous demigods, political narcissists, and militarists in history, was able to hide behind the veil of duplicity, in this case the veil of neo-liberal democracy, as he moved forward towards his oligarchic aspirations. However, those who praise such men in their time, forget the more detailed aspects of comparing supposedly great men to so-called contemporary great men. Let us make some observations of Barack Obama that may be seen as contentious and controversial in our time. Let me write about what others are only thinking privately to themselves about the American President, Barack Obama.

What most American pundits, media journalists, and other well-meaning people who promote such men as Obama as a great statesman may not be aware of, is that a dubious recognition of any public man to be enshrined in history as a great man can be a tragic mistake, while the comparison of the second ‘great man’ to be similar to first historical figure can be farcical.

Cicero lost his life because he refused to understand Rome’s civil war as a class struggle, he played dangerous, political games with his various adversaries, and he would eventually be beheaded, while it was noted in history that Antony's wife Fulvia took Cicero's head, pulled out his tongue, and jabbed it repeatedly with her hairpin in a final act of revenge against Cicero's power of speech. It is true that Obama has the power of speech to enthrall the American bourgeoisie and national minorities of the middle class, who view him as a man who would keep them afloat in a declining American society. What they do not realize is that Obama’s silver tongue is vulnerable to his narcissism.

However, although there are those who want to give an illustrious cameo to Obama’s regime or administration, I would give this observation, and that is that Obama is more aligned with the fascist movements prior to World War II that believed in the corporate military industrial complex as the future for the Western World. Obama has a neo-liberal political ideology that is allied to the wealthy financial, American classes and military industrial complex, which also sees the potential for a world order that Mussolini could only dream of from a balcony in Rome. With this all being said about what I consider to be Obama’s general political pursuits, there is an Achilles’ heel in the man’s personality that reveals him to be closer to the Weimar Foreign Minister, Walther Rathenau, a German Jew and therefore a German minority, who mixed romantic literary philosophy with moderate liberal politics and who showed a distained for the early Soviet Government after World War I. Rathenau was eventually assassinated by a German right ultra-nationalist terrorist group, and Rathenau would vanish quite quickly into history as fascism in Germany gained ground over the German masses.

Obama, like Rathenau who attempted to build-up the German industry after Germany’s defeat during World War I, attempted to revise an America in decline and bailed out the American capitalist system in its crises by forgiving the corruption of the bankers’ scandal, which deprived of thousands of Americans of their life savings, and he also pursued trade agreements that would globalize American unilateral free trade agreements, which in turn threatens other emerging nation-states.

If Rathenau was a dogmatic, German nationalist, Obama is a mercurial, American nationalist, who although hated by the American right-wing nationalists, believes that through reactionary duplicity in foreign policy and waging endless war, he could achieve his political objectives and appease his right-wing enemies. In essence then, Obama is a mixture of past and contemporary, zealous world leaders who wanted power on their terms and only on their terms, not understanding how quickly the world would turn against them.

Obama is a narcissist and individualist who has carefully cultivated a warm, nurturing personality with an academic aloofness that he wanted the American people to accept, while at the same time moving the country towards a nation-state oligarchy. He has also methodically goaded the American people into a war with China and creating a hatred for Russia, while preparing for an ultimate invasion of that country with the assistance of NATO. Barack Obama, who in his early political days allowed himself to be groomed by the liberal, left wing of the Democratic Party, for a higher position than that of a United States Senator, would eventually transform himself into a political chameleon. Obama wanted the American presidency because it would allow him to hone his own vision of an American nationalist, corporate nation-state that would be wrapped in the political garb of neo-liberal democracy. Obama’s youthful years with his romanticism for Marxism died, when he entered the American world of material influence, with all its personal and political corruption, along with an innate urge for absolute power as envisioned in Washington.

One might ask, why would the author of this essay use the term “nationalist corporate nation-state” which has the odious smell to a reactionary ideal called nationalist socialism, when describing Obama’s political agendas? Why describe the workings of the Obama administration or regime in such a way? In the political sense, we could say that modern nationalist socialism is a military-industrial program that moves outward from the boundaries of a nation-state and seeks economic and territorial expansionism due to the leaderships’ attitude of seeing itself and its people as both privileged and exceptional.

In the early years of the twenty-first century, the Obama regime has transformed into an oligarch regime in the sense that multi-corporate, American leadership and the United States military complex have surrounded themselves around the presidency of Barack Obama to further their craving for more wealth and hegemonic power.

In this personal observation, I would say further that Obama is a Janus figure masquerading as a neo-liberal politician while at the same time manipulating the American people into his web of a corporate-military nation-state. Obama’s two-faced political posturing can be linked, as I have said previously, to the past of benign fascist dictatorships, but can also be understood in terms of a failed advancement towards the dream of American hegemony.

When one studies the speech that Obama gave to the West Point Cades

in May 2014, much is revealed about the shallowness of the man regarding his feverish nationalism which is wedded to the militarist jingoism in his political personality. I would like to quote in full a certain passage that reveal his condescension towards the rest of the world, and ironically how his boastfulness about ending war in both Afghanistan and Iraq came to nothing. Obama gave those remarks to the impressionable, West Point cadets by stating:

"Four and a half years later, as you graduate, the landscape has changed. We have removed our troops from Iraq. We are winding down our war in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda’s leadership on the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been decimated, and Osama bin Laden is no more. (Applause.) And through it all, we’ve refocused our investments in what has always been a key source of American strength: a growing economy that can provide opportunity for everybody who’s willing to work hard and take responsibility here at home. In fact, by most measures, America has rarely been stronger relative to the rest of the world. Those who argue otherwise -- who suggest that America is in decline, or has seen its global leadership slip away -- are either misreading history or engaged in partisan politics. Think about it. Our military has no peer."

In July of 2016, Obama admitted to the world after his trip to Poland that he would leave 3,000 more troops in Afghanistan than originally planned in his war against the Taliban and other Afghanistan nationalist groups. The CNN reporters wrote that “The decision means that Obama, who came to power vowing to concentrate on winning the war in Afghanistan, after what he saw as a diversion by the Bush administration into Iraq, will hand responsibility for America's longest war to his successor. And by adjusting his target for troop numbers, Obama was implicitly admitting -- despite insisting that U.S. forces had forged great progress in Afghanistan -- that the situation at the end of his administration was not as positive as he might have hoped”. Thus, it is admitted by Obama that he has failed to end the longest war in American history.

In June of 2016, Obama ordered an increase in U.S. Armed Forces personal in Iraq to fight ISIS, as the military situation against the terrorist group was losing ground. Obama is a Western leader known to vacillate between destroying, at will, individual terrorists or terrorist groups through what can be deemed illegal drone warfare, to then waffling on pursuing war as an art and science, thus making his Pentagon generals upset by his passive-aggressive tendencies in warfare. An American journalist wrote recently about Obama’s mixed signals on war against terrorism in writing that:

"The incremental U.S. troop growth is more of a White House strategy to wage war on the cheap—especially in a conflict that Obama hailed when all U.S. troops finally came home at the end of 2011. Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who chairs the armed services committee, called the latest deployment “the kind of grudging incrementalism that rarely wins wars, but could certainly lose one.” It has led to a fingers-crossed kind of fight, with the U.S. seeming to dispatch only sufficient force to handle an immediate need, until it’s no longer adequate—and then sending more. This tendency has generated ire among some U.S. military commanders, but the top brass has gone along with Obama’s desire to keep the U.S. military footprint in Iraq as small as possible."

Even if Obama gives mixed signals about his war strategy, or whether he is a man pursuing peace through war, what is obvious is that he is known as the” War President”. Much could be written, and will be written as history in the future, on how Obama helped to create an infused hatred towards America by supporting and arming his so-called moderate, rebel forces in Syria that attempted to end the rule of democratically elected Bashar al-Assad. What has long been apparent is that Obama and his American neo-liberal cohorts are anxious to control the Middle East at all costs, even if it triggers a regional war or a world war.

Obama has created the imperialist mantel for Hillary Clinton to continue her quest to destroy the nation-state of Syria, in her zeal to appease Israel. In an unclassified memo that Clinton wrote, we see her international, political designs, while she attempts to reach out to gullible and naïve American voters, evoking the idea that she is a presidential contender that avows to pursue a peaceful agenda in a nefarious and volatile world.

In her openly, callous words on Syria and its democratic leadership, she wrote in 2015:

"The best way to help Israel deal with Iran's growing nuclear capability is to help the people of Syria overthrow the regime of Bashar Assad… Bringing down Assad would not only be a massive boon to Israel's security, it would also ease Israel's understandable fear of losing its nuclear monopoly."

Obama, the Nobel Prize Winner, but who is actually a militarist in the imperialist sense, has endorsed a presidential candidate who envisions herself as a leader to wage war not only against Syria, but even against Iran or Russia, if such possibilities should occur.

Obama would have the American people believe that the American economy is becoming more productive, when in fact even if Americans are becoming more involved in the labor market, one has to ask how many jobs an American worker must hold to keep themselves alive, and what kind of working conditions must they endure in the fragile welfare of their health? It is these same Americans who give their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, to the American Armed Forces, and who without modern equipment to give them support on the battlefield, would be nothing but a third world military power. The United States does have peers that are capable of defeating them on the battlefield, on the seas and in the air, and that is the rejuvenated Russian Armed Forces and those maturing military forces of the Peoples’ Republic of China, who are posed to wage a People’s War in the South China Sea if necessary. In the smoldering political fires for self-determination in Eastern Ukraine, we should remember that it was the C.I.A., with the approval of Obama, that sanctioned the coup d’état against the legitimate Ukrainian Government, and which in turn has created the possibility for a wider civil war in that country which borders Russia. It is well known what the intentions are for such intervention, as Obama and some of his generals, along with their surrogate allies within NATO aspire to unconditionally surround and destroy Russia.

In the title of this essay, I use the word “Narcissist” to describe a characteristic behavior of Obama’s political personality. However, to make such a statement, I must be able to show how such a behavior or personality trait can be hidden from the public at large. Being a narcissist in the political sense does not mean the individual is mentally ill, but what it does mean is that such a personality can harm or even destroy the welfare of a people. Obama is a mirror of the American peoples’ will. Obama mirrors what the American people desire or desired for leadership. Now, in his West Point address, Obama stressed this kind of leadership through the term “Exceptionalism”.

"I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. But what makes us exceptional is not our ability to flout international norms and the rule of law; it is our willingness to affirm them through our actions. (Applause.) And that’s why I will continue to push to close Gitmo -- because American values and legal traditions do not permit the indefinite detention of people beyond our borders. (Applause.) That’s why we’re putting in place new restrictions on how America collects and uses intelligence -- because we will have fewer partners and be less effective if a perception takes hold that we’re conducting surveillance against ordinary citizens. (Applause.) America does not simply stand for stability or the absence of conflict, no matter what the cost. We stand for the more lasting peace that can only come through opportunity and freedom for people everywhere."

Obama did not close Gitmo prison camp; there are thousands of Mexicans immigrants in detention camps in the United States; and he has signed the Executive Order on Pre- and Post-Strike Measures to Address Civilian Casualties in U.S. Operations Involving the Use of Force in which it the first Section reads “Section 1. Purpose. United States policy on civilian casualties resulting from U.S. operations involving the use of force in armed conflict or in the exercise of the Nation's inherent right of self-defense is based on our national interests, our values, and our legal obligations” which in a word, is a contingency plan for dealing with an uprising among the American people. When Obama speaks of American exceptionalism, he is not only extolling extreme and primitive American nationalism, he is also expressing a reactionary persona that is a part of the “every fiber” of his being as he acknowledged. The tragedy is that his heritage is that of an oppressed African American peoples’ history, which he has done very little to change. The Black American working class has become a scapegoat, like the Jews and Slavic immigrants in Nazi Germany became when Nationalist Socialism became the order of the day. In essence through his political behavior and rhetoric which is subtly insidious, Obama expresses his narcissistic and militarist personality.

