Recent Appearances...

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Hello !
Recent Appearances...

China-Japan-Koreas

North Korea fires volley of short-range ballistic missiles

2024-05-30

[Al Jazeera] North Korea

...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
has launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea’s military said, as it continues to develop its military weaponry in breach of international sanctions.

The 10 missiles were launched from the Sunan area at about 6:14am on Thursday (21:14 GMT on Wednesday) towards the east, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement.

The statement said the missiles travelled about 350 kilometres (217 miles) before ditching into the sea.

The military said the launch was a "clear provocation" on the part of Pyongyang and "seriously threatens the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula".

The missile launch comes three days after North Korea’s attempt to put a second spy satellite into orbit ended in failure when the rocket carrying the equipment went kaboom! in midair.

Leader Kim Pudge Jong-un
...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished...
has made developing more sophisticated weaponry and military equipment a cornerstone of his efforts to modernise North Korea’s armed forces. He has deepened relations with Russia and has been accused of providing weapons for Moscow to use against Ukraine in return for Russian technological expertise.

The United States, a close ally of South Korea, condemned the launch with the Indo-Pacific Command urging North Korea to "refrain from further unlawful and destabilising acts."

Pyongyang is banned from testing ballistic missiles under United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme.

Link

-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Operation prevent the next pandemic: Biden admin. announces new treaty with 50 countries to identify next killer pathogens, Mpox in DRC and NKor research are poss. suspects

2024-04-17

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] President Joe Biden's administration will help 50 countries identify and respond to infectious diseases, with the goal of preventing pandemics like the COVID-19 outbreak.

Federal officials will work with the countries to develop better testing, surveillance, communication and preparedness for such outbreaks in those countries in order to help 'effectively respond to biological threats wherever they emerge.'
"Most likely before any Presidential Debates can occur"
The announcement about the strategy comes as countries have struggled to meet a worldwide accord on responses to future pandemics.

The program will rely on the State Department, the CDC, HHS, and the Agency for International Development, or USAID - to help countries refine their infectious disease response.

The White House on Tuesday will release a website with the names of the countries that are participating in the program.

President Joe Biden 's former Covid advisor has admitted the pandemic may have been borne out of a laboratory leak in Wuhan.

Biden officials are seeking to get 100 countries signed onto the program by the end of the year.

The 50 countries involved is up from 19.

The U.S. has devoting billions of dollars to the effort. Biden, a Democrat, is asking for $1.2 billion for global health safety efforts in his yearly budget proposal to Congress.

Meanwhile, four years after the coronavirus pandemic, the prospects of a pandemic treaty signed by all 194 of the World Health Organization's members are flailing.

The cooperation among the 50 countries 'to ensure they are better able to prevent, detect, and respond to global health security threats.'

Over the next five years, the United States will work with these 50 partners 'to build, further strengthen, and sustain a level of demonstrated capacity in at least five [global health security] areas.’

The Biden Administration oversaw much of the Covid vaccine rollout, which saved millions of American lives. But Covid-19 will not be the last of the administration's public health hurdles.

Bird flu is on the rise nationwide, infecting poultry and cows after the virus was able to jump from the former to the latter. The second person ever to be infected with avian flu was reported earlier this month after catching it from a cow.

New mutant strain of monkeypox with 'pandemic potential' is discovered in Congo village - as health officials call for 'urgent measures' to contain it

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A mutant strain of monkeypox

…calling it that proves that someone, somewhere is raaaaaaacis….

with 'pandemic potential' has been found in a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The virus is a descendent of the deadlier clade 1 mpox strain, but has evolved to become even more infectious and better at evading tests than its predecessor.

The concerning discovery was made in Kamituga – a poor, densely populated gold mining town that is feared to be ripe for an explosive outbreak. So far there have been 108 cases.

'Without intervention, this localised Kamituga outbreak harbors the potential to spread nationally and internationally,' the authors wrote.

'Given the recent history of mpox outbreaks in DRC, we advocate for swift action by endemic countries and the international community to avert another global mpox outbreak,' they add.

The researchers are concerned that the 'highly mobile' population of Kamituga could be the perfect breeding ground for the new virus.

Miners and sex workers frequently travel to and from the town for work from neighboring countries like Rwanda and Burundi.

And 'many people with mpox symptoms remain in the community and do not seek care', the authors wrote.

The pre-print warns that the 'local healthcare infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle a large-scale epidemic'

The experts have called for the roll out of vaccines and drugs and for heightened surveillance and contact tracing measures to be deployed in the area.

Mpox caused an international epidemic in 2022 when it spread to more than 100 countries and killed hundreds of people - including 58 Americans.

That outbreak was caused by the more mild clade 2 strain, which is rarely fatal.

The outbreak that worried health officials then was primarily concentrated within the gay and bisexual male community.

It is not yet clear whether the genesis of the outbreak in the DRC was driven by sexual contact.

For the past year, the DRC has been struggling to contain a deadlier version of the virus known as 'clade 1', which kills up to 10 per cent of those infected.

The new mutant strain - named 'clade 1b' - appears to be just as deadly. Of the 108 cases, there have been two deaths.

It is believed to have emerged sometime between July and September 2023 in animals and jumped to animals.

As it spread in Kamituga it acquired new mutations that helped it spread - especially among sex workers.

Nearly 30 percent of cases were among sex workers, suggesting the virus spreads in a similar way to the one that caused the 2022 outbreak.

Some 85 per cent of people had genital lesions, while 10 per cent were hospitalized.

The research was led by Congolese scientists in collaboration with experts across Africa, Europe, the US and Canada.

The findings were discussed by the ministers of health of 12 countries at a meeting convened by the Africa Centres for Disease Control last week, The Telegraph reports.

North Korea is producing viruses and bacteria for germ warfare programme and already has an arsenal capable of causing chaos and terror in the region, US report claims
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] North Korea is producing viruses and bacteria for their germ warfare programme that already has an arsenal capable of causing chaos and terror in the region, according to a US report.

In their latest assessment of Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction, the US said the mysterious state ruled by Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has developed sprays and 'poison pens' which can spread deadly diseases.

The weapons are said to be designed to spread germs such as smallpox and anthrax which some experts believe is more dangerous than Kim Jong-un's nuclear weapons programme.

The report by the US State Department, which monitors foreign governments’ compliance with arms control obligations, said: 'The United States assesses that the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] has a dedicated, national level offensive BW [biological weapons] programme.

How many decades have they worked on these projects without developing something they dared to actually use?

