There’s quite a bit to discuss today. Let’s get started with a brief look at war updates.
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There’s a fair amount of talk today that Ukraine’s offensive is finally making progress. That’s not actually true. The Ukrainian forces are still stuck in the “crumple zone”. Big Serge explains:
Big Serge
@witte_sergei
The “breakthroughs” that the Ukrainians are celebrating right now are actually villages *outside* the Russian defensive belts which become killing zones that are cost prohibitive to hold. We’re already getting reports that several of these villages have been recapture by Russia.
Here is the area where Ukraine was advancing last night in reference to the Russian fortification belt. They are still fighting in the screening perimeter, or the so-called “crumple zone.”
Mikael Valtersson’s thread has several updates, but in this one tweet he provides an aerial view of one of those captured “villages”:
Mikael Valtersson
@MikaelValterss1
SHORT INFO LEVADNE
I've seen many saying that the Ukrainian counteroffensive goes forward, now the town of Levadne had been taken. Levadne has been taken, so here we have the most important town (farm) of Levadne....
I don't know why it's on maps.
Btw I also thought it was bigger until I looked it up.
If you look on this map of fortifications you se that there are many layers of fortifications. Some of the fortifications are long lines, but others are placed to cover the possible attack ways. Between… Show more
Valtersson goes on to explain the Russian defensive deployments in more detail. He sees nothing but more carnage if Ukraine keeps bowing to American demands to continue attacking.
How bad is it? Andrei Martyanov presents Russian estimates of Ukrainian KIAs for the first 9 days of June:
In the last 9 days of SVO--the aggregate is around 7,700 KIAs. The butcher bill us horrendous and gives the insight into the fate of NATO if it decides to fight conventional war with Russia.
One of my sons saw some German reporting regarding a visit to a Ukrainian hospital. The hospitals are said to be overflowing with the wounded. Of course, the KIAs don’t show up in the hospitals.
Not surprisingly, there are increasing signs of cracks in the solid front that the collective West has tried to present.
There have been a variety of new theories put forward regarding the Nordstream terror attack, which I won’t go into here. We know who gave the word and I don’t personally believe the yacht story. But that’s not the real point. One thing that always seemed clear is that Poland almost certainly, and gleefully, provided operational support—which makes Poland responsible, too. Now Germans are being told openly that the Poles helped attack Germany and is co-responsible for their energy woes. Well, Poland presents a readier target than the US for German anger:
Poland has been baiting Germany for months, demanding trillions in WW2 reparations (hey, I understand, but …). I assume that has been at the behest of the Neocons, to help keep Germany in line with the collective West—but it hasn’t contributed to warm feelings for Poland in Germany. At some point Poland will learn that, not only do they need to find a way to live with Russia, but they’ll also need to find a way to live with Germany. Maybe the Germans will demand Nordstream reparations. Poland will also learn the hard way that the US government—and least of all the Neocons—don’t really give a toss about Poland. It’s always a one way street, and the would be US poodle always ends up with the sh*tty end of the stick. The next time is never different.
Now, here are two contrasting perspectives. Spain will soon be going through elections, and the polling is looking decidedly grim for the Lefty government. The opinion of these retired Spanish military officers probably represents a view that is increasingly widespread throughout Europe:
Spanish military personnel ask the EU to stop sending arms to Ukraine and focus on a peace agreement. The manifesto, signed by several dozen retired military personnel, calls for a halt to the escalation of war in Europe and asks governments to "stop this madness".
I’ll bet that that “manifesto” is getting some traction in Spain. And elsewhere.
On the other hand, the Neocons, well, they’re gonna Neocon. Michael Rubin continues his crusade—from his seat at the Libertarian American Enterprise Institute—to expand the American war on Russia into a full blown nuclear war. What? You didn’t know that nuclear proliferation was at the core of Libertarian ideology? Call it free enterprise.
Once that nuclear weapons genie is out of the bottle, good luck putting it back in, particularly with theater nuclear weapons. But we can feel confident that the MSM toadies will present the post-detonation scenes of horror in the best light possible for their chosen side.
Any nuclear detonation, or worse, an exchange between the two opponents will send the world's nuclear capable militaries into the highest alert condition to await guidance from their civilian leadership. And we have Joe Biden at the helm... That should scare the hell out of all Americans.
Once that nuclear weapons genie is out of the bottle, good luck putting it back in, particularly with theater nuclear weapons. But we can feel confident that the MSM toadies will present the post-detonation scenes of horror in the best light possible for their chosen side.
Any nuclear detonation, or worse, an exchange between the two opponents will send the world's nuclear capable militaries into the highest alert condition to await guidance from their civilian leadership. And we have Joe Biden at the helm... That should scare the hell out of all Americans.
Warmongers. What happened to the hippies preaching peace now?