The killing machine that is part of Obama’s personality should not be ignored as he should be held responsible for the numerous civilians’ deaths in his drone attacks against terrorists or supposed terrorists overseas. There has been released a National Security Council (NSC) document in which it was revealed that:

“The White House staff for national security, exempt from review by Congress, plays a substantial role in the process for killing suspected terrorists, according to a newly released document on drone strikes. The 2013 document, known informally as the 'playbook' for Barack Obama’s signature counterterrorism operations, was released on Saturday by the justice department as the result of court requests by the American Civil Liberties Union. The playbook provides the closest look to date at the bureaucratic machinery of global killing that Obama will pass on to Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump”.

Such are the dangerous presidential candidates that the American people have to vote for, and which in part was created by Obama’s obsessiveness to dominate the world by his regime’s “playbook” which can only lead to war abroad and oppression in the homeland.

In closing in my observation on Barack Hussein Obama II, I recognize that I will not gain popularity from either the Left or Right in America, but then I always remember a commentary regarding anti-intellectualism in this country, and how complex opinions or studious observations do not take resonance with the American people, for as the French historian, Alexis de Tocqueville remarked “I know of no county in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion in America”.

There have been various copies of men like Obama in history, and he will not be remembered as an original in history.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Putin, Security Council discuss security measures in Crimea — Kremlin

http://tass.ru/en/politics/893699

The sides discussed anti-terror security on the Ukraine-Crimea border

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed with the Security Council members additional measures of ensuring security of citizens and infrastructure facilities in Crimea amid the terrorist attack foiled by Russia’s special forces on the peninsula.

"The head of state held an urgent meeting with the members of the Security Council to discuss additional measures of ensuring security of citizens and critical infrastructure facilities of Crimea amid the terrorist attack prevented by Russia’s special forces on the peninsula," the Kremlin press service said.

"The sides considered in detail the scenarios of measures of anti-terrorist security on the land border, in the water area and in the airspace of Crimea," it said.

The discussion also focused on the agreements reached at the international meetings of the Russian president with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey and Armenia. The participants also discussed the current Russian social and economic issues.

The meeting was attended by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Kremlin chief of staff Sergey Ivanov, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service Mikhail Fradkov, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and head of Russia’s Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday it has foiled terrorist attacks in Crimea plotted by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry’s main intelligence directorate. One FSB officer was killed during the operation to detain the terrorists. Later a serviceman of Russia’s Defense Ministry was killed as the saboteurs made a second attempt of intrusion. The terrorist attacks were designed to target critical infrastructure and life support facilities of Crimea.

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet to practice defending naval base against underwater saboteurs

http://tass.ru/en/defense/893704

The Russian Defense Ministry says the drills will be held under the command of Navy Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Korolyov

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. The Russian Black Sea Fleet will hold drills on August 11-13 to counter underwater saboteurs, the Defense Ministry’s press office said on Thursday.

"Assignments will be accomplished to repel an attack by underwater saboteurs from the sea at the Black Sea Fleet’s base," the ministry said in a statement obtained by TASS.

The exercises will be held under the command of Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Korolyov.

The maneuvers that are part of the program for preparing the Caucasus-2016 exercises will involve over a dozen warships and support vessels, as well as Mil Mi-8 and Kamov Ka-27PS helicopters.

As the Defense Ministry’s press office said, sailors will also practice searching for and removing mines and will provide assistance to a notionally distressed ship whose role will be performed by the small missile ship Mirazh.

"The fleet’s hydrographical service will practice a set of measures to deploy a base of maneuverable navigation reference points and mobile radio navigation systems on a coastline," the press office said.

Two Russian cruise missile-armed ships to hold exercise in the Mediterranean

http://tass.ru/en/defense/893732

The Serpukhov and The Zelyony Dol are armed with the Kalibr cruise missiles

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Two newest ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet armed with the Kalibr cruise missiles will begin an exercise in the eastern part of the Mediterranean in several days’ time. In part, they will conduct artillery and missile firing practice, the Russian Defense Ministry has told the media.

"Starting from August 15, 2016 a naval group will begin a tactical exercise in the eastern part of the Mediterranean. The group includes two newest missile-carrying ships The Serpukhov and The Zelyony Dol. Several logistic ships will be involved," runs an official statement obtained by TASS.

The Defense Ministry said the exercise is expected "to test the ability of naval forces to act in resolving terrorist threats-related crises."

In cooperation with the task force permanently present in the Mediterranean The Serpukhov and The Zelyony Dol will practice communication procedures, assistance to a ship damaged by an attack of hypothetical terrorists and interception of a ship carrying "militants," The Defense Ministry said.

Also, Black Sea Fleet ships will conduct "artillery and missile firing practice in conditions approximating real combat operations." The Serpukhov and The Zelyony Dol have already left Sevastopol. They are expected to return to base late August.

Earlier reports said that four ships - The Tatarstan, the Dagestan, the Grad Sviyazhsk and the Veliki Ustyug - will carry out missile and artillery exercises in the southwest of the Caspian on August 15-20. The plan for the exercise envisages tests of the naval personnel’s ability to act in critical situations posing threats to Russia’s military security, including threats of terrorist nature," the Defense Ministry said. The Dagestan, the Grade Sviyazhsk and the Veliki Ustyug carry the cruise missile complex Kalibr. They participated in dealing strikes against terrorist in Syria in the autumn of 2015.

Steinmeier Confirms Planned Meeting With Lavrov During Visit to Russia Next Week

http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160811/1044173510/lavrov-steinmeier-visit.html

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday confirmed plans to pay a visit to the Russian city of Ekaterinburg next week and a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

BERLIN (Sputnik) – According to earlier media reports, Steinmeier was set to visit Ekaterinburg on August 14-15.
“I do plan to go to Yekaterinburg next week, where I will read a lecture at the Boris Yeltsin University and hold a discussion with students. Of course, I will use this opportunity to meet with the Russian foreign minister. We have plenty of topics to discuss,” Steinmeier told the Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspaper.

According to the minister, Germany maintains regular communications with Russia.

“Without Russia, neither Ukraine nor Syria will see peace,” Steinmeier added.

Lavrov and Steinmeier last met in May at the Normandy Quartet foreign ministers meeting in Berlin.

On Tuesday, the two ministers had a phone conversation during which they exchanged positions on the crises in Ukraine and Syria.

Steinmeier Plans to Discuss Ukraine, Syria With Lavrov on August 15 in Russia

http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160811/1044175533/steinmeier-lavrov-meeting.html

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier plans to discuss situations in Ukraine and Syria on August 15 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg, a German Foreign Ministry source told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Steinmeier confirmed plans to pay a visit to Ekaterinburg next week.

"German Foreign Minister Steinmeier is flying this upcoming Monday to Ekaterinburg where he plans, among other things, to meet with his Russian counterpart Lavrov to discuss situations in Ukraine and Syria, as well as other international political issues," the source said.

Turkey, Russia favor speedy settlement in Aleppo — ambassador

http://tass.ru/en/world/893722

Russia and Turkey agree to intensify contacts on Syria within days

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Russia and Turkey created the basis for political dialogue on Syria on August 9, Turkish Ambassador to Russia, Umit Yardim, told a news conference on Thursday.

"The countries’ views cannot change overnight, even in a crisis situation," he said when asked whether Ankara’s stance on Syria has changed. "However, on August 9, we created a platform for a political dialogue. The settlement in Aleppo and other issues should be resolved as soon as possible."

"All the issues have been discussed, and we agreed to work," the ambassador added. "We agreed to intensify our contacts on the issue."

"Such meetings should be regular and are to begin as soon as possible, in the coming days," he said.

"We have different viewpoints on a number of issues, but we are united in seeking to preserve Syria as a single state and a single political structure in Syria," Yardim said.

Yardim noted that Moscow and Ankara have differences on the issue of the Syrian Kurdistan. "The positions of Russia and Turkey differ in this issue," he said. "But we discussed these issues earlier and on August 9, and will continue discussing this later."

Turkey agrees Syrian authorities may take part in political transition

According to Yardim, Ankara is not against the participation of the current Syrian authorities in the political transition process in the country.

"We want the country’s current political leadership to take part in this process," Yardim said. "We want the transition period in Syria to take place in the most peaceful way, without any new human tragedies," he stressed.

The diplomat said Turkey wants Syria to remain a single secular state within the current borders. "This is not only the position of Turkey but almost all the countries participating in the Syrian settlement," he said.

The Russian and Turkish presidents held their first talks on Tuesday after the 8-month freeze in bilateral relations following the downing of a Russian Su-24 jet by the Turkish Air Force last November.

Russia welcomes Turkey’s bid to discuss joint action against IS

http://tass.ru/en/politics/893855

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Moscow welcomes the statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu who said Turkey was ready to discuss joint action with Russia against Islamic State (a terrorist group banned in Russia), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Tass on Thursday.

"Of course, we welcome it," the diplomat said commenting on Cavusoglu’s statement earlier on Thursday. "We have always proposed consolidating our efforts in fight against Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (also banned in Russia) not only to Americans, but to all others, in the region and outside it," Bogdanov added.

"Of course, Turkey is a very important partner, and if they tend to fell this way, we can only welcome what Cavusoglu says," he said. "I think this is the result of contacts we had with our Turkish partners at the summit level and at other levels," the diplomat said.

"I think this is a very important statement," said Bogdanov, who is also Russian president’s special envoy for the Middle East and Africa.

Ankara is ready to discuss the possibility of a joint operation with Russia in Syria against the Islamic State, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told NTV television news channel on Thursday.

"Yes, the idea of a joint operation is still on table," the minister said replying to a query, adding that "despite a crisis in relations with Russia, Turkey at that time had continued calling for a mutual fight against IS".

"We all know where IS militants are located. We have always encouraged amassing joint operations against them," Cavusoglu said. "The Turkish Air Force will in the future take a more active part in operations against the Islamic State as part of the international coalition," he pledged.

The diplomat did mention problems with the use of Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base by coalition planes as a result of the recent aborted coup, saying "they all have been solved now".

Relations between Moscow and Ankara soured after an F-16 fighter jet from the Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian Su-24M bomber on November 24, 2015, which was on an anti-terror mission over Syria. On Tuesday, August 9, Russian and Turkish presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan held their first talks, resetting relations after an 8-month freeze.

Analysts: Militarization of South China Sea is fraught with risk of major war

http://tass.ru/en/world/893848

Reuters quotes US intelligence sources as saying Vietnam is moving its missile complexes to Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, disputed by China and three other countries

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Further militarization of the South China Sea, which Vietnam has now joined in thereby following in China’s footsteps, may cause skirmishes and fire exchanges, as well as internationalization of the conflict involving the United States’ Pacific Fleet, polled experts have told TASS.

Reuters quotes US intelligence sources as saying Vietnam is moving its missile complexes to Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, disputed by China and three other countries. These weapons are capable of hitting China’s facilities on neighboring reefs. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has expressed a strong protest. And US Department of State spokesman Elizabeth Trudeau has urged all parties to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea "to avoid actions that build tensions" and "to take practical steps to build confidence and intensify efforts that find peaceful, diplomatic solutions to disputes."

Islands of discord

The head of Oriental Studies at the Higher School of Economics, Aleksey Maslov, has explained why the islands in the South China Sea are an old-time apple of discord for countries in Southeast Asia. "For a long time the borders among the countries remained unmarked. In recent decades large offshore oilfields were discovered in the area. The country that enjoys jurisdiction over this or that specific island will be able to extract hydrocarbons in the 20-mile zone around it. Both China and Vietnam have the required technologies," Maslov said.