Link

China-Japan-Koreas

North Korea successfully tested a solid-fuel engine for a hypersonic missile

2024-03-21

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The DPRK successfully tested a solid-fuel jet engine for a new medium-long-range hypersonic missile, led by the country's leader Kim Jong-un. The North Korean Central Telegraph Agency (KCNA) reported this on March 20.

It is clarified that the planned ground test of the nozzle of a multi-stage solid propellant jet engine for a new hypersonic rocket was carried out on March 19 at the Sohae Cosmodrome by the General Directorate of Rocket Science of the DPRK and the subordinate Research Institute of Engines.

The test took place under the leadership of Kim Jong-un and senior personnel.

“The successful completion of this critical test established the timetable for the development and improvement of the medium-long-range hypersonic missile system,” the statement said.

After the successful test, the DPRK leader pointed out that the strategic value of the new missile, in his words, is no less than intercontinental ballistic missiles, noting “great satisfaction with the impeccable execution” of the party’s tasks in the field of creating strategic weapons.

As Regnum reported, on January 25, the DPRK Main Directorate of Rocket Science carried out a test launch of a new type of strategic cruise missile for the first time. It was noted that the rocket is still at the development stage.

On January 29, KCNA reported the successful test of North Korean Pulhwasal-3-31 cruise missiles. They were launched from a submarine, after which the missiles accurately hit the conditional targets.

Link

China-Japan-Koreas

North Korea fires cruise missiles at Yellow Sea: S Korean military

2024-01-24

He shoots! He SCORES!!!! Once again the sea is defeated!!

[GEO.TV] South Korean media reported Wednesday that North Korea

...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
fired multiple cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea, days after conducting two separate weapons testing.

According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the launches took place at around 7am, without giving further details, Yonhap reported.

"While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance, our military has been closely coordinating with the United States to monitor additional signs of North Korea's provocations," the JCS said in a statement quoted by Yonhap.

The launch is the first of its kind since September 2023, when Pyongyang fired two long-range strategic cruise missiles with mock nuclear warheads toward the same area.

The multiple launches come days after Kim Pudge Jong-un
...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished...
's forces fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile carrying a hypersonic warhead into the East Sea, marking the first of this year.

North Korean media KCNA reported last week that Pyongyang had tested an "underwater nuclear weapon system" in response to joint naval exercises by the US, South Korea, and Japan.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Biden has dangerously decayed deterrence — and every American is at risk

2024-01-09

[NYPOST] As Americans rang in the new year, regimes hostile to the United States made clear just how much President Biden has let US deterrence decay.

In his end-of-year presser, Russian President Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
reiterated his commitment to subjugating Ukraine in his effort to rebuild the Soviet Union — emphasizing, "The level of our ties with China is at an all-time high."

North Korea
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
’s Chairman Kim Pudge Jong-un
...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished...
laid out his plan to accelerate nuclear-weapons production in 2024, saying conflicts elsewhere compelled his nation to "sharpen the treasured sword."

And amid Iran’s multifront attacks on the Jewish state, the ayatollah’s officials declared America "will not be spared" if Israel’s campaign to eliminate Hamas
Hamas

...a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
continues — and we’ll be "faced with extraordinary problems" if we oppose Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
disruption of commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Four years ago, such statements would have been rightly seen as mere bluster.

Kim had stopped long-range-missile testing, Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
was isolated and weak, and the Trump administration’s model of deterrence kept Putin’s Ukraine ambitions at bay.

But the Biden administration’s complete lack of commitment to maintaining deterrence has encouraged these dangerous actions and placed the American people in peril.

Link

China-Japan-Koreas

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un says Pyongyang realized the impossibility of any partnership with South Korea

2024-01-01

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un says Pyongyang realized the impossibility of any partnership with South Korea, which “is a de facto colony of the United States.”

“The nuclear deterrent will not hesitate to take serious action if the United States and South Korea continue to strive for… pic.twitter.com/sr6OQdEa1c
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 31, 2023

Link

China-Japan-Koreas

Crying Kim Jong-un Tasks North Korean Women with ‘Stopping the Declining Birth Rate'

2023-12-06

[Breitbart] Communist dictator Kim Jong-un cried while delivering remarks this week to North Korea’s “national conference of mothers,” urging women across the country to help with “stopping the declining birth rate” and reminding mothers of their government requirement to “become communist.”

“First of all, mothers themselves should become communist mothers who have noble and beautiful moral qualities,” Kim said in an address to the “conference of mothers” on Tuesday. “Unless a mother becomes a communist, it is impossible for her to bring up her sons and daughters as communists and transform the members of her family into revolutionaries.”

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the flagship propaganda outlet of the communist Kim regime, published two separate speeches by Kim at the conference, one on Sunday and one on Tuesday. Both emphasized that the impoverished, brutal authoritarian regime required mothers to indoctrinate their children into communism and women generally to have many children. Kim’s remarks acknowledging a decreasing birth rate made headlines in South Korea, as the secretive regime often ignores its many internal problems and instead focuses on demonizing South Korea and America.

Kim’s appearance at the conference was also notable as state media aired footage of Kim crying while addressing the mothers.

North Korea is believed to have one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, hovering around 1.8 children per woman. The average believed to be necessary for “replacement fertility,” or the creation of enough babies to maintain a stable population, is 2.1 children per woman. The world’s lowest fertility rate, however, belongs to South Korea, where government statistics showed that the birth rate stood at around 0.70 in the past quarter, a record low.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Russia is hit by second huge train explosion as Ukraine 'moves to block munitions supplied by Kim Jong Un'

2023-12-01

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A second oil train has exploded in Buryatia, deep inside Russia, in an evident Ukrainian secret services bid to block munitions from North Korea.

Yesterday it was revealed a train had exploded inside a nine-mile-long tunnel, the longest in Russia.
Opportunity abounds
The line is used for munitions from North Korea to supply Vladimir Putin's invading forces in Ukraine, according to InformNapalm channel.

The channel added: 'The explosion incident allegedly occurred on the Itikit-Okushikan section of the East Siberian Railway in the Northern Railway Tunnel.

'It is located on the BAM (Baikal-Amur Mainline) and receives military supplies from the DPRK (North Korea).'

Kim Jong-un has supplied Putin with vast supplies of artillery shells and other munitions after the pair met in Vladivostok in September.

It is also on the main line for imports from China, said reports.

Dramatic footage from Russian news sites shows the carnage after the second explosion some 3,000 miles from the Ukrainian border in Siberia.

