This might be a little tougher than Putin thought...
- Thread starter Nole Lou
- Start date
Explain how you let the man who’s fourth in line to the presidency go to a country ‘under bombardment’ on a stupid PR trip that includes him playing ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ in some exclusive night club.
You’re too ignorant to realize you’re being played.
You're so mad about Blinken. It's hilarious.
How will you have any hate leftover for Victoria Nuland?
Deflection.
It’s an insane foreign policy and they all endorse it…including Trump.
Little Mikey Johnson wouldn’t have backstabbed the American taxpayers without his stamp of approval.
"Russian authorities have decided unilaterally to change the country’s maritime borders with Lithuania and Finland in the Baltic Sea, according to a draft government decree published on the legal acts portal, reported The Moscow Times.
The document, prepared by the Russian Defense Ministry, says that Russia intends to declare part of the waters in the eastern Gulf of Finland and territory near the cities of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region as its internal waters.
To achieve this objective, Russia has changed the geographical coordinates of the points that define the baselines from which the width of Russia’s territorial sea and the adjacent zone along the coast and islands are measured.
According to an attachment to the government decree, the Russian government plans to adjust the coordinates in the area of the islands of Yagry, Sommers, Hogland, Rodsher, Maly Tyuters, Vigrund, and near the northern entrance cape of the Narva River at the border with Finland."
The Ministry of Defense proposes to partially “invalidate” the 40-year-old Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union decree regulating the borders in the Baltic, specifically the “Baltic Sea” section.
The document on the border revision, which the Finnish and Lithuanian foreign ministries have not yet officially commented on, was presented for public discussion almost simultaneously with the start of exercises on the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that these exercises began in the Southern Military District, with the participation of “Iskander” complexes and aircraft armed with “Kinzhal” missiles. The goal of the drills is to prepare personnel for the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons and to respond “to provocative statements and threats from certain Western officials.”
https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/05...decided unilaterally,on the legal acts portal
This could turn into a FAFO scenario...
Russia seems to be taunting and trying to intimidate the West. The tactical nuclear drills are just outrageous. What type of scum country does this?!
That's a video the "America First", and Ukraine is corrupt posters won't watch. The same for the weak willed politicians.
I was thinking about that yesterday. I wish we would, but we haven't seen much evidence of it.
Allowing limited usages inside Russian territory, and Germany throwing in Taurus missiles would be a big help.
Edit: Along these lines, I wonder what the F-16s will be armed with? Will they have a full range of weaponry from NATO allies that are supplying the jets, or will we kick in weapons? If so, the kind that can reach inside Russia. I assume there is some kind of a cruise missile that we employ that could be fitted on the F-16. Will we give them? They wouldn't go too far inside Russia, but why not allow Ukraine to hit marshaling yards just across the border to maximize the impact?
They're also asking for additional Ukrainian pilots to be trained on the F-16 in the US, and for expedited delivery of additional air defense resources (noting that Ukraine is asking for at least 7 more Patriot batteries).
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I don't think anyone is getting left out in rattling the nuclear saber.
https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2023/10/27/us-to-build-new-nuclear-gravity-bomb/
“The B61-13 is not a long-term solution, but it will provide our commanders, particularly in [the Pacific and European regions], with more flexibility against these target sets,” Rogers and Wicker said. “As the Strategic Posture Commission recently noted, China and Russia are in a full-on arms race, and the U.S. is running in place. Dramatic transformation of our deterrent posture — not incremental or piecemeal changes — is required to address this threat.”
The Pentagon said the creation of this bomb will not lead to an overall increase in the size of the military’s stockpile. The United States plans to lower the number of B61-12s it will produce by as many B61-13s it builds.
Kristensen said defense officials indicated very few B61-13s are expected to be produced, on the order of a few dozen. He doubted their creation, alongside the retirement of B61-7s, would lead to much, if any, decline in the number of gravity bombs in the United States’ arsenal, which he said is somewhere between 400 and 500.
If the B61-13 is approved and funded by lawmakers, the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration will produce it.
The Pentagon said in its announcement that modern aircraft would be able to deliver this bomb.
In a follow-up statement, a Pentagon spokesperson said that will include the B-21 Raider stealth bomber the Air Force now has in development with Northrop Grumman. But the U.S. now does not plan to deploy it on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon said.