For China it is crucial to control the disputed islands in order to ensure the safety of shipping routes from the Persian Gulf that are used to deliver oil to China.

"This explains why Beijing is adamant to enforce its jurisdiction over islands in the South China Sea.

"Alongside China and Vietnam four other countries - Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines - lay claim to the islands. Behind the Philippines there is the United States. This explains why the Court of Arbitration in the Hague so quickly passed a verdict that was in Manila’s favor," Maslov said.

The Hague tribunal’s verdict is not mandatory, though. The fuss over the disputed islands is going on.

Maslov recalls that China and Vietnam have long been at odds over certain issues. Memories of the armed conflict of 1979 are still green in either country and historical and ethnic contradictions are still there.

"In the meantime, Vietnam showed active development over the past few years. Its economy has achieved considerable growth. In a situation like this Vietnamese society has seen growing domestic pressure on the authorities. It wants the government to take a harder line in relations with China to safeguard national interests, including territorial ones," Maslov said.

Just until recently, he explains, Beijing was hopeful its huge investment in the Chinese economy (up to 90 major joint projects are in progress there) would make Hanoi more pliable. "But Washington has outplayed China. Barack Obama has issued permission to sell newest weapons, including missile complexes, to Vietnam. Hanoi has apparently decided that military muscle is more important than Chinese investment," he believes.

US interests

"Although the US Department of State has expressed concern over the deployment of Vietnamese missiles in the South China Sea, in reality Washington is keen to see China surrounded by a mass of minor troubles," Maslov said.

"The United States finds fearsome China’s aggressive growth and its active penetration into the European economy. China indisputably rules the roost in Southeast Asia, but Washington argues that Beijing lacks the required degree of responsibility for playing such a role in the region and it is determined to stem Chinese expansion," he explains.

Skirmishes may evolve into large-scale conflict

Deputy director of the Moscow-based Institute for Political and Military Analysis, Aleksandr Khramchikhin, is certain that Hanoi’s rights to control the islands in the South China Sea are no smaller than China’s.

"But not a single country in Southeast Asia will be ready to go to war with China. Nor will the United States go as far as a confrontation with Beijing. But what if a party to the conflict takes a careless move and an unintentional launch of a missile follows? This may spark war," Khramchikhin speculates.

And Maslov warns that soaring tensions in the South China Sea are a hard fact. "Likely skirmishes and fire exchanges in attempts to enforce one’s jurisdiction over the islands may trigger an armed conflict. Should that happen, the United States may bring its Pacific Fleet to the area. The conflict will be internationalized, and this is something both China and Russia are firmly against. In that case Beijing will be faced with a rather stark choice," he said.

 

[angelburst29]

I'm absolutely "clueless" as to what the Pentagon is trying to achieve here - other than - complicating the situation in Syria?

The Pentagon has awarded a no-bid $10 million contract to a private intelligence company to fight ISIS alongside American special operations forces in Syria.

US Army To Use Private Contractors In Syria
http://yournewswire.com/us-army-to-use-private-contractors-in-syria/

This is the first time the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged using private military contractors in Syria, RT reports:

In a public announcement on July 27, the Department of Defense said it awarded an intelligence analysis contract to private contractor Six3 Intelligence Solutions, a cyber and signals intelligence and surveillance firm that is a subsidiary of CACI International Inc. The contract will require Six3 to assist US forces working against Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS or ISIL) within Syria.

Six3’s work pursuant to the contract will occur over the next year in Syria, as well as Germany and Italy, the Pentagon said. The DOD and CACI would not expand on the “intelligence analysis services” involved in the contract, The Daily Beast reported.

“This is no ordinary contractor,” Sean McFate, a former private contractor and author of Shadow War, told the Beast. “Six3 Intelligence Solutions is a private intelligence company, and the fact that we outsource a good portion of our intelligence analysis creates a strategic dependency on the private sector to perform vital wartime operations.”

According to US officials, there are about 300 US military special operations soldiers in Syria to “advise and assist” US allies fighting Islamic State, the militant group that holds territory in Iraq and Syria. In November, the Pentagon first announced that 50 US troops would operate in Syria. In April, the Obama administration said that around 250 more troops would be sent in “advisory” roles. The CIA has long operated and armed militants in Syria.

While the Six3 contract is likely the first public acknowledgment of private contractors assisting the US in Syria, experts suggest it is probably not the only contractor involved.

“I’ve long said, the military looks at professional services contractors like the old American Express commercial, i.e., they dare not leave home without them,” David Isenberg, a private security contractor analyst, told the Beast.

Four weeks prior to the Syria contract announcement, the Pentagon revealed that it had awarded Six3 a $28.61 million contract to provide intelligence services to US forces in Afghanistan.

CACI, the parent company of Six3, has been one of the top 30 contractors for the US government by amount of contract funds awarded in fiscal years 2012 through 2015. According to US military investigators, CACI employees were involved in interrogation and torture of prisoners held at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, more than a decade ago. Images of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib were released in 2004, becoming one of the biggest scandals associated with the US invasion and occupation of Iraq beginning in 2003.

Operation Inherent Resolve is the name given to military’s operation to combat IS in Iraq, Syria, and beyond. As of July 27, the US-led operation had conducted a total of 14,093 airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria. Of that total, the US conducted 10,826 of the strikes, according to the Pentagon.

From August 8, 2014, when airstrikes targeting the terrorist group began, to July 15, 2016, the operation has cost a total of $8.4 billion, or an average of $11.9 million a day.


Barack Obama Slips Up - We're training ISIS/ISIL
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fcc_1470933910

Another Pentagon deal:

The U.S. State Department says Riyadh can buy 153 Abrams tanks, 20 of which will replace ones destroyed in combat.

Saudi Losses in Yemen War Exposed by US Tank Deal
http://www.defenseone.com/business/2016/08/us-tank-deal-exposes-saudi-losses-yemen-war/130623/

The U.S. State Department and Pentagon Tuesday OKed a $1.2 billion sale of 153 Abrams tanks to Saudi Arabia Tuesday. But that’s not the real news.

Turns out: 20 of those tanks, made in America by General Dynamics Land Systems, are “battle damage replacements” for Saudi tanks lost in combat.

Even though the formal announcement of the sales does not say where the tanks were fighting, the Saudi military is believed to have lost some of its 400-plus Abrams tanks in Yemen, where it is fighting Iranian-backed Houthi separatists.

This revelation was tucked inside a benign Pentagon announcement of the deal, one that for the most part reads just like dozens of other arms sales approved each year. The announcement does not even mention the conflict in Yemen, yet it gives a glimpse into this wildly underreported war between Arab states, the U.S., and the Houthis.

While the secretive Saudi government has not formally disclosed its battles losses from its 16-month involvement with its neighbor’s civil war, videos posted on YouTube purport to show rebels blowing up Abrams tanks with Iranian-made rockets. A year ago, Houthi fighters reportedly destroyed two Saudi Abrams and captured others. In February, Iran’s state-run Fars News Agency reported that five more tanks had been destroyed.

The deal approved by the U.S. government this week also includes 20 armored recovery vehicles, which are used to fix broken or damaged tanks on the battlefield.

“The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to meet current and future threats and provide greater security for its critical infrastructure,” a Pentagon notice announcing the approval of the sale said. “The addition of these tanks and recovery vehicles to the [Royal Saudi Land Force] inventory will enhance Saudi Arabia’s ability to support its soldiers in the field and to defend the Kingdom’s borders.”

In most cases, the State Department and the Pentagon must formally notify Congress of major arms deals 30 days before contracts are finalized. Congress then has the opportunity to block the sale or take no action.

In addition to this Abrams tank deal, the State Department has approved two other sales to Saudi Arabia, $200 million for training, and $155 million for Gatling guns that defend ships from missiles — sending the week’s total value past $1.5 billion. Still, Riyadh’s 2016 shopping bill has a ways to go to match last year’s total, when State approved more than $20 billion in sales of ships, helicopters, missiles defenses, bombs and ammunition.

 

[Kisito]

Do you have information on the possible death of Guccifer pirate? The site "ChristianTime", says it was suicide, found hanging in his cell !

http://christiantimesnewspaper.com/breaking-romanian-hacker-with-access-to-clinton-emails-found-dead-in-jail-cell/
Another site "Station Zebra," which I do not know the origin, shows the affirmation of "ChristianTime" with a longer article. The two sites do not have seem very reliable.
However, here are poor but interesting translation. The lien.http: //vilistia.org/archives/10848

"The newspaper the Christian Times has learned that Guccifer, Romanian hacker who was currently detained on charges of hacking personal mail server Hillary Clinton, was" suicided "by hanging in his jail cell in Virginia. It is however well known that every prisoner as significant Guccifer is surrounded by a suicide draconian precautions to be impossible. But we are the United States, the country in which the oligarchs, the super rich and the elites in power are above the laws. the sudden deaths are becoming the norm when those involved have compromising information for Clinton.

We have seen that Guccifer, whose real name Marcel Lazar Lehel, was extradited to the US to face charges after openly admitted hacking repeatedly of Hillary Clinton mail server.

Lehel had said during his first interrogation, this server was "like an open orchid on the Internet" and that "it was easy ... easy to access for me, for everyone. "

After the FBI has "washed" the Clinton of all charges Tuesday morning, the FBI initially claimed that Guccifer had disappeared from his prison cell. Indeed, until his conviction Guccifer was imprisoned at the Detention Central Bureau (DCB), located in Alexandria (Virginia). 3 But when FBI agents tried to visit him on July 1, they were informed that he had been moved to a secret location in the evening of 25 May, that is to say (coincidence?) Some hours after a secret meeting between former President Bill Clinton and Attorney General of the United States, Loretta Lynch. We know since then that Bill Clinton when he was president, made massive files of blackmail against the US elites, including Loretta Lynch and his family.

Tuesday night, reports began to spread that the Romanian hacker was found after the evening dinner, hanging from a rope in his personal cell. Who provided the rope? Who helped him climb to hang himself? The FBI?

Comey, the head of the FBI in his statement Tuesday morning, hinted that among the "enemies" of Americans (We know that the Russians, Chinese Israelis have those emails) and individual players, only Guccifer was able read the contents of these emails because it has computer keys that protect them. That is why it would have been suicide.

But everyone knows that all those copies of the emails published by the parties, the Russians have already done, and the Americans had then accused the Russians to hack into US government computers. The response of the Russians was, we inform you that the pirate was detected by us, he is Romanian and here his name.

Romania being an infamous US colony, she was quick to deliver Guccifer the Yanks!

It is interesting to note that, to date, include the "clintoniennes" dead following:

1) White House under Bill Clinton, has faced allegations that Hillary and his staff were involved in the questionable suicide of an employee of the White House, Vince Foster in 1995.

2) The husband (Shahriar Zolfaghari) of the Prosecutor of the State of Georgia Camila Wright, who was investigating former President Bill Clinton Jeffery Epstein and co-founder of the Clinton Foundation, for sex charges on unmarried minor (pedophilia) was shot.

3) Hillary Clinton had been linked to the murders of Orlando pop singer Christina Grimmie and nearly 50 gay under false flag.

4) The former president of the UN, John Ashe, was found dead at his home by FBI agents who were to escort him to give evidence to a grand jury indictment of Hillary Clinton.

5) Guccifer hacker, who was able to hack all emails Hillary Clinton, was discovered "committed suicide" in his prison cell by American FBI agents.

It is increasingly likely that the murder of two young American blacks, and the shooting in "retaliation" against white cops in Dallas also be attributed to the Clinton-Obama mafia to divert the attention of Americans huge scandals of Hillary and Bill Clinton. "

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Four injured as helicopter makes emergency landing in Russia's Yamal

http://tass.ru/en/society/893939

A total of 17 servicemen were on board

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. Four people got injures as a military Mi-8 helicopters made an emergency landing in Yamal, press service of the Defense Ministry told reporters on Friday.

