Russian warships point their guns towards British soil in provocative display off the coast of Dover
UPDATED
BY PATRICK LION , GEORGINA STUBBS
Terrifying soldiers armed with automatic rifles and clad in bulletproof vests stared down fishermen and tourists desperate to catch a glimpse of the flotilla heading to Syria
Dover Marina.com The Russian flotilla, led by the Admiral Kuznetsov, passes the White Cliffs of Dover todayMachine guns at the ready, terrifying armed soldiers stare at Dover locals from on board a Russian military ship just off the British coast today.
As these extraordinary photographs show, the Russian personnel were clad in bullet-proof vests and helmets as the pointed their automatic weapons towards English soil.
The solders were patrolling the deck of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov as pilots sat ready in nearby fighter jets, in a provocative display of Russian military might being closely watched by the British Royal Navy.
Dover Marina wrote on its Facebook page: "Suffice to say, being overflown by jet aircraft at low altitude and watching HMS Duncan's helicopter take off, it was a great morning." Dover Marina.com Some of the weaponry on one of the Russian ships as personnel keep watch todayDover Marina.com Armed guards carrying assault rifles protected the aircraft carrier off DoverDover Marina.com The military officers took up position while the ships moved down the English Channel at DoverDover Marina.com Onlookers at Dover said no words could describe the sight of the flotilla of shipsDover Marina.com The guards were stationed alongside SU-33 fighter jets on the carrier's flight deckDover Marina.com Vladimir Putin's warships pass England at the White Cliffs of DoverDover Marina.com The Russian ships are being shadowed by the Royal Navy down the channelDover Marina.com HMS Duncan shadowed the Russian fleet through the channel todayDover Marina.com The ships, led by the Admiral Kuznetsov, are on their way to the Mediterranean Sea"There aren't really any words to describe it, so I won't even bother. Instead, I will leave you to enjoy the images."
The flotilla of Russian warships was sailing down the English Channel today as tensions between Britain and Vladimir Putin reached breaking point.
In overnight talks with EU leaders Theresa May blasted Putin for "undermining the West's efforts" to provide a political settlement in Syria as the horrific scenes in Aleppo play out.
The international moves against Russia come as it's understood that the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is on a course to sail through the North Sea and then the English Channel. Dover Marina.com Russian battlecruiser Pyotr VelikiyDover Marina.com A British Royal Navy chopper keeps a close eye on the RussiansDover Marina.com A Russian helicopter on board the aircraft carrierDover Marina.com Putin's warships have appeared just as tensions rise between Russia and the WestDover Marina.com The jets on board the aircraft carrier as it cruised the English Channel today off DoverAt the same time, two other Russian corvettes, which are travelling north towards the UK from the direction of Portugal, are also set to be watched by the Navy.
Two Royal Navy destroyers have been sent to meet them with a Ministry of Defencespokesman confiming it planned to "man-mark them every step of the way".
Warship HMS Duncan sailed from Portsmouth on Tuesday to monitor the Kuznetsov task group, which is currently heading south from the Norwegian Sea towards the North Sea.
HMS Richmond has also escorted the group in the Norwegian Sea further north of the UK between Iceland and Norway.
And HMS Dragon is also due to sail to meet two Russian corvettes travelling north towards the UK from the direction of Portugal.
Warship HMS Duncan sailed from Portsmouth on Tuesday to monitor the Kuznetsov task group, which is currently heading south from the Norwegian Sea towards the North Sea.
HMS Richmond has also escorted the group in the Norwegian Sea further north of the UK between Iceland and Norway.
And HMS Dragon is also due to sail to meet two Russian corvettes travelling north towards the UK from the direction of Portugal.
It is understood that shadowing ships is regular business for the Royal Navy, who have been supported by Royal Air Force surveillance aircraft on this occasion.
Navy ships will continue to escort the Russian task group and provide a visible presence south through the North Sea and English Channel as the Russian fleet sail through and carry out their flying operations, the MoD said.
The UK is working alongside NATO partners to monitor the warships passing the UK this week.
All the while tensions are ratcheting up as Theresa May told European leaders they must act to stop Russia's appalling behaviour in Syria, amid fears some countries are dragging their feet. Getty Images The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov earlier passing the Norwegian island of AndoyaGetty Images A submarine, passing the Norwegian island of Andoya, is also part of the Russian fleetPA Royal Navy lookout on HMS Richmond observing a Russian task group in the North SeaThe Prime Minister urged the EU to send a "robust united message" to Moscow over its bombing campaign supporting Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.
At a Brussels summit, Mrs May said the current assault on Aleppo was "particularly horrific" and Russia's actions had "undermined the West's efforts" to provide a political settlement.
