The "ATACMS" hits appear to be "Ukraine's" only military bright spot in this war: perhaps aside from attacks on the Russian Black sea fleet...neither of which, notably, have much relevance to the war as a whole...but both effectively harm Russia's capability to defend itself from other external forces.
I think it apparent the real agenda here has little to nothing to do with the Ukraine war: all the killing is merely cover for a deep NATO probing and depletion operation. If they deplete enough as Simplicius gets, then we are all in trouble.
So bizarre to be sitting in a NATO country seriously hoping the Russians have enough technological nous and numerical superiority to defeat western tech... just because our own leaders are simply not capable of basic rational thought any more and have lost all sense of reality.
Its not " Who says we are the good guys?" anymore, it's "Who says we are even the sane guys? "
" Who says we are the good guys?" anymore, it's "Who says we are even the sane guys? "
It's not us on this LBN, who it seems to me are very rational. The problem appears to me with every thing wrong with the socio-political society we live within. I do apologise, I've had a hard 12 hour shift and need some sleep time. I'll try and catch up tomorrow. NM.
Re: " Who says we are the good guys?" anymore, it's "Who says we are even the sane guys? "
Ken, Its apparent the Western Power elite are opposed to its hegemony under the USA being challenged - Russia, as many have stated is seen as a petrol pump and mine for various natural resources, obviously these should be exploited by the West with bugger all going to the average Joe in Russia.
Then we have China and the West/NATO interfering in the region, not only Taiwan, but also the Philippines and Vietnam.
Taipei, like Manila and Ho Chi Min City is less than 90 mins flight from my neck of the woods in China, which formally is now known as the Greater Bay Area and the place where I reside is now a NATO target!
Evidently, and given the reality, the USA and EU/UK have dug their own graves by moving many manufacturing processes to Asia. Processes, which in many instances today they don't control and this they don't like - see semiconductors, pharmacology, banking and even most green technology.
At the end of the day, the Western Power elite want's absolute control and neither Moscow or Beijing will bend a knee to facilitate this. Quite the reverse, they oppose this cloaked imperialism.
Far from depleting Russia's ability to wage large scale warfare, they've done the reverse - same applies to China, i.e., its latest carrier is a midget carrier, one designed for unmanned aircraft.
Like you, I hope NATO/the Western Power elite get their noses rubbed in the dirt and I for one fear a nuclear war kicked off by these idiots.
V concerning. Poking the bear is going to get us all killed, wtf are the gics playing at? (nm)
Mercouris (today) reckons Simplicius is tad alarmist w/ATACMS. One hopes.
So bizarre to be sitting in a NATO country seriously hoping the Russians have enough technological nous and numerical superiority to defeat western tech...
Agree, it's bizarre, but also true for lil' mua as well. As it happens, I was deeply suspicious of USSR in the 60s, 70s etc. But then did a review in the 90s, especially after the fall of Berlin wall and Yeltsin years. I am not a Russophobe since I am married to one and speak Russian (badly) .. all part of the 90s 'scene' etc. I guess my experience could be termed as 'moving on'.
Re: Simplicius: Situation Turns Critical as De-legitimized Zelensky Dangerously Escalates
Until Mercouris disputed his pov, providing reasonable arguments with reference to past performance of RF reponses, Simplicius' analyses had me worried. Just me.
Re: Simplicius: Situation Turns Critical as De-legitimized Zelensky Dangerously Escalates
I've nothing to do with Russia whatsoever...and to be frank concerning the USSR well, my reading of both Karl Marx and Soviet history is minimal...but interestingly I get labelled a " Trot" and "Russophile" merely for opposing our own idiocy.
You ain't petite bourgeoisie, or, perish the thought, an actual member of the Bourgeoisie are you Ken, as Trotskyism does seem to appeal to these folks. I mean, even Sir Keith Stalin once belonged to a fringe-Trokskyite group in his younger days whilst being a member of the Bar. And now look at him!!!!!!
For those interested Alexander Mckay is presently re-evaluating Stalin, Alex once being a Trotskyite, which has been quite interesting> Don't get him started on Cultuaral Marxism though, to Alex even George Galloway is woke: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnu7lPptm3o5u5oO08Qe0sem4Rf5K_VuW
Re: Trotsky
Posted by Ken Waldron on May 26, 2024, 12:40 am, in reply to "Re: Trotsky"
"...You ain't petite bourgeoisie, or, perish the thought, an actual member of the Bourgeoisie are you Ken, as Trotskyism does seem to appeal to these folks."
I have no idea what labels like "Trot" mean...because to be honest it's obvious that those using them: positively or negatively, have no idea either. On the graph I come in as deep libertarian left...I see there's some clever people put names to bits of it recently...so apparently I'm somewhere between a " Libertarian Socialist" and a "Situationist" whatever the fuck those mean...but I like the sound of it...It means I can say "...You can't fool me...cos I'm a " Situationist" so I've been in all this shit before now... "
As far as " Cultural Marxism" goes, it's a fraudulent term in my view invented by Americans who love to put the " Marxist" label on anything they didn't like to hide the fact that it emanated from their own capitalist turf.
Re: Trotsky
Posted by t on May 26, 2024, 1:01 am, in reply to "Re: Trotsky"
I thought the difference between Trotsky and Stalin, in essence, centred on the fact that Stalin denounced the international project of converting the whole planet to communism, and punted for communism at home, and Trotsky didn't. Lotsa bits and pieces may have adhered to both pov's since those early days and interpreted and reinterpreted by 'followers'.
I thought that cultural Marxism came to fame with Frankfurt School:
Haven't the time to delve into it. Just my tuppence.