"During a regular flight, a Mi-8 made an emergency landing 55 km south-east of Vladimir-Nak (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District)," the ministry said. "On board the helicopter were 17 servicemen; during the landing four servicemen received moderate injuries."

The Defense Ministry said all the injured were taken to hospital in Salekhard. Nothing threatens their lives, the press service added.

Russian MP says Internet turned off in north Crimea for security reasons

http://tass.ru/en/politics/893885

On August 10, Russia's FSB said it prevented several terrorist attacks in Crimea planned by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. A Russian senator has said that Internet was turned off in the north of Crimea for security reasons.

"(Internet was turned off) for security reasons. Such measures are necessary first of all for security reasons, and people understand that," member of the Federation Council’s Committee on Defense and Security Olga Kovitidi told Dozdh TV channel on Friday.

Several media reported earlier that Internet was disrupted in part of north Crimea.

Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on August 10 that a group of saboteurs was detained on the territory of Crimea. FSB also said it prevented several terrorist attacks on the peninsula that were planned by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Chief Directorate of Intelligence. According to FSB, terrorist attacks were planned to target critical infrastructure in Crimea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the attempt of Ukrainian special services to sabotage the situation in Crimea is "foolish and criminal." He added that the aim of such plans was to divert attention from domestic problems and authorities that are robbing their people.

Russian military’s invisible ‘cloak’ to hide weapons & hardware from enemy radar

https://www.rt.com/news/355618-russia-military-invisible-cloak/

A Russian defense company has created a “cloak,” which it says can make electronic objects invisible to enemy radar. The aim of the fiber technology, which is used in the cloak, is to make weapons invisible to prying eyes and detection systems.

The St. Petersburg-based company Roselectronics has come up with the invention and says it can make weapons that use thermal, infrared, and electromagnetic radar in targeting invisible.

The technology works by placing the insulating object over electronic devices, which makes them undetectable.

“The main idea of the development is to create coverage that reduces radar visibility of the object both on the visible and microwave spectrums,” Georgy Medovnikov from Roselectronics told Ruptly, RT’s video agency.

Roselectronics believes the lightweight and flexible material can be used to protect armored vehicles, missile systems and warplanes. According to its creators, the material is unique in its ability to absorb radio-electronic signals and interfere with the distribution of electronic traces.

The fiber technology was developed at the request of the Russian Defense Ministry, which wants it to protect its radio and electronic equipment, which is used on land and at sea.

However, Medovnikov believes that the “invisible cloak” could have other uses in the future, away from the battlefield.

“Certain equipment which negatively influences a person’s health is used in medicine. Our material allows the minimization of this negative effect or to completely remove it,” he said.

Russian Aerospace Forces receive over 30 planes and helicopters in 2016

http://tass.ru/en/defense/893892

This year, anti-aircraft missile troops received new guided missiles for S-300 and S-400 defense systems

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. Over 300 units of weaponry, military and special air defense equipment, including over 30 aircraft, has been provided to units and formations of the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces since the start of 2016, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.

"Over 30 newest planes and helicopters were provided to Aerospace Defense Forces’ aviation units. Radio engineering forces’ divisions received modern radar systems capable of detecting air targets at heights from several meters to tens of kilometers," the defense ministry said. Anti-aircraft missile troops’ units received new guided missiles for S-300 and S-400 missile defense systems.

Newest fighters Su-35S, Su-30SM, multi-purpose Su-34 aircraft, Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-28N and Ka-52 were given to air regiments. Over 30,000 units of aircraft weapons were also delivered.

"In the framework of the state defense order, it is planned to deliver around 40,000 units of different weapons to the Aerospace Defense Forces this year," the defense ministry concluded.

Russia Rebuilding Military Airfields in Vietnam, Pacific Islands

http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160812/1044188167/russia-rebuilding-military-airfields.html

Former Air Force Commander said that Russia is rebuilding its Soviet-era network of airfields in Vietnam and the northwestern Pacific island of Matua.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia is rebuilding its Soviet-era network of airfields in Vietnam and the northwestern Pacific island of Matua, the country’s former Air Force Commander Army Gen. Pyotr Deinekin said.

"Our aviation is going through a major overhaul, the defense industry is working on next-generation warplanes. The airfield network is being rebuilt in the Arctic, but also abroad in Vietnam, on the Pacific islands, and in Syria," Gen. Deinekin told RIA Novosti.

The Soviet and then Russian Air Force used an airport in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh between 1979 and 2002. Russia’s Defense Ministry said earlier it was going to rebuild a WWII-era Japanese outpost on Matua in the Kuril Islands chain.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted an agreement with Damascus on the deployment of a Russian air force group in Syria for ratification by the lower house of parliament. It is noted in the agreement that the Hmeimim air facility in Syria, its infrastructure and territory are granted to Russia free of charge.

Japan Seeks Closer Military Ties With Philippines, Vietnam

http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160812/1044182336/japan-partnership-philippines-vietnam.html

The Japanese government is set to strengthen military ties with the Philippines and Vietnam by increasing the number of defense attaches beginning fiscal 2017.

Amid aggravated territorial disputes between Southeast Asian states and China over territorial claims in the South China Sea, Japan plans to boost defense cooperation with the militaries of the Philippines and Vietnam. Sources say that Tokyo intends to increase the number of defense attaches to improve information sharing and data gathering regarding China's military activities.

Another goal suggested by the announcement is to reportedly warn Beijing that, by increasing provocations in waters around the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, a counteraction from Japan is assured.

The government of Japan will make necessary budget requests for the year, from April 2017.

As of April 1, 61 Japanese defense attaches were stationed in major embassies and international organizations around the world. At the moment, one attache apiece is stationed in the Philippines and Vietnam, and Tokyo has announced that it will increase the number to two each, beginning in fiscal 2017.

In recent years Japan has strengthened defense partnerships with the two countries, while China has escalated land reclamation activities in the South China Sea.

In the beginning of the year Japan signed an agreement with the Philippines, allowing Tokyo to supply Manila with defense equipment.

In April, two Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers made a historic port call at Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam, which has strategic importance, as it fronts the South China Sea.

Beijing Crosses Washington's 'Red Line' in South China Sea

http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160812/1044182190/scarborough-shoal-red-line.html

The Chinese military appears to be dramatically increasing its presence around a key island in the South China Sea, sending a strong message to Washington.

As Beijing continues its land reclamation projects in the South China Sea, Washington has remained adamant about one island in particular: Scarborough Shoal. Located northeast of the Spratly archipelago, it is claimed by China, Taiwan, and the Philippines, and the US has maintained that any attempts to militarize the shoal would cross a "red line."

According to Pentagon officials, Beijing may have just crossed it.

While China has maintained a small presence of two or three maritime security vessels around Scarborough Shoal, that number has escalated in the last few weeks. US officials familiar with intelligence reports tell the Washington Free Beacon that there are now over a dozen Chinese ships in the area.

In addition to security vessels, Beijing will also permit hundreds of fishing vessels to harvest the rich waters around Scarborough Shoal. This tactic was similarly deployed in the East China Sea, where Beijing sought to legitimize its claim to the Senkakus, islands claimed by both China (where they are known as the Diaoyus) and Japan.

In March, US President Barack Obama met with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, issuing a stern warning against the militarization of Scarborough Shoal, given its strategic proximity to the Philippines.

"The signaling from the US side was that this was serious," a former US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Financial Times.

China’s apparent decision to flout that warning is likely related to last month’s ruling by the Hague-based Court of Arbitration. That decision sided against China’s nine-dash territorial claims in the South China Sea, a ruling that Beijing does not recognize as legitimate.

In the wake of the ruling, both the US and China have stepped up combat patrols in the region.

Earlier this week, satellite images revealed that China is building up its military presence in the Spratly archipelago as well, with new aircraft hangars at Fiery Cross, Subi, and Mischief Reefs.

A highly-disputed waterway through which $5 trillion in international trade passes annually, most of the South China Sea is claimed by China, though there are overlapping claims by Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

The United States has no claims in the region.

US Nuclear-Bomber Triad in Pacific for First Time as China Reaches Boiling Point

http://sputniknews.com/military/20160812/1044182905/nuclear-bomber-triad-china-pyongyang.html

With tensions in the South China Sea and throughout the Pacific Rim at increasing levels, the Obama Administration adds fuel to the fire by dispatching enough nuclear weaponry to kill everyone in the region.

The United States has dispatched its three strategic bomber types to the Pacific region for the first time, in a bid to reassure allies amid growing aggression from China in the wake of the Hague-based Court of Arbitration ruling against Beijing’s claim to territories in the South China Sea, and the deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system.

Announced Wednesday, the US Air Force will dispatch a Boeing B-52H Stratofortress, a Rockwell B-1B Lancer, and a Northrup Grumman B-2A Spirit bomber to operate concurrently in the US Pacific Command region in support of the Continuous Bomber Presence (CBP) and Bomber Assurance and Deterrence (BAAD) missions.

The move by the United States supplements a sizeable but undisclosed number of B-52s stationed at Andersen Air Force Base on the Island of Guam since 2006. The move called for the transfer of a fleet of B-1Bs and three B-2s to be deployed to Andersen Air Force Base to assist with the BAAD mission.

The US Air Force announcement cited the need to ward off potential adversaries but refused to explicitly name China, whose growing military strength puts Beijing on other side of the American nuclear barrel, though the connection is "clear," according to IHS Jane’s Defence. Additionally, the region has become increasingly unstable due to a proliferation of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles at the hand of the unstable regime of Kim Jong-Un in North Korea.

While the United States mission to deter and contain North Korea is understandable, the willingness of the White House to escalate tensions with Beijing marks a shift in the Obama Administration’s posture toward China, previously focused on strengthening defense and economic relationships with regional allies to provide a countervailing political force in the Pacific, as opposed to embarking on a path toward increased militarism.

The movement of US B-1Bs, B-2As, and B-52Hs to the Pacific region has not only incensed of China, but has left North Korea feeling cornered, accusing the US of planning a preemptive nuclear strike against Pyongyang, according to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Russian, Iranian Militaries Closely Cooperating on Syria Settlement - Ambassador

http://sputniknews.com/world/20160812/1044188938/russia-iran-syria-settlement.html

Russian Ambassador to Iran said that Russian and Iranian militaries are closely cooperating on Syria settlement and Moscow hopes that its joint efforts with Tehran will help stabilize situation in the war-torn country.

TEHRAN (Sputnik) – Russian and Iranian militaries are closely cooperating on Syria settlement and Moscow hopes that its joint efforts with Tehran will help stabilize situation in the war-torn country, Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan said.

"Russia and Iran are cooperating quite closely on the Syrian issue. As you know, our countries are members of the International Syria Support Group, in the framework of which we have established trustful contacts with Iranian partners. In addition, the two countries' deputy foreign ministers regularly hold bilateral consultations on the Middle East," Dzhagaryan told RIA Novosti.

"I have to note that close cooperation also has been established between our military departments. I hope that we will be able to stabilize the situation in Syria through joint efforts," he added.

Iran Interested in Acquiring Latest Russian Weapons - Ambassador to Tehran

http://sputniknews.com/world/20160812/1044189048/iran-russian-weapons.html

Russian Ambassador to Iran stated that Iran shows an interest in acquiring the latest types of Russian weapons.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Iran shows an interest in acquiring the latest types of Russian weapons, Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan said.

"Iran has traditionally shown an interest in acquiring the most modern types of Russian-produced weapons. The military equipment supplied to Iran is solely defensive and does not pose a risk of altering the balance of forces in the region," Dzhagaryan told RIA Novosti.

