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2024-05-31 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
The die has been cast: The Russians have issued a nuclear map of Europe – They are targeting all NATO bases on European soil (vid)
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Posted by Besoeker 2024-05-31 07:04|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [319 views ]  Top

#1 And this is different from 1950s-1993?
Posted by Procopius2k 2024-05-31 07:31||   2024-05-31 07:31|| Front Page Top

#2 Moscow, using specific communication channels in recent days, finds that NATO is determined to pull the rope, now directly threatening the very survival of the Russian state, which is exactly what the FSB said yesterday.

...You know, I absolutely believe that's what the FSB said.

I also remember Operation RYAN: when the paranoid, delirious, dying Yuri Andropov was convinced that Exercise ABLE ARCHER was the cover for a first strike on the USSR, and the KGB was ordered to find the proof that it was.

It wasn't, of course. But the KGB knew better than to tell Uncle Yuri that, so they found it...and had Andropov not been so debilitated, he would have launched first.

All of which makes me wonder if Volodya isn't harboring the same thoughts.

Mike
Posted by MikeKozlowski 2024-05-31 08:06||   2024-05-31 08:06|| Front Page Top

#3 In the post-war '50s, Americans believed the threat was credible.
Posted by Skidmark 2024-05-31 08:07||   2024-05-31 08:07|| Front Page Top

#4 I understand NATO is doing the same thing. Look at how encircled China is. Russia and China are the elites wet dream.
Posted by Dale 2024-05-31 08:27||   2024-05-31 08:27|| Front Page Top

#5 The die has been cast when the first NATO bomb fell on Serbia.
Posted by Grom the Reflective 2024-05-31 08:48||   2024-05-31 08:48|| Front Page Top

#6 And we're to assume its real? Opsec?
Posted by BrerRabbit 2024-05-31 10:47||   2024-05-31 10:47|| Front Page Top

#7 Ah, hell, even Swalwell has a nuke strike list of US Targets.
Posted by swksvolFF 2024-05-31 11:50||   2024-05-31 11:50|| Front Page Top

#8 "And this is different from 1950s-1993?"

Soviets dont exist, and govt doesnt enjoy a monopoly in having the majority of people believing the Russians are the New Soviets. As Skid said: In the post-war '50s, Americans believed the threat was credible.
Posted by mossomo 2024-05-31 13:01||   2024-05-31 13:01|| Front Page Top

#9 Curious timing in parallel to the stories about Bidet giving Zelensky permission to use weapons to strike inside Russia. Perhaps not?

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/30/biden-ukraine-weapons-strike-russia-00160731
Posted by NoMoreBS 2024-05-31 14:49||   2024-05-31 14:49|| Front Page Top

#10 We still have nukes at Incirlik?

Maybe we could try to calm the Russians by offering to pull them out. Win/win...
Posted by James  2024-05-31 15:34|| https://idontknowbut.blogspot.com  2024-05-31 15:34|| Front Page Top

#11 Soviets dont exist, and govt doesnt enjoy a monopoly in having the majority of people believing the Russians are the New Soviets. As Skid said: In the post-war '50s, Americans believed the threat was credible.

The one thing linking Rurikid, Romanov, Soviet and now Putinist Russia is its relentless appetite for territorial conquest. No one cares what regime rules Russia. So long as it expands beyond its borders, coalitions will arise to oppose its ambitions. Always has, always will.
Posted by Zhang Fei 2024-05-31 16:40||   2024-05-31 16:40|| Front Page Top

#12 #11 coalitions will arise to oppose its ambitions. Always has, always will.

At various times these coalitions were headed by Batu Khan, Gustavus Adolphus, Napoleon, Hitler.
Nowadays, it's Biden.
Posted by Grom the Reflective 2024-05-31 16:52||   2024-05-31 16:52|| Front Page Top

#13 Russis's problem isn't any given opposition, it's straight up population collapse.
Posted by M. Murcek 2024-05-31 16:56||   2024-05-31 16:56|| Front Page Top

#14 At various times these coalitions were headed by Batu Khan, Gustavus Adolphus, Napoleon, Hitler.
Nowadays, it's Biden.


Alexander, as great a commander as he was, would have been just another notable individual warrior without the path-breaking military machine his father Philip created. As indecisive and weak as Biden is and has always been, it's the well-trained and -armed military machine created by his predecessors that keeps Putin restrained. And Biden will be spending quality time under indictment once Trump takes the oath of office. At that point, Trump will likely give Ukraine everything it needs to win so we can wrap this up and be, if not friends, trading partners again.