Re: Trotsky
Posted by Ken Waldron on May 26, 2024, 1:18 am, in reply to "Re: Trotsky"
"I thought the difference between Trotsky and Stalin, in essence, centred on the fact that Stalin denounced the international project of converting the whole planet to communism, and punted for communism at home, and Trotsky didn't. Lotsa bits and pieces may have adhered to both pov's since those early days and interpreted and reinterpreted by 'followers'."
Sure we all know the vague outline from high school history but to be frank I've never actualy studied enough Trotsky to even consider feasability never mind belief...
"I thought that cultural Marxism came to fame with Frankfurt School. "
- Yea...so they say but I don't believe a word of it. I reckon that's a post facto invention.
Re: Trotsky
Posted by t on May 26, 2024, 1:37 am, in reply to "Re: Trotsky"
Sure we all know the vague outline from high school history but to be frank I've never actualy studied enough Trotsky to even consider feasability never mind belief...
Meanwhile, there is certain resonance that Third World, or in the current parlance, South, is up in arms about colonialism, which is probably one of the the centre arguments by Trotsky on international relations angle. I am not a trot but can recognise the argument. It is now used extensively by RF and therefore it should be worthy of note.
Orietalism has a long tradition within the British Imperial Elite, specifically that against both Russia and China - we can see it in the works of Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle, and they added Imperial Germany to the mix at the beginning of the 20th Century.
Further, and the history is clear, as early as 1943 Whitehall was plotting against the Soviet Union, one reason why the Information Research Department was created to combat Communism in Western Europe and Greece - the Cold War was a Western affair and the USSR was always reacting to Western moves, not initiating them and little wonder why given the huge losses the USSR suffered from 1941-1945, i.e., more than 26 million deaths, this is only exceeded by deaths in China between the early 30's to 1949.
Still, what have these nations to fear from our peace loving Ruling Elite!!!!
Will Schryver @imetatronink 23h ⚡️ Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
Ukraine War Update -Memorial Day Weekend, 2024
As best I can gather, five American ATACMS missiles were used in a short-range attack against a Russian S-300 battery recently repositioned in Donetsk region. At least one of the missiles got through and scattered the contents of its cluster munitions warhead, destroying some elements of the battery (see image below).
It was a rare win for the celebrated ATACMS wunderwaffe.
Meanwhile, another curious strike — apparently with long-range UAVs — was made against one of Russia's "over-the-horizon" strategic radar installations. We're talking about a large, multi-structure fixed site (see image below).
This site can only "look" across a third or so of the horizon, and is situated to look from SW to SE to detect ballistic missiles launched from western Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.
It is not clear to me how meaningful it is to Crimean air defense. It may have limited utility in that respect.
But the following things occur to me as I consider the development of events in recent weeks, since the introduction into Ukraine of more ATACMS missiles and the notable appearance of relatively large numbers of improved long-range attack drones:
✴️ The evidence is clear to me that what we are seeing is a 100% NATO operation. Sure, they might have a handful of Ukrainian orderlies to fetch coffee and sandwiches and whatnot, but otherwise it's probably 85% American, 10% British, and 4% French "volunteer specialists" running the entire show — from target selection to ISR to pressing the "Fire" button on a control panel.
✴️ So, to a degree arguably unprecedented in this war, we are now seeing a direct battlefield engagement between NATO forces and Russian forces.
✴️ The NATO boys are apparently attempting to degrade Russian air defenses, primarily in the vicinity of Crimea. And they are using mostly cluster-warhead ATACMS missiles to do it. They've also launched a few SCALP cruise missiles, but few if any appear to have evaded interception.
✴️ They have already expended several dozen of these cluster-warhead ATACMS, the overwhelming majority of which have been intercepted — to the point they chose to use FIVE of them to attack a single S-300 battery! This is VERY telling. The Russians have destroyed Patriot batteries with single well-placed Iskander strikes.
✴️ But this also means the US is husbanding its stock of unitary-warhead ATACMS missiles — the kind that would be suited, for example, to a strike against the Kerch Bridge.
✴️ It's not entirely clear how many of the most recent delivery of ~100 ATACMS missiles pack the more powerful unitary warheads. Quite likely most of them, but few if any have been used so far.
✴️ Based on the high Russian interception rate against the ATACMS, and given the relative hardness of a structure like the Kerch Bridge, I figure Team NATO will calculate it is necessary to launch a salvo of 30-50 missiles in order to hopefully achieve a dozen solid strikes against the bridge — which would still be very unlikely to do severe damage.
✴️ That said, I'm very dubious that NATO has sufficient launchers in the theater to mount such a massive salvo.
In any case, that's where we stand here in the last week of May 2024.
The Ukrainian army is in a state of near-collapse.
The Russians are clearly stronger than at any point in this war.
The storehouse of NATO weaponry has been attrited to an astounding and entirely unforeseen extent — almost to the point of effective exhaustion for many of the European NATO countries.
But the empire apparently remains determined, if not outright desperate to string out the affair long enough to preserve the western political status quo.
The Pentagon and Whitehall are understandably frustrated by the relative impotence of their toys versus the toys of the Russian Ministry of Defense, and are intent on finding some way to string together a few meaningful wins while their limited inventory holds out.
For their part, the Russians are able and ever more likely to retaliate against NATO targets beyond the borders of Ukraine — particularly against Perfidious Albion.
And, just to put emphasis on their serious intent, they are conducting a second round of tactical nuclear missile exercises in Belarus.
Here in America, the Memorial Day holiday weekend is upon us. It used to be focused on the honoring of soldiers lost in American wars, but now it's primarily an occasion for celebrating the beginning of summer.
So ... party on, folks. Don't worry about the wind your leaders are sowing in far off lands, nor the harvest of the whirlwind to come.
on May 25, 2024, 1:14 pm