Iran's Suit Against Russia Over S-300 Air Defense System Not on Russian Agenda

http://sputniknews.com/world/20160812/1044189110/iran-russia-s-300-suit.html

The issue of the withdrawal of the Iranian lawsuit against Russia over the nondelivery of S-300 air defense systems has been taken off the bilateral agenda, Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Monday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that Russia had already delivered half of S-300 air defense systems to Iran under the existing contract. Head of Russia's Rostec corporation, Sergei Chemezov, said July that Russia was planning to complete the deliveries of the air defense systems to Iran by the end of 2016.

"The issue of the withdrawal of the S-300 lawsuit has been repeatedly commented on by official representatives of the Russian Federation and has now been removed from the agenda," Dzhagaryan told RIA Novosti.

The $800-million Moscow-Tehran contract to deliver Russian-made S-300 air defense systems to Iran was signed in 2007. In 2011, Iran sued Russia in the Geneva Arbitration Court after Moscow suspended the contract in 2010, citing a UN Security Council resolution that placed an arms embargo on Tehran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted the S-300 delivery ban in April 2015, shortly after the P5+1 group of international negotiators and Iran reached a framework nuclear agreement to remove all economic sanctions against Tehran in exchange for its pledge to ensure that all nuclear research in the country will be for peaceful purposes.

Several terrorists, including leaders, killed in army operations

http://sana.sy/en/?p=85155

Provinces, SANA – More terrorist groups’ leaders have been killed as a result of the army’s continued operations against terrorist organizations in several provinces, including in ambushes and through targeting their positions and sites.

Quneitra

An army unit set up an ambush against a terrorist group, killing all of its members, in al-Samadaniyeh al-Gharbiyeh village in the southern Quneitra province, SANA reporter said on Thursday.

Another army unit, in cooperation with the popular defense groups, targeted a terrorist group in Ufania village, 2km north of Khan Arnabeh, killing and injuring all of its members.

Homs

An army unit carried out a special operation in which a number of terrorists of the so-called “Ahrar al-Sham” were killed in al-Ghajar village in Homs northern countryside, according to SANA reporter.

The killed terrorists included two leaders within “Ahrar al-Sham” terrorist organization; Maher al-Tamer and Abu Nabeel Delli, in addition to the terrorists Ahmad al-Najjar and Khaled Delli.

The army operation resulted also in injuring a number of terrorists and destroying their weapons and ammunition.

Syrian Army & Hezbollah launch counter-offensive in south Aleppo

https://www.rt.com/news/355624-aleppo-syrian-army-hezbollah/

The Syrian Army along with Hezbollah troops launched a counter-offensive in the south of Aleppo on Thursday in an attempt to recapture districts under the control of the Jaysh Al-Fateh (Army of Conquest) terrorist group.

Syrian forces could be seen launching shells at the city’s Al-Ramouseh district as they attacked a cement factory, as well as an apartment block being used by the terrorists.

http://<iframe width="560" height="...OI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The counter-offensive on the ground was carried out in tandem with Russian airstrikes, which are also targeting the Jaysh Al-Fateh group.

Russian and Syrian authorities set up a number of special humanitarian corridors in the city on July 30 in an effort to move civilians farther away from intensified fighting in besieged areas of Aleppo.

The Russian Defense Ministry says that some 7,000 heavily armed terrorists have taken positions southeast of Aleppo, equipped with tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery and weapons-mounted trucks.

 

[angelburst29]

On July 3, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced the lineup of the new government, the first to be formed in the era of the New People's Council. Sputnik Arabic sat down with the country’s new Finance Minister, Mamun Hamdan, to talk about Syria’s wartime finances.

EXCLUSIVE: Support of Military Forces Top Priority for Syrian Finance Ministry
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160812/1044206355/syria-budget-finances.html

Top priority for the country’s budget is the support of the country’s military forces and provision of whatever it requires for the defense of the Syrian people, to all those injured or who have otherwise suffered in the war and to the families of those who perished in the conflict,” Mamun Hamdan told Sputnik Arabic.

The Finance Minister also revealed how the country’s top financial institution is securing the country’s budget while war is raging and amid the slowdown of any business activity in the country.

The Finance Ministry’s major role, he said, is to set up the country’s state budget and agree it with all the Syrian officials. It should also ensure all the revenue necessary for financing the state’s activities.

The situation in the country has gravely deteriorated due to the ongoing war and the ministry experiences great difficulties ensuring the financing.

The ministry is now constantly searching for new sources of revenue which will be enough to ensure the steady financing of the country’s economy.

Mamun Hamdan noted that the new strategy for the country’s further development, based on the instructions of President al-Assad, lies at the very core of the work of the new government.

After discussion with the representatives of the Syrian people, the parliament made it a priority to support the state-run and private business enterprises, especially those damaged by the war and terrorism.

The strategy is based on mobilization of all the sectors of the economy, be it state-run, private, agriculture, trade or industrial by providing all the conditions necessary to revive Syria’s economic activity.

A humanitarian convoy brought cereals, drinking water, sugar and rice to Syria's contested city of Aleppo, according to media reports.

Humanitarian Convoy Delivers 800 Tonnes of Goods to Aleppo
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160812/1044190291/humanitarain-convoy-aleppo-syria.html

A humanitarian convoy has delivered 800 metric tons of essential supplies to Syria's contested city of Aleppo, including food supplies, drinking water, school equipment, hygiene products and household chemicals, during a three-hour pause in airstrikes.

All the goods will be delivered to public warehouses and stores, which will set the prices, according to local consumers union.

"We came in a column, some from Damascus, others from Homs. I brought 18 tonnes of butter and vegetable oil with me. My colleges brought cereals, drinking water, sugar and rice," the driver of one of the cargo trucks, Abdel Majid Saeed, told reporters.

On Thursday, a three-hour humanitarian window with a total halt in hostilities opened in Aleppo, it will be in effect every day from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. local time. Russian Chief of the Main Operational Directorate Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy said the Syrian government forces and the Russian air groups were ready to provide security to all organizations interested in delivering goods to residents of Aleppo.


Moscow had provided the head of the European Union's delegation to Russia with a detailed explanation of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's attempt to carry out terrorist attacks in Crimea.

Moscow Provides EU With Details on Kiev's Attempted Terrorist Attacks in Crimea
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160812/1044199270/russia-eu-crimea-attack.html

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Friday it had provided the head of the European Union's delegation to Russia, Vygaudas Usackas, with a detailed explanation of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's attempt to carry out terrorist attacks in Crimea.

"During the talks, the sides discussed topical issues relating to European security, as well as a number of international issues, including the situations in Syria and Ukraine. Vygaudas Usackas was provided with a detailed explanation regarding the attempt by Ukrainian Defense Ministry officials to carry out terrorist attacks in Crimea," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia has deployed a regiment of its advanced S-400 air defense missile system to Crimea as a dispute deepens between Moscow and Kiev over the security situation in the Black Sea peninsula.

Russia deploys S-400 missile system to Crimea
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/12/479688/Russia-Ukraine-Crimea-S400-missile-Defense-Ministry

Russian news agencies made the announcement on Friday, citing a statement from Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The ministry had earlier in the day announced that its navy would start to hold three-day military exercises in the Black Sea to practice repelling underwater attacks by saboteurs.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet based in Crimea is taking part in the military exercises. More than 10 warships, MI-8 and Ka-27PS helicopters are participating in the training.

“During the drill we are going to practice the issues of both operational and technical support. These include operations to counter underwater sabotage, navigational and hydrographic exercise, search and rescue missions,” said Russian Navy Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov.

'Ties with Ukraine could be severed'

Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday that Moscow could break diplomatic relations with Kiev over the security incidents in Crimea.

Russian state news agencies quoted the prime minister as saying that he is not interested in severing the ties, but "if there is no other way to change the situation, the president could take this step."

The United States has urged Ukraine and Russia to show restraint after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko deployed all forces near Crimea apparently in preparation for a confrontation with Moscow.

US urges Ukraine-Russia restraint over Crimea
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/12/479608/Russia-Crimea-Ukraine-US

The US State Department said on Thursday that “Crimea is part of Ukraine,” after Poroshenko ordered all Ukrainian army units near Crimea and in the eastern Donbass region to stand at the highest level of combat readiness.

"We are extremely concerned about the increased tension near the administrative boundary between Crimea and Ukraine," Elizabeth Trudeau, a State Department spokeswoman, said on Thursday.

"Our position, as I said yesterday, is well known: Crimea is part of Ukraine and is recognized as such by the international community," she said.

"We call for the avoidance of any actions that would escalate the situation," Trudeau added. "Take a step back."

"We continue to remain in close touch with international partners on this. But we believe now it's the time to reduce the tensions, to reduce the rhetoric and get back to talks."

Crimea declared independence from Ukraine on March 17, 2014, and formally applied to become part of Russia following a referendum in which 96.8 percent of participants voted in favor of the secession. The voter turnout in the referendum stood at 83.1 percent.

Former Air Force Commander said that Russia is rebuilding its Soviet-era network of airfields in Vietnam and the northwestern Pacific island of Matua.

Russia Rebuilding Military Airfields in Vietnam, Pacific Islands
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160812/1044188167/russia-rebuilding-military-airfields.html

Russia is rebuilding its Soviet-era network of airfields in Vietnam and the northwestern Pacific island of Matua, the country’s former Air Force Commander Army Gen. Pyotr Deinekin said.

"Our aviation is going through a major overhaul, the defense industry is working on next-generation warplanes. The airfield network is being rebuilt in the Arctic, but also abroad in Vietnam, on the Pacific islands, and in Syria," Gen. Deinekin told RIA Novosti.

The Soviet and then Russian Air Force used an airport in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh between 1979 and 2002. Russia’s Defense Ministry said earlier it was going to rebuild a WWII-era Japanese outpost on Matua in the Kuril Islands chain.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted an agreement with Damascus on the deployment of a Russian air force group in Syria for ratification by the lower house of parliament.
It is noted in the agreement that the Hmeimim air facility in Syria, its infrastructure and territory are granted to Russia free of charge.

There is still no response from NATO to Russia’s initiative on enhancing the security of military jet flights over the Baltic Sea; Russian political analyst Dmitry Zhuravlev suggests that its silence only proves that it is not interested in improving relations with Russia, and on the contrary that it needs adversaries to justify its existence.

Absence of Adversaries Challenges NATO's Financial Existence
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160812/1044196724/russia-nato-baltic-sea.html

NATO has still not responded to Russia's proposal to discuss military flights over the Baltic Sea with their transponders switched on, Russian Foreign Ministry General European Co-operation Department Director Andrei Kelin told the media on Wednesday.

The suggestion was made by Russia's envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko at the NATO-Russia Council, a forum which brought together Russia and the 28 NATO ambassadors earlier in July.

Grushko suggested that Russian pilots could turn on their cockpit transmitters, known as transponders, if alliance planes did the same.

“We proposed in absolutely practical terms that the issue be discussed in Moscow at the end of August or in early September, and we invited NATO military experts to come to the Russian capital for this purpose. There has been no response so far," Andrei Kelin said on Wednesday.

“NATO is a military alliance and the absence of an adversary is a serious blow to its mere existence, primarily in terms of financing,” he told Sputnik.

“The existence of some tension is very useful for it. And in case the problem is settled a logical question will arise: is it really necessary to allocate so much funding to the alliance,” he explained.

It will then need to prove its own relevance and value.

It is logical therefore, he noted, that NATO will take the side of the frontline states in this issue.

The analyst further explained that the Baltic States are the major opponents to any agreements on the security in the region.

“The Baltic States are not interested in any technical issues whether to switch on or off the transponders, but are rather interested in military and political aspects in pursuing their only goal that “the Russians should not fly over the Baltics,” the expert said.

However, if these countries get engaged in the negotiations on the issue of switch-on of the identification systems, they will admit the necessity of these flights. And it is unacceptable for these states.