EU leaders agreed last night that they needed to remain united in policies towards Moscow.
"Leaders emphasized all sorts of Russian hostilities from airspace violations to information campaigns, cyber attacks, interference into the political processes in the EU and beyond," sai EU summit chair Donald Tusk.
"Given these examples, it is clear that Russia's strategy is to weaken the EU," he said. Norwegian Navy The choppers flew close to the vessels monitoring the Russian ships approaching the Scottish coastNorwegian Navy Kamov KA-27 helicopters shadowing the fleetNorwegian Navy The Admiral Kuzentsov (right) leaves a plume of smoke behindNTBSCANPIX/NORWAY ROYAL AIRFORCE Aerial view taken from a Norwegian surveillance aircraft of the Russian Kirov-class cruiserPA HMS Richmond (front) observing Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in the North SeaNorwegian Navy HMS Dragon is also due to sail to meet the Russian corvettes travelling north towards the UK from the direction of PortugalNorwegian Navy The Kuznetsov task group is heading south from the Norwegian Sea towards the North SeaNorwegian Navy Kamov KA-27 helicopters shadowing the fleetNorwegian Navy The UK is working alongside NATO partners to monitor the warships passing the UK this weekNorwegian Navy Shadowing ships such as the Russian fleet (pictured) is regular business for the Royal NavyNorwegian Navy A pair of SU-33 Flankers from the carrier flyingBarcroft Media The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov at a ship-repairing yard in Murmansk, Russia, last week ahead of the trip to the the Mediterranean"Creating tensions with Russia is not our aim. We are simply reacting to steps taken by Russia. Of course the EU is always ready to engage in dialogue but we will not compromise our values or principles.
"That is why we agreed to stay the course and above all to keep the unity of the EU," he said.
EU leaders also agreed to consider all available options if Russian military continued to commit atrocities in Syria alongside the Syrian army.
But the leaders stopped short of spelling out in their conclusions that these options included new sanctions against individuals and entities, as in the initial draft of the conclusions.
Libertatem Prius!
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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Business Russia Congress in Moscow, Russia, October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool - RTX2PBJL
The Russian military announced Thursday it was conducting drills involving state-of-the art missiles near the nation's western border, one day after NATO warned Vladimir Putin's regime had launched its largest naval deployment since the Cold War.
Russia's entire Northern Fleet and some of its Baltic Fleet were preparing to engage in a final bombardment of Syria's war-torn city of Aleppo, Western intelligence sources told the U.K. Telegraph. The assault on Syrian rebels was set to begin in about two weeks, in the run-up to Election Day in the U.S., the newspaper reported.
Russia and U.S. relations have been a major focal point of the presidential campaigns. In Wednesday night’s debate, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton blamed Moscow for its alleged role in releasing emails to Wikileaks.
“We have 17 intelligence agencies, civilian and military, who have all concluded that these espionage attacks, these cyberattacks, come from the highest levels of the Kremlin, and they are designed to influence our election,” she said.
Republican nominee Donald Trump said there was no proof Moscow was behind the leaks. He said a world where Washington and Moscow worked together could help in the fight against terrorism.
Moscow has complained strongly against the deployment of NATO's forces near Russia's borders and promised to take countermeasures.
Russia's Defense Ministry said Thursday its drills involved Iskander-M missiles. The war games were held at a shooting range near the city of Luga, about 60 miles east of the border with Estonia.
According to the military, the exercise featured the deployment of missiles and preparations for firing them, but didn't involve actual launches.
Iskander has a range of up to 310 miles and high precision, allowing it to target facilities in several NATO member nations neighboring Russia.
Moscow and Syria moved ahead unilaterally with evacuation arrangements in Aleppo without making any promises for an extended cease-fire or self-administration, although Russian President Vladimir Putin has held out the hope of an indefinite halt to his country's airstrikes after meeting with the French and German leaders, who condemned Moscow's actions in the Syrian city.
A U.N. aid official for Syria said Russia agreed to extend daily pauses in military action against eastern Aleppo for four more days. Jan Egeland has told The Associated Press that the U.N. on Thursday received verbal assurances for the extension by a day, from three days previously, both from Russia's diplomatic mission in Geneva and in writing from Russian military officials in Syria.
"We informed them of our intention to continue, as much as possible, considering the situation on Syrian territory, a pause in the air strikes. We are ready to do this for as long as there are no clashes with rebel formations entrenched in Aleppo," Putin said after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande in Berlin.
Libertatem Prius!
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We've been warning over a decade about Russia's military resurgence against all the nay sayers howling and laughing saying we still live in a Cold War McCarthy conspiracy because the Soviet Union supposedly fell (The Perestroika Deception) in 1991.
The Russians just needed their socialist Progressives (useful idiots) seeded long ago to dismantle America's strength and influence (destroy America from within) to create a good long power vacuum in several regions for the Bear to breath, stretch and grow while gathering strength and influence.
The Chinese Dragon has been quitely doing the same.
Confrontations are coming.
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Nikita Khrushchev:"We will bury you"
"Your grandchildren will live under communism."
“You Americans are so gullible.
No, you won’t accept To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. outright, but we’ll keep feeding you small doses of To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll finally wake up and find you already have communism.
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We’ll so weaken your To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. like overripe fruit into our hands."
If war does break out, this place will get REAL busy, real fast.
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
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Nikita Khrushchev:"We will bury you"
"Your grandchildren will live under communism."
“You Americans are so gullible.
No, you won’t accept To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. outright, but we’ll keep feeding you small doses of To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll finally wake up and find you already have communism.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ."
We’ll so weaken your To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. like overripe fruit into our hands."
(ANTIMEDIA) This past week, America’s oldest continuously published weekly magazine, the Nation, asked the question: has the White House declared war on Russia?
As the two nuclear powers sabre-rattle over conflicts within Syria, and to some extent, over the Ukrainian crisis, asking these questions to determine who will pull the trigger first has become more paramount than it was at the peak of the Cold War.
The Nation’s contributing editor, Stephen F. Cohen, reported Vice President Joe Biden’s statement that the White House was preparing to send Vladimir Putin a “message” — most likely in the form of a cyber attack — amounted to a virtual “American declaration of war on Russia” in Russia’s eyes. Biden’s threat is reportedly in response to allegations that Russia hacked Democratic Party offices in order to disrupt the presidential election.
Chuck Todd, host of the “Meet the Press” on NBC, asked Joe Biden: “Why haven’t we sent a message yet to Putin?”
Biden responded, “We are sending a message [to Putin]… We have a capacity to do it, and…” “He’ll know it?” Todd interrupted.
“He’ll know it. It will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact,” the U.S. vice president replied.
What are the effects of this kind of rhetoric when dealing with international relations? Western media decided to pay little attention to Biden’s statements, yet his words have stunned Moscow. As reported by the Nation:
“…Biden’s statement, which clearly had been planned by the White House, could scarcely have been more dangerous or reckless — especially considering that there is no actual evidence or logic for the two allegations against Russia that seem to have prompted it.”
The statements will not come without any measured response from Russia. According to presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russia’s response is well underway:
“The fact is, US unpredictability and aggression keep growing, and such threats against Moscow and our country’s leadership are unprecedented, because the threat is being announced at the level of the US Vice President. Of course, given such an aggressive, unpredictable line, we have to take measures to protect our interests, somehow hedge the risks.”
The fact that our media refuses to pay attention to the dangers of our own establishment in sending warnings to adverse nuclear powers based on unasserted allegations shows our media is playing a very dangerous game with us — the people. This attempt to pull the wool over our eyes and prepare us for a direct confrontation with Russia can be seen clearly in the battle for Aleppo, Syria.
As the Nation astutely noted:
“Only a few weeks ago, President Obama had agreed with Putin on a joint US-Russian military campaign against ‘terrorists’ in Aleppo. That agreement collapsed primarily because of anattack by US warplanes on Syrian forces. Russia and its Syrian allies continued their air assault on east Aleppo now, according to Washington and the mainstream media, against anti-Assad ‘rebels.’ Where, asks Cohen, have the jihad terrorists gone? They had been deleted from the US narrative, which now accused Russia of ‘war crimes’ in Aleppo for the same military campaign in which Washington was to have been a full partner.”
So where is this conflict headed? A top U.S. general, Marine General Joseph Dunford, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in September of this year that the enforcement of a “no-fly zone” in Syria would mean a U.S. war with both Syria and Russia. Hillary Clinton is well aware of the repercussions of this war, as she acknowledged in a secret speech to Goldman Sachs (recently released by Wikileaks):
“To have a no-fly zone you have to take out all of the air defense, many of which are located in populated areas. So our missiles, even if they are standoff missiles so we’re not putting our pilots at risk — you’re going to kill a lot of Syrians… So all of a sudden this intervention that people talk about so glibly becomes an American and NATO involvement where you take a lot of civilians.”
This is the same establishment that has been calling out Russia for allegedly committing war crimes in Aleppo even though Clinton’s proposal would result in far more civilian deaths and likely lead to a direct war with Russia.
As the war against Syria transitions into a much wider global conflict that could include nuclear powers Russia and China, our own media is deceiving us by dishonestly reporting on the events leading up to the activation of the doomsday clock.
History doesn’t occur in a vacuum; when the U.S. and Russia confront each other directly, it won’t be because of a mere incident occurring in Syrian airspace.
It will be because the two nuclear powers have been confronting each other with little resistance from the corporate media, which keeps us well entertained and preoccupied with political charades, celebrity gossip, and outright propaganda.
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Nikita Khrushchev:"We will bury you"
"Your grandchildren will live under communism."
“You Americans are so gullible.
No, you won’t accept To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. outright, but we’ll keep feeding you small doses of To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll finally wake up and find you already have communism.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ."
We’ll so weaken your To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. like overripe fruit into our hands."
Russia and the United States have never been allies. One easily remembers how tense and long-lasting the Cold War was, and it left Russia very angry that they suffered such a demoralizing defeat as a world power.
While the United States should not become Vladimir Putin’s best friend, we also have to realize that Russia is a super power in this world and we must take them seriously.
Hillary and Obama dislike Putin because he only answers to strength and toughness, which is exactly why it is evident he likes Donald Trump.
As a way to project strength, Obama and Hillary continue to call Putin every name in the book while blaming him for cyber attacks and WikiLeaks.
On Friday, October 21, Putin issued a global message that if Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama continue to slander Russia, he was going to shoot down U.S. jets in the Middle East and begin to prepare for World War III. Putin, Fearing For His Country, Declares War Is Coming If Hillary Continues
But now, As of Sunday, October 23, Putin has ordered the Russian Defense Ministry to begin training and managing all local authorities, law enforcement, and state security as they are preparing for a nuclear war with the United States.
And with the United States at the eve of war, Hillary Clinton has spent the last two days blaming Putin and Russia for WikiLeaks and continues to call him a “thug puppet.” Moscow is sending a blunt message to Obama and Hillary by purposefully stationing dozens of large aircraft carriers to conduct operations in Syria. On top of that, Putin is set to deploy more Russian spy ships to survey underwater internet cables in the region, as well. This move originally began as the U.S. and Russia continued to disagree over Syria, but not it has become the first step into World War III.
Putin has told Obama that if he does not begin to cooperate and allow Russia to help, he will begin to shoot down American jets as well as aim his missiles towards the United States.
This has nothing to do with whether or not Russia could defeat the United States. This is a result of Obama and Hillary risking war with Russia just because they want to blame Putin for WikiLeaks rather than take blame for their leaked emails. She’s Very Friendly With Russia
As we all recall, Hillary Clinton sold Russia 20 percent of our uranium a few years ago in exchange for $145,000,000 to the Clinton Foundation. So if Russia did not possess enough uranium to bolster their nuclear arsenal then, they have been sufficiently equipped thanks to Hillary Clinton.
No, Russia cannot defeat the United States, but why not attempt to make the relationship better? Donald Trump has openly stated he will work with Russia to eliminate ISIS from the Middle East. According to Hillary and Democrats, that is a terrible idea.
Vladimir Putin will continue to take precautions for nuclear war with the United States because they know if Hillary Clinton wins this election, she will engage in warlike conflicts. As Secretary of State, she created wars in Libya, Syria, and Iran while also creating ISIS.
Who can blame Russia for taking precautions? If a President Clinton scares Russia so badly that they are preparing their entire country for nuclear war, imagine how scared we should be as Americans.
Libertatem Prius!
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Reuters: Britain, U.S. sending planes, troops to deter Russia in the east
Britain said on Wednesday it will send fighter jets to Romania next year
and the United States promised troops, tanks and artillery to Poland
in NATO's biggest military build-up on Russia's borders since the Cold War.
Germany, Canada and other NATO allies also pledged forces at a defense
ministers meeting in Brussels on the same day two Russian warships armed
with cruise missiles entered the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Denmark,
underscoring East-West tensions.
In Madrid, the foreign ministry said Russia had withdrawn a request to
refuel three warships in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta after
NATO allies said they could be used to target civilians in Syria.
The ships were part of an eight-ship carrier battle group - including
Russia's sole aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov - that is expected to
join around 10 other Russian vessels already off the Syrian coast,
diplomats said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the troop contributions
to a new 4,000-strong force in the Baltics and eastern Europe were
a measured response to what the alliance believes are some 330,000
Russian troops stationed on Russia's western flank near Moscow.
"This month alone, Russia has deployed nuclear-capable Iskander missiles
to Kaliningrad and suspended a weapons-grade plutonium agreement with
the United States," Stoltenberg said, also accusing Russia of continued
support for rebels in Ukraine.
Those ballistic missiles can hit targets across Poland and the Baltics,
although NATO officials declined to say if Russia had moved nuclear
warheads to Kaliningrad.
NATO's aim is to make good on a July promise by NATO leaders to
deter Russia in Europe's ex-Soviet states, after Moscow orchestrated
the annexation of the Crimea peninsula in 2014.
NATO's plan is to set up four battle groups with a total of some 4,000
troops from early next year, backed by a 40,000-strong rapid-reaction
force, and if need be, follow-on forces.
As part of that, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced
a "battle-ready battalion task force" of about 900 soldiers would be
sent to eastern Poland, as well as another, separate force equipped
with tanks and other heavy equipment to move across eastern Europe.
"It's a major sign of the U.S. commitment to strengthening deterrence
here," Carter said.
Britain's Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said Britain would send an
800-strong battalion to Estonia, supported by French and Danish troops,
starting from May. The United States wants its troops in position by June.
London is also sending Typhoon fighter aircraft to Romania
to patrol around the Black Sea, partly in support of Turkey.
"Although we are leaving the European Union, we will be doing more
to help secure the eastern and southern flanks of NATO," Fallon said.
SYRIAN SHADOW
Others NATO allies joined the four battle groups led by the United States,
Germany, Britain and Canada to go to Poland, Lithuania, Estonia
and Latvia. Canada said it was sending 450 troops to Latvia, joined
by 140 military personnel from Italy.
Germany said it was sending between 400 and 600 troops to Lithuania,
with additional forces from the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Croatia
and Luxembourg.
Stoltenberg said allies' commitments would be "a clear demonstration
of our transatlantic bond." Diplomats said it would also send a message
to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has complained
that European allies do not pay their way in the alliance.
For the Kremlin, the U.S.-led alliance's plans are already too much given
Russia's grievances at NATO's expansion eastwards, although Stoltenberg
denied going too far.
But NATO's troop announcements in the Baltic states and Poland were
partly overshadowed by the dispute about whether Spain should refuel
the Russian warships, which was later resolved by Moscow's decision
to withdraw its request.
NATO's tensions with Russia have been building since Crimea and the
West's decision to impose retaliatory sanctions.
But the breakdown of a U.S-Russia brokered ceasefire in Syria on Oct. 3,
followed by U.S. accusations that Russia has used cyber attacks to disrupt
the presidential election, have signaled a worsening of ties.
Even before the break down of the Syrian ceasefire, Russian President
Vladimir Putin suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up
weapons-grade plutonium, signaling he was willing to use nuclear
disarmament as a new bargaining chip in disputes with the United States
over Ukraine and Syria.
Why Hillary Clinton's plans for no-fly zones in Syria could provoke US-Russia conflict
Many in national security circles consider the risk of a confrontation with Russia to be severe: ‘I wouldn’t put it past them to shoot down a US aircraft’
Trump on Clinton’s Syria policy: it would ‘lead to world war three’
Hillary Clinton has long backed a no-fly zone as the Syrian bloodshed has accumulated.
Hillary Clinton has long backed a no-fly zone as the Syrian bloodshed has accumulated. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP
Spencer Ackerman in New York
@attackerman
Wednesday 26 October 2016 08.19 AEDT
Last modified on Wednesday 26 October 2016 08.46 AEDT
Retired senior US military pilots are increasingly alarmed that Hillary Clinton’s proposal for “no-fly zones” in Syria could lead to a military confrontation with Russia that could escalate to levels that were previously unthinkable in the post-cold war world.
Donald Trump: Hillary Clinton's policy for Syria would 'lead to world war three'
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The former strategists spoke to the Guardian as Clinton’s Republican rival Donald Trump warned that Clinton’s proposal to establish “safe zones” to protect beleaguered Syrian civilians would “lead to world war three”.
The proposal of no-fly zones has been fiercely debated in Washington for the past five years, but has never attracted significant enthusiasm from the military because of the risk to pilots from Syrian air defenses and the presence of Russian warplanes.
Many in US national security circles consider the risk of an aerial confrontation with the Russians to be severe.
“I wouldn’t put it past them to shoot down an American aircraft,” said James Clapper, the US director of national intelligence, on Tuesday in response to a question from the Guardian at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Those who have patrolled no-fly zones over the relatively freer skies of Bosnia and Saddam-era Iraq fear that a President Clinton would oblige the US to what one retired US air force three-star general described as an indefinite “air occupation”. Such a move would risk the lives of US pilots – and dare confrontation with a Russian military which is more aggressive than it has been in years.
Critics of the plan also question how using US military power to establish and police a safe space for beleaguered Syrian civilians would contribute to the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad – the explicit goal of US policy in Syria.
“If she is not politically posturing, it’s going to be a disaster. I hope it’s political posturing,” said John Kuehn, a retired navy officer who flew no-fly zone missions over Bosnia and Iraq. Kuehn who called denying an adversary its airspace “the cocktail party military application of power of choice”.
David Deptula, a retired air force lieutenant general who commanded the no-fly zone operations over northern Iraq in 1998 and 1999, said the Russians were a “complicating factor” but considered the problems with a no-fly zone to be more fundamental.
“Until a strategy that defines the desired end-state is clearly laid out in a comprehensive way, it’s difficult to advocate for a no-fly zone,” said Deptula.
“Right now, the way it’s being discussed, it’s a solution in search of a strategy. Until coalition powers define what it is they wish to accomplish, banding about a solution like a no-fly zone is a non-starter.”
The challenges for a no-fly zone over Syria outstrip those the US has faced over Libya, Bosnia and Iraq. Assad’s surface-to-air missiles, protecting the Mediterranean coast and southern regions the regime still controls, were formidable before the recent Russian addition of what Clapper, a former air force general, called “very advanced” S-300 and S-400 systems that can blanket the majority of Syrian airspace with missiles.
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Staging a no-fly zone requires either the assent of regional allies – Turkey is the nearest potential partner to Syria, but it has concentrated in recent months on improving ties with Moscow after Turkish forces shot down a Russian jet in November 2015 – or an expensive, open-ended and risky deployment of aircraft carrier groups to the eastern Mediterranean.
But the most distinguishing feature of a Syria no-fly zone in 2017 would be the aerial presence of another great-power air force with an objective which is diametrically opposed to Washington’s.
Russia and the US currently share the skies above Syria and maintain a military-to-military communication channel to avoid confrontation.
But since they operate over different parts of the country and with different objectives – the US in the east against the Islamic State, Russia to the west against Assad’s opposition – a US-imposed no-fly zone would put their objectives into conflict. No one knows how either side would respond if Russian aircraft violated a US air cordon, nor how to de-escalate a clash before it spiraled into extended combat.
'Is this civilisation?' ask residents as Aleppo reels from relentless shelling
Read more
Russia said on Tuesday that it would continue a moratorium on air strikes in the besieged city of Aleppo, but local sources said that rebel-held neighbourhoods had been struck in recent days.
Kuehn, now a professor of military history at the US Army Command and General Staff College, said that escalation could occur by accident, either through a direct confrontation in the air, or through a Syrian or Russian capture of a downed US pilot.
“I see almost nothing positive that can come from implementing [a no-fly zone] at the current time over Syria. Conversely, the potential to make a bad situation worse is very, very high,” Kuehn said.
For years, senior US military officers have expressed reluctance to intervene in the Syrian civil war. In 2013, Martin Dempsey, then the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said that even a limited safe zone would cost over $1bn a month and require substantial air assets and ground troops to maintain. His successor, Joseph Dunford, told the Senate last month that a no-fly zone would “require us to go to war against Syria and Russia” before walking his assessment back under pressure from proposal advocate John McCain.
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Clinton, who has long backed a no-fly zone as the Syrian bloodshed has accumulated, acknowledged those concerns in last week’s third presidential debate.
“I’m going to continue to push for a no-fly zone and safe havens within Syria not only to help protect the Syrians and prevent the constant outflow of refugees,” Clinton said, “but to, frankly, gain some leverage on both the Syrian government and the Russians so that perhaps we can have the kind of serious negotiation necessary to bring the conflict to an end and go forward on a political track.”
But strategists have a hard time understanding how a no-fly zone provides the US with a large enough leverage to trade with Assad or Russia, given their objective is, respectively, self-preservation and the preservation of a client.
“I don’t understand how a no-fly zone gets you to a political settlement. There’s no history supporting that. There were no-fly zones in Iraq for close to a decade and it settled nothing,” said Joshua Rovner of Southern Methodist University.
“I wish this would be the kind of leverage she seems to hope it is, but I don’t see why this would pose a serious threat to Assad or Putin. It’s accepting a lot of new costs with very few benefits.”
Plan B: US considered arming Syrian rebels against Russian planes & artillery, report says
Published time: 24 Oct, 2016 16:44
Edited time: 24 Oct, 2016 16:45
The US administration has been secretly considering sending more firepower to CIA-backed rebels fighting Syrian government forces, including weapons that can be used against Russian aircraft and artillery, according to a media report.
Citing US officials, who preferred to remain anonymous, the Washington Post reported the existence of a so-called ‘Plan B,’ which in case of "failed diplomatic efforts” provided for arming US-backed Syrian rebels with truck-mounted anti-aircraft weapons that could help rebel units “defend themselves against Russian aircraft and artillery.”
It says the plan was raised several times over the course of recent weekly White House meetings and was submitted to President Barack Obama during a National Security Council meeting on October 14.
Read more
‘They’re cowards hiding behind women’s backs’: Aleppo locals tell RT of terrorist atrocities
The newspaper states, however, that ‘Plan B’ was “neither approved nor rejected,” with Obama reluctant to make any decision on the matter.
New arms supplies to the so-called moderate opposition could lead to the deaths of Russian military personnel who have been aiding the Syrian Army, and this could in turn cause a direct confrontation with Moscow, which Obama has been trying to avoid.
While the plan reportedly had supporters in the form of CIA Director John Brennan and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, many were skeptical, including Secretary of State John Kerry.
White House sources also told the newspaper that the decision not to expand arms deliveries to Syrian rebels “reflects a growing skepticism” within the American administration regarding the expansion of a “covert CIA program,” through which it has been training and arming Syrian ‘moderate opposition’ over the past three years. This, in their words, has been the central element of the US strategy to put pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad and force his resignation.
Washington and Moscow have opposing views on Assad, and this has been one of the main stumbling blocks stalling their peace efforts as chairs of the ISSG (the International Syria Support Group). But according to US officials, many now doubt that “even an expanded version” of the CIA’s plan could help US oust Assad as long as he is backed by Moscow.
“It’s a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into,” a former senior administration official who was involved in the Syria program early on is cited as saying. “There’s a huge risk here since the Russians entered […] The lesson out of this is that if you don’t take action early on, you should almost expect the options to get worse and worse and worse.”
He added that under current circumstances, the US president has “understandable reason for caution” in steps regarding the Syrian crisis, but noted that “the lack of a decision is a decision” in itself.
“The Russians have seized the initiative,” another senior administration official is cited by the newspaper as saying. “You can’t pretend you can go to war against Assad and not go to war against Russia.”
Last week, Damascus and Moscow stopped carrying out airstrikes in eastern Aleppo and opened a number of humanitarian corridors for those who want to escape the areas of the city controlled by terrorists and rebels in the hope that the break will lead to a complete ceasefire.
Despite the humanitarian pause having been prolonged several times, it ended on Saturday evening without significant achievements, as militants repeatedly sabotaged the ceasefire efforts, shelling humanitarian corridors and killing civilians. Over a thousand heavily-armed fighters have massed near eastern Aleppo, seemingly in preparation for a new offensive on the city. Moscow says the humanitarian pause will once again be prolonged only when the rebels stop violating the ceasefire.
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Europe on war-footing: Britain sends tanks, drones and 800 troops to Estonia
Britain is sending tanks, drones and 800 troops to Estonia as part of the biggest military build-up on Russia's borders since the Cold War - after the Kremlin completed a nuclear drill for 40 million people.
The soldiers will be sent to the Eastern European country and will be joined by forces from Denmark and France, according to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.
The United States hopes for binding commitments from Europe to fill four battle groups of some 4,000 troops, part of NATO's response to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and concern it could try a similar tactic in Europe's ex-Soviet states.
France, Denmark, Italy and other allies are expected to join the four battle groups led by the United States, Germany, Britain and Canada to go to Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, with forces ranging from armoured infantry to drones.
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Jens Stoltenberg says Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey,
and the US confirmed their plans to dispatch units to Romania
BRUSSELS, October 26. /TASS/. As many as six NATO countries are
prepared to send their ground-based, naval and air force units to
the Black Sea area in 2017, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
said on Wednesday upon the completion of the first day of a conference
of the North-Atlantic pact's defense ministers.
He said Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, and the U.S.
had confirmed their plans to dispatch units to Romania for a strengthening
of NATO presense in the Black Sea area.
Seventeen NATO member-states will delegate their military to join the four
multinational battalions, which the North-Atlantic pact will deploy in Eastern
Europe at the beginning of 2017.
Specifically, he said Albania, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia will join
the Canadian military already depoloyed in Latvia, Belgium, Croatia,
France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Norway will join the Germans
in Lithuania. Denmark and France will send unit to pool with the Brits
in Estonia, while Romania and Britain will augment the U.S. troops
in Poland.
Russia-NATO council meeting
NATO is ready to hold a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council at the level
of ambassadors, Stoltenberg said.
In his words, NATO members are ready to hold a Russia-NATO
Council meeting in the near future.
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Hillary Clinton has proposed establishing a no-fly zone in Syria,
but Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Tuesday
that such a move could lead Russia to shoot down U.S. planes.
“I wouldn’t put it past them to shoot down an American aircraft
if they felt that was threatening to their forces on the ground,”
Clapper said during a talk at the Council of Foreign Relations.
Russia recently deployed mobile S-400 and S-300 missile batteries
to Western Syria, which are capable of shooting down aircraft
and cruise missiles. Clapper signaled that they posed a threat
to American planes should the U.S. try to institute a no-fly zone
in Syria.
“The system they have there is very advanced, very capable,” said Clapper,
“and I don’t think they’d do it – deploy it – if they didn’t have some
intention to use it.”
In the past, Clinton has called for “safe zones” and “no-fly zones” in Syria.
During the third presidential debate last week, moderator Chris Wallace
asked Clinton whether she would fire on Russian aircraft that were violating
a U.S.-imposed no-fly zone. She did not answer the question, saying only
that a no-fly zone “would take a lot of negotiation,” and that she thinks
she could “strike a deal” where Russian planes would avoid no-fly zones.
General Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told
a Senate panel last month that for the U.S. to “control all of the airspace
in Syria, it would require us to go to war, against Syria and Russia.”
President Obama dismissed calls for a no-fly zone last year,
calling the idea “half-baked.”
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by Ken Dilanian, William M. Arkin and Cynthia McFadden
U.S. military hackers have penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications networks and the Kremlin's command systems, making them vulnerable to attack by secret American cyber weapons should the U.S. deem it necessary, according to a senior intelligence official and top-secret documents reviewed by NBC News.
American officials have long said publicly that Russia, China and other nations have probed and left hidden malware on parts of U.S critical infrastructure, "preparing the battlefield," in military parlance, for cyber attacks that could turn out the lights or turn off the internet across major cities.
It's been widely assumed that the U.S. has done the same thing to its adversaries. The documents reviewed by NBC News — along with remarks by a senior U.S. intelligence official — confirm that, in the case of Russia.
U.S. officials continue to express concern that Russia will use its cyber capabilities to try to disrupt next week's presidential election. U.S. intelligence officials do not expect Russia to attack critical infrastructure — which many believe would be an act of war — but they do anticipate so-called cyber mischief, including the possible release of fake documents and the proliferation of bogus social media accounts designed to spread misinformation.
On Friday the hacker known as "Guccifer 2.0" — which U.S. officials say is a front for Russian intelligence — tweeted a threat to monitor the U.S. elections "from inside the system."
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Five months ago, NATO announced that a cyber-attack by a non-NATO entity would trigger the "collective defense" provision, enabling grounds for a 'kinetic' real war. And now, in what appears a pre-emptive move to dissuade any attempts at election disruption, US officials claims U.S. military hackers have penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications networks, and the Kremlin's command systems - making them vulnerable to attack.
On June 14th we noted that:
NATO announced that if a NATO member country becomes the victim of a cyber attack by persons in a non-NATO country such as Russia or China, then NATO’s Article V “collective defense” provision requires each NATO member country to join that NATO member country if it decides to strike back against the attacking country. The preliminary decision for this was made two years ago after Crimea abandoned Ukraine and rejoined Russia, of which it had been a part until involuntarily transferred to Ukraine by the Soviet dictator Nikita Khrushchev in 1954. That NATO decision was made in anticipation of Ukraine’s ultimately becoming a NATO member country, which still hasn’t happened. However, only now is NATO declaring cyber war itself to be included as real “war” under the NATO Treaty’s “collective defense” provision.
NATO is now alleging that because Russian hackers had copied the emails on Hillary Clinton’s home computer, this action of someone in Russia taking advantage of her having privatized her U.S. State Department communications to her unsecured home computer and of such a Russian’s then snooping into the U.S. State Department business that was stored on it, might constitute a Russian attack against the United States of America, and would, if the U.S. President declares it to be a Russian invasion of the U.S., trigger NATO’s mutual-defense clause and so require all NATO nations to join with the U.S. government in going to war against Russia, if the U.S. government so decides.
Since then the non-stop drums of anti-Russia, Putin is the devil, propaganda has spewed forth from Democrats, Republicans, and the western mainstream media; headlined by the Obama administration literally threatening a cyber war with Russia in October over allegations it was behind the hacking of Clinton's emails.
According to an exclusive NBC report, the Obama administration "is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action" (though it's unclear how exactly it's covert if Biden is announcing it to the world via an interview with Chuck Todd) against Russia, in "retaliation for alleged" interference in the American presidential election, and has asked the CIA to draft plans for a "wide-ranging "clandestine" cyber operation designed to harass and "embarrass" the Kremlin leadership."
So now the Obama administration is overtly leveraging the full power of the United States to intimidate foreign governments, and most likely Julian Assange, in order to maintain control of the Executive Branch of the government. Does anyone within the mainstream media see any problems with this? