Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Home Front: Politix

Unsatisfied with protests, anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace aims to sway US elections

2025-07-19

[IsraelTimes] With support at a high after Oct. 7 Hamas atrocities, group asks members to donate to a new entity not bound by current restrictions on partisan activity

Half a year into the Israel-Hamas
Hamas

..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
war that began with the bloody Hamas-led invasion of Israel in October 2023, the executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)

…founded by Hamas BDS activist Hatem Bazian, while its social media managers live in Lebanon and a large chunk of its funding comes from the Soros Open Society Foundations…

might have been riding high.

Attention and support for JVP, now three decades old, were way up. New chapters were forming and the anti-Zionist group’s social media following had tripled, ringing in at 1.3 million on Instagram alone. Suddenly, there were 32,000 dues-paying members — many of whom were glad to attend events and protests to broadcast their opposition to Zionism and support for the Paleostinian cause. People were writing articles about getting involved in pro-Paleostinian activism after encountering JVP protests on the street.

Yet Stefanie Fox, JVP’s top official since 2020, wasn’t satisfied. "We’ve had an unprecedented show of our values, our principles," she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency at the time. "And it still hasn’t translated to the very baseline of a ceasefire and a negotiated exchange of hostages and prisoners."

That’s still true more than a year later. Despite another temporary ceasefire that broke down in March of this year with Israeli ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s on Hamas targets in 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 a rusty 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...
, the war is ongoing. And JVP is changing its structure and strategy.

Under a new arrangement, the Berkeley, Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,-based organization will now be able to dedicate more of its resources to lobbying for specific policies and supporting or opposing candidates for elected US office. The change signals a belief that influencing dynamics in the Middle East will require more than protests and grassroots organizing.

"There is unprecedented, mass support for Paleostinians. Our movement has already grown larger, and more quickly, than many of us thought possible. But it’s clear we have not begun to tap our full potential," JVP wrote in an explanation of the shift, which was first reported on by Jewish Insider. "The US government has not budged from its commitment to sponsor Israel’s genocide. Public polling and public displays of opposition alone will not shift US policy. Our movement must contend for real power."

JVP is urging its members — donors who give at least $18 a year — to shift their membership from the group’s original nonprofit to a newer entity that isn’t bound by the same legal restrictions on partisan activity. The tradeoff: Donations to the new organization are not tax-deductible.

The strategy shift, which has been in the works for some time, comes amid increasing signs that opposition to Israel is no longer a deal-breaker in the Democratic political sphere in the United States. In New York City, Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a longtime proponent of the movement to boycott Israel, won the primary last month despite declining to denounce the phrase "globalize the intifada," which is associated with the pro-Paleostinian demonstrations that Jewish Voice for Peace has organized and participated in, and is considered by many to be a call to violence against Jewish and Israeli targets around the world.

An added benefit of the strategy shift for JVP is that it does not depend on legions of foot soldiers.

Atalia Omer, an Israeli-American scholar at the University of Notre Dame who studies Jewish anti-Zionist organizing and participates in it herself, told JTA last year that she was observing a mounting crisis within the movement a year after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, atrocities that saw some 1,200 Israelis brutally slaughtered and 251 kidnapped to the Gaza Strip.

"People are right now in despair. There is a sense of: How much more mobilization can we do?" she said, adding, "The situation remains urgent, but it’s very hard to sustain emergency mobilization for a full year."

Now, JVP will focus its efforts on electoral campaigning, an arena where money is at least as important as bodies. The period following October 7 brought an unprecedented fundraising bonanza for JVP. The group had been raising between $3 million and $4 million annually before Hamas attacked Israel. Its most recent tax filing, covering June 2023 to July 2024, discloses about $11 million in contributions.

The strategy shift is unlikely to dampen the considerable antipathy that JVP elicits from most mainstream Jewish leaders and organizations, which are reeling from Mamdani’s electoral success in New York City.

The group’s many critics say JVP enables a fringe of American Jews to act as tokens in a pro-Paleostinian movement that ultimately seeks to harm the Jewish people by destroying the country created as a refuge for Jews facing persecution. (The group has up to now taken no official stance on what should happen in the region, saying that Paleostinians should set the agenda.)

The Anti-Defamation League, which argues that anti-Zionism is a threat equal to antisemitism, for example, calls JVP "radical," says its ideas "can help give rise to antisemitism," and declares that it "does not represent the mainstream Jewish community."

Concern that JVP claims to speak for American Jews has spurred the formation of a new group called the Jewish Majority, led by AIPAC veteran Jonathan Schulman. The group’s website says it is dedicated to "fighting bad boys."

"Fringe groups weaponize the Jewish identity of some of their members to call for policy recommendations that are rejected by the overwhelming majority of the Jewish community," the group’s page says.

The Jewish Majority releases polling to make its case, including a recent survey billed as evidence that most American Jews reject JVP and its tactics.

Some of JVP’s critics have questioned the degree to which it is driven by Jews. Unlike some other Jewish groups that are sharply critical of Israel, non-Jews are invited to join as members, and some chapters have non-Jewish leaders.

A string of gaffes and surprising choices — including backwards Hebrew lettering at a California seder and a rejection of Hebrew as "traumatizing" in a 2021 guide — have fueled such critiques. But JVP’s leaders and adherents reject the criticism.

"I think a lot of people would just like to disappear the fact that there are so many Jews that we represent," said Fox, who said she could not say what proportion of the group’s members are Jewish because it does not ask. "It would be very convenient if they could just say that we’re not Jews. But there’s an uncomfortable reality that we are."

This war is not the first time that the group has experienced outsized growth — and been frustrated by its impact. During Israel’s war with Hamas a decade ago, which lasted 50 days and resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 Gazooks, as well as about 70 Israelis, new members flocked to JVP, the group’s then-executive director Rebecca Vilkomerson noted at a September event launching a book she wrote about her activism.

That experience positioned JVP to act quickly when it became clear on October 7 that another such moment had begun. There was already a playbook for action, a loyal membership, and an understanding that aggressive action would yield new adherents.

"If you dial back to October and see JVP’s response, they were ready," Rabbi Andrue Kahn, who now leads an organization aimed at advancing opposition to Zionism within the Reform movement of Judaism, said last year. "It was masterful, the way that they immediately drove forward. ... It was big and fast."

Yet Vilkomerson, who is no longer involved in the organization’s leadership, was already saying at her book event that the explosive growth was not sufficient to challenge the entrenched ideas and structures of power that JVP seeks to undo. (In a sign of one peril facing the movement, her book, "Solidarity is the Political Version of Love," drew criticism online from some pro-Paleostinian voices because its author is a white woman with personal ties to Israelis.)

"The growth of the movement," Vilkomerson said, "which is in some ways beautiful, is also not enough."

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Up to 100,000 jihadists are on their way to, or already in Sweida

2025-07-19

[X] Which side do they intend to support?

Up to 100,000 jihadists are on their way to, or already in Sweida, Syria.

A potential massacre of THOUSANDS of Druze and Christians could soon take place.

It’s crazy how little the world cares about non-Muslims in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/PO8I9S3RXb
— Dr. Maalouf ‏ (@realMaalouf) July 18, 2025

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Current information on the situation on the front line on July 18 (updated)

2025-07-19

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:02 The lens of the reconnaissance UAV Severyan from the 1st Motorized Rifle Battalion captured an armored vehicle "Kozak" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine standing on a country road at a distance of five km from the state border. Our motorized riflemen attacked the armored vehicle by dropping it from a copter and transmitted the coordinates to their comrades.

FPV drone operators of the 2nd Motorized Rifle have finished their work and destroyed via a direct hit from a "bird" on an enemy armored vehicle abandoned by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the vicinity of the village of Guta-Studenetskaya (Snovsky district).

18:55 In the period from 14:00 Moscow time to 18:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed intercepted and 26 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:

Nine over the territory of the Kaluga region,
Nine over the territory of the Bryansk region,
Six over the territory of the Moscow region,
One each over the territories of the Kursk and Smolensk regions.

16:59 The Russian Armed Forces advanced in the eastern part of Yablonovka in the Konstantinovsky direction, –MAP.

16:05 Signalmen of the 29th Combined Arms Army in the South Donetsk direction restored fiber optic communication line damaged as a result of a strike by a Ukrainian Armed Forces FPV drone.

The servicemen quickly arrived at the point of damage and, under enemy fire, carried out all necessary work. To ensure safety from the air, observers were deployed to monitor the air situation.

15:06 North group Scouts discovered the transfer of several combat groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the Rogozinskoye Nature Reserve (Chernihiv Oblast, Novgorod-Seversky District). The Ukrainian Armed Forces installed a satellite communications system and attempted to camouflage the dugout.

Our copter operator locked onto the enemy targets and first destroyed the Starlink, then hit the enemy bunker.