*******
In January 2024, the US Department of Defense announced plans to move some of its nuclear weapons to RAF Lakenheath, a United States Air Force base in Suffolk, England. The base is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, which operates the F-35A Lightning II combat aircraft, which can carry nuclear bombs. The US has awarded a contract to build defensive shelters and a "surety dormitory" at the base, with construction scheduled to begin in June 2024 and end in February 2026. This would be the first time in 15 years that US nuclear weapons would be stationed on British soil.
https://breakingdefense.com/2024/03/exclusive-f-35a-officially-certified-to-carry-nuclear-bomb/
EXCLUSIVE: F-35A officially certified to carry nuclear bomb
The designation marks the first time that a stealth fighter can carry a nuclear weapon, in this case the B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bomb.
March 8, 2024WASHINGTON — The F-35A Joint Strike Fighter has been operationally certified to carry the B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bomb, a spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) tells Breaking Defense.
In a statement, JPO spokesman Russ Goemaere said the certification was achieved Oct. 12, months ahead of a pledge to NATO allies that the process would wrap by January 2024. Certain F-35As will now be capable of carrying the B61-12, officially making the stealth fighter a “dual-capable” aircraft that can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.
“The F-35A is the first 5th generation nuclear capable aircraft ever, and the first new platform (fighter or bomber) to achieve this status since the early 1990s. This F-35 Nuclear Certification effort culminates 10+ years of intense effort across the nuclear enterprise, which consists of 16 different government and industry stakeholders,” Goemaere said. “The F-35A achieved Nuclear Certification ahead of schedule, providing US and NATO with a critical capability that supports US extended deterrence commitments earlier than anticipated.”
Responding to follow-up questions from Breaking Defense, Goemaere said US disclosure policy prohibits the release of information on dual-capable aircraft among NATO partners. According to analysis by the Federation of American Scientists, as of 2023 approximately 100 older variants of B61 bombs are housed by NATO allies Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, who share the alliance’s nuclear strike mission. The first four nations are all planned F-35 operators, with the need to have a nuclear-capable aircraft a key reason for Germany signing onto the program.
The F-35A is certified to only carry the newer B61-12 variant, which will replace the older models. The certification additionally does not extend to the stealth jet’s sister variants, the short takeoff and vertical landing F-35B and carrier-launched F-35C. A delivery schedule of B61-12s to Europe is not clear, though Politico previously reported the bombs would be shipped out starting in December 2022.
I think initially their primary munition will be AGM-88’s. Really put a dent in Russian air defenses. The F-16 is sooo much better in the SEAD mission than anything the Ukrainians currently have…
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I don’t mean any disrespect but go **** yourself facist troll.
Googles SEAD acronym. Nods approvingly at bins’ post.
Do you really think there would be no response to us moving nuclear weapons back to Britain after removing them 15 years ago?
It’s idiotic (never mind misleading) to look at these things in a vacuum.
You’d get an ‘F’ on your blue book test if you couldn’t explain why each side was doing what they were doing.
How do you have a discussion about the possible utilization of tactical nukes in Russia without observing we’re working to build smaller, more accurate ones? Or mentioning that two months ago we certified the F-35 to drop them? Or that six months ago we shipped tactical nukes to Britain?
I take it that wasn't your part of the Air Force?
To the point, anything the Ukrainians can do to eliminate Russian defenses is important to the cause of neutering all Russian forces on the Crimean Peninsula, and helping to stop the relentless pounding along the front lines from glide bombs. Make the Russians get in closer and make them vulnerable to Ukrainian air defenses, or make the pilots lose their nerve.
Edit. The Ukrainians have been using those HARM missiles slung from a MiG, but clearly they will be better served firing them from F-16s.
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AP story about Poland's decision to invest heavily in defensive positions along their border with Russia and Belarus.
https://apnews.com/article/poland-r...ons-security-e69d0c6572bfb9a6e7d6383dbbade4ba
https://apnews.com/article/poland-r...ons-security-e69d0c6572bfb9a6e7d6383dbbade4ba
Nope. I was in USAF AFMC for the UEWR of the NMD.I take it that wasn't your part of the Air Force?
U.S. fighter jets intercept two sets of Russian bombers that flew close to Alaska | ABC News
Doubt the part about manpower but believe they are sending artillery shells and other arms.
