From our world gone mad...

"You made the mistake of committing an act of journalism in 2024."

"Popular Ukrainian video blogger “Pasha Bumchik” surprised his [430,000 followers on Instagram, as well as large audiences on Youtube and Tiktok] with a new video which shows him illegally crossing the Romanian border in the Karpaty mountains. He decided to undertake this audacious move after receiving a draft notice. There was a soundtrack of choice in the video – the Ukrainian band Skriabin singing: “We’ve been duped, we’ve been cheated like suckers”... To what extent the other famous Ukrainian entertainer and the country’s current president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is sensing the mood in society and among Ukraine’s allies, is a big question. But there are signs that he might be drifting towards Skriabin’s diagnosis of the situation Ukraine finds itself in..." - extract from ‘What is Zelenskiy’s real Plan B?’

A crazy 2 weeks, or has crazy become normal?

Whilst I kept the spotlight on our series exposing the nature of Israel, our world was exploding in similar and different ways.

It was hard to be silent whilst Lebanon was attacked and Hezbollah’s leader was killed by destroying a whole block with US bombs, Russia loosened its nuclear response doctrine and stood for Belarus' military defence against Poland and Ukraine, the U.S. Congress approved $7.9bn in weapons to Ukraine and used sanctions to try intimidate politicians in the ruling party in Georgia, the Fed desperately dropped rates to support its debt repayments and to keep its banks afloat, China’s economy got temporarily boosted through government intervention, Trump had another assassination attempt, Eastern Europe was flooded, Argentina and the UK waged war on their pensioners, and South Africa began pushing a bill that, if fully adopted, will be a major step towards wiping out the language of the Afrikaners.

Ukraine is nearing two important defeats in Vuhledar and Toresk. I'll discuss that later in the week.

For the first time in history, on 26 September, 3 hypersonic missiles were allegedly fired at 1 target. Russia's Kinzhals were targeting an alleged F16 bunker at an airfield in Starokostiantyniv, Ukraine. There's no confirmation of success, but 4 more Kinzhals hit targets in the same area the following day. That $70 million missile cost shows Russia's determination to prevent an escalation in the war i.e., to prevent long-range Western missiles being fired at it. It doubles as warning, in tandem with the recent change in its nuclear response rules, that it can strike Europe. Dangerous times. The difference between NATO/Russia brinkmanship and idiocy will be the final result of war in Ukraine.

X, that keeping-Musk-rich-cronyistic-political-manipulation-tool, banned Ken Klippenstein for posting Trump's alleged JD Vance dossier. That means that Klippenstein has gotten tonnes more subscribers on Substack, which reminds me that Substack will one day get censored like every communication device. The irony is that major publications had already shared Vance's address, the red herring reason for Klippenstein's banning, and there are no controversies inside the document e.g, that Vance wants the USA out of Ukraine is no revelation. A Klippenstein follower posted: "You made the mistake of committing an act of journalism in 2024."

Tomorrow, I'll do a short post reminding you of the immediate importance of a pretty country nestled between the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains.

FEATURE

"At one point during the drive south, Osman glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Is the wind too much? I can roll up my window.” I told him I preferred the wind on my face. He nodded. “I’ve gotten in the habit of keeping the windows down so that they don’t break if a bomb falls nearby.”

Constantine Markides has posted his experience as a journalism on assignment in Lebanon in 2006. It's informative, simple to read, adventurous, powerful, sad, and relevant to the current situation.

The God of War in Lebanon (Part II)

ESSENTIAL READING

• Atlanticism or Sovereignty?

• Cognitive warfare in the West

• Ukrainian recruits surviving only a few days

ECONOMICS

• Who Holds All These US Treasuries?

• The U.S. Hurt Itself With Russia Sanctions

• America Is Weak!

• No, Europe Doesn’t Need U.S. LNG

• U.S. Farmers Are Done As China Punishments Backfire, Beijing Fires The Economic Bazooka

• Nearly 50% of ALL US Imports to Halt Due to Massive Port Strikes on October 1st

• “In order to pay the interest on the debt we have further to cut retirement pensions, medicines for retirees, universities…”

HOT WAR

• Putin orders changes to Nuclear Doctrine in major warning to West

• Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the country ahead of winter blackouts

• To restore electricity in Kharkiv Oblast, 6,987 kilometres of power lines need to be cleared of mines

• Has the United States Reached it's Upper Limit in Ukrainian War Escalations?

HOT WAR #2

• Israeli army hacks into Beirut Airport control tower, threatens Iranian civilian plane

• Israel's Pyrrhic victory in Lebanon

• Gallant triumphs over Netanyahu in their in-house battle

COLD WAR

• US, Romania to sign $920 million defence loan agreement

• Ecuador’s US-Born President, Daniel Noboa, plans to scrap constitutional ban on foreign military bases

OTHER

• US shooting itself in the foot with info warfare in Africa

• What’s the BSW, Germany’s rising populist left party?

• Keir Starmer: a technocrat without a plan

RUSSIAN DEFENCE REPORT - 28 SEPT

Yesterday, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation delivered a group strike by long-range precision weaponry, Kinzhal hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile, and attack unmanned aerial vehicles at the AFU airfield infrastructure.

The goal of the strike has been achieved. All the assigned targets have been engaged.

In Liptsy and Volchansk directions, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of the 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the AFU, 36th Marine Brigade, and 113th Territorial Defence Brigade near Volchanskye Khutora, Liptsy, and Volchansk (Kharkov region).

The AFU losses amounted to more than 60 troops, four motor vehicles, one 152-mm D-20 gun, and one 122-mm D-30 howitzer.

Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 14th, 44th, 67th mechanised brigades, 4th Tank Brigade, 3rd Assault Brigade of the AFU, and 117th Territorial Defence Brigade near Kupyansk, Podvysokoye, Novoosinovo (Kharkov region), Makeyevka, Nevskoye (Lugansk People's Republic), and Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 400 troops, seven pickup trucks, one 152-mm Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, as well as two U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carriers, one 155-mm M777 howitzer, two 155-mm M198 howitzers, and three AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radars. Three AFU field ammunition depots were destroyed.

Units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of formations of the 24th, 33rd, 54th, 72nd mechanised brigades, 10th, 128th mountain assault brigades of the AFU, 18th National Guard Brigade, and 119th Territorial Defence Brigade near Konstantinovka, Vysokoivanovka, Zaliznyanskoye, Druzhkovka, Kurakhovo, Grigorovka, and Chasov Yar (Donetsk People's Republic).

Eight counter-attacks launched by assault detachments of the 56th Motorised Infantry Brigade, 93rd Mechanised Brigade, 81st Airmobile Brigade of the AFU, and 119th Territorial Defence Brigade were repelled. The AFU losses amounted to up to 725 troops, one tank, one armoured fighting vehicle, eight motor vehicles, two U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzers, three 152-mm D-20 guns, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and two U.S.-made 105-mm M119 guns. Four AFU field ammunition depots were destroyed.

Units of the Tsentr Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 47th, 53rd mechanised brigades, 68th Infantry Brigade, 71st Jaeger Brigade, 5th Assault Brigade of the AFU, and 109th Territorial Defence Brigade near Gornyak, Dzerzhinsk, Kalinovo, Sukhaya Balka, and Rozovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

Seven counter-attacks launched by assault detachments of the 59th Motorised Infantry Brigade, 151st Mechanised Brigade, 25th Airborne Brigade of the AFU, 2nd, 3rd, and 12th national guard brigades were repelled. The AFU losses amounted to more than 620 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, one 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and three 122-mm D-30 howitzers.

Units of the Vostok Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front line and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the AFU, 104th, and 118th territorial defence brigades near Dobrovolye, Rovnopol, and Zolotaya Niva (Donetsk People's Republic).

Three counter-attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 72nd Mechanised Brigade were repelled. The AFU losses amounted to up to 125 troops, five motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, and one 152-mm D-20 gun.

Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of the 35th Marine Brigade, 39th Coastal Defence Brigade, and 124th Territorial Defence Brigade near Kopani (Zaporozhye region), Antonovka (Kherson region), and Kherson.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 60 troops, 10 motor vehicles, and one 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system. One AFU field ammunition depot was destroyed.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces engaged AFU manpower and hardware clusters in 131 areas during the day.

Air defence units shot down four U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles and 43 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 646 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 32,331 unmanned aerial vehicles, 579 anti-aircraft missile systems, 18,447 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,469 MLRS combat vehicles, 15,345 field artillery guns and mortars, and 26,655 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.

MILITARY ANALYSIS

DISCUSSION

A WALK IN DERBENT, DAGESTAN (RUSSIA)

After all that violence, take a deep breath and go for a relaxing walk…