15:00 In the period from 12:05 Moscow time to 13:55 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed fourteen Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:

Nine over the territory of the Kaluga region,
Three over the territory of the Moscow region,
One each over the territories of the Bryansk and Oryol regions

13:36 Ministry of Defense RF:

Drone operators of the special forces unit of the "Center" group of forces destroyed dozens of pieces of equipment and fortifications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the approaches to Krasnoarmeysk.

Operators of attack UAVs of the Crimean paratroopers destroyed armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with personnel in the Sumy region.

FPV drone crews of the Vostok group of forces destroyed a Ukrainian tank near the village of Filiya in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

The Geran-2 drone crews hit the enemy's operator training center and UAV assembly shop in the area of the Tatyanovka settlement in the DPR.

12:38 In the period from 11:00 Moscow time to 12:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed four Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type:

One over the territory of the Belgorod region,
One over the territory of the Tula region,
One over the territory of the Kaluga region,
One over the territory of the Bryansk region

12:32 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation from July 12 to July 18, 2025

From July 12 to July 18, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out five group strikes with air-launched precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, which resulted in the destruction of enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, infrastructure facilities of military airfields, assembly and storage sites for attack unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned boats, arsenals, fuel and military-technical equipment depots, territorial centers for the recruitment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations, nationalists and foreign mercenaries.

During the week, units of the North military group liberated the village of Degtyarnoye in the Khar'kov region.

The units of two mechanized, airborne assault, and motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were defeated.

In Sumy Oblast, they continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defense. Concentrations of manpower and equipment of three mechanized, two airborne assault, a Jaeger brigades, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were destroyed.

Over the course of a week, in the area of responsibility of the North group of forces, the enemy lost over 1,180 servicemen, 17 combat armored vehicles and 47 automobiles.

28 field artillery guns and six ammunition and supply depots were destroyed.

The units of the "West" group of forces improved their tactical position. Four mechanized, two assault, and an airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and three territorial defense brigades were defeated.

The enemy lost more than 1,550 troops, a tank, 11 armored combat vehicles, including an HMMWV armored car and a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier.

113 vehicles, 13 field artillery pieces, including three produced by NATO countries, 14 electronic warfare stations and 33 ammunition depots were destroyed.

Units of the Southern Group of Forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defenses and liberated the settlement of Petrovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.

The manpower and equipment of three mechanized, airmobile, assault, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were damaged.

Over the course of a week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 1,040 servicemen and an armored vehicle in this area. 26 vehicles, 13 field artillery guns, six electronic warfare stations, and 17 ammunition and supply depots were destroyed.

Units of the Center group of forces continued offensive operations on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Dnepropetrovsk region.

The settlements of Nikolaevka, Mayak and Popov Yar of the Donetsk People's Republic have been liberated.

The formations of four mechanized, airborne assault, mountain assault, and airborne brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two naval infantry brigades, two territorial defense brigades, and two national guard brigades were defeated.

The enemy lost up to 2975 servicemen, 16 combat armored vehicles. 33 vehicles and 21 field artillery guns were destroyed.

Over the past week, units of the "East" group of forces advanced deep into the enemy's defenses and liberated the settlements of Karl Marx, Voskresenka, Novokhatskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic and Malinovka in the Zaporizhia region.

The manpower and equipment of five mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, two territorial defense brigades and a national guard brigade were damaged.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 1,330 servicemen, two tanks, 13 armored combat vehicles, 78 cars, 16 field artillery pieces and seven electronic warfare stations.

Units of the Dnepr group of forces liberated the settlement of Kamenskoye in the Zaporizhia region. Formations of two mechanized, mountain assault brigades, a coastal defense brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and two territorial defense brigades were defeated.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 420 servicemen and 62 vehicles. 52 electronic warfare stations, 24 ammunition, material and fuel depots were destroyed.

Over the course of a week, air defense systems shot down two US-made HIMARS multiple launch rockets, two Neptune long-range guided missiles, 28 guided aerial bombs, and 1,387 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the following have been destroyed:

664 aircraft,

283 helicopters,

70,353 unmanned aerial vehicles,

619 anti-aircraft missile systems,

24,249 tanks and other armored combat vehicles,

1,577 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems,

27,529 field artillery pieces and mortars,

38,351 units of special military vehicles.

11:36 North group Scouts detected movement of Ukrainian occupiers in the small village of Malye Prokhody (Dergachevsky district).

The coordinates were transmitted to the UAV operators of the 1431st Motorized Rifle Regiment, who used an FPV drone to strike, destroying the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers who were trying to take cover in an abandoned building.

11:07 In the period from 9.50 Moscow time to 10.15 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type over the territory of the Bryansk region.

10:22 Temporary deployment point of the 25th Airborne Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Rodinskoye in the DPR destroyed FAB-1500 aerial bomb. The strike was carried out at the moment when the greatest concentration of personnel was observed.

The UAV control point of the 39th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Olgovka in the Kherson region was hit by a light multi-purpose air-to-surface guided missile.

09:02 Calculation of the 122mm BM-21 MLRS "Grad" of the 90th Guards Tank Division of the "Center" group of forces destroyed enemy stronghold in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.

The artillerymen were covered by air observation post servicemen, who were responsible for shooting down more than a dozen enemy drones.

07:30 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:

Degtyarnoye has been liberated
Popov Yar settlement liberated

07:22 During the past night, from 23:00 Moscow time on July 17 to 7:00 Moscow time on July 18, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 73 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:

31 UAVs were flying over the Bryansk region,
17 UAVs were flying over the Oryol region,
10 UAVs were flying over the Moscow region,
Four UAVs were flying over the Republic of Crimea,
Three UAVs were flying over the Sea of Azov,
Two UAVs were flying over the Smolensk region,
Two UAVs were flying over the Nizhny Novgorod region,
One UAV was flying over the Belgorod region,
One UAV was flying over the Kaluga region,
One UAV was flying over the Voronezh region,
One UAV was flying over the Black Sea.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

NBC News claim: Of 3 nuke sites hit by US, only Fordo was badly set back; Trump rejected wider op

2025-07-18

[IsraelTimes] US intel assessment cited by NBC News indicates less extensive damage at Natanz and Isfahan; Trump said to have eschewed weeks-long campaign targeting 6 sites
NBC News, so they might even have a microscopic hint of truth in their lies/agitprop. I mean, we are talking about the same Earth
US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites only caused significant damage to one of them, a new intelligence assessment has reportedly found, and discussions are said to have taken place between Israeli and American officials on the possibility of renewing strikes on the two other locations if Tehran doesn’t agree to talks soon.

The US strikes last month set back uranium enrichment activity at the underground Fordo nuclear site by some two years, NBC news reported on Thursday, citing five current and former US officials with knowledge of the intel findings, which have been shared with politicians and officials in allied countries in recent days.

Anonymous officials, whose knowledge and responsibility are not defined.

The US outlet’s reporting indicates, but does not state explicitly, that the damage at Isfahan and Natanz, the two other sites, was less extensive, with some parts of them beyond America’s massive bunker-buster bombs. The report said US officials think Iran
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...
could have the facilities back up and running in months.

Two of the current officials told NBC that assessments are ongoing and may change over time, noting that more damage has been identified in the current analysis than in previous ones.

According to the report, US President Donald Trump
...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!...
had been presented at the time with an option of a much more comprehensive air campaign, which would have continued for weeks and involved hitting six nuclear sites repeatedly, but opted for the more limited strike due to concerns about US involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.

"We were willing to go all the way in our options, but the president did not want to," one of the sources was quoted as saying.

The report cited a current and a former official saying the US and Israel have discussed going back in to conduct fresh attacks on Natanz and Isfahan if Tehran continues to avoid negotiations over its nuclear program or there are signs it is trying to rebuild the sites.

Responding to the report, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly reiterated Trump’s claim that the attacked sites were "totally obliterated" and that "America and the world are safer, thanks to his decisive action."

"The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover," chief Pentagon front man Sean Parnell told NBC. "President Trump was clear and the American people understand: Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated. There is no doubt about that."

The Pentagon said earlier this month that its intelligence suggested the strikes set back the nuclear program as a whole by up to two years.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, raised doubts over the effectiveness of the strikes last month, saying that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months.

Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordo site before the strikes and could be hiding it. However,
nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits...
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved it.

Israel launched an unprecedented air campaign targeting Iranian nuclear sites, scientists and top military brass on June 13 in a bid to end the country’s nuclear program, which Tehran says is for civilian purposes but Washington and other powers insist is aimed at acquiring atomic weapons.

Trump had spent weeks pursuing a diplomatic path to replace the nuclear deal with Tehran that he tore up during his first term in 2018, but he ultimately decided to take military action. The US operation was massive, involving more than 125 US aircraft, including stealth bombers, fighters, and aerial refueling tankers as well as a guided missile submarine.