Ukraine makes gains in its other war - fighting corruption
Ukraine has battled endemic corruption since the first days of its independence in 1991, and government officials and independent campaigners alike say that fight is key to winning the existential war it is fighting with Russia.
They have had some success. Anti-corruption organisation Transparency International ranks Ukraine at its highest level since 2006: currently 104th out of 180 countries in its Corruption Perceptions Index.
"Most Ukrainian anti-corruption institutions are showing pretty good results," Andriy Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, tells the BBC.
According to him, one such result is the arrest of the then-Supreme Court head, Vsevolod Knyazev, on bribery charges in May 2023.
This can be a safeguard because if you see somebody arrested, you will think twice before doing something corrupt," he said.
There have been other high-profile arrests too, including agriculture minister Mykola Solsky and an officer with the SBU intelligence service, Artem Shylo.
All three deny any wrongdoing and have been released on bail. Investigations are ongoing.
key milestone came in 2015, when a digital platform called Prozorro helped slash corruption in government procurement, saving Ukraine almost $6 billion (£4.7bn) in public funds in just four years.
Ukraine’s task now is to focus on rooting out corruption in its tax and customs services, as well as improve financial oversight, says Mr Borovyk.
"A lot of money is coming to Ukraine from the West, and of course they are asking whether there is proper control over this money,” he adds.
In addition to sapping Ukraine's meagre resources, corruption has in recent years hampered the flow of foreign aid. Donald Trump cited corruption concerns when challenged about delaying assistance to Ukraine when he was US president.
Corruption has also been a major obstacle to recruiting more men for the war with Russia. Last year President Volodymyr Zelensky sacked all regional officials in charge of military conscription amid bribery concerns. Thousands of Ukrainians also bribed their way out of the country to avoid being sent to the war.
'Better at doing our job'
Andriy Synyuk, deputy head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecution Service, argues that frequent reports of Ukrainian officials being accused of corruption are a welcome sign."This doesn’t mean that more crimes are being committed. This means that we've become better at doing our job," he says.
There aren't any people or positions left in Ukraine that anti-corruption agencies cannot touch," he tells the BBC. "This is probably our main achievement because we couldn't even dream of it a few years ago."
Dmytro Kalmykov, the head of the anti-corruption policy department at the National Agency for Preventing Corruption, a government agency, says graft has been all but exterminated in some of the worst affected areas - for instance, government services such as issuing passports, permits and licences.
He also tells the BBC that significant progress had been made in reforming education and police.
Problem areas
Mr Kalmykov admits, however, that the government has been less successful in eradicating corruption in using natural resources (e.g. in mining and forestry), regulating monopolies and in large infrastructure projects."Progress has been slowest where big interests and big players meet," he says.
According to him, "in the next five-ten years the government should focus on cleansing the judiciary, which will make the general system of public administration healthier".
Anti-corruption campaigners agree that the Ukrainian government has become much more active in fighting corruption.
"Something clicked in their heads last winter, their attitude has really changed, importantly it did at the very top," says prominent Ukrainian anti-corruption journalist Yuri Nikolov.
"Perhaps they realised things were going pear-shaped", or the government in Kyiv may have come under pressure from Western donors, Mr Nikolov tells the BBC.
The fact is, he goes on, "law-enforcement have stepped up their game".
Demand for change
So what is driving Ukraine's anti-corruption push?Vitaly Shabunin, board chairman of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, a Ukrainian NGO, believes it is a combination of pressure from the Ukrainian public and foreign donors.
"Regardless of whether or not the government wants to fight corruption and regardless of who is in the government, public pressure and the effectiveness of civil society and media means than no government can ignore corruption," he says.
Ukraine war: Kyiv makes gains in another fight - against corruption - BBC News
Experts say Ukraine is now making significant progress in its long struggle against corruption.
www.bbc.com
Ukraine war briefing: Worse than Bakhmut but now we have shells, say Kharkiv defenders
- Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the Kharkiv region near Vovchansk say the situation is “hotter” than it was around fallen Bakhmut, but now they have the shells to fight back. “It’s 24/7, their infantry keeps coming, we keep fighting their attacks. At least we are trying to. Whenever possible, we take them down,” Pavlo, a gunner of Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault brigade operating a howitzer, told Reuters. “We were positioned in the Bakhmut area before, now we have been transferred here. It’s much ‘hotter’ here. We didn’t have shells there. Here, at least we have shells, they started delivering them. We have something to work with, to fight.”