For them, it is not a military-technical issue, but a military-political one, he added.

Dmitry Zhuravlev nevertheless suggested that this issue could be resolved only after the US presidential elections.

The expert further explained that its stance will depend on who eventually comes to office: it will be one position if it is Republican nominee Donald Trump and it will be an absolutely different one if it is Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

 

[angelburst29]

Do you have information on the possible death of Guccifer pirate? The site "ChristianTime", says it was suicide, found hanging in his cell !

http://christiantimesnewspaper.com/breaking-romanian-hacker-with-access-to-clinton-emails-found-dead-in-jail-cell/
Another site "Station Zebra," which I do not know the origin, shows the affirmation of "ChristianTime" with a longer article. The two sites do not have seem very reliable.
However, here are poor but interesting translation. The lien.http: //vilistia.org/archives/1084

[...]

Tuesday night, reports began to spread that the Romanian hacker was found after the evening dinner, hanging from a rope in his personal cell. Who provided the rope? Who helped him climb to hang himself? The FBI?

I did some checking around Kisito and came across this (second link below):

The rumor of Guccifer's disappearance originated with a single source: the blogger known by the pen name "Sorcha Faal" of the political conspiracy site whatdoesitmean.com. RationalWiki describes that site outlet as "sensational" and "outrageous":

Romanian Hacker “Guccifer” Pleads Guilty to Computer Hacking Crimes
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/romanian-hacker-guccifer-pleads-guilty-computer-hacking-crimes

Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - Marcel Lehel Lazar, 44, of Arad, Romania, a hacker who used the online moniker “Guccifer,” pleaded guilty today to unauthorized access to a protected computer and aggravated identity theft.

[...] Lazar pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris of the Eastern District of Virginia, who set sentencing for Sept. 1, 2016.

In a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Lazar admitted that from at least October 2012 to January 2014, he intentionally gained unauthorized access to personal email and social media accounts belonging to approximately 100 Americans, and he did so to unlawfully obtain his victims’ personal information and email correspondence. His victims included an immediate family member of two former U.S. presidents, a former member of the U.S. Cabinet, a former member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former presidential advisor, he admitted. Lazar admitted that in many instances, he publically released his victims’ private email correspondence, medical and financial information and personal photographs.

Hacker Marcel Lazăr Lehel, also known as "Guccifer," is neither missing from his jail cell nor dead.

Gucci-were
http://www.snopes.com/guccifer-missing-from-jail-cell/

Origin: On 2 July 2016, Hillary Clinton was interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On the same day, conspiracy site whatdoesitmean.com reported that hacker Marcel Lazăr Lehel (whose online moniker is "Guccifer') had gone missing from his Virginia jail cell.

Lehel has made headlines for breaking into the emails of a number of high-level authorities in the United States and his native Romania. He has also claimed that he hacked into Hillary Clinton's and the Democratic National Committee's e-mail servers.

The former taxi driver is currently awaiting sentencing in the United States on charges related to hacking into private AOL accounts:

An astounding Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) report circulating in the Kremlin today says that the Romanian hacker Marcel Lehel Lazar (known as Guccifer), who successfully gained access to all of the private and government emails of Hillary Clinton, was discovered missing yesterday by agents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who were sent to interview him at the US jail he was supposed to be in—and his whereabouts are still unknown.

The claim didn't get very much traction until 5 July 2016, when FBI Director James Comey announced that the Bureau would not be pursuing charges against Hillary Clinton. That announcement kindled interest in the earlier report that Guccifer had mysteriously disappeared from his jail cell ahead of an FBI interrogation.

Rumors that Lazar had disappeared from (or died in) custody are false and were refuted in a statement from the City of Alexandria Sheriff: Marcel Lehel Lazar, a federal inmate also known as Guccifer, is at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alexandria, Va. He is alive and has never been missing from this facility.

The rumor of Guccifer's disappearance originated with a single source: the blogger known by the pen name "Sorcha Faal" of the political conspiracy site whatdoesitmean.com. RationalWiki describes that site outlet as "sensational" and "outrageous":

Sorcha Faal is the alleged author of an ongoing series of "reports" published at WhatDoesItMean.com, whose work is of such quality that even other conspiracy nutters don't think much of it.

Each report resembles a news story in its style but usually includes a sensational headline barely related to reality and quotes authoritative high-level Russian sources (such as the Russian Federal Security Service) to support its most outrageous claims. Except for the stuff attributed to unverifiable sources, the reports don't contain much original material. They are usually based on various news items from the mainstream media and/or whatever the clogosphere is currently hyperventilating about, with each item shoehorned into the conspiracy narrative the report is trying to establish.

The fabricated whatdoesitmean.com story about Guccifer's disappearance was picked up a few days later by the Christian Times Newspaper web site, which embellished it into a tale of Lazar's in-custody death. But the Christian Times Newspaper is just another online fake news outlet (not to be confused with the legitimate Christian Times newspaper) that spins fabricated tales for profit.

We contacted authorities at the Virginia jail, who were able to confirm that Lehel is alive, well, and in custody there. There is no truth to the claim he went mysteriously missing from his jail cell in early July 2016.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Two police officers killed in attack in Dagestan — interior ministry

http://tass.ru/en/society/893949

Unknown men attacked a police patrol and fled the scene on August 12

MAKHACHKALA, August 12. /TASS/. Unknown men attacked a police patrol killing two police officers in Dagestan on Friday, a spokesman for the republic’s Interior Ministry told TASS.

"The incident occurred near the town of Izberbash. The unknown men opened fire at road police officers on duty, two officers were killed. The attackers fled the scene, a search for them is underway," the spokesman said.

A search operation for the suspects is ongoing in the town and nearby areas.

On Thursday, three militants and a gang leader who had been on a federal wanted list were killed in a special operation in Dagestan, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said. A counter-terrorism regime was declared at 5.30 a.m. Moscow time on Thursday in the village of Andi in western Dagestan’s Botlikhsky district.

Russian Foreign Ministry: Kiev, Tbilisi create "victims of Russian aggression" image

http://tass.ru/en/politics/893948

The ministry says Geogia's solidarity with Ukraine's statements proves the two countries are helping each other to better get into the character of ‘ Russian aggression's victims"

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. Ukraine and Georgia are helping each other get into the character of "the victims of the Russian aggression," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday after Kiev expressed solidarity to Tbilisi over the 2008 conflict in the Caucasus.

"The deliberate demonstration of support of ‘solidarity’ with Georgia in the statements made by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and President Pyotr Poroshenko is particularly noteworthy," the ministry said. "This is no accident. Kiev and Tbilisi are kind of helping each other to better get into the character of ‘the victims of the Russian aggression."

"Instead, they should have reviewed their own, rather ugly policies," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The recent statement by the Georgian Foreign Ministry marking the anniversary of the 2008 conflict in the Caucasus is truly woeful," the ministry added. "Meanwhile, it is high time to realize that there are political decisions that have irreversible consequences, and the criminal shelling of slumbering Tskhinval with Grad missile launchers in the small hours of August 8, 2008, is a classic example of such a decision."

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that "the reality today is that there are two independent states on the part of former Georgian territory - the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia." These states are free to determine their internal and foreign policy and take care of their own security as they see fit, as any sovereign government (including the equipping of and strengthening its border) would," the ministry said. By making a free choice in favor of a close alliance and rapprochement with a welcoming Russia they have found reliable support and protection."

Georgian forces attacked the breakaway region of South Ossetia on August 8, 2008. Russia had to intervene to protect the civilian population and its peacekeepers that were in the region since 1992. The five-day war claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, including 72 Russian soldiers. Moscow then recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, after which Georgia broke off diplomatic relations with Russia.

Russian Defense Ministry publishes first flight footage of new generation fighter

http://tass.ru/en/defense/894035

The unique footage also features MiG-29KUB naval fighter, Yak-130 advanced jet trainer, Su-35S fighter, Su-33 naval fighter, Tu-95 strategic bomber

http://<iframe width="560" height="...v4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

August 12. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry has published video footage featuring the newest Sukhoi T-50 fifth generation fighter (PAK FA or Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation). The video was published for Russian Aerospace Force Day.

The unique footage also features MiG-29KUB naval fighter, Yak-130 advanced jet trainer, Su-35S fighter, Su-33 naval fighter, Tu-95 strategic bomber, as well as Strizhi (The Swifts) and Russkiye Vityazi (The Russian Knights) aerobatic performance teams.

The footage was recorded by Pavel Novikov from an Antonov An-12 military transport aircraft in south Russia this year.

Russian Companies Present Egypt With High-Tech Solutions for Airport Security

http://sputniknews.com/science/20160812/1044211868/russian-security-tech-egypt-airports.html

In connection with preparations for the resumption of Russian tourist flights to Egypt, Russian officials have confirmed that they will conduct checks of Egyptian airport security later this month. At the same time, Russian firms have offered Egyptian security services with high-tech means to ensure security in airports and other public places.

On Thursday, Russian media reported that Egyptian aviation authorities will be expecting a visit by Russian airport security experts later this month. The experts are expected to check the security measures in place at several airports across the country for any weak points they might have.

Russian tourism flights to Egypt were halted after a Russian Airbus was brought down in a terror attack in October 2015 over Sinai, killing all 224 passengers and crew onboard. Last month, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov met with his Egyptian colleagues in Moscow. The two sides agreed to develop a bilateral agreement on security cooperation, and the possibility of Russian security experts working directly to ensure safety at Egypt's airports.

At the same time, Russian firms have offered Egypt modern equipment for ensuring security at public places. A delegation involving representatives of eight Russian companies producing security equipment visited Egypt recently to participate in a "Safety & Security" symposium, offering the Egyptian side with a number of technologies and systems meant to radically improve the safety standards at the country's airports.

Sputnik was able to find out a few details about some of the systems and technologies being offered by the Russian companies. These include special sensors for the detection of drugs and explosives. The sensors, about the size of a small sheet of paper, can detect drugs and determine their type, along with explosive materials, and change color when illegal or dangerous contents are present in packages or luggage.

Another Russian firm presented a portable device for detecting explosives. The mechanism is compact, and can be carried by plainclothes security personnel in their pockets, allowing them to move near suspicious objects without being detected by any suspicious persons. The device works in two phases, the first working to detect explosive material, and the second identifying it and displaying relevant information regarding which dangerous or prohibited substance is present.

The Russian side also presented cameras equipped with radar for monitoring sensitive or off-limits areas. Movement is detected by radar, which then sends a signal to the camera, which is automatically directed to the location where movement was recorded. The camera also includes automatic zoom, if necessary, depending on its distance from the suspicious movement.

Finally, another company presented a camera with face recognition technology capable of identifying wanted terrorists. Set up in airports, train stations and other public areas, the camera can read faces and compare them in real time with the databases of Egypt's Interior Ministry.

Iran shows interest in new Ansat ambulance helicopter

http://tass.ru/en/economy/894031

KAZAN, August 12. /TASS/. Customers from Iran showed interest in new Russian Ansat ambulance helicopter suitable for in-flight intensive care, Chief Executive of Kazan Helicopter Plant Vadim Ligai told TASS on Friday.

"Certain countries, particularly Iran, showed interest in Ansat with the medical module," Ligai said.

Ansat is a lightweight twin-engine multipurpose 7-9 seats helicopter put into series production in 2013. Ansat model with the medical module underwent certification in 2015. Equipment on board of the helicopter makes possible to evacuate one injured person in a grave or extremely grave condition and perform intensive care in flight.

Armored trains to take part in south Russia drills first time in 15 years

http://tass.ru/en/defense/893956

Two special trains Amur and Baikal will be involved in the logistic support exercise on August 15

ROSTOV-ON-DON, August 12. /TASS/. Railway troops’ two armored trains will be involved for the first time in almost 15 years in logistics exercises near Volgograd in south Russia in mid-August, a source in the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District said on Friday.