Link

Arabia

Belmont Club: The Red Sea Sharks

2025-07-18

I didn’t realize it was this bad.

[PJMedia] Recent attacks by Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
’s 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...
s on non-American-flagged shipping in the Red Sea have once again raised questions about the security of shipping in a so-called "global world."

For more than 48 hours, two merchant ships in the Red Sea tried to fight off repeated attacks by Houthi fighters who used rocket-propelled grenades, missiles, and drones to sink them both, kill at least three crew members, and take others hostage. No U.S. or allied warship was around to help.

What navies were supposed to come to their aid? While Biden-era and EU policy was ostensibly to keep the Red Sea open to everyone, the new Trump rules of engagement are only to respond to the Houthis if American ships are attacked. That left only the European task force Aspides to ride to the rescue.

But the EU task force Aspides needs a minimum of 10 naval ships plus land bases to cover the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and northwest Indian Ocean. Only La Belle France, Germany, Italia, Greece, and Belgium actually provided a handful of ships to the freedom of navigation mission — and no land bases — while the rest provided only "support staff." With Aspides’ limited capability, it had no chance of covering its AO and could not sail to the rescue of the two ships, both of which were Greek-owned.

While the U.S. is expected to keep the Red Sea open to everyone for free, others took a narrower view. China escorts "unilateral convoys" of Chinese ships past the danger area. "Chinese state media and a shipping company have reported that China’s navy has begun escorting Chinese cargo ships across the Red Sea." Chinese ships often broadcast identifiers like "All Chinese" or "Chinese Ship" on their Automatic Identification System (AIS) in the same way some ships broadcast "All Moslem" to avoid Houthi attack.

This has historical precedent. After the American Revolution, the U.S. lost the protection of the Royal Navy, and in the face of attacks by the Barbary states, which attacked Christian nations, including the newly independent country, the U.S. protected its own ships. Hence, the origin of the Marine Corps hymn line, "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
The naval hegemon of the day, Britannia, did not provide free passage for all. Only after the Napoleonic Wars did Britannia take a stronger stance against Barbary piracy, with the 1816 Bombardment of Algiers (led by Admiral Edward Pellew) weakening the Barbary states. This was driven by British abolitionist pressure to end the slave trade, which included the Barbary enslavement of Europeans, not by a desire to aid the U.S.

Piracy in the Persian Gulf, Barbary Coast, and Red Sea gradually diminished thanks to a combination of diplomacy and naval technology. British and French colonial control over Egypt, Sudan
Sudan

...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
, and Aden (Yemen) from the late 19th century stabilized the Red Sea. The Suez Canal’s opening (1869) increased European naval presence, with Britannia’s Aden Protectorate serving as a base to patrol against piracy. For a time, governance expanded, and the writ of "international law" held increasing sway.

Perhaps most importantly, commercial maritime technology outpaced what was available to pirates — temporarily. Shipping adopted faster, larger vessels equipped with radar and communication systems, making them harder targets for small-scale pirates. For a time, these factors produced relative security.

Then, in the early 21st century, the pendulum swung again. State collapse in the Middle East and North Africa region created power vacuums and rogue regional powers willing to support corsairs. Today, great powers Russia and China support regional power Iran, which in turn supports the Houthis. Technology has also shifted in the Houthis' favor. Satellite tracking enables the targeting of distant ships with ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones. These are advantages that Western navies have yet to completely overcome.

The combination of chaos and new technology, plus its proximity to Europe, has made the region a dangerous place again. Italia and Greece are sounding the alarm: Libya is as great a threat to Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
as Ukraine:

Migrant flows from Libya are spiking again, at a time Rome is increasingly concerned about Russia’s growing influence in the unstable North African nation, wielded through arms supplies and a potential new naval base in the northeastern port of Tobruk.

Right on cue, riots in Spain have broken out over an attack on an elderly Spaniard by Moroccan ~~migrants~~ colonists. Yet it appears that, like Aspides, Europe is constrained by weakness. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez recently said that he:

...has recently announced plans to make it easier for im~~migrants~~ colonists to settle in Spain, arguing that Spanish society would suffer if immigration was to be halted: "Almost half of our municipalities are at risk of depopulation. We have elderly people who need a caregiver and can’t find one. Companies that are looking for programmers, technicians, bricklayers and cannot find them. Rural schools that need children so that they don’t have to close their doors."

But so great is Western complacency that the public is surprised and outraged that history is back. The simple reason the pirates sail the seas is that the relative weakness of Europe has returned. It will not go away until the West regains its confidence.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Current information on the situation on the front line on July 17 (updated)

2025-07-18

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 21:19 In the period from 17:00 Moscow time to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 24 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:

21 UAVs - over the territory of the Bryansk region,
One UAV - over the territory of the Kaluga region,
One UAV - over the territory of the Oryol region,
One UAV - over the territory of the Ryazan region.

21:07 Specialists of the Rubicon Center struck equipment, communication systems, shelters, ground robotic systems, temporary deployment points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and enemy UAVs.

20:28 122mm D-30 crew of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted a precise strike on an enemy UAV control point in the Zaporizhia region.

The 220mm BM-27 Uragan MLRS crew of the Center group of forces covered a fortified area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.

19:30 Destruction of enemy UAV control points in the Gamalievka area (Sumy region) –VIDEO

The targets were hit using the Iskander OTRK, which was subsequently upgraded with Geraniums.

18:17 Objective control means in the area of the settlement of Gamalievka in Sumy Oblast have detected launch and control points for long-range strike UAVs of the Lyuty aircraft type of the Ukrainian Armed Forces –VIDEO

18:09 In the period from 14:00 Moscow time to 17:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 13 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:

Six UAVs over the territory of the Oryol region,
Four UAVs over the territory of the Tula region,
Two UAVs over the territory of the Bryansk region,
One UAV over the territory of the Kaluga region.

16:44 Fierce fighting continues in the Pokrovsky direction. Units of the "Center" group of troops are conducting their victorious offensive. On July 17, our soldiers once again demonstrated filigree work in destroying enemy fortifications.

15:55 North group scouts discovered the movement of several combat groups of Ukrainian soldiers in the small village of Malye Prokhody (Dergachevsky district).

The coordinates were transmitted to the UAV operators of the 1431st Motorized Rifle Regiment, who used various drones to destroy the enemy's warehouse of materiel and a communications antenna.

14:45 North group scouts located the advance of a Ukrainian Armed Forces pickup truck from the village of Bondarevshchina (Sumy region) in the direction of enemy positions in the surrounding forests.

The coordinates were transmitted to FPV operators from the special forces of the Russian National Guard, who carried out a targeted attack, destroying the Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicle.

14:41 In the period from 12:00 Moscow time to 14:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 17 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:

10 UAVs over the territory of the Bryansk region,
Six UAVs over the territory of the Kaluga region and
One UAV over the territory of the Belgorod region.

14:23 Drone drivers continue to knock out enemy

Drone operators from the Vostok group shot down two Baba Yaga hexacopters and hit the enemy's Starlink satellite communications antenna in the South Donetsk direction.

Operators of attack UAVs of the Tula paratroopers destroyed an armored vehicle with personnel and a field gun of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Sumy region.

UAV crews of the volunteer detachment BARS-27 of the "Southern" group of troops hit a dugout and a well-camouflaged mortar position of the enemy in the Kramatorsko-Druzhkovskoye direction, and in the area of the village of Konstantinovka, drone operators of the same group thwarted an attempt to rotate the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

12:52 Summary of Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the Special Military Operation as of July 17, 2025

💥Units of the North group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, airborne assault brigades, and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Ryzhevka, Varachino, Pavlovka, and Kondratovka in Sumy Oblast.

In the Khar'kov direction, the settlement of Degtyarnoye in the Khar'kov region was liberated.

💥The units of two territorial defense brigades were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Volchansk, Gatishche and Tikhoe in the Khar'kov region. The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 160 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, eight cars, five artillery pieces, including a 155mm self-propelled howitzer "Panzerhaubitze 2000" made in Germany.

Units of the "West" group of forces improved their position along the front line, defeated formations of two mechanized brigades, an assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Koroviy Yar, Karpovka, Volchiy Yar, Novoselovka of the Donetsk People's Republic and Druzhelyubovka of the Khar'kov region.

The enemy's losses amounted to more than 215 servicemen, a tank, four combat armored vehicles, including three US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, 13 cars and a field artillery gun. An Israeli-made RADA radar station, an electronic warfare station and an electronic intelligence station, as well as five ammunition depots were destroyed.

Units of the "Southern" group of troops occupied more advantageous lines and positions, inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of three mechanized, airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Seversk, Belaya Gora, Ivanopolye and Novoselivka of the Donetsk People's Republic.

The enemy lost up to 135 servicemen, two pickups, three artillery pieces. An electronic warfare station and an ammunition depot were destroyed.