Nothing personal - the Russians need to leave. We wouldn't stand for the Brits trying to rebuild their empire, and they're our friends. The Russians, as befitting their status as unreformed empire builders, have no friends. So long as they stay within their borders, we can at least be trade partners.
Posted by Zhang Fei 2024-05-31 18:32||   2024-05-31 18:32|| Front Page Top

#15  And this is different from 1950s-1993?

One difference is we just attacked two Russian early warning radars in that are part of Russia's ballistic missile defense. I say "we" meaning the Ukrainians using NATO-supplied weapons.

There has been diplomatic discussion about using NATO weapons to strike into Russia, way beyond the line of contact. War is war and turn-about is fair play right? But given the short supply of long-range weapons, it seems more useful to focus on strategic targets like refineries and factories.

Both radars are in the southern part of the country (Orsk and Armavir) and look south, not towards Ukraine. If you are facing a charging bear and have 6 round of bullet in your gun, do you go all-in for the bear or take time to throw a couple shots at the rattlesnake over in the corner?

It all seems a bit provocative to me.
Posted by SteveS 2024-05-31 19:38||   2024-05-31 19:38|| Front Page Top

#16 Old enough to remember when the machine was stating that such a move, endorsing NATO weapons to be used in in-country Russia strikes, would absolutely be provocative, and would not happen, because it would be provocative, and would never ever never happen so trust us Biden.

It appears the Swiss Mission conference to put together a list of peace demands is turning into what everyone predicted, that there would be so many rails done they could build a nuke train track all the way to Moscow, is already off track.
Posted by swksvolFF 2024-05-31 20:04||   2024-05-31 20:04|| Front Page Top

#17 One difference is we just attacked two Russian early warning radars in that are part of Russia's ballistic missile defense. I say "we" meaning the Ukrainians using NATO-supplied weapons.

There has been diplomatic discussion about using NATO weapons to strike into Russia, way beyond the line of contact. War is war and turn-about is fair play right? But given the short supply of long-range weapons, it seems more useful to focus on strategic targets like refineries and factories.

Both radars are in the southern part of the country (Orsk and Armavir) and look south, not towards Ukraine. If you are facing a charging bear and have 6 round of bullet in your gun, do you go all-in for the bear or take time to throw a couple shots at the rattlesnake over in the corner?

It all seems a bit provocative to me.


It would be provocative if the US had a routine record of nuclear strikes against its adversaries. Instead, it has fought multiple wars against non-nuclear adversaries lacking the power to retaliate in kind without using nukes. In fact, domestic constituencies have denounced attacks with large scale civilian casualties, including the conventional bombing of military facilities near Hanoi as war crimes. A US president who pulled off a nuclear first strike without losing a single US city would spend the rest of his life in prison. One who lost several US cities in retaliatory Russian strikes would probably be shot. Putin knows this - he certainly spent enough time as a paper pusher across the West German border in Dresden.
Posted by Zhang Fei 2024-05-31 20:10||   2024-05-31 20:10|| Front Page Top

#18 Old enough to remember when the machine was stating that such a move, endorsing NATO weapons to be used in in-country Russia strikes, would absolutely be provocative, and would not happen, because it would be provocative, and would never ever never happen so trust us Biden.

Biden is a dove and always has been. The real bottom line is that Russian leaders are deterred from a nuclear first strike by the near certainty that they will die, and their nation might die with them.

Hitler was deterred from using chemical weapons, and he was a literal war hero who did not fear death. He had no issues with gassing helpless civilians, but balked at gassing Allied troops for fear of retaliation against his men. Putin has shown no evidence of physical courage. It's doubtful he possesses the heedless fanaticism to blow his own head off by nuking the US.
Posted by Zhang Fei 2024-05-31 20:20||   2024-05-31 20:20|| Front Page Top

#19 A US president who pulled off a nuclear first strike without losing a single US city would spend the rest of his life in prison.

If that happens, that ain't going to happen, even in a loss. Won't matter anyways.

Biden is a merchant. Or was, the...face..of a consortium.
Posted by swksvolFF 2024-05-31 21:37||   2024-05-31 21:37|| Front Page Top

22:27 Frank G
22:25 Frank G
22:07 Ululating Platypus
22:02 trailing wife
21:40 DooDahMan
21:37 swksvolFF
21:09 DarthVader
20:32 DarthVader
20:20 Zhang Fei
20:10 Zhang Fei
20:06 USN, Ret.
20:04 swksvolFF
19:49 Zhang Fei
19:49 Jan
19:46 Frank G
19:43 trailing wife
19:38 SteveS
19:08 jpal
19:07 Frank G
19:02 jpal
18:55 swksvolFF
18:43 Squinty Tingle1978
18:32 Zhang Fei
18:17 Lord Garth
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