Ukrainian security sources had claimed the SBU secret service responsibility for the Severomuysky Tunnel explosion on Thursday.

Russian authorities have reported a number of attacks on transport infrastructure since it launched full-scale hostilities in Ukraine in February last year, occasionally pointing the finger at Kyiv.

'The Russians have fallen into the SBU's trap twice - another fuel train has exploded on the Baikal-Amur railway,' a source in Ukrainian law enforcement agencies said, referring to the SBU security services.

The source said the alleged attack on Friday was a follow-up to an initial explosion on Wednesday night involving a train transiting the remote region of Buryatia.

The second explosion on another train was reported 'in the same area'.

There was no immediate response from the Russian side to the latest incident, but Moscow confirmed a train crew earlier this week had spotted smoke in a fuel tank and called firefighters to the scene.

Russian business daily Kommersant on Friday cited sources as saying that investigators had opened a criminal probe into Wednesday's incident and that the fire on the train was likely caused by an unidentified explosive device.

'Russian special services should get used to the fact that our people are everywhere. Even in distant Buryatia,' the Ukrainian source said.

The source added that the second attack had targeted an alternative route for trains using the same railway - over the Chortov Bridge - also in Buryatia.

'This is exactly what the SBU was counting on: as the train was passing over this high 35-metre bridge, the explosive devices planted in it detonated.'

The Baikal-Amur railway is over 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) long and runs adjacent to the borders of China and Mongolia.

Russia earlier on Friday announced it had detained a dual Russian-Italian national for carrying out sabotage attacks on a railway and airbase, acting under the orders of Ukraine.

'Four tanker wagons from the train burned out, two more were damaged by fire,' reported Baza media outlet.

Fuel spread over an area of 1,600 square feet, it was stated.

The tunnel remains blocked from the first explosion which appears to have caused massive damage.

One account said the train comprised 50 tanker wagons - 41 with diesel and three with aviation fuel.

'As a result of the explosion, tanker wagon 16 at the head of the train burned out,' reported Baza.

Holes were found in two more tankers.

' After the explosion, it was possible to remove 14 tanks, but further transportation of the wagons is not yet possible.

'The explosion seriously damaged the rails, and the leaked fuel flooded them….

'Later, another train was blown up in the same area.'

A leaked internal email from Russian Railways stated: 'Attention EVERYONE!!!

'There was a terrorist attack in the Severomuysky tunnel!!!

'There are signs of explosions on the tankers….’

Russia initially claimed the tunnel explosion was caused by a 'short circuit'.

Last month Lt-Gen Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, said rockets in Kim's arsenal are suitable for the Grad anti-aircraft missile defence system, and some Russian tanks.

North Korea is capable of producing a significant number of artillery shells, since, unlike Russia, the Pyongyang regime has preserved facilities for serial weapons production.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian military plants can satisfy seven per cent of the Russian army's needs for artillery shells.

'It's a question of how much the Koreans will be able to transfer quickly,' said Budanov.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war is flooding social media. Here are the facts

2023-10-26

[AFRICANEWS] In the days since Hamas
Hamas

...a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
faceless myrmidons stormed into Israel early Oct. 7, a flood of videos and photos purporting to show the conflict have filled social media, making it difficult for onlookers from around the world to sort fact from fiction.

While plenty of real imagery and accounts of the ensuing carnage have emerged, they have been intermingled with users pushing false claims and misrepresenting videos from other events.

Among the fabrications, users have shared false claims that a top Israeli commander had been kidnapped, circulated a false video imitating a BBC News report, and pushed old and unrelated clips of Russian President Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
with inaccurate English captions.

Here is a closer look at the misinformation spreading online — and the facts.

CLAIM: A video shows North Korea
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
n leader Kim Pudge Jong-un
...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished...
saying in a speech that he blames President Joe The Big Guy Biden
...46th president of the U.S. ‘This Is A Man That Does Not Seem Demented’...
for the latest Israel-Hamas war.

THE FACTS: The video is from 2020 and the version currently circulating online features incorrect English captions. The footage actually shows Kim celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Workers' Party; he doesn't reference the conflict in the Middle East or Biden at any point.

In the misleading video circulating online, the English captions claim Kim says: "Under the Biden administration, conflicts erupt yearly. This year a war begins between Israel and Paleostine."

"I'm afraid that if the Biden admin does not cease to exist in the next election, World War 3 may begin," the captions continue. "Who knows what next year's war will be. I support Donald Trump
...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
for President in 2024. Good Luck to Mr. Trump."

The video was shared on Instagram and TikTok, where one post garnered more than 223,000 likes.

However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday...
the video is old and the captions are completely inaccurate.

Clips and images from the same speech can be seen in news reports from October 2020 about an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Korean Workers Party.

A transcript of the full speech translated to English by The National Committee on North Korea, a U.S.-based organization, does not mention anything about the Israel-Hamas war nor the 2024 U.S. presidential race.

Multiple Korean speakers and an expert who reviewed the portion of the speech circulating online also confirmed Kim says nothing of the sort in the footage.

Instead, Kim thanks his people and his military, saying: "The patriotic and heroic commitment shown by our People's Army soldiers on the unexpected frontlines of epidemic prevention and natural disaster recovery this year is something that evokes tears of gratitude from everyone."

Ji-Young Lee, a professor of Korean Studies at American University who confirmed the captions are inaccurate, noted that the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas faceless myrmidons did create concerns in South Korea about a similar assault from the North.

CLAIM: Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
has threatened to intervene in the latest Israel-Hamas war.

THE FACTS: The conservative Moslem president has said no such thing. A social media post he wrote recently about the ongoing conflict has been misquoted.

Social media users are sharing a quote they say is from Erdogan, in which the long serving leader warns his country will take decisive steps to end the conflict if the destruction of Hamas-controlled Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
continues.

"Ottoman Turkish President Erdogan has THREATENED to intervene in the Israeli war on Gaza: 'I call on all humanity to take action to stop this unprecedented brutality in the Gaza Strip. If not, we will do it'," wrote one user on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in a post that has been liked or shared more than 105,000 times.

But the posts are misquoting a comment Erdogan posted Oct. 17 on his personal account on X about the deadly conflict.

In the message, which was written in Ottoman Turkish, the president did "invite all humanity" to help stop the "unprecedented brutality in Gaza," as the posts claim.

But he doesn't write "If not, we will do it" or other threatening phrases suggesting a direct military intervention by ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...
, according to native Ottoman Turkish speakers and other experts who reviewed Erdogan's social media posts for The News Agency that Dare Not be Named.