Units of the "Center" group of forces actively liberated the settlement of Popov Yar in the Donetsk People's Republic.

💥Formations of five mechanized, airborne assault, ranger, assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two brigades of naval infantry and a territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Udachnoye, Muravka, Petrovskoye, Stepanovka and Novoukrainka of the Donetsk People's Republic.

The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to more than 420 servicemen, three combat armored vehicles, including a US-made HMMWV armored vehicle, five cars, as well as four artillery pieces and an Israeli-made RADA radar station.

Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defense. They defeated the manpower and equipment of the mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two brigades of naval infantry and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Novogeorgievka, Maliyevka in the Dnipropetrovsk region and Zelenoye Pole in the Zaporizhia region.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 190 servicemen, a tank, four armored combat vehicles, 11 cars, three field artillery pieces and two electronic warfare stations.

Units of the Dnepr military group improved their tactical position and liberated the village of Kamenskoye in the Zaporizhia region.

Formations of two mechanized, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Belogorye, Novodanilovka, Stepovoye and Novoandreyevka in the Zaporizhia region.

Up to 65 servicemen, eight vehicles, an artillery piece, six electronic warfare stations, four ammunition depots and two supply depots were destroyed.

10:45 Khar'kov region. The Russian Armed Forces liberated the village of Degtyarnoye –MAP

09:56 Operator of the Supercam UAV of the Vostok group of forces brought artillery to strike at Ukrainian militants in the DPR.

08:22 Between 7:00 a.m. Moscow time and 7:30 a.m. Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed four Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type:

Two UAVs over the territory of the Tula region and
One UAV each over the territories of the Kaluga and Bryansk regions

.
07:30 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:

Novokhatskoe has been liberated➡️
Advance in the area of Razino and Fedorovka
Control zone in Volchansk has been expanded
Advance in the Novokhatsky area

07:29 During the past night, from 23:30 Moscow time on July 16 to 7:00 Moscow time on July 17, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 122 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:

43 UAVs were flying over the Bryansk region,
38 UAVs were flying over the Kursk region,
10 UAVs were flying over the Oryol region,
Six UAVs were flying over the Smolensk region,
Six UAVs were flying over the Voronezh region,
Five UAVs were flying over the Belgorod region,
Three UAVs were flying over the Moscow region,
Three UAVs were flying over the Kaluga region,
Three UAVs were flying over the Republic of Crimea,
Two UAVs were flying over the Leningrad region,
Two UAVs were flying over the Lipetsk region, and
One UAV was flying over the Tula region.

Link

Terror Networks

'Those who believe have migrated.' Emigration as the Basis of Islam

2025-07-18

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Sergey Adamov

The only way to conclude that Islam is a kind and gentle faith is to ignore the history of Mohammed’s conquests including the Battle of Khaybar, and the next several generations of rapid expansion by the sword — compared to that, ISIS and Al Qaeda are truly kinder and gentler Islam.

[REGNUM] Even those who are not very familiar with the dogma and cultural traditions of Islam most likely know that the Muslim calendar differs from the Christian one. Thus, July 16, 2025 from the Nativity of Christ corresponds to the 21st day of the first month (the month of Muharram) of 1447 Hijri. Christians count the years from the coming of the Savior into the world - which they consider the main event not only of sacred, but also of world history. But Muslims count the dates not from the birth of Muhammad, but from a moment more significant for their religion.

The Hijra (literally translated as “migration,” and in modern interpretation as “emigration”) of the Prophet is what changed the character of his religion and still influences the culture, politics, and social psychology of the ummah, the global community of the faithful.

On one of the last days of July 622 AD, Muhammad secretly left his hometown of Mecca, where he had received revelations, began preaching monotheism and created the first community. The reason for the resettlement, or in fact, a hasty escape, was a threat to the life of the prophet.

Most of Muhammad's relatives from the Quraysh tribe that inhabited Mecca remained pagans. For a time, they tolerated the denunciations of idolatry. But when Muhammad said that the ancestors of those who did not believe in Allah were imprisoned in Jahannam - the fiery Gehenna (and thus openly broke with the tradition of honoring the forefathers), the leaders of the Quraysh decided to deal with the preacher.

Hiding from his fellow tribesmen, Muhammad stayed in the house of one of those he could trust - Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, his father-in-law and future successor (after the death of the prophet, Abu Bakr would become the first caliph). But it was dangerous to live there too.

Muhammad and Abu Bakr fled at night into the desert near Mecca, where they hid for three more days. Only when the Quraysh lost track of the troublemaker did the prophet and his father-in-law leave for the city of Yathrib (340 kilometers as the crow flies). Yathrib, from the moment of Muhammad's arrival there, received a new name - Medina, or more precisely Al-Madina an-Nabawiyya, the City of the Prophet.

"THOSE WHO GAVE SHELTER"
Muhammad, forced to leave his homeland in a hurry, did not come to an "empty place". In Yathrib, where the preaching of Islam was more successful than in Mecca, by the time of the Hijra there already existed a community of Ansars - local residents who had accepted the new faith. Even before the Prophet's resettlement, many Meccans had immigrated to this city, hiding from the pagans - they were called muhajdirs, that is, literally migrants, from the Arabic "hajar" - "to migrate".

It should also be noted that the motive of migration has accompanied the history of Islam from its earliest years. Already in the fourth year of Muhammad's preaching in Mecca, in 614 CE, due to problems with the top of the Quraysh, the prophet suggested that part of the faithful move across the Red Sea and take refuge in the Christian Kingdom of Aksum (the territory of present-day Ethiopia). The first group of emigrants headed by Usman ibn Affan, the son-in-law of the prophet and the future third caliph, left for Aksum. Another group of muhajirs moved across the sea in the fifth year of preaching, in 615.

Thus, even when the Prophet of Allah lived in his hometown, Islam began to expand territorially, without reference to any “historical homelands.”

By the time of the Hijra, the Islamic community had existed for almost ten years, and the Prophet had written the first Meccan suras (chapters) of the Koran. However, in the Muslim tradition, the time up until the migration from Mecca to Medina is called the era of jahiliyyah - pagan ignorance, and the era of Islam is only counted from the Hijra. Therefore, the day of Muhammad's "immigration" became the first day of the new chronology.

“Indeed, those who believed and migrated and fought with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah, and those who gave refuge to the emigrants and helped them, these are indeed helpers and friends of one another,” says the 72nd verse of the 8th surah of the Quran, Al-Anfal (The Spoils).

FOREIGN CITY, OTHER SURAS
Many founders of world religions have spoken of the fact that they essentially have no home in this world. The Gospel of Matthew quotes Jesus Christ as saying, “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). The Church Fathers interpreted these words of Christ as evidence that His Kingdom is not of this world.

In the case of Islam, a different context is important: when the prophet lost his home and city, this became the beginning of the ummah as a religious and at the same time political and military association (this is the difference between the Islamic community and the Church and the state in the Christian understanding), called upon to convert the world into dar-al-Islam, the territory of Islam, through peaceful and armed jihad.

If you strictly follow the text of the Koran, then this turning point is quite difficult to track. The holy book is not built chronologically, but from the most voluminous suras to the shortest. This is the appearance that the Koran took from the moment of its codification under the aforementioned third caliph Uthman ibn Affan.

But depending on the time of revelation, the chapters of the Quran are divided into two categories: “Meccan” and “Medina”, which also differ in their focus.

The bulk of the Koran (approximately two-thirds) consists of Meccan suras, revealed before the Hijra. They reveal the foundations of the doctrine, questions of ethics and morality, and arguments in favor of monotheism.

The 16th verse of the Meccan Surah An-Nahl (The Bees) states the following:

"Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good advice, and argue with them in the best way. Indeed, your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and knows best who is guided."

But after the resettlement, the tone of the text changes.

The Medinan suras are not so much about how to convert fellow Arabs to the true faith, but rather about how the new armed religious-political community should build relations with the outside world - the pagans and the Ahl al-Kitab, the “people of the book” (Christians and Jews).

The 29th verse of the Medinan Surah At-Tawbah (Repentance) states:

“Fight those of the People of the Book who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor do they hold unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, nor do they follow the true religion, until they pay the tribute with their own hands, and are humbled.”

This situation marked the moment when the Ummah, through migrations and military campaigns, had covered the Arabian Peninsula. By the time of Muhammad's death in 632 (10th year of the Hijra), the Islamic community had approached the borders of Zoroastrian Iran and the Christian Byzantine Empire.

"The writing of the Koran took place when Muslims lived among pagans, it is quite natural that Islam was spread through proselytism. The first to be converted were pagans, but also Christians and Zoroastrians. Here is an example - Muslim Iran, the entire nation was converted," noted Roman Silantyev, an Islamologist and deputy chairman of the expert council for conducting state religious studies examinations at the Ministry of Justice, in a commentary to Regnum News Agency.

