Recent Appearances...

Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/rantburg/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

EU enters decisive battle over Georgia. Russia stays out

2024-12-05

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Kamran Gasanov

[REGNUM] These days, Georgia is going through one of the decisive stages in its modern history. Will the opposition return to power, will Tbilisi again become a satellite of the West and a new anti-Russian front? The answer to these questions is given not only in high offices, but also in the squares, avenues and streets of the Georgian capital. Let's look for it too.

The parliamentary elections became the reason for the destabilization. Even before they were held, the country was periodically shaken by protests against the law on foreign agents and the ban on LGBT propaganda*, but this could not change the government's course. The opposition and its Western curators have placed their bets on winning the elections to the legislative body of the parliamentary republic. Then the laws can be repealed by a simple majority of votes, because the provisions of the new acts are not enshrined in the constitution. It already contains points on orientation towards membership in the EU and NATO, which, by the way, were enshrined by the ruling party "Georgian Dream", so everything is fine with this.

But the plan failed. The Georgian Dream, founded by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, won the elections. The leaders of the opposition, which consisted of parties united in four blocs, first demanded a recount of the votes, a repeat vote, and then the deputies from the opposition coalition For Changes refused their mandates.

The opposition once again brought people out onto the streets and once again failed. And then the President of Georgia (who is also a resident of France) Salome Zurabishvili, who unites them into a single fist, suggested taking a break. The authorities demanded that Zurabishvili herself, who does not want to give up her post, explain her unsubstantiated accusations and appear in court, but in vain.

A CONVENIENT EXCUSE FOR UNREST
While the opposition sat and thought, the answer came from an unexpected source. Its political enemies, in the person of the re-elected Prime Minister Kobakhidze, themselves gave it the most powerful tool. Angry at the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU ambassador for constant criticism, the head of the Georgian Cabinet said what is a "red line" in a Westernized country: Georgia refuses to aspire to the European Union until 2028, until Europeans begin to treat official Tbilisi with respect.

At that moment, on November 28, the demonstrators, who were obviously tired of senseless protests and seemed to have resigned themselves to their defeat, got a second wind. Fuel was added to the fire by the statement of the speaker of parliament Shalva Papuashvili that joining the EU would destroy the national economy.

The topic of European integration is a real taboo.

Even despite the increasing spats between the Dream government and the EU in the last year, Brussels’ threats not to grant candidate status, not to start membership talks, or to impose sanctions, Kobakhidze and his predecessor in office, Irakli Garibashvili, repeated the mantra that Georgia is still moving towards the EU, wants to “fix” relations with it, and that Brussels just needs to better study the law on foreign agents and try to understand the logic of the Georgian authorities.

In a word, Tbilisi took the position of eternally justifying itself.

And here Kobakhidze, although he did not renounce the path to the EU, said that such European integration is not needed until his party and government are treated as a government, not a colony. The Prime Minister explained his decision by blackmail from the EU through accession negotiations, demands to cancel a number of laws and Brussels' intention to impose sanctions against the Georgian authorities.

The opposition interpreted the statement in the way it needed, turned everything inside out and mobilized even more people for new mass protests. Moreover, unlike the protests immediately after the elections, the new ones have become anything but peaceful. Protesters throw stones at police officers, shoot fireworks, set fire to the parliament, damage infrastructure, and attack law enforcement officers. More than a hundred police officers were injured and suffered injuries of varying severity.

These are no longer just protests, or even a peaceful revolution, but a full-blown attempt at a coup d'état - as the State Security Service of Georgia has already dubbed them.

A DECISIVE PRIME MINISTER
Despite the terrifying footage of protests in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi (according to various estimates, up to 200,000 people came out), the "Dream" remains cool, determined and confident. The "dreamers" are not making any concessions, except for the routine statement that Georgia has not abandoned the EU and will continue the process of joining in the future.

Kobakhidze says that by 2028 Georgia will have fulfilled 90% of its obligations under the EU Association Agreement and Free Trade Agreement, and by 2030 it will be ready to join. Comparing the events with the Ukrainian scenario, he recalled that the country has already experienced three attempts at a "Maidan" in four years, and will not allow a fourth either.

The prime minister is partly right.

After all, every protest, every attempt at revolution and every act of sabotage (in the summer, the SGB uncovered an attempt to assassinate Ivanishvili) is an experience. The authorities have trained themselves on previous mass protests.

The current head of the cabinet is showing determination, and the authorities will not make any concessions. There will be no dialogue with the opposition, they will not be allowed on TV channels, and there will be no repeat elections, he said. Kobakhidze also made it clear that he will not allow Zurabishvili to pardon former President Mikheil Saakashvili. Moreover, she will have to leave her residence on December 29, the day of the new president's inauguration, whether she wants it or not.

And on December 2, the police arrested one of the leaders of the "Maidan", Zurab Japaridze. And by releasing him later, the authorities in fact showed flexibility rather than weakness, while simultaneously showing that in the event of provocations, those who call for any kind of unrest will not be exempted from arrest. On December 4, a series of searches and arrests of the leaders and instigators of the unrest also took place.

Along with this, the Dream wants to outlaw the opposition.

Plans have been announced to ban Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM) party, the For Change and Strong Georgia coalitions, and former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia's party Gakharia for Georgia. These parties have overcome the five percent barrier and, together with Zurabishvili, are the driving force behind the Georgian "Maidan".

The authorities have not revealed any secrets about the UNM: its liquidation was one of the points of the Dream program for the November elections. Kobakhidze said in August that he would do this after receiving a constitutional majority. Now the Dream does not have enough votes for such a decision, but the attempted coup provides additional grounds to ban not only the UNM, but also three other political forces.

FACES OF THE "MAIDAN"
"For Change" is the same UNM, only in profile. The link between the two parties is Nikanor Melia, a native of Saakashvili's party and at one time its leader. In 2019, during the visit of the Russian delegation led by MP Sergei Gavrilov, Melia led rallies against the government and was accused of storming the parliament. For this act, he was stripped of his parliamentary mandate two years later and sent to prison. But the "beacon of democracy" came to the rescue - the European Union posted bail for Melia and he was released after more than two months.

The leaders of Strong Georgia are businessmen Mamuka Khazaradze, head of the largest bank TBC Bank, and his business partner Badri Japaridze, who once built the deep-water port of Anaklia. Even without their participation in the attempted coup, there are enough articles against them: since 2022, they have been accused of fraud. Like Saakashvili, they built their election campaign on anti-Russian slogans, for example, they proposed banning the sale of land to Russian citizens, the entry of cars with Russian license plates, and opposed the restoration of air traffic between the countries.

Another leader of Strong Georgia, the head of the NGO Center for Multiparty Democracy, proposed at the end of November to create an “alternative parliament,” essentially a parallel government. Something similar could be seen in Venezuela in 2019, where Juan Guaido proclaimed himself president of the country. Zurabishvili, who refuses to resign, is already a parallel government.

The alliance of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia looked slightly more harmless against the background of the three aforementioned blocs. The party "Gakharia - for Georgia" positioned itself as an independent force and even after the elections was in no hurry to participate in the "Maidan". But in its ideology, it was not far from the Russophobic parties: Gakharia also promised to fight the "Russian occupation".

The former prime minister is another hero of the 2019 anti-government rallies sparked by the visit of the Russian delegation, although he was then engaged in dispersing the protesters as the head of the Interior Ministry. For two years after that, he acted as a crisis manager as prime minister, but at some point he resigned, and for the Georgian Dream he is a traitor, so there are even more incentives to ban his party than for others.

DANGEROUS "SOCIAL ACTIVISTS"
Foreign NGOs are participating in the escalation of the revolutionary scenario in conjunction with the opposition – the very same foreign agents against whom the law adopted by the “Dream” is aimed. MP Irakli Kadagishvili pointed out one of the main offices at the summer rallies against this law – the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), linked to the American Democratic Party and founded by the “National Endowment for Democracy” (NED, financed by Congress and aimed at “promoting democracy in developing countries”).

NDI, according to Kadagishvili, advised the opposition on how to conduct an election campaign and allocated money to inform citizens through opposition politicians about the harm of the law on foreign agents.

Other American organizations, such as the McCain Institute and the Marshall Fund, churned out negative reports on the election, positing that the Dream's victory was direct evidence of voter fraud. The reports were signed by former NDI Georgia office chair Laura Thornton.

The fact that 30% of those detained on the streets of Tbilisi are citizens of other countries also indicates active interference from abroad.

Kobakhidze said that it was NGOs that were supplying demonstrators with pyrotechnics and thus provoking violence. NGO leaders “hiding in their offices” would not escape punishment, he threatened.

The protesters' methods are the same as in 2013-2014 in Ukraine. Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, speaking about "Ukrainization", drew attention to the "trained groups" that attacked the police.

KAYA WAGS HER FINGER
The West, as before, is driving a tailwind into the opposition's sails. The EU understands that it is the topic of relations with it that is fueling discontent, and it feels its strength. Two days after the Georgian presidential elections, the foreign ministers of 27 countries will discuss their intervention in the events.

Politico writes that the EU may impose sanctions against the top of the Georgian Dream. EU Ambassador Pavel Gerchinsky is rocking the Maidan from within: before the elections, he called on Georgians to vote for the opposition, and then supported the rallies.

The new head of European diplomacy and Russophobe Kaja Kallas went to Kiev on her first day on the job, supported the rallies in Georgia, calling them "the aspirations of the Georgian people to the EU", and threatened "consequences" for Tbilisi's decision to suspend European integration, although it had previously been frozen by Brussels itself. Kallas is behaving much more brazenly and clumsily than her predecessor Josep Borrell. While the former Estonian prime minister was wagging her finger at the "Dream", the first punitive measures followed from her homeland. Estonia, along with Lithuania and Latvia, banned entry to 13 Georgian officials.

Zurabishvili’s homeland did not disappoint either: the French Foreign Ministry warned against betraying Georgia’s “European aspirations” and demanded respect for “peaceful demonstrations.”

Zurabishvili herself is literally on a direct telephone line with the EU. She recently discussed the situation in the country with Callas, the new head of the European Council Antonio Costa, and the presidents of Poland and Estonia. Zurabishvili is the "Maidan's" channel of communication with the West. Before negotiations with EU leaders, she consulted with opposition parties.

The still-functioning Biden administration is also not shy about interfering in events - the US has stopped its strategic partnership with Georgia.

THE RESOURCES HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED
For now, the authorities and security forces are dealing with the unrest.

The special forces managed to clear the square in front of the parliament, prevent the seizure of state institutions and the blocking of communication lines. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the "revolutionaries" aimed at blocking strategic facilities, train stations and central highways.

The monolithic nature of power also remains.

The Georgian Orthodox Church, which enjoys more popularity in the country than any politician, is on the side of the authorities. The Patriarchate condemned Zurabishvili's call for schoolchildren to take part in rallies.

The Constitutional Court is also not giving in to pressure. Despite Zurabishvili's call to attack the Constitutional Court building in Batumi, her lawsuit demanding that the elections be declared unconstitutional is rejected.

The Prime Minister believes that compared to the three previous attempts at revolution (summer 2022, spring 2023, spring 2024), the current one is already weaker. "It is now clear that many resources have been exhausted over these four years. Accordingly, the fourth wave of the revolution was much weaker than it could have been," Kobakhidze noted.

The security forces, special services and the army, which, thank God, has not yet been involved, remain loyal to the authorities. True, ambassadors and diplomats in the USA, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Georgia, Italy and the Czech Republic have resigned, but this happened under pressure from the "host" countries, and little depends on them.

The biggest threat now is not the mass protests, which have already shown their limits, but escalation.

Back in the summer, the Georgian State Security Service was catching militants from the Georgian Legion (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) who were fighting in Ukraine and preparing an assassination attempt on Ivanishvili. Some of them have already recorded a video threatening to come to the aid of the opposition. If fireworks and stones are replaced with bullets and grenades, and instead of the wounded, they start counting the dead, Georgia may repeat the fate of Ukraine.

RUSSIA BELIEVES IN THE "DREAM"
Russia is closely monitoring the situation and, according to the head of the SVR, Sergei Naryshkin, hopes that a new "color revolution" will fail. The country's president, Vladimir Putin, is surprised by the courage of the "Georgian Dream", but makes it clear that Russia does not interfere in the country's internal affairs.

If for Georgia the current events are a decisive battle for sovereignty, then for Russia they are just another stage in a series of attempts at velvet revolutions along the border perimeter.

Despite the enormous pressure from inside and outside, Kobakhidze is not shy about saying that he is going to maintain pragmatic relations with Russia and restore the country's integrity peacefully, engaging in dialogue with the Abkhazians and Ossetians. If the Georgian Dream survives, one could say that the backbone of the Maidan, at least in Georgia, will be finally broken. And in the post-Soviet space, its impulses will be reduced to a minimum.

Time is now on the side of the current authorities. The less successful the protests are, the more disillusioned the protesters become. The next reasons for a surge in activity will be December 14 and 29 — the dates of the presidential elections and inauguration.

For this position, "Dream" nominated former football player Mikhail Kavelashvili. Zurabishvili and the opposition can easily create a scandal, forcing the police to remove her from her residence by force. If these stages are passed, the "Maidan" will die out.

Donald Trump may also help Georgian Dream. Kobakhidze hopes that relations with the EU, which are directly linked to relations with the United States, will “change significantly” after the inauguration of the new US president.

Link

International-UN-NGOs

'Anti-Semitic Decision': ICC Waits for Right Moment to Issue Netanyahu Warrant

2024-11-23

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Dmitry Polyakov

[REGNUM] On November 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant. They are accused of committing “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in the Gaza Strip. However, the ICC did not stop there.

At the same time, an arrest warrant was issued for Muhammad Deif, the leader of Hamas' military wing. He is considered one of the main organizers of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack. It is noteworthy that, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Deif was liquidated this summer.

All three warrants were issued by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Ahmad Khan.

THE ESSENCE OF THE ACCUSATIONS
The arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant are for crimes committed between October 8, 2023 and at least May 20, 2024. The ICC says it has reason to believe that the Israeli prime minister and former defense minister deprived civilians in the Gaza Strip of vital resources.

"Both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population of Gaza of items essential to their survival, including food, water, medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity," the court said in a statement.

Despite warnings and appeals from international organizations and leaders of other countries, Israel has provided only “minimal humanitarian assistance.” For this reason, the ICC has raised suspicions that Netanyahu and Galant may be guilty of using starvation as a weapon of war.

The statement also claimed that "the alleged crimes against humanity were part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza."

As for Mohammed Deif, the ICC said he is suspected of having committed “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the territory of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine since at least 7 October 2023.” These crimes include murder, extermination, torture, hostage-taking, rape and other violence.

"ANTI-SEMITIC DECISION"
It is important to note that the execution of the ICC order is mandatory for countries that have ratified the Rome Statute. There are 124 such countries. However, there are also those that have signed but not ratified the statute – 29 states in total. Among them are Israel, its main ally – the United States, as well as Russia, Iran and some Arab countries.

It is noteworthy that the members of the European Union, friendly to Israel, have ratified the Rome Statute and are ready to implement the court's decision. Thus, the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell stated that "the ICC decision is binding on all member states."

The French Foreign Ministry also expressed its willingness to follow the court's principles and announced that "Paris's response to the ICC's arrest order against Netanyahu will be in line with these principles." The foreign ministries of Belgium and the Netherlands responded in a similar manner.

The only EU country that does not agree with the court's decision is Hungary. Budapest said it was ready to accept the Israeli prime minister, guaranteeing his safety. The decision is explained by the fact that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has long established friendly relations with Benjamin Netanyahu and supports Israel on many issues.

The Jewish state, for its part, categorically disagrees with the arrest warrant issued by the ICC. A statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said the accusations against the country were false and anti-Semitic. "The anti-Semitic decision of the International Criminal Court is a modern-day Dreyfus trial, and it will end the same way," the statement said.

Israel considers the ICC a biased and discriminatory political body that makes false and absurd accusations. The statement also said the decision to issue the warrants was made by a “corrupt attorney general who is trying to protect himself from sexual harassment charges and biased judges driven by anti-Semitic hatred of Israel.”

The case concerns the ICC's November 11 decision to open an external investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Khan, who denies any wrongdoing.

THE WEST IS DISAPPOINTED
Karim Ahmad Kan requested an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Galant back in May. However, the process was delayed due to concerns that its implementation could hinder negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. The negotiations have not yielded results in the past six months. On the contrary, the situation has become even more tense after the assassinations of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and the movement's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

The Israeli military cabinet does not seem to be stopping. Netanyahu visited Gaza this week and declared that Hamas would not be in the Strip. Moreover, the Jewish state has been conducting a destructive ground operation in Lebanon for the second month. It is probably Israel’s intransigence that has convinced the ICC that there is no point in delaying the warrant any longer.

The timing was not accidental. The ICC ruling came during ceasefire talks between Israel and Hezbollah this week led by US special envoy Amos Hochstein.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, he visited Beirut, where he held a series of meetings with acting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the secretary general of the Shiite Amal Party, Nabih Berri, who is acting as a mediator between Hezbollah and Western countries. At the final press conference, Hochstein said that he had managed to achieve progress in the dialogue with the Lebanese side.

Immediately after, Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem appeared on television. He noted that the success of the current negotiations depended on Israel's reaction and the "seriousness" of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, Qassem emphasized that the Jewish state was putting forward too serious conditions: "Israel wants to achieve through an agreement what it could not achieve on the battlefield. This is impossible."

After the Beirut talks, Amos Hochstein traveled to Tel Aviv, where he held several meetings with Israeli officials, including Netanyahu. According to Arab media reports, Israel is reluctant to make concessions on fundamental issues, so the American envoy is pushing for more rounds of talks.

It is significant that the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli citizens precisely at the time of Netanyahu's negotiations with Hochstein. This decision shows that Western countries are extremely disappointed with Israel's intransigence and are perhaps trying to put pressure on the country's leadership.

In this situation, the reaction of the French Foreign Ministry is quite understandable. Paris is trying to actively participate in the resolution of the conflict, but its attempts to penetrate deeply into Lebanon through mediation efforts are each time met with the unwillingness of the Israeli side to compromise.

Certainly, the arrest warrant signals a higher stakes in the negotiations. However, the decision could only make matters worse. With Netanyahu in a difficult position, he may refuse to compromise and take steps that will escalate the conflict, including continuing military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Israeli warplanes are hitting Beirut; IDF pounds Hezbollah sites across Lebanon; 80 rockets, UAVs target northern Israel

2024-11-23

[X]

🚨🇮🇱BREAKING NEWS

Israeli warplanes are hitting Beirut. pic.twitter.com/yQ8vjNdnwS
— Europe Invasion (@EuropeInvasions) November 22, 2024

IDF pounds Hezbollah sites across Lebanon; 80 rockets, UAVs target northern Israel

[IsraelTimes] South Lebanon strikes said to kill 5 Hezbollah-linked medics; Nahariya factory hit; no injuries reported in fresh attacks; Italy blames terror group after rockets hurt 4 UNIFIL troops

Israeli fighter jets carried out two waves of ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s on Leb
...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
’s coastal city of Tyre, and further sorties on the country’s south and Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut on Friday, as the Israel Defense Forces said some 80 rockets and several drones were launched at northern Israel throughout the day.

The Lebanese health ministry said airstrikes on two villages in southern Lebanon killed five medics from a rescue force affiliated with Hezbollah. AFP reported that an airstrike in Beirut toppled an 11-story building.

The IDF said targets included command centers, intelligence infrastructure, weapon depots and observation posts belonging to Hezbollah. Before the strikes, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to civilians in the area.

Many of the sites belonged to Hezbollah’s Aziz regional division, responsible for rocket fire on Israel from the western sector of southern Lebanon, according to the IDF.

Hezbollah said it had targeted with rockets and artillery Israeli ground troops who had encroached on the southern Lebanese towns of Khiyam and Deir Mimas, respectively located some 6 kilometers (4 miles) and 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) north of the border with Israel.

"Enemy reconnaissance aircraft" were flying over Deir Mimas, which has been largely emptied of residents, warning people "not to leave their homes," Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported, adding that it was the first time Israeli troops had reached the village.

In the latest attacks on northern Israel on Friday evening, the IDF Home Front Command said a drone from Lebanon went kaboom! in the Western Galilee area, without causing any injuries.

Drone infiltration warning sirens sounded for around half an hour in northern communities including Nahariya, Acre and the Krayot area north of Haifa amid the incident.

Earlier, the IDF said that air defenses shot down some of the barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon at the Western Galilee and Haifa areas, while others impacted.

Police said a factory in Nahariya was damaged by a rocket. Footage posted to social media showed smoke rising from an industrial area, along with interceptions over the northern coastal city.

The barrage came as the IDF said it had shot down two drones from Lebanon before they entered Israeli airspace in the afternoon, and five projectiles from Lebanon set off sirens in Haifa overnight before being intercepted.

There were no reports of injuries in the latest attacks from Lebanon, which came as Israeli and American officials expressed optimism about securing a ceasefire with Hezbollah to end the cross-border hostilities raging since the day after Hamas
Hamas

..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
’s October 7, 2023 massacre that sparke

The White House said Friday evening that United States President Joe The Big Guy Biden
...46th president of the U.S. We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women created ... by the — you know — you know, the thing...
and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon during a phone call earlier in the day.

On Friday afternoon, Channel 12 published details on what it said were the remaining points of contention between Israel and Hezbollah to reach a ceasefire in the north.

One issue, according to the report, was Israel’s insistence that La Belle France can not be part of the agreement, or be a member of the international committee that will monitor a deal’s implementation. This is due to its perceived hostility toward Israel in recent months under Macron’s administration. Macron has recently repeatedly called for an arms embargo on Israel, characterizing it as the path toward ending the war, sparking a diplomatic crisis.

The second issue cited in the report was 13 land points along the Israel-Lebanon border that are disputed due to boundary demarcation issues. The network said Israel was demanding language in the agreement that would allow it to unilaterally choose not to engage in negotiations over disputed points.

Channel 12 reported that Lebanon had accepted that the US would issue a letter that supports Israel’s freedom to act in Lebanon against "imminent threats," but that final wording on the issue of arms transfers within Lebanon had not been finalized.

A bigwig told Channel 12: "Most of the details have been agreed upon, but what remains open is very sensitive and could still derail the agreement."

The report came after Washington’s envoy Amos Hochstein discussed the ceasefire with senior Lebanese, Hezbollah and Israeli officials over the past week, touting progress in the talks. A senior Israeli defense official also said there was a high likelihood of a deal.

IDF FINDS RUSSIAN-MADE ANTI-TANK MISSILES AT HEZBOLLAH POST
In southern Lebanon’s eastern sector, meanwhile, troops of the 7th Armored Brigade found several Russian-made Kornet anti-tank missiles in a Hezbollah anti-tank missile launching post they had discovered after an operative had been killed there in a recent airstrike, the IDF said on Friday.

The brigade, operating under the 98th Division, has been raiding what the army calls "an area that serves as a significant terror stronghold for Hezbollah."

Troops have located several Hezbollah fighting positions, weapon depots, bunkers and other infrastructure amid the ongoing operation, the army said.

Over the past week, the military said it had destroyed some 45 Hezbollah rocket launchers in airstrikes in southern Lebanon. According to the IDF, some of the launchers were used in previous rocket attacks on Israel, and others were primed for future attacks.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio had his hands full of angry bleached blonde...
four Italian troops were lightly hurt in an apparent Hezbollah rocket barrage on the UN observer mission in Lebanon, Rome said on Friday, as Israel’s ground troops pushed on in southern Lebanon.

Italia’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said four Italian soldiers in UNIFIL, the international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, "were slightly injured following the earth-shattering kaboom of two 122 mm rockets that hit the UNP 2-3 base in Chamaa," a southwestern Lebanese village some seven kilometers (4.3 miles) north of the Israeli border.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed "deep indignation and concern" over the incident, without attributing blame, though European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the UNIFIL observers were "maimed following the launch of two rockets by Hezbollah."

"I will try to speak with the new Israeli minister of defense, which has been impossible since he took office, to ask him to avoid using UNIFIL bases as a shield," he said.

"Even more intolerable is the presence of bully boyz in South Lebanon who are endangering the safety of the blue helmets and the civilian population," he added.

Some European allies, including La Belle France and Italia, have accused Israel of targeting UNIFIL, and rejected Jerusalem’s demand that the peacekeeping force vacate its positions while the IDF pursues Hezbollah.

Israel has accused UNIFIL of failing to prevent Hezbollah from building terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon, forcing Israel to act.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

World split over Netanyahu, Gallant arrest warrants, as some in EU vow to uphold them; Israel cancels Dutch FM visit for cause

2024-11-22

The International Criminal Court is for countries that do not have a strong and independent judiciary and are members. Israel does not fit any of those criteria.

[IsraelTimes] Republicans in US Congress threaten to sanction international court, as human rights NGOs welcome PM’s new status as ‘officially a wanted man’

In the hours after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, European officials said they were prepared to obey the decision. American politicians panned it, calling to sanction the court instead.

Possibly the ICC has overreached this time.

The decision to issue the warrants, granted unanimously on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes during Israel’s campaign against the Hamas
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
terror group 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...
, marked the first time the ICC has ever issued arrest warrants against leaders of a democratic country.

Both Netanyahu and Gallant will be liable for arrest if they travel to any of the more than 120 countries that are party to the ICC. The court also issued an arrest warrant for slain Hamas military leader Mohammad Deif, noting it could not confirm his death.

The EU’s outgoing foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Thursday that the decision was not a political one but made by a court and thus should be respected and implemented, writing on X, "These decisions are binding on all States party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU Member States."

The Netherlands’ foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said his country was prepared to act upon the warrants, Dutch news agency ANP reported. Veldkamp was expected to visit Israel on Friday.

Does he expect to be welcomed warmly after that choice? Or is he bringing the left ears of all the Dutch Muslims who partook in the recent Jew hunt, with proof of their involvement and other nefarious connections, to make up for it?

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, in a statement, said that "Ireland respects the role of the International Criminal Court. Anyone in a position to assist it in carrying out its vital work must now do so with urgency."

Harris’s statement also called for "an immediate ceasefire, release of all hostages, and unhindered access for humanitarian aid

in Gaza," calling the situation in the enclave "an affront to humanity."

La Belle France’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said the French reaction to the warrants would be "in line with ICC statutes" but declined to say whether .style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='France'>La Belle France would arrest the leaders if they came to the country. "It’s a point that is legally complex," he said.

Not really. Either the ICC has jurisdiction and is correct that Bibi and Israel are irredeemably evil, with a supine court system, or the ICC does not and is wrong.

”Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani likewise hedged his response, saying, "We support the ICC, while always remembering that the court must play a legal role and not a political role. We will evaluate together with our allies what to do and how to interpret this decision."

The foreign ministers of Sweden and Norway both expressed confidence in the court, but did not say explicitly whether they would execute the arrest warrant if in a position to.

In the United States, by contrast, leaders on both sides of the aisle condemned the decision.

US President Joe The Big Guy Biden
...46th president of the U.S. We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women created ... by the — you know — you know, the thing...
’s administration, which had publicly denounced the initial request for arrest warrants, "fundamentally rejects" the decision, a White House National Security spokesperson told The Times of Israel.

"We remain deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision," the spokesperson added.

When the ICC prosecutor announced his decision to request the arrest warrants in May, the US said at the time that he had failed to provide Israel with the opportunity to investigate the claims itself.

Stephanie Hallett, US deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Israel, said Thursday that the ICC "does not have jurisdiction in this instance," because "the complementarity principle has absolutely not been applied," referring to the principle that if a state is capable of investigating crimes committed there on its own, the international court does not have jurisdiction.

She added that ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan "absolutely had an opportunity to get on a plane to come here and engage with Israel. Instead, he chose not to get on the plane."

Well said.

Hallett said Thursday morning that an official response from Biden to the arrest warrants would be coming shortly, describing the imminent comments as "very strong."

While the Biden administration has spoken against the ICC and ICJ cases against Israel, it has to date rejected calls from Republican politicians to sanction the court as President-elect Donald Trump
...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried....
did in his first term.

But GOP congressman Michael Waltz, whom President-elect Donald Trump has said he will appoint as his national security advisor, said: "You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January."

Ritchie Torres, among the most pro-Israel Democrats
...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy, white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects...
in the US Congress, also called to sanction the court. In a lengthy post to X, the representative from New York said the arrest warrants represented "the weaponization of international law at its most egregious," calling it "persecution posing as prosecution."

"The ICC ignores the cause and context of the war," Torres said, adding that not only did the Hamas terror group start the war with its October 7, 2023 attack — in which murderous Moslems invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages — the group also "carefully constructed a battlefield designed to maximize the loss of civilian life" in Gaza.

"None of that context seems to matter to the kangaroo court of the ICC, which cannot let facts get in the way of its ideological crusade against the Jewish State," he said.

He is rapidly becoming one of my favourite Democrats.

In June, the House passed a bill that, if it became law, would cancel the US visas of ICC officials, restrict entry of, and place financial restrictions on any of the court’s officials who are seeking to detain or prosecute allies of the United States.

Another thing to look forward to in January.

US President Joe Biden said at the time he was "strongly opposed" to the legislation which passed with a majority of 247-155, including with the support of 42 Democrats.

It has not been taken up by the US Senate, however, though Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
...Senator-for-life from New York, renowned for his love of standing in front of cameras and microphones. Schumer has been a professional politician since 1975, when disco was in flower, which is 48.96282 years. Senate minority leader as of 2017...
, of New York, called the initial request for arrest warrants "reprehensible."

On Wednesday, roughly a third of Senate Democrats voted in favor of three failed bids to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel, underscoring the internal divide among Democrats on the issue.

Republican Senator John Thune, who is set to succeed Schumer in January, vowed that if the ICC does not reverse its decision, the Senate will "immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis," at the start of the next Congress.

Centrist Susan Collins and vocally pro-Israel Democrat John Fetterman also expressed their opposition to the arrest warrants, with the latter posting to X a headline about the decision, captioned, "No standing, relevance, or path. Fuck that."

Another of the good ones — a classic Democrat of the old school.

Also denouncing the warrants was Argentina
...a country located on the other side of the Deep South. It is covered with Pampers and inhabited by Grouchos, who dance the Tangle. They used to have some islands called the Malvinas located where the Falklands are now. They're not supposed to cry for Evita...
’s president, Javier Milei, who posted on X that his country "declares its deep disagreement" with the decision, which he said "ignores Israel’s right to self-defense against the constant attacks by terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah.’

International human rights
...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state...
organizations praised the decision and urged states to execute the arrest warrants.

Of course they did — they always enjoy a chance to pile on Israel, the details being utterly unimportant.

In the Middle East, several states were quick to welcome the decision.

Jordan and Turkey reared up on their hind legs to say stupidly nasty things.

The ICC’s warrants came some thirteen months after the Hamas terror group invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.

Foreign minister nixes visit by Dutch counterpart after he endorses ICC warrants

[IsraelTimes] Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Thursday said he had canceled a planned visit to Israel next week by his Dutch counterpart, Caspar Veldkamp, after the latter said the Netherlands would obey arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ex-defense minister Yoav Gallant.

“Minister Sa’ar expressed his disappointment, in the name of the government of Israel and the people of Israel, over his announcement in the Dutch parliament following the decision of the International Criminal Court in the Hague,” Sa’ar’s office said in a statement following a discussion between the two men.

“In the discussion, it was agreed that the visit by the Dutch foreign minister to Israel that had been planned for next Monday — would not take place,” the statement said.

Hebrew media outlets reported Thursday that Israel suspects there may be more arrest warrants on the way, including in relation to activities in the West Bank, especially in light of expected decisions by the UN and the International Court of Justice regarding Israel’s policy there.

More responses:

White House says US will not execute arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant
‘Fundamentally rejecting’ ICC decision, US says it’s discussing next steps with Israel and allies
Czech PM slams ICC ruling for putting democratic leaders on par with terrorists
Italy says it would arrest Netanyahu if he came to country, after ICC warrant
Canada will abide by all rulings of international courts, says Trudeau
Palestinian Authority says ICC arrest warrants for Israeli officials sign of ‘hope’
Gallant on ICC issuance of arrest warrant against him: Court legitimizes murder of babies, rape of women
UK respects ICC’s independence, but rejects moral equivalence between Israel and terror groups
Hungary, Argentina blast ICC decision; Italy says it’s still reviewing it; Turkey hails arrest warrants
Trump’s next national security adviser: Expect strong response to ICC’s antisemitic bias come January
Arab-majority Hadash party backs ICC decision, saying PM, Gallant have to pay for ‘destruction of Gaza, mass murder’

Update from the Times of Israel at 10:50a.m.ET — Britain’s ruling Labour Party has second thoughts:

Indicating it could arrest Netanyahu, UK gov’t says it will always comply with international ‘legal obligations’
Hungarian PM Orban invites Netanyahu on official visit after ICC warrant
Report: Incoming Trump administration looking at sanctions against ICC officials,

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

NATO Will Not Hide. Russia Introduces the Principle of Collective Nuclear Responsibility

2024-11-21

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Gevorg Mirzayan

[REGNUM] On November 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving a new version of the country's nuclear doctrine. The document expands the list of situations that Moscow considers a condition for launching a retaliatory nuclear strike.

In particular, the previous version of the doctrine spoke only about the launch of ballistic missiles against Russia, but now it is about the launch of aircraft, hypersonic, tactical and strategic cruise missiles, as well as drones.

In addition, the new doctrine allows for a nuclear strike against a non-nuclear country if that country commits aggression against Russia and/or Belarus “with the participation or support of a nuclear state.”

The West, of course, is unhappy.

"Nuclear deterrence is something that we now completely reject. We condemn any reference to nuclear weapons," says the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell , indignantly, forgetting that nuclear deterrence was, is and will be the most important way to prevent World War III.

And Vladimir Putin, unlike Borrell, outgoing US President Joe Biden and other Western politicians, is trying to preserve this system of containment. Moreover, he is trying to preserve it in an absolutely transparent way - the president is consistent in his actions and decisions to protect Russia.

The new nuclear doctrine is not just an effective, but the only correct response to the West's recklessness in escalating the conflict and creating real threats to Russia. Threats by pumping Ukraine with non-nuclear weapons (missiles, drones, etc.), which may attempt to deliver a "disarming strike." That is, the Kiev regime gains the ability to launch a massive attack/raid with the aim of destroying Russian command posts and silos where nuclear missiles are based. That is why the doctrine provides for the possibility of destroying a non-nuclear country with a nuclear strike.

Moreover, this is a signal not so much to Kyiv as to the West.

"The current threat should demonstrate to the world that Russia remains a major power. And that Washington and its allies should limit their support for Ukraine," Bloomberg acknowledges .

The authors of the American CNN agree with him.

"The revised doctrine is clearly intended to send a strong signal to Ukraine's Western backers about the risks of escalation and to make politicians and the public think twice about the potential consequences of supplying more modern and long-range weapons to Ukraine," the publication writes .

Naturally, there are those in the West who literally shout that the principle that speaks of the possibility of a nuclear strike against a non-nuclear country violates the foundations of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (where countries that voluntarily renounce the creation of military atoms were promised security).

But let's be honest: Vladimir Putin has given the West many times the opportunity to come to its senses and take a step or two back. But instead, the US and its allies have jumped forward. In fact, the signing of the updated doctrine itself took place after the Biden administration allowed the Kyiv regime to fire long-range missiles deep into Russia, that is, it created the opportunity for a disarming strike.

At this point Moscow had no other choice.

However, even now a number of Western journalists are calling for the state of affairs announced by Putin to be ignored.

“Putin has been careful throughout the war not to launch any overt attacks on NATO countries, whose entry into the war he wants to avoid,” writes The New York Times.

And some politicians continue to put on a brave face. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that “Russia’s irresponsible rhetoric” would not affect the level of British support for Ukraine, and that London would provide the Kiev regime with whatever it needs for as long as it needs it.

However, no one doubted the British - the main instigators of the war. As well as their "combat" allies from the Baltic countries. Putin's words were addressed not to them, but to the sane part of the Western European elite, as well as to the new US administration, which shows that it does not seek conflicts with Moscow.

And now French President Emmanuel Macron is making very ambiguous statements: he is calling on Putin to remember the UN Charter and take part in a “collective de-escalation” of the situation in Ukraine.

But for this to happen, firstly, Macron needs to stop escalating himself, that is, supplying the Kyiv regime with weapons and training/equipping Ukrainian troops. Secondly, he should carefully read the new nuclear doctrine, then the owner of the Elysee Palace would understand that it concerns not only the situation in Ukraine: the document clearly outlines a list of events that Moscow perceives as a military threat.

The list includes the build-up of military groups on our borders (for example, in Finland or the Baltics), the creation of military infrastructure in space, the deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of non-nuclear states (for example, in Poland), actions to isolate part of the Russian Federation (for example, the blockade of the Kaliningrad region, which some Baltic countries hinted at), military exercises near the Russian borders, attempts to create environmental and social disasters (in particular, the attacks on the Kursk and Zaporozhye nuclear power plants, which the Kiev regime tried to undertake), as well as the uncontrolled proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The list of these conditions once again proves that, contrary to Western propaganda, Russia's nuclear deterrence policy remains exclusively defensive. Moscow allows the use of nuclear weapons only and exclusively to protect its territory, sovereignty and legitimate interests. Which, according to NATO Military Committee Chairman Rob Bauer , would be trampled if Russia did not have a nuclear sword.

But it is and will be. And the risks of a nuclear war will increase until collective de-escalation begins. But not in Macron's understanding, when Moscow must surrender its interests, but real de-escalation - from the West. Not in the form of shifting responsibility for the escalation to the outgoing Biden administration, European hawks or the Kiev regime.

Russia is making it clear that playing “good cop, bad cop” will not work. That aggression by any NATO member, be it close Poland or distant Britain, will be seen as an attack by NATO on Russia, with all the consequences that entails.

And finally, this collective responsibility includes not only the member countries of the Alliance, but also the states that are NATO proxies, that is, for example, Ukraine. The irresponsible behavior of any of them will cause a response for all. Moreover, as stated in the doctrine, the response is “inevitable.”

Of course, we would like to do without demonstrations of military power and threats. But over the past decades, the West has shown that it understands only and exclusively the language of force. This means that Russia will speak it until the West learns to understand another.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: November 19, 2024

2024-11-20

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21.24 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stresses that Ukraine "must get what it needs, and as much as it needs, to win the war." He also added that irresponsible rhetoric is coming out of Russia, but it will not stop support for Ukraine.

20.41 Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that Europe's largest countries are ready to help Ukraine even if the US reduces its support. This concerns both military and financial aid.

19:29 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference with Danish Prime Minister Matt Frederiksen that Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin is showing by changing the nuclear doctrine that he is seeking to continue the war and destroy Ukraine because the world's countries have not shown a strong reaction.

18.05 Ukraine has significant long-range capabilities and will use them to deter Russian aggression. Now they have been supplemented by ATACMS missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference in Kiev.

17.13 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense denied the information from the Russians about the alleged successes of the Russian army near Liman.

16.24. Denmark will finance the Ukrainian defense industry for 130 million euros. This was announced by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during a joint briefing with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

14.53. Russia has concentrated about 50,000 troops in the Kursk region. Most of them are from the Marine Corps and Airborne Troops. In addition, the Russian Federation is moving another division to Kursk. This was stated by the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Alexander Pavlyuk in an interview with Ukrinform. Over the past three months, the enemy has transferred one division, two brigades and a regiment of airborne troops to the Kursk region; two brigades and one regiment of marines.

14.39 On Tuesday night, a military facility in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation was attacked by allegedly American ATACMS ballistic missiles. This statement was made by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

14.25 Every day today is the best moment to put even more pressure on Russia. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his address to the European Parliament.

The head of state stressed that the Russian Federation would have no real motivation to participate in meaningful negotiations "without fires at ammunition depots on Russian territory, without disruption of military logistics, without destruction of Russian air bases, without missed opportunities to produce missiles and drones, and without confiscation of assets."

13.50 Next year, Ukraine will produce at least 30,000 long-range drones, as well as 3,000 cruise missiles and drone missiles. This data was announced by President Zelensky.

13.12 Ukrainian military for the first time launched a strike on the territory of the Russian Federation with American ATACMS ballistic missiles. This was reported by sources in the Defense Forces.

12.50 Russia has begun production of mobile shelters for protection against nuclear and chemical weapons. Production is underway in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region.

12.27 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke in the Verkhovna Rada and presented a 10-point Sustainability Plan.

12.27 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke in the Verkhovna Rada and presented a 10-point Resilience Plan.

12.04 The administration of US President Joe Biden has indeed allowed Ukraine to use American long-range weapons to strike Russian territory. This was stated by US Deputy Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Brian A. Nichols.

10.50 The Armed Forces of Ukraine addressed the Ukrainians on the 1000th day of the war. The address notes that the Russian-Ukrainian war is not a sprint, but a marathon. The Armed Forces of Ukraine called for support for the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

10:48 Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has approved an updated nuclear doctrine of Russia by his decree. The document, entitled "On Approval of the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence," was published on the official portal of legal information.

10.23 Two residents of the annexed Crimea have been detained in Sevastopol. According to investigators, they blew up the car of Captain 1st Rank Valery Trankovsky. This was reported by Russian media with reference to the FSB. A 38-year-old resident of Sevastopol, who conducted surveillance, and a 47-year-old resident of Yalta, who planted the explosives, are suspected of committing the crime. They allegedly acted on instructions from the SBU curator.

10.00 Over the 1,000 days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kiev has experienced 1,369 air raid alarms, lasting a total of more than 1,553 hours. The Russians fired more than 2,500 missiles and drones at the capital.

9.45 President Volodymyr Zelensky released a video for the thousandth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which shows the key moments of the fight against the Russian occupiers. The video mentions the main moments of the war: the resistance of the Ukrainian people, the liberation of cities, Snake Island, the return of prisoners, visits by leaders of states and international organizations.

9:35 At night, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 87 Shahed-type attack drones and unidentified drones, 51 UAVs were destroyed. As a result of active counteraction, 30 enemy UAVs were lost in different regions.

9:30 US President Joe Biden made the right decision by allowing Ukraine to use American weapons to strike Russian territory, French leader Emmanuel Macron said.

9:27 The General Staff confirmed a strike on a weapons arsenal in the Bryansk region. It is noted that units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the night of November 19 hit the arsenal of the 1046th logistics center near the city of Karachev in the Bryansk region. As of 02:30 that night, 12 secondary explosions and a detonation were recorded in the target area. According to the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko, artillery ammunition was stored at the arsenal in Karachev, including North Korean shells "for their systems." In addition, there are guided aerial bombs (UABs), anti-aircraft missiles and ammunition for multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).

9.01. As a result of the attack by Russian drones in Glukhov, Sumy region, the death toll has risen to seven people. This was reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Tonight there was a drone strike on Glukhov. There is destruction of a dormitory of one of the educational institutions. At present, it is known that seven people, including a child, died as a result of this attack," he noted.

8.53. Over the past 24 hours, 143 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. Yesterday, aviation, missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces carried out nine strikes on areas where Russians were concentrated, and also hit a UAV control center, an artillery system, two warehouses of material and technical resources, the Zhitel electronic warfare station and two other important enemy facilities. This was reported by the General Staff on November 19.

8.15. As a result of the Russian strike on a dormitory in the city of Glukhov in the Sumy region, six people were killed late in the evening of November 18, including a child. There may be more people under the rubble. This was reported by the Sumy OVA. As of 7 a.m. on November 19, 12 people were also known to have been injured, including two children.

7.50. Ukrainian military killed 1,610 Russian occupiers in 24 hours. Total combat losses of the Russian Federation from 24.02.22 to 19.11.24 were approximately 724,050 people. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

7.39. As of the morning of November 19, there are six Russian ships in the Black Sea that are carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles with a total salvo of up to 24 missiles. This was reported by the Ukrainian Navy.

03.54 In the city of Karachev in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation, after a missile threat was declared, a powerful explosion thundered near a large weapons arsenal, social networks reported. After the explosion, a glow appeared in the sky and less powerful explosions thundered.

01.40 In the city of Glukhov in Sumy Oblast, an enemy drone hit an apartment building. In one of the entrances, apartments on all floors completely collapsed. There are dead and wounded, their number is being clarified.

November 18

22.41 Head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell confirmed at a meeting of the European Commission that the United States has allowed Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles on Russian territory. According to him, Kiev has received permission to strike at a range of up to 300 km.

21.34 The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Ukraine's strikes on Russian territory with long-range ATACMS missiles will be regarded in Moscow as direct US participation in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The corresponding statement was made by the press secretary of the department, Maria Zakharova.

20.33 Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced the scaling up of the production of Neptune cruise missiles, the development of new drone missiles, and cooperation with Ukrainian and foreign partners to strengthen Ukraine's defense potential.

19.54 Average daily losses of Russian troops in the war in Ukraine reached a new maximum in October. Over the past month, the Russians lost about 42,000 personnel in battles, the press service of the British Ministry of Defence reports.

19.19 As a result of Russian attacks in October this year in Ukraine, at least 183 civilians were killed, including nine children. Another 903 people were injured. About 45% of the dead were over 60 years old, according to a report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine

18.22 President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Kharkiv Oblast and visited the frontline city of Kupyansk. The head of state heard reports from commanders and local authorities regarding the security and social situation in Kharkiv Oblast.

17.40 Russia does not want to freeze the war in Ukraine along the line of military conflict, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan allegedly proposes. Dmitry Peskov recalled Vladimir Putin's ultimatum.

17.06 Since the beginning of the current day, 87 combat clashes have occurred on the front in nine directions. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a report as of 16.00.

16:57 US Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer said that the intensification of Russian shelling of Ukraine in recent days is a "massive escalation." The US is ready to evolve its decisions to support Ukraine and continues to make "strategic decisions based on the situation on the battlefield."

16:18 President Volodymyr Zelensky got acquainted with the process of building fortifications in the Pokrovsk direction, where most of the planned 600 objects have already been equipped. The head of state talked to the builders and thanked them for their work.

15.59 Russian invaders shelled the cities of Konstantinovka and Seversk, killing three civilians, the Donetsk OVA reported.

14.59 A Russian Iskander-M missile fell on Odessa, shot down by air defense forces. This was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force. As of today, 10 people are known to have died and more than 40 injured.

14.55 Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto criticized the US decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike Russian territory.

"The pro-war mainstream has made a last, desperate attack on the new reality. These forces do not even seem to shy away from the worst: expanding the war in Ukraine to global proportions," he said.

14:45 President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. He visited the location of the 25th separate airborne Sicheslav brigade and heard a report from its commander.

14.36 The Russian army is building up its forces, the occupiers are creating new brigades. Ukraine is working to ensure that the enemy does not have any advantages, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.

14.20 The US's permission for Ukraine to use American weapons to strike Russian territory could be a decisive moment in the war, Polish President Andrzej Duda said.

13.44 The aggressor country Russia has launched a demonstrative attack on Odessa. It is only interested in war. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote about this on Facebook, commenting on the Russian attack on Odessa on Monday.

13.20 Russian troops struck residential buildings in Odessa on November 18, there are dead and wounded. This was reported by the head of the Odessa OVA Oleg Kiper. According to him, civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, was damaged. "Preliminary, as a result of the Russian attack, 8 people were killed and 18 wounded. Among the victims, one child. Four people are in serious condition," he noted.

12.23 Official Beijing did not criticize the possible US decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles on Russian territory. This follows from a comment at a briefing by the press secretary of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian.

12.03 Possible US permission for Ukraine to strike with American weapons deep into Russia would mean "a qualitatively new round of tension." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this at a briefing on Monday.

11.26 Russia is trying to overload the Ukrainian air defense with decoy drones made of plywood and foreign electronics. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate. Electronics from China, the United States, the Netherlands and Switzerland are used to produce the Gerber plywood drone. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense.

10:40 Germany is preparing to provide Ukraine with 4,000 drones with artificial intelligence. The Mini-Taurus drones are equipped with modern systems that make them virtually invulnerable to Russian electronic warfare systems and GPS interference.

10.02 On the night of November 18, Russian troops attacked a healthcare facility in the Kherson region from a UAV. Two ambulances were destroyed when explosives were dropped from an enemy drone.

9.45 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to present his "peace plan" for Russia's war against Ukraine at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Erdogan's proposal calls for a freeze on the current positions of the parties. The Turkish president also proposes postponing discussions of Ukraine's accession to NATO for at least 10 years.

9.50 Over the past 24 hours, 149 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. Most of the fighting took place in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhovsky directions. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian defense forces destroyed 13 areas of personnel concentration, one command post, a radar and electronic warfare station of the Russians.

8.47 On the night of November 18, Russians attacked Ukraine with ballistics and drones. Most of the "shahids" were destroyed. Air defense shot down 8 drones in the Poltava, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions. Three UAVs were lost.

8.16 The death toll from the Russian strike on Sumy on November 17 has risen to 11. This was reported by the acting mayor of Sumy, Artem Kobzar, Suspilne reports. The number of wounded has risen to 68. Among them are ten children.

7.50 Ukrainian military killed 1,560 Russian occupiers in 24 hours. The total combat losses of the Russian Federation from February 24, 22 to November 18, 24 were approximately 722,440 people.

7.21 On the night of November 18, 59 aircraft-type UAVs attacked targets on Russian territory. This was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry. It is noted that all the drones were allegedly destroyed. Two were over the Moscow region, 45 were over the Bryansk region, six were over the Kursk region, three were over the Belgorod region and three were over the Tula region.

01.20 Russia launched two missile strikes on Sumy at night. The first hit a multi-story building. At least ten people were killed, including children. Dozens of people were also injured. The second strike after midnight hit critical infrastructure and left the city without power

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

'The Rubicon Has Been Crossed.' What Do the Changes in Russia's Nuclear Doctrine Mean?

2024-11-20

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Kirill Velesov

[REGNUM] Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving a new version of the doctrine "Fundamentals of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence." The basic principle of the doctrine has not changed, it states that nuclear weapons (NW) are an extreme measure to protect the country's sovereignty. At the same time, adjustments were made against the backdrop of a new round of escalation provoked by the United States and its allies.

At the end of last week, it became known that the United States no longer objects to Ukraine's strikes with American long-range missiles on Russian territory. In particular, this concerns the ATACMS system, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already used several times - then the strikes hit Donbass and Crimea. Now, with the permission of outgoing US President Joe Biden, such missiles can be sent to all Russian regions.

Ukrainian authorities have long asked the West to remove this barrier, arguing that such attacks could significantly affect the situation on the battlefield. Russian officials have called this view wrong: these strikes will not have a fundamental impact on anything, but will only hasten the end of Ukraine.

Washington has not officially confirmed the information about lifting the ban, but the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell said on November 18 that the US had indeed made such a decision, and it was discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. According to him, we are talking about missiles with a range of about 300 kilometers.

And already on November 19, the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that air defense systems shot down five American ATACMS ballistic missiles over the territory of the Bryansk region on the night of Tuesday.

It is noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a strike with six missiles: five of them were shot down by the S-400 and Pantsir systems, the sixth missile was damaged. Its fragments fell on the technical territory of the military facility, causing a fire. There were no casualties or damage as a result.

At the same time, the possibility of allowing the Kyiv regime to strike Russia with its missiles was first seriously discussed in the United States back in September. At that time, Biden said that the issue was under discussion.

In response, Vladimir Putin stated that if such attacks on Russian territory do occur, this would mean NATO’s direct entry into conflict with Russia – Moscow would take appropriate measures and give its response.

Soon, the head of the Russian state announced changes to the country's nuclear doctrine, the necessity of which was dictated by the changing international situation.

WHAT HAS CHANGED?
The nuclear doctrine of a state is not a dogma established once and for all, but a strategy that must keep pace with rapidly changing times. In the US, for example, it is rewritten for each new president.

The current updates to the Russian doctrine are precisely a response to the challenges facing the country. Russia is demonstrating to its enemies the line beyond which a potential enemy will face brutal retribution.

Russia's updated nuclear strategy illustrates the very essence of the idea of nuclear deterrence.

“Nuclear deterrence is aimed at ensuring that a potential adversary understands the inevitability of retaliation in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies,” the document says.

The doctrine lists the conditions for the use of nuclear deterrence. In particular, it states that the conditions for neutralizing threats are "the presence of a potential enemy and its deployment of missile defense systems and means, medium- and shorter-range cruise and ballistic missiles, high-precision non-nuclear and hypersonic weapons, strike unmanned vehicles of various basings, and directed energy weapons that can be used against the Russian Federation."

In addition, it is stipulated that nuclear deterrent forces may be used in the event that a potential adversary takes actions aimed at defeating (destroying, annihilating) ecologically hazardous facilities of the Russian Federation, which may lead to man-made, ecological or social disasters.

It is emphasized that the use of nuclear weapons remains an extreme and necessary measure in the event of a threat to statehood; Russia “is making all necessary efforts to reduce the nuclear threat and prevent the aggravation of interstate relations that could provoke military conflicts, including nuclear ones.”

"We have been discussing changes to the nuclear doctrine for a long time. Moreover, it has changed before. As threats to us grew, we had to create response options, which Putin spoke about directly. No one is particularly hiding the fact that changes to the nuclear doctrine are the creation of that very counter-threat to the events that are happening around Russia. Everything was said directly and openly," political scientist Vladimir Kornilov said in a conversation with the Regnum news agency.

An important point: under the nuclear umbrella now is not only Russia itself, but also its allies, in particular Belarus.

If in the earlier version of the doctrine a response with nuclear weapons was allowed when the enemy launched ballistic missiles, now such a measure can also be applied when attacking Russia using conventional weapons. For example, when reliable information appears about a massive launch of aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, etc. towards Russia.

"The previous version of the principles of state policy only spoke about the launch of ballistic missiles as a condition for a retaliatory strike. Now we are talking about the launch of aircraft, tactical and strategic cruise missiles, as well as drones, hypersonics, and in general any massive launch of aircraft," Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, told Regnum earlier.

Another key addition is the use of nuclear deterrence in the event that an attack is carried out by a non-nuclear state, but it acts with the support of a country that possesses such weapons. In addition, aggression by any country that is part of a military bloc will be qualified as participation in this attack by the entire bloc.

In addition, nuclear deterrence can be used against a country that provides its territory or resources to an aggressor for an attack on Russia. Also, the basis for the use of nuclear weapons is the creation or expansion of military blocs, which leads to the approach of their military infrastructure to the Russian borders.

As before, the decision to use nuclear weapons is made by the country's president.

RETRIBUTION IS INEVITABLE
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev emphasized the importance of the changes made to the nuclear doctrine on his Telegram channel, linking them to the US decision on long-range missiles.

"The use of alliance missiles in this way can now be qualified as an attack by the bloc's countries on Russia. In this case, the right arises to launch a retaliatory strike with weapons of mass destruction against Kiev and the main NATO facilities, wherever they are. And this is already WWIII (the third world war. - Ed.)," Medvedev wrote.

The innovations in the nuclear doctrine were also commented on by the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov. According to him, it was necessary to bring the document into line with the current situation.

"Russia has always viewed nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence, the use of which is an extremely necessary measure. <…> Nuclear deterrence is aimed at ensuring that a potential adversary understands the inevitability of retaliation in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation or its allies," Peskov told journalists.

The West has not yet had time to react to the changes in Russia's nuclear doctrine, although one can guess what this reaction will be. It is enough to recall the comments of American and European officials after the announcement of the updates in September of this year. At that time, the Western political establishment criticized this step.

“Changing Russia’s nuclear doctrine is irresponsible,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

In turn, the Western press was more reserved in its assessments and acknowledged that Russia made the decision to make changes to its nuclear doctrine because of the Ukrainian conflict, or more precisely, the actions of Kyiv’s allies, which continue to escalate the confrontation.

As for American missile strikes on Russian territory, they may continue, Vladimir Kornilov admits.

"Once the command has been given, the go-ahead has been given, then they are preparing to use it. I think that the Rubicon has already been crossed. And this was done deliberately, including in order to add problems to the future US president," the source told Regnum.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

On Western missile strikes on Russia

2024-11-19

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] 1. As I wrote at the beginning of the SVO, we cannot avoid a remake of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

2. I have also written and continue to write since the beginning of the war - anything that lies below the threshold of using nuclear weapons can and will be used in Ukraine.

3. Warmongers do not accept their defeat so easily. Both in the war in Ukraine and in the recent elections in the USA.

So nothing unexpected is happening.

It would be surprising if this did not happen before the end of the war.

We are simply waiting to see what the response will be. And we are studying civil defense measures. Cruise and ballistic missiles have already flown in to our Sevastopol more than once.

More from regnum.ru
Borrell: US Allows Kyiv to Launch Strikes 300km Deep into Russia

The United States has given the Kiev regime permission to strike 300 km deep into Russian territory, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said on November 18.

"The US administration has authorized the use of its missiles up to 300 km deep into Russian territory. This is not very far, but this is the decision of the US administration. Why they made this decision now and not earlier, I do not know," Borrell said at a press conference following a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

He also stated that the heads of the foreign ministries of the EU countries have not made a decision to lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons to strike deep into Russian territory and that each EU member country can make such a decision independently.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on November 17, the American newspaper The New York Times, citing informed sources, reported that outgoing US President Joseph Biden had for the first time authorized Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory. Following this, the French newspaper Le Figaro wrote that the French and British authorities had made a similar decision.

On September 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the discussions on allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use precision weapons for strikes deep into Russia a substitution of concepts. In reality, NATO countries are discussing whether they will directly participate in a conflict with Russia, the president emphasized. He noted that Russia will make decisions based on the threats that will arise for it.

On November 18, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated that Russia's response to the Kiev regime's use of long-range missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory would be adequate and tangible. The use of long-range missiles by Kiev would mean direct participation in the conflict by the United States and its satellites and would change the very essence of the conflict, Zakharova emphasized.

The situation remains in limbo for now, there is no official confirmation of Biden's decision, officials are holding a pause, apparently in order to see Moscow's reaction and make a decision, Regnum News Agency columnist Mikhail Zakharov noted earlier in his article.

Link

Europe

Europeans have figured out how to reject Africans imposed by Brussels

2024-11-15

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Vladimir Dobrynin

[REGNUM] Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez recently came up with an initiative to attract 250,000 migrants from several African countries to the country. According to the head of the government of the Iberian kingdom, Spain needs the labor force of immigrants so much that without the help of citizens of Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Niger, the country faces economic collapse.

The Prime Minister’s statement does not shine with novelty or originality – in many EU countries, it is precisely economic necessity that is used to explain the EU’s open-door policy for outsiders from the Middle East and North Africa, proclaimed several years ago.

It seems that the migration crisis of 2015-2016, when about a million refugees arrived in Germany alone – job seekers (in reality, seeking high social benefits), taught Europeans nothing. Brussels continues to put pressure on the members of the “Commonwealth of Twenty-Seven”, implementing its program of replacing the native population of European states with migrants.

Spain is one of the most ardent fans of hosting uninvited guests in this matter. The country's population, frankly, is not happy with this policy, but the opinions of ordinary citizens do not always make it onto the pages of publications. Except perhaps in the comments of readers.

And even those are preserved in small quantities only to demonstrate “pluralism.” But in such a way that the reader cannot think that there are more dissenters than agreeers.

If you look closely, the new initiative of the leader of the Spanish Socialists, who is currently at the helm of the country, is nothing more than an attempt to legalize illegal immigrants. According to Pedro Sanchez, all those wishing to enter Spain to work can be controlled, letting them into the country on a work visa for a certain period and ensuring their return home.

In principle, the idea is sound, but, according to the opposition, it is practically impossible to implement. Especially considering that only the first three states from the list officially have more than three million job seekers.

According to representatives of the People's Party, the existing police force is not enough to monitor the 250,000 migrants and their compliance with the conditions.

A quarter of a million “newcomers” per year is not a one-time event, but a permanent practice, calculated for the period up to 2050. And an additional set of police officers to monitor them will be a big problem, since this will create a large additional burden on the budget.

And, as the OKDiario publication notes, there is no guarantee that the police will be able to catch those who, after their work visa expires, decide to go into hiding rather than return to their home country.

There are currently at least 150,000 illegal immigrants living in the Iberian kingdom, sources in the Ministry of Internal Affairs told the publication. And it is impossible to deport so many people home: they easily dissolve in their diasporas, which provide them with work that pays them "off the books."

Several years ago, the European Commission discussed reducing the flow of Africans wishing to settle in Europe. The idea was voiced of creating, so to speak, centers for assessing the professional qualifications of migrants in the territory of states that issue human resources for the EU.

There were also proposals to allocate money to countries whose citizens were especially active in fleeing to Europe. The funds had a specific purpose - opening businesses and recruiting personnel, that is, distracting some potential migrants from the idea of making a dash across the Mediterranean to the land that Josep Borrell called the "Garden of Eden." The calculation was that if they earned good money in Africa, they would not go to conquer Europe.

Neither idea stood the test of practice, and the allocated money, as often happens, disappeared without a trace in the vast African expanses.

Pedro Sanchez, by the way, turned out to be one of those who believed to the very end that investments in the Sahel region would bring good luck and dry up the flow of illegals to the Old World. Suffice it to say that at the end of August of this year, he visited Mauritania, presenting its authorities with €500 million as aid for economic development. The money was accepted there with gratitude. And with the hope that the Europeans would send more.

"It is worth remembering that the Sahel is a region where jihadism has flourished. And therefore the danger of radical residents of this zone penetrating into Europe is pushing the latter to seek any methods to block the routes from Africa to Europe. Including using financial plugs," OKDiario notes.

If we approach the migration problem from the point of view of Spain's real needs for labor, the statement about the need for a quarter of a million guests is surprising. The country already has 2.5 million people officially unemployed (the population of Spain is 47 million people). And if we add those who are scraping by on short-term contracts but are not formally recognized as unemployed, then the poor fellows number as many as three million.

It is also impossible to explain the attraction of foreigners by the economy: the law on minimum wages, adopted in 2023, requires that hired workers be paid at least 1080 euros, regardless of whether the enterprise is private or public.

For the Spaniards, this is a very acceptable salary (by the way, it is paid 14 times a year), local residents would gladly take up the vacancies. Moreover, according to the law, they have a preferential right: an entrepreneur can hire a foreigner only if “their own” do not want to take a specific job.