"Two special trains Amur and Baikal of separate recovery railway battalions from the Southern Military District will be involved in the upcoming special logistic support exercises near Volgograd on August 15 for the first time in almost 15 years," the source said.

‘They will practice missions to protect and defend recovered railway bridges across water obstacles from a notional enemy’s reconnaissance and subversion groups," the source added.

Four armored trains were operational in the Russian Armed Forces, with two of them disbanded and deactivated in the late 1990s, the source said.

The remaining two special trains based in Nevinnomyssk in the Stavropol Territory and in Volgograd are used according to their designation, the source said.

According to the source’s data, in wartime armored trains can be used to protect important railway facilities. Each armored train carries two ZU-23 antiaircraft systems and a rifle platoon with organic weapons, including machineguns and grenade launchers, the source said.

The armament of special trains in wartime can be supplemented with tanks and infantry fighting vehicles mounted on their platforms.

TASS has no official confirmation of this information.

 

[Kisito]

Rumors that Lazar had disappeared from (or died in) custody are false and were refuted in a statement from the City of Alexandria Sheriff: Marcel Lehel Lazar, a federal inmate also known as Guccifer, is at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alexandria, Va. He is alive and has never been missing from this facility.

Angelburst29 thank you very much for your research ... I do not know how you manage to do as much work! And you say that your computer is not working well! :)

 

[sToRmR1dR]

US calls on Russia to allow observation of its military drills

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/12/479747/US-Russia-military-drills-Ukraine-Crimea-

The United States has called on Russia to allow observation of its upcoming military exercises in the Black Sea amid growing tensions between Moscow and Ukraine over the security situation of the peninsula.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the three-day drill in the area aims to practice repelling underwater attacks by saboteurs.

Russia Black Sea Fleet based in Crimea will take part in the exercises with more than 10 warships, MI-8 and Ka-27PS helicopters.

Russia has also deployed a regiment of its advanced S-400 air defense missile system to Crimea.

"The Russians could really help alleviate and provide some stability if they had invited observers," said Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the commander of the US Army in Europe.

"That would do a lot, frankly, to lower anxiety," Hodges told Reuters. "There's nothing wrong with an exercise. It's ... the lack of transparency."

Also, a US intelligence official called the absence of observers at the Russian exercises "a worrisome development that we hope is just an oversight."

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday that Moscow could break diplomatic relations with Kiev over an incursion by the Ukrainian military into Crimea.

Russia's Federal Security Service said Wednesday that it had thwarted the incursion over the weekend, saying two Russians were killed in the incident.

Ukraine’s defense intelligence, however, rejected Russia’s claim, saying it was based on “fake information.”

People in Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea voted for rejoining the Russian Federation in a referendum in March 2014. The move angered the West which branded it as Moscow’s annexation of the territory.

The United States and its allies in Europe accuse Moscow of having a hand in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Russia, however, strongly denies the charges.

Japan to Lend Spy Vessels to Philippines as Tensions Rise in South China Sea

http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160813/1044220963/japan-philippines-cooperation.html

In a bid to stymie Chinese influence in the region, the Japanese government plans to deliver two patrol vessels to the Philippines, and provide surveillance aircraft.

While Tokyo has its own dispute with Beijing over a series of islands in the East China Sea, it will also devote resources to the South China Sea, aiding Manila in its territorial dispute, by providing ships and aircraft.

"We are talking about big-sized, 90-meter long vessels," Masato Ohtaka, deputy foreign press secretary for Japan’s foreign ministry, told reporters.

"We are also discussing the possibility of leasing aircraft designed for training. They are surveillance aircraft."

This is in addition to 10 coast guard ships promised to the previous administration in Manila.

The arrangement comes as part of a renewed effort to strengthen military ties between the two nations that will also include Tokyo providing Manila with an increased number defense attaches to enhance information sharing and data gathering regarding China’s military activities.

Beijing has constructed a series of artificial islands in the South China Sea that the United States and its Pacific allies claim are an attempt to militarize the region. China maintains that it has every right to build within its own territory and that the islands will be used primarily for civilian purposes.

The Hague-based Court of Arbitration recently sided with the Philippines against China’s nine-dash territorial line in the South China Sea, though Beijing does not view the decision as legitimate.

As a result, both China and the United States have increased combat patrols through the highly-contested region through which roughly $5 trillion in international trade passes annually.

Intelligence sources told the Washington Free Beacon earlier this week that Beijing has increased its number of security vessels around Scarborough Shoal, effectively crossing a "red line" set by the Obama administration.

"We are very concerned," Ohtaka said, adding that, "It’s not getting better in the East China Sea."

Improved relations between Manila and Tokyo extend beyond military capabilities. Japan is discussing providing the Philippines with a $2.4 billion loan to create a new railway to ease traffic congestion in Manila.

"This is one of the biggest projects Japan has ever embarked upon using the yen loan," Ohtaka said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Offers Trilateral Meeting With Russia, Turkey on Syria

http://sputniknews.com/world/20160813/1044226144/iran-russia-turkey-meeting.html

According to media reports, Iranian Foreign Minister offered to organize a trilateral meeting between Iran, Russia and Turkey to discuss the Syrian crisis settlement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif offered to organize a trilateral meeting between Iran, Russia and Turkey to discuss the Syrian crisis settlement, according to media reports.

From Zarif’s point of view, the initiative is necessary for finding solution to the crisis in the interests of the countries in the region, al-Hayat media outlet reported, citing Iranian sources.

During his visit to Turkey on Friday Zarif met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Senior MP: Turkey Still Main Sponsor of Terrorists in Aleppo

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950523000452

"Ankara is still the largest behind-the-scene actor of the terrorists and their military operations against the Syrian army in Aleppo," member of the Syrian parliament's Arab and Foreign Affairs Committee Alan Bakar told FNA on Saturday.

He said for the same reason the recent meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg focused on Syria, specially the future of Aleppo.

Bakar underlined that the Aleppo battle will be determining for Syria, and said, "The message of St Petersburg meeting on the need for finding a common solution by Russia and Turkey to the Syrian crisis indicates that the outcome of Aleppo battle will be determining."

In a relevant development on Saturday, the Syrian Army troops and popular forces' counter-attack on Jeish al-Nasr's positions on the Western side of Ithriya-Khanasser road claimed the lives of 56 terrorists and forced their remaining pockets to retreat from a military base in Southeastern Aleppo.

The Jeish al-Nasr terrorist failed to prevail over government forces' strongholds along the key road connecting Hama province to Aleppo province and retreated from the battlefield after the strong defense and the pursuing counter-attack of the Syrian government forces, which ended in the recapture of military base of Mahmiyat al-Ghazlan and killing of 56 members of Jeish al-Nasr.

The strategic Ithriya-Khanasser road is under the full control of the Syrian government forces, military sources confirmed on Saturday.

On Friday, Jeish al-Nasr's offensive to break through government forces' positons along the key supply route was repelled by the strong defense of the Syrian military forces.

Jeish al-Nasr launched an offensive on army position near Mahmiyat al-Ghazlan West of the Ithriya-Khanasser road in a bid to cut off the government's supply route to Aleppo, but their attacks were fended off by the Syrian army and its allies.

Jeish al-Nasr left scores of the dead and wounded members behind and retreated from the battlefield.

Syria: ISIL Uses 2,000 Civilians as Human Shield While Fleeing Newly-Freed Manbij in Aleppo

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950523000270

"The ISIL used over 2,000 residents of al-Sarab neighborhood as human shield to protect its forces from the attacks of the SDF fighters," Commander of Manbij military council Shervan Darvish said.

"The ISIL hid its forces among those 2,000 civilians and evacuated them in over 500 vehicles towards the group's main base of Jarabulus near the border with Turkey," Darvish added.

Kurdish sources said earlier this week that the SDF pushed ISIL back from the entire neighborhoods of Manbij after over 71 days of non-stop bloody clashes with the terrorists.

"Except for Ouhei'een area in Northern part of Manbij, where the ISIL has used civilians as human shield, the rest of the town has been liberated by the SDF, mainly comprising of Kurdish fighters," the sources said on Monday.

The city was officially declared free from ISIL control on Friday.

Over 100 Civilians Killed in Syria’s Aleppo Since Start of August - Authorities

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160813/1044224511/civilians-killed-syria.html

Over 100 civilians were killed and 700 were injured since the start of August as a result of shelling in the Syrian city of Aleppo, local authorities told Russian journalists.

ALEPPO (Sputnik) – There are women and children among the dead. The south of the city has been most affected, with over a dozen people having been killed in the area earlier this week when a gas bomb hit a passenger bus and a local market was shelled.

Russia formed seven round-the-clock humanitarian corridors across Aleppo this month to allow safe passage for civilians and militants wishing to lay down arms.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups. On February 27, a US-Russia brokered ceasefire came into force in Syria. Terrorist groups such as Daesh, as well as Jabhat Fatah al Sham (also known as Jabhat al-Nusra, or Nusra Front) are not part of the deal. Both groups are banned in Russia and a range of other countries.

Al-Nusra executes militants fleeing Aleppo, kills their family members

https://www.rt.com/news/355760-aleppo-al-nusra-executes-militants/

Jihadists on their way to lay down their arms and their family members were captured and killed by Al-Nusra militants in Aleppo, as they were trying to exit the besieged city via a humanitarian corridor, the Russian MoD reports. Up to 40 people have been executed in total.

“In the Karyat al-Ansari quarter of Eastern Aleppo, Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists have executed two insurgents and members of their families,”reads the Bulletin of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria. The militants sought to enter the area held by the Syrian Army through one of the humanitarian getaways established for this end by Moscow and Damascus.

“In total, terrorists have executed 40 people,” the report says.

RT’s Paula Slier reported from Aleppo that “the humanitarian situation has worsened since the start of this month. There is intense fighting, particularly in eastern districts, where Syrian soldiers, assisted by local militia, have surrounded large groups of militants.”

Seven escape routes for civilians and militants who want to give in to the Syrian army, have been set up in the city “around the clock,” chief of the main operations department of the Russian General Staff, Sergey Rudskoy, said in a briefing Wednesday.

Moreover, a special corridor was opened for armed militants near the Castello Road in eastern Aleppo. “A number” of groups bearing arms have already fled the areas held by terrorists via this route, Rudskoy has confirmed.

All insurgents who voluntary lay down their weapons and surrender are eligible to the amnesty, announced by Syrian President Bashar Assad at the start of the large-scale humanitarian operation in Aleppo on July 28. Scores of militants, both with and without weapons, have turned themselves over since the start of the effort.

Al-Nusra and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) fighters have been hampering the joint efforts by Russia and Syria to strip their units of the “human shield” with brutal punishments for civilians.

Last week, the Center reported that three civilians were murdered by militants in the Karm al-Qasr quarter of Aleppo as they were trying to reunite with their relatives living on government-controlled territory.

"Terrorists are obstructing the movement of people along humanitarian corridors. All approaches to these are being mined and are shelled with artillery,” it said in a statement.

Aleppo came under heavy fire on Friday, as jihadists shelled al-Asad Military Academy, the Kastello trade center, a cement plant, residential quarters of Hai al-Ansari and al-Khalidiyah, an airport and a market.

To facilitate the passage of civilians trapped in the city, three-hour ceasefires lasting from 10am to 1pm local time have been in effect since August 11. The pauses in fighting allow for the safe delivery of humanitarian aid to the most stricken parts of the city.

On Thursday, some 1,000 tons in food supplies, including fresh vegetables and fruit, carried by a 40-truck convoy arrived in Aleppo, Abdullah al-Gharbi, Syria’s minister of internal trade and consumer protection told Syrian news agency SANA. In total, the supplies delivered to the city will last two months, he noted. The products will be distributed at reduced prices.

Since the establishing of the corridors, over “5 tons of food, basic necessities, medicine as well as 93 tons of water” were delivered to the embattled city, Rudskoy said Wednesday.

The US-Russia brokered ceasefire regime in Syria has been in effect since February 27. It does not apply to terrorist groups including IS and Al-Nusra. So far 69 armed groups declared they will adhere to the truce while the number of reconciliation agreements signed have increased to 388.

Deir Ezzur: ISIL Arrests over 60 Members for Disobedience

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950523000421

"Tens of ISIL fighters did not obey the orders of their commanders to join their comrades in Deir Ezzur airport due to the heavy fire of the Syrian army in the region," the sources said, adding, "ISIL security forces arrested 65 disobeying members in an attempt to control the situation and other members."

"In the meantime, ISIL arrested Atvan al-Abd al-Homsh, Mohammad al-Hajji al-Doweineh and Abdullah al-Tayeh allegedly for involvement in illegal sexual relationships, while informed sources said they have been captured for their links to the assassination of Abu al-Bara'a, one of the group's Saudi leaders," the sources said.

"The ISIL has intensified security measures in areas under its control in Deir Ezzur," the sources said.

Also on Thursday, 17 ISIL terrorists were killed and several others were wounded in the Syrian fighter jets and army attacks on their positions in Deir Ezzur.

A command center, a rocket Launchpad, an anti-tank base and three vehicles were destroyed in the air and artillery strikes of the Syrian army on their positions in Tallet Kroum, al-Rushdiyeh, al-Jafra and al-Huweiqa villages as well as the Eastern parts of Deir Ezzur airport.

The attacks also killed 17 members of the ISIL terrorist group in Deir Ezzur.

Russian Air Force pounds jihadist rebels in Idlib

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-air-force-pounds-jihadist-rebels-idlib/

The Russian Air Force carried out a large number of airstrikes over the Idlib Governorate on Friday night, targeting Jaysh Al-Fateh’s (Army of Conquest) positions at the provincial capital and nearby town of Binnish.

According to a military source at the Hama Military Airport, the Russian Air Force struck a number of Jaysh Al-Fateh military sites between Idlib City and Binnish, destroying several armored vehicles in the process.

The military source added that pro-government sleeper cells inside of Idlib City are providing coordinates to the Russian and Syrian air forces.

Recently, the Russian Air Force has intensified their airstrikes over the Idlib Governotate; this is due to the increased fighting that is taking place inside Aleppo City.

One of the reason’s for the increased Russian aerial activity over Idlib is the province’s proximity to the Latakia and Aleppo Governorates.

 

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The Russian Defense Ministry has disclosed information about the army's advanced new demining robot Prokhod-1, according to the newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Bombs Away: New Russian Robot Offers Remote Demining (VIDEO)
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160813/1044232105/russia-demining-robotic-system.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0il7YyhLyI

Russia's Defense Ministry has declassified secret information about Prokhod-1, its sophisticated mine clearing robotic system, the newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported.

Prokhod-1 was created by the Russian machine building company Uralvagonzavod and is based on a BMR-3M Vepr armored demining vehicle, according to the newspaper.

Unlike the BMR-3M, however, the robotic system is equipped with a new TMT-C trawl, capable of destroying various kinds of mines, including radio-controlled high explosive bombs.

The original BMR-3M uses the chassis of a T-90 tank, and has a 1,000-horsepower engine and enhanced mine protection.

The BMR has a crew of three; the vehicle's front hull and deckhouse are covered with dynamic protection containers. It can carry three sappers, is armed with a 12.7-mm machine gun and eight rocket launchers for smoke-screens.

As far as the Prohod-1 is concerned, it is remotely operated from a mobile command post in a KAMAZ truck, with communication between the operator and the vehicle protected from interference and electronic warfare.

Prokhod-1 is also capable of operating automatically to move along a given route, Rossiyskaya Gazeta said, adding that a slight tremor of the vehicle is seen after an explosion of an anti-tank mine under the Prokhod-1's trawl.

The vehicle is capable of making passages in minefields that are 4.5 meters in width, neutralizing contact and magnetic mines, as well as ammunition equipped with proximity fuses on the surface, in the snow and soil. It was reported in mid-July that the Prokhod-1 has successfully passed state tests.

In late March, media reports said that another Russian de-mining robotic complex, Uran-6, will be used in the Syrian city of Palmyra to clear up hidden explosive devices left by Daesh, after the historical site was recaptured from the terrorists.

State-of-the-art robotic demining systems have been put into service at Russia's Southern Military District, news reports said.

Dangerous Work: Russia Puts New Mine-Clearing Robots Into Service
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160117/1033284874/russia-robots-systems-demining.html

Servicemen from Russia's Southern Military District have now got their hands on the Uran-6 sophisticated robotic demining system, Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported.

The Uran-6 is a multipurpose system which is powerful enough to replace 20 sappers and which can be remotely operated from a safe distance of about one kilometer.

Equipped with bulldozer blades and trawls, the Uran-6 detects, identifies and destroys mines containing up to 60 kilograms of TNT.

Depending on the tasks assigned, sappers will be able to use one of the five sweeping devices of the 20-ton robot, according to the Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Despite such a heavy weight, running the Uran-6 is an easy job, the newspaper said, adding that quick identification of mines is the robot's primary feature.

For example, this robot system is capable of distinguishing an air bomb from an artillery shell or an anti-tank mine, something that the Rossiyskaya Gazeta said sappers have never seen before.

In addition, the Uran-6 can destroy an explosive device with special weapons, which adds significantly to extending the robot's service life-span.

The new system is currently used by a 300-stong sapper brigade of the Southern Military District dealing with the demining of some areas in the Russian Caucasus republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia.

 

[angelburst29]

The rebels’ recent breakthrough in the Aleppo siege was done with cash and supplies being ferried in for weeks from its regional backers, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with the US turning a blind eye to the activities in order to pile pressure on Russia and Iran, according to the revelations of the Financial Times.

US Turns Blind Eye on Foreign Aid to Rebels to Put More Pressure on Russia, Iran
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160813/1044235310/rebels-aleppo-foreign-aid.html

The British newspaper spoke to activists and rebels in Syria who said that “opposition forces were replenished with new weapons, cash and other supplies before and during the fighting.”

“At the border yesterday we counted tens of trucks bringing in weapons,” it quotes one Syrian activist, who crosses between Syria and neighboring Turkey, without revealing his name.

The outlet apparently talked to two other rebels, who asked not to be identified “because of the sensitivity of the subject” and who described cash and supplies “being ferried in for weeks.”

The newspaper notes that “this was in spite of the fact that the rebel offensive — dubbed “the great Aleppo battle” — has been led and organized by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, a jihadi group formerly known as al-Nusra Front”.

Some rebels told the outlet that “US officials supporting moderate rebel forces intentionally turned a blind eye to Fatah al-Sham’s participation in the offensive to ensure the opposition maintains a foothold in Aleppo.”

“The Americans, of course, knew what was going on. They ignored it to put some pressure back on Russia and Iran,” it quotes a western diplomat “in contact with the opposition” as saying.

According to the rebels, “there are strong strategic reasons for some foreign powers to want to quietly help the opposition in Aleppo.”

The city is Syria’s largest and the last remaining urban stronghold of the rebels.

Meanwhile the recent reports suggest that the Jabhat Fatah al Sham terrorist group executed 40 insurgents and their family members in their attempt to surrender and gain safe passage through one of several humanitarian corridors in the city.

"In the Karyat al-Ansari quarter of Eastern Aleppo, Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists have executed two insurgents and members of their families, who had tried to lay down their weapons and leave the city through the humanitarian convoys to regions controlled by the government troops. In total, terrorists have executed 40 people," Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website on Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry notified of frequent attempts to distort the information on the situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo, with some western media outlets being engaged in outright speculation, operating with unverified information from dubious sources.

According to the ministry, accusations of violence by the Syrian army or the Russian Aerospace Forces are abundant, while information on Russian humanitarian work in the country is ignored.

On Friday, another city in the Aleppo Governorate, Manbij, has been fully liberated from the Daesh jihadists.

“The operation on the liberation of the city from the Daesh militants, which lasted for 73 days, has been completed with the full retaking of the settlement after the rebels were kicked out from the district of El Sirip,” Ahmet İbrahim, one of the commanders of the units of Manbij Military Council told Sputnik.

Syrian Air Force and Army's artillery units have intensified their attacks on Jeish al-Fatah's strongholds in the Southwestern districts of Aleppo city, leaving no way out for the terrorist groups but to surrender, military sources announced minutes ago.

Syria: Jeish Al-Fatah Terrorists Trapped in Military Academy Buildings in Aleppo
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950523001152

"A large number of Jeish al-Fatah forces have been trapped inside buildings in military academy and have no way out due to the Syrian forces' heavy bombardments and artillery shelling," the sources said.

"These terrorist tried to attack government forces in the Old Aleppo city from air force academy buildings, but the heavy attacks of the Syrian warplanes and artillery units have made them fixed targets without any movement," they added.

Reports said earlier today that Syrian Air Force continued to target the gatherings and concentration centers of Jeish al-Fatah in the Southern and Southwestern districts of Aleppo city for the second day in a row, inflicting major losses and casualties on the militants.

Jeish al-Fatah's armored vehicles, machinegun-equipped vans and truck carrying ammunition came under the heavy bombardments of the Syrian fighter jets in Southern side of military academy buildings, Southern side of Hikma school, near 1070 project, al-Ramousiyeh, Kafr Naha, Kafr Hamra, al-Ameriyeh and Gas station.

Jeish al-Fatah also suffered a heavy death toll in the attacks.

Local media sources disclosed that the Aleppo Battle Operations Room has managed to locate a notorious Saudi terrorist in the Eastern part of Aleppo.

Syrian Forces Find Location of Notorious Saudi Terrorist Mohisini in Aleppo City
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950523000705

Ill-famed Saudi terrorist Abdullah al-Mohisini has moved to the city of Aleppo from the city's countryside on Wednesday.

Al-Mohisini wrote on his Twitter page on Wednesday that he and 1,000 suicide bombers had arrived in Aleppo and that he would release a video of his arrival in Aleppo city the same day.

The Arabic-language media outlets also showed photos showing al-Mohisini in Aleppo city's districts in a military uniform.

The media reports said that al-Mohisini and his men had arrived in Aleppo city for a new phase of war against the Syrian government forces.

The terrorist groups have deceived or forced thousands of children to conduct suicide attacks in Aleppo city.

Russian pilot Sergei Sevastyanov, seized by Taliban in Afghanistan on August 4, will be transferred soon to the Russian embassy in Islamabad, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Russian Foreign Ministry Confirms Pilot Released in Afghanistan
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950523001113

"According to statement made by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, crew of Mi-17 is released, the helicopter belonged to Punjab government, the crew was kept hostages since August 4 by a Taliban group as the chopper made an emergency landing in the Logar Province," the Russian Foreign Ministry said, TASS reported.

"Among the released is the helicopter's pilot S.K. Sevastyanov."

"We expect that now the Russian citizen will be transferred to the Russian embassy in Islamabad, which will organize for him to return to the Fatherland," the ministry added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed deep gratitude to the Pakistani and Afghani authorities for energetic efforts in release of the Russian citizen.

A Pakistani-owned Mil Mi-17 helicopter made an emergency landing in Afghanistan when it was heading for maintenance and repairs to an enterprise belonging to the Russian Helicopters Company.

"The Mi-17 transport helicopter crashed in Azra district, in the restive province of Logar, then caught fire, said the provincial governor’s spokesperson Salim Saleh. He added that no one was hurt in the crash," The Express Tribune wrote on Saturday.