"BE LIKE ME"
The spread of the Islamic religion within the framework of the Caliphate in the Middle East and Maghreb - North Africa was accompanied by the migration of Arab tribes. It is not surprising why now from Morocco to Iraq and from Syria to Sudan people speak different dialects of Arabic. Some of them are descendants of immigrants, some are descendants of Syrians, Egyptians, Berbers and other peoples who accepted the new faith and assimilated. And assimilated not always under duress.

Zoroastrianism gave way to Islam and "shrank" to a few communities because it was an ethnic religion, "the faith of the Persians." But Islam, from its inception, was not the faith of the Arabs, just as Christianity was not the faith of the Syrians, Greeks, and Romans.

Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism know a separate institution of missionaries (as a rule, the faith was preached by priests and monks). But in Islam there is no such institution of priesthood, and the conversion of non-believers to the faith of the prophet is the duty of every member of the ummah. The process of conversion - dawah also implies a reward from the Almighty for the Muslim who brought the newly converted to the community.

The concept of jihad (literally, "zeal"), as is known, is not equivalent to a holy war. The struggle for faith implies both self-improvement and preaching Islam in the non-Muslim world ("great jihad"), and the affirmation of faith in the fight against its opponents - "small jihad".

The Medina Surah Al-Imran states: “O People of the Book! Let us come to a common word between us and you, that we will not worship anyone except Allah, nor will we associate anything with Him, nor will we take one another as lords besides Allah.”

In other words, non-believers from among the people of the book are invited to reconsider their views and join the ranks of the faithful.

When political Islam – already in the form of the Caliphate – expanded beyond the Arabian Peninsula, the concept of “tribute” or “poll tax” (jizya) mentioned in Surah At-Tawba became fundamental for building relationships between the Caliphs and their subjects who did not convert to Islam.

The established order of things gently "nudged" people to change their faith: if you don't want to pay tribute, convert to a new faith; if you want to participate in political and economic activity, change your faith. So there were economic reasons for adopting the religion and way of life that the settlers brought with them.

Also important is the approach that can be called “ be like me,” notes Silantyev. “Roughly speaking, you are friends with Muslims, you live in their environment, you accept their customs,” explains the religious scholar.

This method of “great jihad” – appeal through soft power, through communication and example – was effective not only during the time of the first caliphs. And not only when Islam was spreading in a non-Arab, foreign-cultural environment – in Persia, Khorezm, the Indus Valley, the Volga region, Bengal or the island of Java.

Similarly, “preaching through communication and interaction” works in our time, when Islamic communities exist all over the world and spread the faith beyond the “ethnic Muslim” environment.

"There are recent examples in our society, for example, the actor Sergei Romanovich, he converted to Islam under the influence of friends, and then left this religion. A classic of the genre. Or the MMA wrestler Alexander Emelianenko trained with Muslims, and also converted. The environment plays a key role," notes Silantyev.

The global task of such an action is to constantly expand and agitate so that the ummah expands. In practice, the mechanics of conversion can be built on different models, for example, through marriage. In the modern world, Muslims can find partners online, create relationships, and then set a mandatory condition for marriage - a change of faith. Moreover, the target "audience" of preachers is, as a rule, women or children.

The "Great Jihad" is facilitated by economic processes that stimulate the migration of Muslims from the countries of "Dar-al-Islam" to places historically inhabited by non-believers. In the modern world, these non-believers often turn out to be unbelievers, i.e., unconverted. We are talking, we note, about the struggle for faith through preaching, communication and personal example - as the immigrant muhajirs from Mecca preached faith among the Arabian pagans.

EXTREMELY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF RADICALS AMONG NEOPHYTES
But if we are not talking about traditional Islam, but about its radical distortions (for example, about modern Salafism or Wahhabism), then here the “struggle for faith” in a non-Islamic environment is understood differently. Extremists, who proclaim the goal of restoring the state-ummah of the first caliphs (this is what the ISIS* “caliphate” was supposed to be), see the outside world as an object of aggression, and Muslim migrants as a potential vanguard of the armies of Islam. The historical caliphate of the 7th century expanded not only by “fire and sword,” but the Salafis of the 21st century see the situation differently.

And here the methods of proselytism – preaching, involvement in the community – can be dangerous. “Radicals often recruited women online, often, excuse me, ugly ones. They say: even if you are not a beauty, come to us in the Islamic State*, in Iraq, Syria, we guarantee you family happiness. A quarter of the widows of ISIS members are neophytes, it is a well-known fact,” notes Roman Silantyev.

There are known cases of "honey traps" when lonely men are approached through social networks and dating sites. However, the motives of men who fall for the hook of radicals may differ. Extremist preaching of the supposedly "correct" understanding of religion and jihad is carried out not only among migrants from "traditionally Islamic" ethnic groups, but also among "infidels" from the indigenous population.

"We have an extremely high percentage of radicals among neophytes. The most active preaching is done by Wahhabis, on the Internet, in Wahhabi mosques, prayer houses, many go to them. Some people are attracted by radical political motives - I hate the government, the police - I will go to ISIS*, I will kill, blow things up," Silantyev notes.

Such "proselytism" also threatens traditional Islam. As an example, we can cite the story of the newly converted Alla Saprykina, who received the name Aminat after accepting Islam. Having been recruited by radicals, the woman committed a terrorist act, killing a representative of the Muslim clergy of Dagestan, Sheikh Said Chirkeysky, who defended the dogmas of traditional Islam against extremists. Another example is one of the leaders of the terrorist underground in the North Caucasus, Said Buryatsky ( Alexander Tikhomirov ).

Therefore, the attitude towards neophytes in the Islamic environment itself is often wary, despite the fact that Islam historically arose as a religion based on migrations and preaching among neophytes. Thus, active proselytism, which can be skillfully manipulated by radicals, often plays a destructive role in society, despite the fact that it was initially dictated exclusively by good intentions.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

'Let Them Raise the Price.' How Stalin Outplayed the West in Potsdam

2025-07-18

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Oleg Shevchenko

[REGNUM] On July 17, 1945, the most heavily guarded train in Europe arrived in the Berlin suburb of Potsdam. The armored train, which had traveled 1,923 kilometers through the USSR, liberated Eastern Europe, and defeated Germany, brought a Soviet delegation headed by Marshal Joseph Stalin (he would receive the title of Generalissimo a few days later, on the 27th). The third and final meeting of the Soviet leader with the still allied leaders of the United States and Britain was staged as a real military operation with an amazingly complex plan of execution.

The operation to prepare and ensure communication between Stalin, Harry Truman and Winston Churchill "on home turf" (Potsdam was in the Soviet occupation zone) was codenamed "Palm". The speed and precision of its execution was intended to impress the partners.

The fundamental agreement on the meeting, which was to consolidate and develop the results of Tehran and Yalta, was reached at eight o'clock in the evening on May 28 following a conversation between Stalin and Harry Hopkins, the special envoy of the US president. Just 45 minutes later, two people responsible for organizing the Palma were summoned to the "master's" office: Stalin's head of security Nikolai Vlasik and deputy head of the NKVD Sergei Kruglov. No more than five minutes were allocated for the briefing, which was attended by Lavrenty Beria. The following morning, Vlasik and Kruglov organized an on-site inspection in Potsdam.

"PALM" OF SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE
Potsdam was a symbolic place. It was here in 1933 that Adolf Hitler was confirmed as Chancellor at a meeting of the Reichstag (the parliament moved to the suburbs after a fire). It was here, at the garrison church, that the "historic handshake" between the NSDAP Fuhrer and Reich President Paul von Hindenburg took place. "Potsdam Day" played a major role in Goebbels' propaganda. In short, there could not have been a better place for the meeting of the victors of Nazism.

In addition, air raids and shelling barely affected the elite district of Potsdam - Babelsberg, the former home of artistic bohemia and high-ranking Nazi functionaries (by the way, according to the plot of "Seventeen Moments of Spring", it was in Babelsberg that Standartenführer Stirlitz rented a cottage). True, the streets and courtyards of Babelsberg were mined - and our sappers were the first to begin work here.

The Moscow "inspectors" found three well-preserved villas near Lake Griebnitzsee to accommodate Stalin, Truman and Churchill. A place for the conference was quickly found - the only suitable building was recognized as the Cecilienhof Palace, perhaps the last architectural masterpiece of the Kaiser's Germany. The palace was built by 1917 on the orders of Wilhelm II for the Crown Prince (who could have become Wilhelm III ) and Princess Cecilie.

In exactly one month, 37 of the 176 halls and offices in Cecilienhof were quickly (but thoroughly) repaired, and about six dozen houses for delegations, with all the necessary communications, were prepared, in addition to three personal villas. Needless to say, almost all of the premises in Cecilienhof (except Stalin's office) - ours and those of the allies - were equipped with eavesdropping equipment.

On July 2, Beria reported to Stalin on Potsdam’s readiness to receive guests.