"President Erdogan did not threaten to intervene in the conflict," Steven Cook, a Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington think tank, wrote in an email. "He was speaking generally about getting the world to put pressure on Israel to stop its military campaign."

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, a political science professor at Northwestern University who specializes in the Middle East, added that she hasn't seen any indication that Erdogan has made such a threat elsewhere.

Ottoman Turkish government spokespersons didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment, but Erdogan posted a lengthier statement on his personal account on X, also written in Ottoman Turkish, in which he denounced Israel's attacks on Gaza, criticized Western nations and media outlets and called for the international community to push for a ceasefire.

The official, English-language account for the Ottoman Turkish president's office echoed that sentiment in a post about a call between Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

"Underscoring that forcing the Paleostinians in Gaza to migrate from their homeland is unacceptable, President Erdogan stressed that Turkiye will continue to make every effort in order for peace to be ensured and for humanitarian aid

as well as healthcare services to be immediately delivered to Gaza," the office wrote.

— News Agency that Dare Not be Named writer Philip Marcelo in New York contributed this report.

___

CLAIM: The Israeli military confirmed it bombed a hospital in Gaza in a social media post written in Arabic.

THE FACTS: A screenshot circulating online shows a Facebook post from an account posing as the Israeli military. No such post exists on the military's actual social media pages and its top Arabic-speaking spokesperson confirmed his office has issued no such statement.

In the wake of the Oct. 17 deadly blast at al-Ahli hospital in Gaza, social media users shared the screenshot, claiming it is from a member of the Israeli military's Arabic-speaking media relations team.

The user's profile image bears the blue-and-white emblem of the spokesperson's office, which features radio waves atop the Israeli military's traditional symbol of an olive branch-wrapped sword.

The post, written in Arabic, suggests the Jewish nation said it bombed the hospital because the Gaza City medical facility lacked supplies and staff.

"Israeli official facebook post: 'Due to the lack of medical equipment and the lack of medical staff, it was decided to bomb the Baptist Hospital in Gaza and give them euthanasia'," wrote one user on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in a post translating the screenshot. Similar posts were also widely shared on TikTok and other social media platforms.

But the purported statement wasn't penned by the Israeli military's press office, its top Arabic-speaking spokesperson confirmed this week.

"Just to clarify: I did not issue any statement or comment regarding the Baptist Hospital in Gaza," wrote Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab media branch of the Israeli military's Spokesperson's Unit, in a post on X from Oct. 17, when the blast occurred. "All the news circulating in my name comes from the Hamas media outlets and is completely false."

The office on Oct. 19 confirmed the post did not come from the military's official Arabic page, saying in an emailed statement: "The IDF has made it very clear that there was no IDF strike on the hospital."

What's more, the Israeli military's press office doesn't use its own logo on its actual social media accounts, unlike the fake account.

The unit's separate Facebook pages in English and Hebrew, as well as its X account written in Farsi, for example, all use the military's main symbol. That gold-colored emblem features the olive branch-wrapped sword with the Star of David in the background.

Meanwhile Adraee's social media accounts, which are the main channel for the Israeli military's messages in Arabic, feature his profile picture and a maroonlogo consisting of five swords with flames in the background as its cover photo.

The original fake account and post on Facebook also appear to have been deleted as of Oct. 19. Spokespersons for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, didn't reply to an email seeking comment.

There were conflicting accusations of who was responsible for the hospital blast, with Hamas officials in Gaza blaming an Israeli ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
and Israel saying it was caused by a an errant rocket launched by Paleostinian Death Eaters. U.S. and French intelligence services also concluded it was likely caused by a misfired rocket. An AP analysis of video, photos and satellite imagery, as well as consultation with experts, showed the cause was likely a rocket launched from Paleostinian territory that mishad gun sex and crashed to the ground. However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday...
a definitive conclusion could not be reached.

— News Agency that Dare Not be Named writer Philip Marcelo in New York contributed this report.

___

CLAIM: A video shows Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
's emir threatening to cut off the world's natural gas supply if Israel doesn't stop bombing Gaza.

THE FACTS: Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, says no such thing in the widely circulating clip, which is more than 6 years old. A spokesperson for the Qatari government also confirmed that neither the emir nor any other government official has threatened to cut off exports in response to the conflict.

Many online are sharing the video of the Persian Gulf nation's ruler, falsely claiming it shows him saying in Arabic that he's willing to halt the distribution of its gas reserves to achieve his desired end to the latest Israel-Hamas war.

"BREAKING: Qatar is threatening to create a global gas shortage in support of Paleostine," wrote one user who posted the video on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "If the bombing of Gaza doesn't stop, we will stop gas supply of the world."

But Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani says nothing of the sort in the video. The 7-second clip is actually a tiny snippet from his opening speech at the Doha Forum in 2017.

Marc Owen Jones, a professor of Middle East studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Doha, the capital of Qatar, confirmed that the emir touches briefly on Paleostinians in the widely shared clip, but doesn't make any threats related to the current conflict.

Instead the emir, in his remarks, urged the international community to take more steps to address the region's refugee crisis, news outlets reported at the time.

"The exact translation is: 'The issue of Paleostine, I'll begin by saying it's a case of a people uprooted from their lands, and displaced from their nation'," Jones wrote in an email.

Qatar's government on Oct. 16 confirmed the clip dates to 2017 and is being misrepresented.

"This is yet another case of an online disinformation against Qatar — such a statement has never been made and never would be," wrote the country's International Media Office in an email. "Qatar does not politicize its LNG supplies or any economic investment."

Qatar is one of the world's top natural gas producers. It controlled the third-largest natural gas reserves and was the second largest exporter of liquified natural gas, or LNG, in 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

What's more, the country has been working in recent years to use its sizable resources to build ties with other nations, not antagonize them, according to experts.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, a Boston-based company that tracks gas prices nationwide, pointed to a deal Qatar's state energy company just announced to supply French energy company TotalEnergies with 3.5 million tons of natural gas annually for the next 27 years.

"Qatar has been securing investment since Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
to find new sources of natural gas and quickly," he wrote in an email. "They're making deals left and right."

— Philip Marcelo.

___ CLAIM: A video shows a BBC News report confirming Ukraine provided weapons to Hamas.

THE FACTS: The widely shared video clip is fabricated, officials with the BBC and Bellingcat, an investigative news website that is cited in the video as the source, confirm.

The clip, which includes the BBC's distinctive block-text logo, purports to show a story from the outlet about a recent report from Bellingcat on Ukraine providing arms to Hamas.

"Bellingcat: Ukrainian military offensive failure and HAMAS attack linked," reads the text over the video, which has more than 2,500 comments and 110,000 views on the messaging service Telegram. "The Paleostinians purchased firearms, ammunition, drones and other weapons."

But neither the BBC nor Bellingcat has reported any evidence to support the notion that Ukraine funneled arms to Hamas.

"We've reached no such conclusions or made any such claims," Bellingcat wrote Oct. 10 in a post on X that included screengrabs of the fake report. "We'd like to stress that this is a fabrication and should be treated accordingly."

Eliot Higgins, the Amsterdam-based organization's founder, noted in a separate post on X that the claims have been amplified by Russian social media users.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a New York University professor briefly shown near the end of the video, also disputed the clip's suggestion that he's said the U.S. might leave NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and structure....
if the arms claims prove true.

"Entirely fake. Never said that," the distinguished professor of risk engineering wrote in an email.

Spokespersons for the BBC didn't respond to emails seeking comment, but Shayan Sardarizadeh, a news hound with the organization's fact checking unit, confirmed in a post on X that the video is not real.

Ukrainian officials have similarly dismissed the notion that its country's arms have somehow found their way to Hamas. The country's military intelligence agency, in an Oct. 9 post on its official Facebook page, accused Russia of plotting a disinformation campaign around these claims.

Experts say there is also no evidence of Hamas making any claims about receiving arms from Ukraine, nor would it make sense for Kyiv to provide them.

"I see no reason Ukraine would do this," said Michael O'Hanlon, director of foreign policy research at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. "Starting with the fact that Kiev is in the business of obtaining weapons and not giving them away."

— News Agency that Dare Not be Named writers Philip Marcelo in New York and Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv contributed this report.

___

CLAIM: Video of a young actor being filmed lying in a pool of fake blood shows propaganda being created for use in the Israel-Hamas war.

THE FACTS: The video is behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "Empty Place," a short film focused on the story of Ahmad Manasra, a Paleostinian who was arrested at age 13 in 2015 in relation to the stabbing of two Israelis.

Social media users on both sides of the latest Israel-Hamas war are sharing the video, each falsely alleging that it's proof the other group is creating propaganda about their own.

In the clip, a young actor lies on a sidewalk covered in fake blood, his right leg bent backward, as a film crew works around him. Other actors mill about dressed as soldiers and in garb worn by many Orthodox Jewish men.

"See how Israelis are making fake videos saying that Paleostine Freedom Fighters killed children," reads one tweet that had received more than 5,600 likes and more than 4,400 shares as of Oct. 11.

An Instagram post claimed the opposite, stating: "These snuffies are dressing up as JEWISH soldiers to create fake videos about Israeli soldiers! Faking Propaganda!"

But neither allegation is correct. The video shows footage from the making of the 2022 short film directed by Awni Eshtaiwe, a filmmaker based in the West Bank. The scene being shot begins about 1 minute and 10 seconds into the approximately 2 minute film.

Mohamad Awawdeh, a cinematographer listed in the film's credits as a camera assistant, posted the behind-the-scenes footage to TikTok in April 2022, around the time the film was released. A caption on the post, written in Arabic, explains that the scene being filmed in the video shows Manasra being attacked. Awawdeh posted the same footage to Instagram on June 30.

— News Agency that Dare Not be Named writer Melissa Goldin in New York contributed this report.

___

CLAIM: Nimrod Aloni, a top general in the Israeli army, was captured by Hamas faceless myrmidons during a deadly incursion Oct. 7 into southern Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip.

THE FACTS: There's no truth to this claim, a spokesperson for the Israeli military confirmed. Aloni was seen Oct. 8 at a meeting of top Israeli military officials.

The erroneous claim that Aloni was one of the hostages taken by Hamas spread widely online after the Death Eater group attacked Israel.

"Paleostinian resistance fighters capture Israeli commander Nimrod Aloni along with dozens of other Israeli soldiers as the resistance fighters attacked neighbouring occupied towns and Israeli check posts near Gaza," stated one Instagram post that received more than 43,000 likes.

But Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military's chief military front man, told news hounds Oct. 7 that claims Aloni was captured are "not true."

Aloni clearly appears 10 seconds into a video posted to the Israeli military's official YouTube channel of brass hats discussing the war on Oct. 8. The date can be seen on a slide in the background. The military also published online four images from the meeting. The one on the lower right shows Aloni on the far right.

The Israeli army confirmed to The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that Aloni is the man in the video and image.

— Melissa Goldin.

___

CLAIM: A video shows Hamas fighters parachuting onto a sports field before attacking Israeli citizens during the group's surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

THE FACTS: While Hamas did employ paragliders to get some fighters across the border between Gaza and southern Israel, the footage of the sports field shows parachute jumpers in Cairo and has been online since at least September.

The clip shows people strapped to multi-colored parachutes descending onto a crowded sports field complex filled with children and families, many in red sports jerseys.

"Hamas paraglided amongst Israeli citizens and proceeded to massacre them," text on the video clip reads. One post of the misleading footage on TikTok was viewed more than 38,000 times.

But this footage has been online since at least Sept. 27, when it was posted to TikTok with the location tag "Egypt."

Details of the video also point to Egypt as the location — a person is wearing a blue shirt that reads "El Nasr SC" on the back, the name of a sporting club in northeastern Cairo.

Images of the club on Google Maps match the scene of the video — as well as several other clips of the event from the same TikTok user — with both showing a bright blue fence around a sporting ground next to a paved area with green and blue plastic seats.

The parachuters land on a larger soccer pitch surrounded by tall field lights. The field matches photos posted to the club's Facebook page and footage of its soccer team's matches, including a distinctive red building with a blue fence on top at one end that can be seen in the TikTok clip at around 19 seconds.

Other TikTok users shared footage of a parachuting similar scene around the same time, with "El Nasr" in the caption in Arabic.

The crowd of onlookers in the clip circulating online also doesn't seem distressed by the arrival of the parachuters, as one might expect if they were an invading force. In fact, many women and kiddies are seen running towards them, phones in hand taking videos and photos of the aerial display.

___

CLAIM: Two videos show Russian President Vladimir Putin warning the U.S. to "stay away" from the latest Israel-Hamas war.

THE FACTS: Both videos circulating online are months-old clips of Putin speaking about the Russia-Ukraine war, not the conflict in the Middle East, which have been miscaptioned in English.

Both videos show Putin speaking in Russian, with false English captions saying he was warning the U.S. to refrain from helping the Jewish state.

"America wants to Destroy israel as we destroy ukraine In past," the captions on one video state. "I am warning America. Russia will help palestine and america can do nothing." One TikTok post that shared the clip had received approximately 11,600 views as of Oct. 9.

A caption on another video of Putin, filmed in a different location, similarly reads: "I am warning america to stay Away from palestine israel war."

But the two clips long predate the latest Israel-Hamas war and make no mention of Israel at all.

The first shows Putin at a meeting of Russia's Human Rights Council in December 2022, where, amid discussions about the war in Ukraine, he responded to a question about the country's potential use of nuclear weapons, as the AP reported at the time. The footage was featured by multiple other newsoutlets with similar translations.

In the second, Putin is speaking at a February 2023 event marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II Soviet victory over Nazi German forces in the battle of Stalingrad. In his remarks, he compared this threat to Germany's then-recent decision to supply Ukraine with tanks, the AP reported at the time. Several media outlets also featured the footage in similar reports.

Kremlin front man Dmitry Peskov told news hounds on Oct. 9 that Russia is "extremely concerned" by the "spiral of violence" in Israel. Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's deputy foreign minister and former ambassador to Israel and Egypt, told the state Tass agency Oct. 7 that Moscow has been in touch with "all parties (of the conflict), including Arab countries" and was urging for "an immediate cease-fire and peace."

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Cairo peace summit bombs as world leaders divided on Israel-Hamas conflict; Israel pans

2023-10-22

Indulging Egypt’s need to be seen as important.

[GEO.TV] Arab leaders attending the Cairo Summit for Peace on Saturday condemned the Israeli bombardment of Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
, while European nations emphasised the need to protect civilians amid relentless Israeli bombing.

Notably, Israel and high-ranking US officials were absent from the meeting, and as a result, there was no consensus reached on how to contain the ongoing violence.

The summit was initiated and hosted by Egypt, with the hope of gathering support for peace and reigniting efforts to address the long-standing Paleostinian quest for statehood.

Unfortunately, the meeting concluded without leaders and foreign ministers agreeing on a joint statement.

This occurred two weeks into a conflict that has claimed the lives of thousands and resulted in a humanitarian crisis in the blockaded Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million people.

Diplomats present at the talks had limited expectations of a breakthrough, as Israel was preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza with the goal of eliminating the bad boy Paleostinian group Hamas
Hamas

...the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
, which had launched attacks on Israeli towns on October 7, causing the death of 1,400 people.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, Israel's ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s and missile strikes had, by that point, resulted in the deaths of at least 4,385 Paleostinians since the Hamas attack.

While Arab and Moslem nations called for an immediate halt to Israel's offensive, Western countries generally focused on more modest objectives, such as providing humanitarian relief to civilians.

King Abdullah of Jordan decried what he described as global silence regarding Israel's attacks, which had led to the deaths of thousands in Hamas-ruled Gaza and left over a million people homeless. He called for a balanced approach to the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict.

"The message the Arab world is hearing is that Paleostinian lives matter less than Israeli ones," he said, adding he was outraged and grieved by acts of violence waged against innocent civilians in Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and Israel.

Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....
said Paleostinians would not be displaced or driven off their land.

"We won't leave, we won't leave," he told the summit.

La Belle France called for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza that it said could lead to a ceasefire. Britannia and Germany both urged Israel's military to show restraint and Italia said it was important to avoid escalation.

The following two articles courtesy of badanov:

German Foreign Minister Bärbock called for continuing the war against Hamas
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock called for continuing the war against the Palestinian Hamas movement, but to do so taking into account the humanitarian situation.

Ah, the omnipresent Yes, but... that means present your bare neck to the sword of the killers — you don’t get to fight back.

She announced this at the summit in Cairo, her words were quoted by Der Spiegel magazine.

That would be the summit Israel was not invited to.

According to the German Foreign Minister, Hamas wants “greater escalation in the region” and rejects diplomatic ways to resolve the crisis.

“I call on everyone to stand up against terrorism... the war against Hamas must continue, but taking into account the humanitarian situation affecting the innocent men and women in the Gaza Strip,” she said.

They voted Hamas into power, then did so again.

Burbock added that the summit was unanimous that the Middle East region needs a new peace process that "will allow Palestinians and Jews to live side by side in peace and security in two independent states."

And who, other than Israel, is going to bell that particular cat?

As Regnum reported , on October 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that regardless of the escalation of the Middle East conflict, Russia stands for the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.

That’s nice. Except that Israel long ago made the united Jerusalem their capitol, so the so-called Palestinians are out of luck.

He clarified that the Palestinian community must independently achieve its unity.

On October 20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Russia’s commitment to the decisions of the UN Security Council on the need to create the State of Palestine within the 1967 borders.

No.

He stressed that these decisions have not been canceled.

Palestinians in the city of Hebron on October 21 held a rally against Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip with portraits of the Russian president and Russian flags. Protesters also carried a portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Axis of Evil v.2.0.

Russia proposes steps to resolve the conflict in the Middle East
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russia calls on other countries to join forces to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on October 21, speaking at the peace summit in Cairo.

“Along with addressing the urgent tasks of ending the current spiral of violence, it is necessary to urgently begin to agree on a strategy of collective action for a political settlement of the conflict,” he said.

Bogdanov noted that US actions in the UN Security Council prevented the adoption of emergency measures to normalize the situation in the Middle East, as a result of which the escalation of the conflict continues and the number of civilian casualties continues to grow.

The peace summit in Cairo is being held on the initiative of Egyptian President Abdel Fattahaas-Sisi. The event was also attended by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni , head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas , foreign ministers of Japan, France, Germany and Great Britain and other European officials. No one arrived from the United States; the American side is represented by US Chargé d'Affaires in Egypt Beth Jones.

And no one was invited from Israel.

As Regnum reported, Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya on October 18 accused a number of members of the UN Security Council of delaying the adoption of a peace resolution to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He noted that the Russian side proposed urgent measures that would avoid an increase in the number of victims, but they were blocked. Nebenzya emphasized that the document did not contain political assessments or even mention the parties to the conflict.

The conflict, which began on October 7 with a large-scale attack by the Palestinian Hamas movement on Israel, continues. Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adri said on October 21 that the Gaza Strip is under a total blockade. He added that the military operation will last as long as necessary.

Israel pans Cairo confab for failure to condemn Hamas

[IsraelTimes] Israel criticizes a peace summit in Cairo where Arab and Western representatives failed to agree on condemning Hamas
Hamas

...the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
for its massacres in southern Israel on October 7.

"It is unfortunate that even when faced with those horrific atrocities, there were some who had difficulty condemning terrorism or acknowledging the danger," a Foreign Ministry statement says.

"Israel will do what it has to do and expects the international community to recognize its justified battle," it adds.

From another Israel Times brief:

Western delegates demanded “a clear condemnation placing responsibility for the escalation on Hamas” but Arab leaders refused, a diplomat tells AFP on condition of anonymity.

Instead the Egyptian hosts released a statement — drafted with the approval of Arab delegates — criticizing world leaders for seeking to “manage the conflict and not end it permanently.”

The statement says such “temporary solutions and palliatives… do not live up to even the lowest aspirations” of the Palestinian people.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: October 19th, 2023

2023-10-20

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:48 Zelensky, in an evening video message, announced the details of the conversation with Biden: “We discussed further joint steps to protect freedom. We discussed defense support, among other things, that “attacks” can help us speed up the liberation of Ukraine from the occupier. Of course, we also talked about "Continuing aid to Ukraine next year is a significant package of support for our country. America will support the implementation of the Peace Formula, and I informed President Biden about the upcoming large international meeting on the Peace Formula, which will be held in Malta this month."

22:17 Zelensky said that he had a conversation with Biden: “He thanked for the effective implementation of our recent defense agreements. The Ukrainians were very inspired by the receipt of ATACMS missiles, and our soldiers are successfully using them on the battlefield. We discussed further strengthening our long-range capabilities.”

In addition, the Ukrainian president thanked US Special Representative Penny Pritzker for the fruitful visit, during which negotiations began on ways to use frozen Russian assets. Zelensky also welcomed the US decision to send a representative to the next meeting of advisers in Malta later this month.

21:02 Zaluzhny reported that he visited the Avdeevskoe direction, with the commanders and brigade commanders they determined the sequence of steps and discussed the priority needs of the units. We also carried out work in the Kupyansk direction, where the Russians continue their offensive. According to the commander-in-chief, near Avdiivka the enemy is not abandoning attempts to break through the Ukrainian defenses and surround the city. The enemy is actively using assault units, throwing a large number of armored vehicles, using aviation and artillery. Despite this, the Defense Forces continue to repel attacks, destroying enemy personnel and equipment.

20:24 Ukraine and France have begun the first round of negotiations to conclude a bilateral agreement on security guarantees, the Presidential Office reported. France became the fifth G7 state after the USA, Great Britain, Canada and Japan, with which Ukraine began such bilateral negotiations.

18:31 Zelensky put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council, providing for the protection and uninterrupted operation of critical infrastructure and energy facilities in war conditions. According to the document, the government must, within ten days, strengthen engineering protection of critical facilities, increase the number of air defense groups, and create reserves of equipment and spare parts for quick repairs. In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers must approve a plan for the restoration of critical facilities destroyed or damaged within three months.

17:59 The Russian Army shelled the Kherson region from aircraft, two people were wounded, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin. In particular, the enemy fired ten aerial bombs at Berislav, and two more at the village of Veseloye.

16:47 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, thanked him for the $435 million preparation plan for the winter season, as well as for the UN’s active participation in the implementation of the Peace Formula and its readiness to send a representative of the organization to the next meeting of advisers. “After the meeting of advisers in Jeddah, it is also important that the next event be no less successful and produce concrete results. To do this, we need to maintain the support of the countries of the Global South. In this, Ukraine very much counts on the UN,” the president emphasized.

16:34 The International Commission on Missing Persons is aware of about 30 thousand Ukrainian civilians who have gone missing since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said the agency’s director general, Katherine Bomberger.

15:31 Zelensky said that he was on a working trip to the Kiev region, got acquainted with the progress of housing construction for people affected by the Russian invasion, which is being built in the village of Tarasovka at the expense of philanthropists.

15:28 Kuleba is confident that the United States will supply Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles on an ongoing basis. The minister also expressed hope that in the future Ukraine will receive ATACMS missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of 300 km.

14:50 Kuleba predicts that Ukraine will receive the first F-16 fighters in the first half of 2024, at best: “As soon as the pilots complete training, and in parallel Ukraine is preparing the infrastructure for this, the planes will be in Ukraine. That is, the only obstacles for "In order for F-16s to appear in Ukrainian air, pilot training and infrastructure preparation are completed. The optimistic scenario, I think, is somewhere in the first half of next year."

14:44 The UK, together with its partners, is implementing a Winter Emergency Assistance Plan for Ukraine totaling £127 million, said Nicholas Aucott, senior military adviser to the UK delegation to the OSCE.

14:27 Scholz promised to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine and announced the preparation of a winter military assistance package, the key element of which will be air defense systems.

14:19 The Russian Orthodox Church is creating its own private military companies engaged in the recruitment and combat training of mercenaries for the war against Ukraine, the SBU reports. One of these PMCs, called St. Andrew's Cross, operates on the basis of the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Its representatives are recruiting parishioners for further inclusion in the Russian troops.

After mercenaries are enrolled in the ranks of PMCs, they undergo a course of military tactical and fire training under the guidance of instructors from the Russian special services. To disguise combat training, training is carried out exclusively on the territory of the cathedral, as well as at special training grounds. Such PMCs are financed by representatives of financial and industrial groups close to Putin. Money goes to the accounts of the Russian Orthodox Church in the form of charitable contributions and donations for the “construction of churches.”

13:04 In Moscow, not far from residential buildings, a plant for the production of air defense missiles was built, according to the mayor’s website. Production is planned to start before October 2024. As the Russian publication Important Stories writes, the plant is located in the east of Moscow - close to residential buildings. There are two metro stations a few kilometers away. In addition, a test site for testing drones with an area of 100 hectares has been organized in the Nekrasovka district.

12:55 Kazakhstan has introduced a ban on the export of 106 types of goods to the Russian Federation, including technological ones - drones, microelectronics and others that can be used by Russians for military purposes. These are products that were not produced in Kazakhstan.

12:46 Russian so-called military correspondents began sounding the alarm on Tuesday and declaring that the Ukrainian military had gone on the offensive on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Oleshek region. Propagandists claim that marines of the Ukrainian Navy took occupier positions in two villages - Poyma and Peschanivka. Read more in the material New operation of the Marines .

12:03 Russian Alexander Mozhaev , known as “Cossack Babai,” was killed in the Zaporozhye direction , Russian military publics report. Since 2014, Mozhaev has fought in the Donbass against Ukraine and participated in the seizure of administrative buildings. He himself said that he went to Crimea, and then to Donbass with other Russian “volunteers”. In April 2014, Mozhaev gained fame in the Donetsk region because of his colorful appearance; he was accused of shooting down a helicopter near Kramatorsk with a grenade launcher.

11:22 The defense forces shot down another enemy Su-25 attack aircraft. This is the fifth plane shot down in the Donetsk region over the past ten days, the Tavria group of troops reports.

11:19 After a short lull, the Russians continue to try to capture Avdiivka, the shelling continued all night, said the head of the GVA Vitaly Barabash. According to him, due to the aggravation of the situation, humanitarian aid is not being delivered to the city now, but there are still reserves. At the same time, the evacuation of civilians is underway, leaving about 1,600 people in the city.

11:16 The Russians hit Kherson with artillery: they hit a residential area, three people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. Over the past 24 hours, two people were killed and four were injured as a result of Russian shelling in the region.

10:50 British intelligence believes that the Kerch Bridge, although restored after damage, will be limited in providing Russian transportation to Crimea, and will also require significant resources to protect against new Ukrainian attacks.

10:09 Russia is expanding the Rostov-Novoazovsk-Mariupol highway to improve automobile logistics to Crimea. We are talking specifically about the expansion, and not the construction of a new road, said Advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol Pyotr Andryushchenko and showed a photo. He emphasized that the road that Radio Liberty previously showed in the photo is not a road one. “This is the golden dream of Russians about a railway over the sea Rostov - Mariupol and Beryansk - Kirillovka - Crimea,” Andryushchenko added.

09:03 At night, Russia attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles and attack drones , the Air Force command reported. In total, the enemy recorded the use of 17 air attack weapons:

five Iskander M ballistic missiles;

one S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile;

one X-59 guided aircraft missile;

one cruise missile (type to be confirmed);

nine Shahed-136/131 attack UAVs.

Industrial, infrastructure, civilian and military facilities were attacked in the Donetsk, Nikolaev, Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions. Air defense forces destroyed one Kh-59 guided missile and three attack drones.

08:51 Late in the evening of October 18, the Russians launched a missile attack on Pavlograd in the Dnepropetrovsk region, destruction was recorded at an infrastructure facility, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak. In the morning, air defense forces shot down a missile over the Krivoy Rog region. In addition, at night the Russian army continued to shell the Nikopol region, without any deaths or injuries.

08:36 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of October 19:

personnel - about 290,680 (+630) people,

tanks - 4992 (+11),

armored combat vehicles - 9437 (+17),

artillery systems - 6983 (+39),

MLRS - 818 (+4),

air defense systems - 548 (+1),

aircraft - 320 (+1),

helicopters - 324 (+1),

UAV of operational-tactical level - 5318 (+17),

cruise missiles - 1534 (+0),

ships/boats - 20 (+0),

submarines - 1 (+0),

automotive equipment and tank trucks - 9337 (+34),

special equipment - 985 (+3).

08:13 As a result of an evening missile attack on the settlement of the Stepovskaya community of the Nikolaev region, two people were killed and one was wounded, said the head of the OBA Vitaly Kim. The missile hit a food establishment, and the strike also damaged residential buildings, agricultural enterprises and other civilian infrastructure. Also at night in the same locality, as a result of falling debris from the Shahed attack drone, a fire broke out in the roof of an unused warehouse building; no people were injured.

In addition, at night the Russians launched a missile attack on Nikolaev, which resulted in a fire in an unused warehouse building on the territory of one of the enterprises, and the blast wave damaged apartment buildings. No casualties.

07:58 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Ukrainian marines landed on the left bank of the Kherson region and occupied enemy positions. In particular, yesterday's geolocation footage shows that Ukrainian fighters have advanced north of Peschanivka (14 km east of Kherson and 3 km from the Dnieper River) and towards Poima (11 km east of Kherson and 4 km from the Dnieper River).

In turn, Russian media write that two assault groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces landed on the eastern bank of the Dnieper and broke through the defenses of the occupation forces, temporarily occupying the entire Poima and positions on the northern outskirts of Peschanivka. As of October 18, the Russian army controlled only the southern part of Peschanivka.

07:35 Defense forces continue their offensive in the Melitopol direction and have partial success southwest of Verbovoye, Zaporozhye region, the General Staff reported in its morning report . The Ukrainian Armed Forces also continue assault operations south of Bakhmut, Donetsk region.

Over the past 24 hours, about 80 military clashes took place at the front. In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in the Sinkovka, Ivanovka, Kislovka areas of the Kharkov region, as well as near Nadezhda, Lugansk region; on Limansky - in the Makeevka area of the Lugansk region; on Bakhmutsky - in the Kleshcheevka area of the Donetsk region; in Avdeevsky - in the Avdeevka, Novokalinovo and Pervomaisky districts of the Donetsk region; on Maryinsky - in the area of Marinka and Novomikhailovka, Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - in the Novomayorsky district of the Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - in the areas of Novodarovka and east of Malaya Tokmachka, Zaporozhye region.

05:28 Of the $100 billion that Biden intends to request from Congress to help Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, $60 billion is intended for Kiev, NBC reports, citing sources. The remaining 40 billion are planned to provide assistance to Israel, Taiwan, and to protect the US-Mexico border.

Republicans expect the new Ukraine aid package to be used, in part, to replenish US military supplies, especially ammunition that was previously sent to Europe and Ukraine.

04:37 Lavrov said that relations between Russia and the DPRK after the summit between Putin and Kim Jong-un “reached a qualitatively new, strategic level.”

02:24 Biden intends to address the Americans with a speech about the war in Ukraine and Israel, the White House reports. The American leader's address is scheduled for Thursday evening. "White House President Joe Biden will voice the US response to Hamas' terrorist attacks on Israel and Russia's brutal war against Ukraine," the statement said.

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China-Japan-Koreas

DPRK rocket artillery as a prospect for Russia

2023-09-18

[Militarnyi UA] What's in North Korea's cookie jar?
The DPRK has been making money from the sale of rocket artillery systems to various totalitarian regimes for many decades and Russia will unlikely be an exception.

The North Korean military-industrial complex is engaged in production of rocket launchers, as well as 107-mm, 122-mm, 200-mm, 240-mm, 300-mm and even 600-mm rockets.

On September 13, Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. At the meeting, with high probability, the leaders of the two countries agreed on the supply of military goods that would be sent to war against Ukraine.

North Korea, hmmm? Are their weapons more likely to kill the holder or the target?

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