Thus, it turns out that Sanchez's idea of hiring 250,000 foreigners annually is nothing more than an "excuse" for Spain, invented for the EU authorities. Madrid has seemingly indicated its intention to follow the EU migration policy, but it can refuse at any moment, citing pressure from the population and the impossibility of controlling a quarter of a million foreign temporary workers.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Govt. approves recruitment of 1,500 soldiers for Lebanese Army — Naharnet

2024-11-07

[NAHARNET] The caretaker Cabinet on Wednesday approved granting the Defense Ministry a treasury loan to recruit 1,500 soldiers for the Lebanese Army.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati had announced at the Oct. 24 Paris conference that his government had decided to recruit more troops and could deploy 8,000 soldiers in the south as part of a plan to implement a ceasefire and U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
And who's gonna pay for that?
He added that war-hit Lebanon would need international financial support to equip and train the army.
I thought so
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, told reporters in Paris that the 27-nation bloc would give the Lebanese Army 20 million euros ($21.59m) this year and 40 million euros ($43.18m) next year.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: November 4, 2024

2024-11-05

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 20:47 Russia has already transferred 11,000 North Korean troops to the Kursk region, Zelensky said following the report of the Main Intelligence Directorate and the Foreign Intelligence Service. "We see an increase in the North Koreans, but we do not see an increase in the reaction of our partners, unfortunately," the president emphasized. The head of state also noted that the Kursk operation, which has been going on for almost three months, helps maintain a "sanitary zone" in certain areas near the Ukrainian state border. In addition, the Kursk operation is extremely important for replenishing the exchange fund and has greatly helped in the release of Ukrainian people from Russian captivity, Zelensky added.

19:54 Ukraine and Lithuania signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the Defense Industry, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported. In particular, the document provides for the joint production of UAVs and components, ammunition and components, electronic warfare systems, and the development of advanced technologies. Umerov also reported that Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas, during his visit to Kiev, handed over to the Ukrainian Armed Forces an aid package within the framework of the Mine Action Coalition - 230 pickups and 240 mine detectors.

18:35 The first NASAMS air defense system ordered by Canada has been sent to Ukraine - it should arrive by the end of this year, Zelensky said following a telephone conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

18:17 Germany will increase humanitarian aid to Ukraine by an additional 200 million euros for emergency winter support, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced during a visit to Kiev.

16:49 Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak claims that Ukraine is not holding any negotiations with the Russian Federation: "This is definitely not true. What is happening: we held thematic conferences. The first conference was on energy security, it was online, but Qatar was a co-organizer. All these thematic conferences - without Russia. After that, we established the principles: if today Qatar, for example, or another country is ready to implement these agreements through agreements with Ukraine separately, and separately with the Russian Federation - please. What I know today: so far no one has any agreements. If such agreements are reached, Ukraine is ready to consider them, because this is absolutely consistent with the principles laid down in the Peace Formula."

15:28 Russia is currently using about ten times more "shahids" than last fall, Zelensky said following a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters. In particular, the president heard a report from Acting Air Force Commander Anatoly Krivonozhko on strengthening air defense in regions that need it most, developing new solutions to combat KABs, and strengthening mobile fire groups.

There were also reports on domestic production of shells, weapons, equipment, electronic warfare systems, and drones. In particular, they reviewed 3-5-year contracts offered to Ukrainian manufacturers of strategic-level drones. Syrsky reported on the use of such long-range drones, determining priorities, and planning operations.

14:50 Radio Liberty journalists have reviewed the draft of the "peace agreement" that Russia offered to Ukraine after the invasion in 2022. The publication received the draft agreement from a Ukrainian source, and a Russian source close to the negotiations confirmed its authenticity.

The project entitled "Treaty on the settlement of the situation in Ukraine and the neutrality of Ukraine" dated March 7, 2022, was handed over to the Ukrainian delegation during the third round of negotiations in Belarus. The document envisaged, in particular, the reduction of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 50 thousand people, Ukraine's refusal to use weapons with a range of over 250 km, the "independence" of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR" within the administrative regions of Ukraine, the restoration of the infrastructure of Donbass at the expense of Kyiv, the lifting of all sanctions against the Russian Federation, granting the Russian language the status of a state language, etc.

The draft treaty that Russia offered to Ukraine in the first days of the full-scale invasion / Radio Liberty

13:42 Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak stated that North Korean soldiers "will die first in Kursk region, because they, like the Russian army, pose a threat to Ukraine." He added that the DPRK military is present in Kursk region, "and, of course, they will die."

13:17 Zelensky announced "important shifts" in the supply of partners for the front: "We are recording an increase in supplies in accordance with support packages. The best results were in artillery supplies." The President also said that he instructed the Minister of Defense to further increase orders for Ukrainian drones for specific Ukrainian operations. According to the head of state, the approved plans for the supply of Ukrainian-made drones for the Defense Forces are being fulfilled.

As for the situation at the front, which the president also discussed during a meeting with Commander-in-Chief Syrsky, Chief of the General Staff Bargilevich and Defense Minister Umerov, the greatest attention was paid to the Pokrovsky, Kurakhovsky, Toretsky and Kupyansky directions. There was also a separate report on the Kursk operation and the destruction of Russian forces in certain areas near the Ukrainian border.

12:56 EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that during a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, he called on Seoul to increase support for Ukraine: "Russia's aggression against Ukraine is an existential threat. The Republic of Korea understands this better than anyone. We are united in our support for Ukraine. I called on them to increase this support."

11:39 Russia will pay soldiers from the DPRK for participating in the war against Ukraine about $2,000 per month, The Korea Herald writes, citing South Korean intelligence. Workers from North Korea will receive $800. The DPRK will also receive about 700,000 tons of rice to partially cover its million-dollar production deficit, and possibly advanced space technology to launch its reconnaissance satellite.

At the same time, experts admit that "the most pleasant part of the deal" that Pyongyang may receive is the opportunity to force Russia to fight on its side in the event of unforeseen circumstances on the Korean Peninsula. And Russia will try to use the DPRK as a "bargaining chip" in negotiations with the United States, analysts believe.

10:18 German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced that she had arrived in Kiev.

09:40 In the Kherson region, over the past 24 hours, as a result of Russian shelling, four people were injured, reported the head of the OVA, Oleksandr Prokudin.

09:04 On the evening of November 3, Russians attacked Kharkov - 15 people were wounded, including four police officers, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. As a result of the shelling, the glazing of the windows of an infrastructure facility, four retail pavilions, two supermarkets, a house, a laboratory, a cafe, 21 retail kiosks, a shopping center, and two residential buildings were damaged. In addition, in the evening, the enemy struck a five-story residential building in the village of Kovsharovka in the Kupyansk district - according to preliminary information, three people are under the rubble.

08:39 Air defense destroyed 50 out of 80 Russian drones (Shahed and unspecified types) in Kyiv, Sumy, Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and Kirovohrad regions at night. Another 27 enemy drones were lost, the Air Force reported. In addition, at night the enemy launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile strike on Dnipropetrovsk region and attacked Kharkiv region with guided air bombs.

08:17 In Donetsk region on November 3 as a result of Russian shelling two people were wounded - in Mirnohrad and Kurakhovo, reported the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.

08:03 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of November 4:

personnel - about 700,390 (+1,300) people,

tanks - 9193 (+11) units,

combat armored vehicles - 18,538 (+15),

artillery systems - 20,121 (+35),

MLRS - 1245 (+1),

air defense systems - 994 (+0),

aircraft - 369 (+0),

helicopters - 329 (+0),

Operational-tactical level UAVs - 18,280 (+93),

cruise missiles - 2629 (+0),

ships/boats - 28 (+0),

submarines - 1 (+0),

automotive equipment and tank trucks - 28,237 (+77),

special equipment - 3587 (+3).

05:11 At night, the Russians attacked Kiev with drones, all of them were neutralized, said the head of the Kyiv State Military Aviation Service, Sergey Popko. In the Desnyansky district, the debris fell in an open area, without casualties or damage.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran, Germany feud over Tehran’s execution of a dual national

2024-11-01

[Rudaw] Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs on Tuesday rejected criticism by Germany over Tehran’s execution of dual national Jamshid Sharmahd, saying that a European passport does not guarantee freedom from punishment.

"No terrorist enjoys impunity in Iran. Even if supported by Germany," the foreign ministry announced, resharing a post on X by Minister Abbas Araghchi.

He defended the use of capital punishment for Sharmahd, who was executed in 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...
on Monday on charges of "corruption on Earth" and "leading terror operations," according to state media.

"A German passport does not provide impunity to anyone..." Iran’s foreign ministry added, stating that Sharmahd led an attack on a mosque in 2008 that killed 14 people and injured 200.

Sharmahd, 69, was a German journalist of Iranian descent who was sentenced to death in February 2023. He was accused of heading a pro-monarchist group responsible for the bombing. Tehran does not recognize dual citizenship.

Germany’s foreign ministry in the "strongest possible terms" protested the Iranian regime’s execution, recalling its ambassador to Tehran and Iran’s envoy to Berlin on Tuesday.

"Our ambassador in Tehran today delivered a demarche to the Iranian Foreign Minister and protested in the strongest possible terms against the murder of Jamshid Sharmahd," read a post on X by Germany’s foreign office.

"We have conveyed our strong protest against the actions of the regime and reserve the right to take further action," the post added.

Sharmahd was kidnapped from Dubai in July 2020 by agents of the ministry of intelligence and was taken to Iran, Amnesty International reported the following month.

The European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
’s top diplomat Josep Borrell also condemned the execution.

Iran executed at least 853 people in 2023, Amnesty reported in a research report published in April, adding that it was the highest recorded total for Iran since 2015.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/rantburg/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More