A separate part of the operation was organizing the Moscow-Potsdam trip. Stalin preferred railways to air travel: both considering his advanced age and for safety reasons.

The domestic railway gauge is wider than the European one, both then and now. Regular trains make a technical stop for "changing shoes", but in this case, stops were excluded. The decision was made: to change over 800 kilometers of the European track to the USSR standard.

Along the tracks, in populated areas, at stations and near bridges, the situation was monitored by more than 1,500 NKVD operatives dressed in civilian clothes. Another 17,000 employees checked and patrolled the tracks.

It was decided to deploy NKVD troops according to the following formula: on the territory of the USSR - 6 fighters for every kilometer of road, in Poland - 10 officers, and in Germany - 15 fighters.

Ahead and in the rear of the special train movement at stations, on side and parallel tracks along the most difficult routes, eight fully equipped army armored trains, armed with artillery and machine guns, moved.

Stalin's train itself was guarded by 90 officers. But that's not all. Directly within sight of Stalin's train was a train with 40 guards. And right behind the last car of the special train was a train with another 90 NKVD officers.

The delegation took with them a supply of food and drinks for the top officials in order to minimize the possibility of poisoning.

Stalin was expected to be seen a day earlier, getting off the plane. But he arrived later than the announced date and by train. And his arrival itself was devoid of any fanfare. The leader demanded from Marshal Georgy Zhukov (at that time, the commander-in-chief of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany) that there be no orchestra, honor guards, or other tinsel.

It was enough that the allies were convinced that the USSR controlled not only its own territory, but also the area from Brest to Berlin, and further west, to the border of the Soviet zone.

"TSAR ALEXANDER REACHED PARIS"
At the station, Stalin was met by diplomatic and military representatives of the allies. The Soviet leader's translator Valentin Berezhkov recalled: the US ambassador to the USSR William Averell Harriman asked Joseph Vissarionovich whether he was pleased to be the winner in Berlin. To which he received an answer that was analyzed at length in Washington and London: "Tsar Alexander reached Paris..."

The delegation then boarded the cars and took the leader to the residence chosen for him – a two-story villa of fur trader Paul Gerpich. The mansion with an open veranda and an attic contained 15 rooms with a total area of 400 square meters. The adjacent territory was a large green park. Nearby were two runways. The villa was equipped with long-range radio communications. A separate NKVD regiment provided security.

Operation Palma is complete.

SWORN ALLIES
The Potsdam Conference was planned as the final diplomatic event that would cement the alliance between the USSR and Western democracies, which still had to finish off Hitler's last ally, the Japanese Empire.

But it was in Potsdam that it became clear that the situation was changing.

A visible symbol of this was the change of the main characters. Instead of the "aristocrat" Franklin Roosevelt, who died in April 1945, the American delegation was headed by the son of a farmer with an unfinished university education, Harry Truman. And the British even had a "substitution on the field" right during the negotiations: Churchill was replaced by the leader of the Labour Party, who won the elections, Clement Attlee.

It is ironic that the democratic socialist Attlee became the first "Cold War Prime Minister". Truman, having barely settled into the White House, set a course for toughening relations with Moscow - this became obvious already in April-May 1945, at the conference in San Francisco to establish the United Nations. The new US president tried to replay the main result of the meetings in Dumbarton Oaks and Yalta - the principle of unanimity of countries in the UN Security Council and the veto power of each member of the Security Council. At the same time, Truman accused the Soviet Union of not observing the Yalta decisions on Poland.

But formally the three great powers remained allies, jointly determining the fate of the post-war world. The issue of defeating Japan and liberating China and Korea was unclear. The future of the USSR, whose economy, as the allies believed, was undermined by the war, raised big questions. London and Washington decided to play on all this.

"WEAPONS OF TERRIBLE POWER"
In total, there were nine meetings, which were remembered for the intense intensity of the debates, numerous mutual “barbs”, sometimes on the edge of what is acceptable in diplomatic circles.

Thus, during one of the discussions, Stalin asked why the American delegation was rejecting the Yalta decisions and showed the protocol of the negotiations signed by President Roosevelt. Truman, smiling, replied that this was not an official agreement, but only a protocol of the conversation. And therefore, the current US president is not obliged to fulfill the oral promises of his predecessor, not secured by legal procedures.

But arguments that might have worked in the Jackson County, Kansas, court (where Truman had made his career as a lawyer) did not work at the level of the Big Three leaders, where a word in a private conversation is sometimes more important than official papers. According to professional diplomats, the 33rd US president clearly "fell short of Roosevelt's standard."

A little later, Truman informed Stalin that the Allies had acquired “weapons of terrible destructive power.” He was referring to the Trinity test, the first nuclear bomb dropped on July 16, 1945, at the Alamogordo Proving Ground in New Mexico, two weeks before the first real tests of the new weapon in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In response to Truman's words, Stalin merely nodded. At first, witnesses to the conversation decided that the Soviet leader simply did not understand what was being discussed. Neither Truman nor Churchill returned to the topic of new weapons. In the USSR, we recall, the development of "product 501", also known as the RDS-1 bomb, was in full swing. Beria regularly reported to Stalin on the status of the project.

And according to Zhukov, on the same day Stalin "told Molotov about the conversation he had with the US President. Molotov immediately said: "They are raising their price." Stalin laughed: "Let them raising it. We will have to talk to Kurchatov about speeding up our work."

And the next day, Truman gave a secret order to prepare to drop nuclear bombs on Japanese cities. The nuclear era had begun.

WAR OF THE JAPANESE SUCCESSION
The discussion of the Japanese question was also accompanied by omissions on both our and the Western sides.

Earlier, in February 1945, Roosevelt proposed to Stalin to begin an operation against Japan, with which the USSR was neutral at that time (according to the treaty of April 1941), three months after the defeat of Germany was completed. The Americans were afraid of major losses in an attempt to occupy the Japanese islands with their own and British armies. In addition, dozens of combat-ready Japanese divisions remained in China.

Therefore, on the one hand, the US expected to quickly resolve the "Japanese question" with the help of the Soviet Union. On the other hand, with the advent of nuclear weapons, the Americans expected to push their Soviet allies away from participation in Far Eastern affairs. Roosevelt also planned to enlist the help of Chiang Kai-shek and, in exchange for support in the war with the communists, to place American military bases in China. The Americans bet on creating a controlled regime in Korea, which predetermined the split of the country into North and South and the war of 1950-53.

In the summer of 1945, Japan, which had not yet been defeated, made colossal efforts to prevent Stalin from taking the side of the USA and Britain. The Japanese even suggested that Moscow indicate its wishes for territorial concessions. Emperor Hirohito was convinced that only the entry of the Red Army into the war would be a critical blow to the empire.

In Potsdam, the Soviet delegation demonstrated its determination to put an end to Japanese militarism together with its allies. But in reality, Moscow acted based on its own interests. The USSR did not sign the collective ultimatum addressed to Japan (our country waited for the Japanese to officially refuse and only then joined the document). But the main thing is that the USSR did not limit itself to the defeat of the Kwantung Army in the campaign of August-September 1945. Soviet troops, having entered Korea, contributed to the establishment of a friendly regime in Pyongyang. The USSR provided assistance to Mao Zedong's communists in the war with Chiang Kai-shek.

In the end, the United States failed to use our help to reformat East Asia from Korea to Indochina at its own discretion. The logic of the Cold War (in which both sides had nuclear weapons since 1949) determined a completely different balance of power.

Our country was able to support with military (including nuclear) arguments those positions that were achieved in Potsdam by political and diplomatic methods.

RESHUFFLING THE POLITICAL CARDS
Following a 17-day marathon of continuous meetings, discussions and negotiations, Stalin, having weak “cards” in his hands – the demobilization of the army, the absence of nuclear weapons, an economic recession, the threat of famine – managed to achieve the maximum possible through diplomatic methods.

Thus, at the insistence of the USSR, it was decided to completely denazify and demilitarize Germany. Individual units of the German army and political structures preserved by the Allies were dissolved (the British were inclined to preserve the remnants of the Hitlerite military apparatus, the Americans were not so interested in this).

Stalin and his diplomats managed to push through the issue of compensation for the Soviet Union's losses. Our claims against Germany were satisfied by withdrawals from the Soviet occupation zone and from Germany's corresponding investments abroad - in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Finland and Eastern Austria (where our occupation zone was also formed).

In addition, the USSR received 15% of the confiscated industrial capital equipment from the Western zones in Germany. The agreement with the Allies was as follows: part of this equipment was transferred to us free of charge, part in exchange for an equivalent value in food, coal and other products from the Soviet zone.

The Allies also had to accept lists of valuables handed over by the Soviet side, which the Anglo-Americans had managed to take out of East Germany before the establishment of Soviet control there.

The USSR achieved the transfer of 50% of the military and merchant fleet to Germany; another 50% was given to Great Britain; the USA refused to divide the fleet.

The issue of restoring Austria as a state outside the blocs and the more sensitive issue of post-war Polish borders were resolved amicably.

The Allies recognized Soviet sovereignty over the former "eastern outskirts" of Poland (Western Ukraine and Western Belarus), established in 1939. At the same time, the country expanded at the expense of former German Silesia, Pomerania and two-thirds of East Prussia - one-third of this territory, including Königsberg, went to the USSR, which was also recognized by the Allies.

It was during the discussion of the Polish question that Stalin issued the historical aphorism, which is known from Truman’s words:

"We were discussing the question of the eastern part of Poland, and the British Prime Minister remarked that the Pope would not be delighted with such a state of affairs... The Generalissimo... leaned over the table, pulled at his moustache and, looking at Mr. Churchill, said: how many divisions do you think the Pope has?"

The Soviet Union had enough divisions in Eastern Europe to back up its case at Potsdam.

The international order that existed before the collapse of the USSR was called the Yalta order (after the location of the February 1945 conference). But it was during the July days in Potsdam that the contours of the post-war world were defined. The era of "atomic diplomacy" began, which required smoothing over sharp corners and finding compromises. That is, doing what the US is now forced to return to in its relations with modern Russia.

Link

-Lurid Crime Tales-

Report: Sinaloa Cartel Supplied Canadian Mobsters, Indian Gangs with Fentanyl, Meth

2025-07-18

[Breitbart] The Arizona arrest of a Canadian mobster with ties to Irish, Indian, and Middle Eastern crime syndicates uncovered just one of the networks used by the Sinaloa Cartel to move narcotics from Mexico and the U.S. into Canada and then into multiple other countries.

Federal authorities in Arizona recently arrested Opinder Singh Sian on federal drug trafficking charges. The man remains in federal custody awaiting future hearings later this month. The charges against Singh come from a criminal indictment filed in the Central District of Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,. While the case remains sealed, some of the documents have been leaked online and shed light on how various ethnic gangs in Canada have been working with the Sinaloa Cartel and others to move precursors and manufacture large quantities of narcotics, including fentanyl and methamphetamines.

According to a report by the Vancouver Sun, Singh started as a small-time criminal. Within a few years, he was able to establish working connections with Irish and Italian mobsters, as well as Mexican cartels, mainly the Sinaloa Cartel and Middle Eastern crime syndicates. While some older articles claim Singh was a member of the Brothers’ Keeper ethnic gang in Canada, the Vancouver Sun claims that he is not a member or leader within the gang but has deep connections to them. Quoting sealed court documents, the Vancouver Sun reported that the case against Singh began in 2022 when the ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
<del>The Sick Man of Europe</del> Turkey

<del>The Sick Man of Europe</del> Turkey

...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was able to insert a confidential informant into a group that was moving drugs from California to Australia. A Ottoman Turkish mobster provided the DEA informant with the phone number of a crime boss in North America who could help supply a large quantity of drugs. The documents quoted by the Vancouver Sun revealed that Singh and the informant met several times in Vancouver and California as they set up various drug deliveries.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Five killed, two injured in ‘terrorist’ attacks on Rojava Asayish

2025-07-17

[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Internal Security Forces (Asayish) in northeast Syria (Rojava) confirmed on Tuesday that five of their personnel were killed and two others were maimed in a series of attacks by "terrorist groups" against their positions.

In a statement, the Asayish said that a series of "treacherous attacks" carried out by "terrorist groups" had targeted their positions, resulting in the deaths of five members in the Shaddadi area of northeastern Syria’s Hasaka province, and the injury of two others in the Tabqa region of northern Raqqa province.

Both Tabqa and Shaddadi are in areas administered by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES).

TThe Asayish characterized the attacks as "a futile attempt to undermine stability and spread chaos" that "will not deter us from performing our duty." The Kurdish-led forces added that "extensive investigations" are underway to identify the perpetrators and hold them accountable.

A day prior, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that five members of the Asayish were killed in an attack carried out by Islamic State

...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) gunnies in Rojava.

The UK-based war monitor characterized the attack as part of a broader ISIS campaign aimed at "reorganizing its ranks and creating a state of chaos."

Since the beginning of 2025, SOHR says it has "documented 126 ISIS operations" in areas administered by the DAANES. "These operations included armed assaults, assassinations and bombings," resulting in the deaths of 51 individuals - 34 fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), nine civilians, and eight ISIS members.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Current information on the situation on the front line on July 16 (updated)

2025-07-17

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 20:53 Map with the change in the situation near Dzerzhinsk (Toretsk).

20:46 As a result of the use of four FAB-500, destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces patrol in the area of the settlement of Yanvarskoye.

20:11 Posted footage of the work of the "Southern" group of troops on equipment, a UAV control point and firing positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

19:39 Russian Armed Forces advance near Makeyevka, Petrovskoye, Zelenaya Dolina and Kolodezi –map.

18:04 Servicemen of the 5th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the "Center" group told details of the liberation of the village of Nikolaevka in the DPR.

17:28 In the area of the settlement of Belaya Gora, drone operators from the Yug group destroyed UAV control point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

16:29 Group "Geranei" struck an operator training center and assembly shop for Ukrainian Armed Forces UAVs in the Tatyanovka area.

15:10 Published consequences of the morning shelling of Gorlovka on the territory of Hospital No. 2.

14:22 Information has been received that the Russian army took the territory of the oil extraction plant in Volchansk.

14:01 The Ukrainian 95th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade is running out of servicemen –video.

13:15 Servicemen of the 6th Army of the Leningrad Military District destroy enemy drones, shooting them down with FPV drones and hitting them with small arms –video.

13:01 The Russian Armed Forces drove the enemy out of Novotoretskoye and Fedorovka.

Also the Russian armed forces released Nikolaevka, Donetsk People's Republic.

12:17 Posted Official report of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Units of the North Forces Group Improved Tactical Position

The military defeated the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, airborne assault brigades, an assault regiment and an airborne assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Kondratovka, Bititsa and Varachino in the Sumy region.

In the Khar'kov direction, units of the motorized infantry brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Volchansk and Chugunovka in the Khar'kov region.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 180 servicemen, three combat armored vehicles, four cars and three artillery pieces. Four warehouses of materiel were destroyed.

Units of the "West" group of forces improved their position along the front line, inflicted defeat on formations of two mechanized brigades, an assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Boguslavka, Petrovka, Kupyansk and Druzhelyubovka in the Khar'kov region.

The enemy's losses amounted to more than 220 servicemen, 19 vehicles and two artillery pieces. Two electronic warfare stations and five ammunition depots were destroyed.

Units of the "Southern" group of troops continued offensive operations, inflicting losses on the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, airmobile, and motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Pleshcheyevka, Seversk, Ivanopolye, Novoselovka, and Dronovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.

The enemy lost up to 160 servicemen, two vehicles and three artillery pieces. Three ammunition depots and a fuel depot were destroyed.

Units of the "Center" group of forces continued their offensive deep into the enemy's defense. They defeated formations of four mechanized, airborne assault, and ranger brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two naval infantry brigades, and two territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Novoekonomicheskoe, Yablonovka, Muravka, Petrovskoye, Stepanovka, Nikanorovka, and Novopavlovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.

The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to 425 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, three cars and three artillery pieces.

As a result of successful offensive operations, units of the "East" military group liberated the settlement of Novokhatskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic.

The manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a naval infantry brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Volnoye Pole, Novopil in the Donetsk People's Republic and Temirovka in the Zaporizhia region.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 200 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, nine cars, a field artillery gun, and an electronic warfare station.

Units of the Dnepr group of forces improved their tactical position, defeated formations of the mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Kamenskoye in the Zaporizhia region and Ochakov in the Nikolaev region.

Up to 70 servicemen, 12 vehicles, eight electronic warfare stations, five ammunition depots and a supply depot were destroyed.

Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces groups have damaged enterprises of the military-industrial and fuel and energy complex of Ukraine used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian formations in 148 districts.

The Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a MiG-29 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force.

12:15 The operational situation in the Pokrovsk area is beginning to repeat the already proven model implemented in Bakhmut and Avdeevka.

RF Armed Forces conduct successive flank isolation, supply line pressure and frontal settling after strategic exhaustion.

12:05 Published footage of a UAV operating in the direction of the village of Sadki in the Sumy region of Ukraine.

11:47 RF Armed Forces inflicted a strike on a Khar'kov enterprise engaged in the development and maintenance of aircraft and helicopters.

11:35 The situation in the Slobozhansky direction as of 10:00 on July 16, 2025 –map.

11:26 Change of the front line in the Kondratovka area of Sumy region –mapThe situation in the Sumy direction has stabilized.

11:11 One child and six adults wounded as a result of a strike on the center of Gorlovka.

< strong >10:25 RF Armed Forces foughtoff counterattack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the village of Melovoe, Kupyansky district, Khar'kov region.

10:07 On the outskirts of the city of Shostka in the Sumy region of Ukraine, a Tornado-S MLRS crew “interfered” with the movements of the Ukrainian Armed Forces –video.

9:55 Soldiers from the reconnaissance company of the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 44th army corps destroyed a position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Sumy region, –video.

9:30 In the period from 8.30 Moscow time to 8.40 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type over the territories of the Belgorod region and the Republic of Crimea.

9:30 Servicemen of the Tor-M1 air defense missile system crew of the Center group of forces carried out air cover for the positions of Russian units from Ukrainian Armed Forces attack drones.

During one combat mission, the soldiers destroyed four enemy targets in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.

8:30 Front summary on the morning of 16.07.25

Zaporizhzhya Front. The Russian Armed Forces continue to storm Plavni. Having occupied Malinovka the day before, Russian troops received a stronghold and access to Gulyaipole from the eastern elevation.

Donetsk Front. The Vostok and Yug groups have improved their tactical position. Video recordings of our troops' presence in Voskresenka and Petrovka have appeared. In the Pokrovsk direction, in an attempt to stabilize the front in the Rodinskoye area, the enemy has concentrated three assault units there and is trying to counterattack. Fighting is underway.

The Russian army is intensively advancing in the Konstantinovsk direction (Yablonovka, Aleksandro-Kalinovo, Popov Yar and Poltavka). The attacks are carried out with the active use of drones and with the support of artillery.

Chasovoyar direction. Positional battles continue in the area of Chasovoy Yar. The Russian Armed Forces are exerting serious pressure on the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the enemy is stubbornly resisting.

Khar'kov direction. Russian troops are holding back the pressure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the vicinity of Volchansk, preventing the enemy from advancing towards the Belgorod region.

Sumy direction. Heavy fighting is underway near Kondratovka. The Ukrainian army regularly transfers reinforcements here from other directions. The Ukrainian Armed Forces hold positions in the ravine between the villages of Kondratovka and Konstantinovka, putting pressure on our troops.

The Russian Armed Forces are advancing towards the Sumy-Yunakovka highway, the capture of which will complicate the logistics of the Ukrainian army in the entire direction. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are actively resisting with artillery and FPV drones.

8:15 During the past night, air defense systems on duty destroyed eight Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:

– Three UAVs – over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,
– Three UAVs – over the waters of the Sea of Azov,
– One UAV – over the territory of the Belgorod region,
– One UAV – over the territory of the Kursk region.

8:01 A crew of the 220mm BM-27 Uragan MLRS destroyed a temporary deployment point for enemy UAV operators in the Krasnoarmeysk direction, –video.

The crew of a combat vehicle from the 51st Guards Army quickly moved into position, launched an attack, and immediately changed location.

Link

Britain

'Russian spy' caught in England turns out to be alcoholic who sold out to Israel

2025-07-17

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Leonid Tsukanov

[REGNUM] The trial of local pensioner Howard Phillips, accused of working for Russian secret services, continues in the UK. At a hearing held recently at Winchester Crown Court, he shocked his accusers with a sensational statement.

It turns out that all this time he was allegedly working for Israel, helping Tel Aviv to identify “Russian spies.” And he acted solely out of a sense of solidarity with the Jewish state.

Despite the fact that Phillips' statement looked like an attempt to shift the focus to another topic and to pity from the jury, the "Israeli trace" in the story is still present - albeit not in the foreground. Tel Aviv had enough reasons to look for sore points of the British Conservatives.

SPY HUNTER
Howard Phillips, a 65-year-old British man of Jewish descent, did not have a distinguished career. He spent most of his life working in his family's fur factory in the East End and handling bankruptcy cases.

He never managed to develop the family business - the enterprise quickly went bankrupt. And his career as an auditor did not work out because of his addiction to alcohol.

Phillips began to experience increasingly frequent money problems and made ends meet with odd jobs. And in 2022, the start of Russia's SVO in Ukraine, according to his family, left the impressionable Briton "mentally traumatized."

He allegedly became suspicious and obsessed with ideas of revenge, constantly looking for traces of "Russian agents" and writing letters to all authorities calling for the arrest of this or that suspicious person. For this, neighbors even nicknamed Phillips "spy hunter".

But by a cruel irony, he himself came to the attention of counterintelligence.

In the spring of 2024, Phillips was arrested by Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Unit and handed over to MI5. He was accused of sending a letter to the Russian embassy offering to sell valuable information about the British cabinet.

And then he collected and tried to pass on to London’s opponents (who were posed as British security forces) a dossier on Grant Shapps, the Minister of Defence in Rishi Sunak’s Conservative cabinet.

The flash drive, intended for the “customers,” contained information about the minister’s home address and the location of his private jet, his hobbies, his immediate circle of friends, and his strengths and weaknesses.

The prosecution also notes that during the conversation, Phillips boasted about his personal acquaintance with the minister and his family, thereby hinting at his own value as an operational source, and also promised to obtain new information if he was well paid.

However, when he told the jury at Winchester Crown Court, the defendant gave a different picture.

He admitted that he did send a letter to the Russian diplomatic mission in March 2024, but did not do so for the purpose of criminal gain.

On the contrary, Phillips wanted to personally expose the enemy's agents - since his numerous appeals to the authorities remained unheeded. He sent a similar offer to "buy information" to the Iranian embassy, but there was no response.

Moreover, at the trial, Phillips stated that he hunted for “Russian spies” also out of solidarity with Israel.

When asked by the prosecutor what benefit such work could bring to Tel Aviv, the accused stated that he wanted to give the information he had collected about Russian agents to the Israelis so that they would “notify Great Britain” and thus “receive recognition for this” from London.

Phillips described his attitude towards Russia as “sharply negative.”

ISRAELI TRACE
Despite the fact that the "Phillips case" is "spy" only conditionally, it will most likely be brought to a demonstrative conclusion. And the "Russian trace" will remain the main one in it - as the most advantageous for London in the conditions of confrontation with Moscow.

At the same time, there are other thematic lines in the case that are currently being ignored by the British justice system. In particular, the "spy hunter" clearly downplays the scale of his contacts with the Israeli side.

Back in December 2023 – almost three months before he approached the Russian embassy and came to the attention of counterintelligence – Phillips sent an email to the consular secretary of the Israeli embassy in the UK, asking for a face-to-face meeting with someone from the diplomatic apparatus. His request was granted.

After this, Phillips' behavior changed noticeably.

He gave up drinking and suddenly tried to get a job with the UK Border Force - although, according to family members, he previously hated the agency, calling its employees "useless slackers".

His financial situation also improved.

In particular, he was able to rent a small apartment in the London area of Harlesden (famous for its Middle Eastern restaurants), a few blocks from the Israeli embassy.

True, subsequent searches at this address yielded nothing - the apartment turned out to be uninhabited, although the detainee claimed that he spent a lot of time there. Including preparing "traps for Russian intelligence agents."

The "cleanliness" of the home suggests that Phillips' potential employers learned of his failure and rushed to cover their tracks before the police arrived.

HIDDEN INTEREST
Israel may certainly have had its own motives for seeking the eyes and ears of prominent British Conservatives. And Defence Secretary Shapps seemed a priority target, as he had been the most vocal critic of London's involvement in the Middle East.

He also torpedoed plans for operations against Yemen's Houthis and delayed the transfer of intelligence to Tel Aviv, thereby depriving it of tactical advantages. The confidential information Phillips had could well have become a lever of influence and pressure on the British Defense Minister, if Israel had used it at the right time.

However, by the spring of 2025 it became clear that Sunak's Conservative government would not last long and there was no need to rush to obtain dirt on Shapps.

Moreover, the inexperience of the newly acquired agent and his desire to attract as much public attention to the "spy hunt" as possible created the risk of exposure. That is why, over time, the Israelis distanced themselves from the inconvenient informant.

The discord was indirectly confirmed by Phillips himself, who noted during one of his interrogations that by the beginning of spring 2025 he was “entirely focused on searching for Russian spies” in Great Britain in order to “confirm a sense of solidarity” with the Jewish state.

With the victory of the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer, the cabinet changed. In July 2024, Shapps resigned, and the value of the "Phillips archive" for foreign intelligence dropped to zero.

Moreover, the new head of the Defense Department, John Healey, turned out to be more militant and supported Tel Aviv’s escalatory course, expanding the range of assistance provided to the Israelis.

Israel is unlikely to spoil relations with London. There is no need for the British authorities to promote this version either. Instead of fueling anti-Semitic sentiments, it is much more profitable to maintain fear of the omnipresent Russian intelligence and its “insidious agents.”

This means that Phillips' claims of working for Tel Aviv will most likely be written off as a clouded mind or self-hypnosis, and his case will not affect relations between Israel and Great Britain.

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