- The Ukrainian military says it has destroyed the last Russian warship armed with cruise missiles stationed at the Crimean peninsula. “According to updated information, the Ukrainian defence forces hit a Russian project 22800 Tsiklon missile ship in Sevastopol, on the night of May 19,” the military said. Reuters was not able to independently verify the statements. There was no immediate comment from the Russian side. Russia’s defence ministry on Sunday said Ukrainian forces had attacked Crimea with Atacms missiles.
- Russian drones struck energy sites early on Wednesday and knocked out power to some parts of Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, regional officials said. The Sumy regional authority said the drones hit targets in the cities of Shostka and Konotop, north-east of Kyiv and near the Russian border. Emergency services were working to restore electricity. Officials have warned of a possible Russian push into Sumy.
- Ukrainian troops are achieving “tangible” results against Russian forces in the Kharkiv region but the frontline situation near the cities of Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk and Kurakhove remains “extremely difficult”, said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. More than 14,000 people have been displaced in recent days from the Kharkiv region, the World Health Organization has said. “Nearly 189,000 more still reside within 25km of the border with the Russian Federation, facing significant risks due to the ongoing fighting,” said Jarno Habicht, the WHO’s representative in Ukraine.
- EU countries have formally adopted a plan to fund Ukraine’s defence using profits from $300bn in Russian central bank assets frozen in the EU. Under the agreement, 90% of the proceeds will go into an EU-run fund for military aid for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, with the other 10% going to support the Ukrainians in other ways. The EU expects the assets to yield about €15bn-€20bn in profits by 2027. Ukraine is expected to receive the first tranche in July, EU diplomats have said.
- Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, thanked the EU for the decision but reiterated Ukraine’s goal of seizing the assets themselves, not just the interest. The US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, is meanwhile pushing fellow G7 nations this week to agree a plan to use Russian assets frozen abroad to back a larger loan to help Ukraine. Yellen has said it could be worth up to $50bn to Ukraine.
- Russian forces have started military drills near Ukraine simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons, Pjotr Sauer reports. Vladimir Putin ordered the drills after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, floated the possibility of sending European troops into Ukraine, and the UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, said Ukraine had the right to use weapons supplied by Britain to target sites in Russia.
- The former commander of Russia’s 58th army, Ivan Popov, was arrested on suspicion of “large scale fraud”, state-run Tass news agency reported. Popov, military call sign “Spartacus”, commanded Russian units in southern Ukraine. He criticised his superiors about the deaths of Russian soldiers.
- More than 3,000 Ukrainian inmates have applied to join the military under a new law. “We predicted this before the adoption of this law,” said Olena Vysotska, deputy minister of justice, adding that more had expressed interest and 20,000 had been identified as eligible. Only prisoners with less than three years to serve can apply. Prisoners not eligible include those found guilty of sexual violence, killing two or more people, serious corruption and former high-ranking officials.
- Tens of thousands of Russians who fled to Turkey after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine have moved on to other countries, squeezed by residency issues and soaring costs, Reuters has reported. This month, the number of Russians with Turkish resident permits fell to 96,000, down by more than a third from 154,000 at the end of 2022, official data showed. Many who left Turkey headed to Serbia and Montenegro, Reuters said.
Ukraine war briefing: Worse than Bakhmut but now we have shells, say Kharkiv defenders
Ukraine says last Russian cruise missile ship in Crimea destroyed; give us Russia’s frozen assets, not just the interest, says Kuleba. What we know on day 819
Other than the constant process of improving current weapons, those other actions were certainly reactions to what Russia had just done.
I think the Scooby Doo like illustration works against their threat
Man...it's been over a decade since I last thought about the Paki-bomb....
Iowa Football: A Logjam at Tailback
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bleacherreport.com
Estonia’s president calls for a unified response to increasing Russian sabotage and misinformation.
apnews.com
Russia is waging a shadow war on the West that needs a collective response, Estonian leader says
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas says Russia is waging a “shadow war” against the West. As battles in Ukraine takes a turn in Russia’s favor, borders are being bolstered in the front-line Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as in Finland and Poland.
apnews.com
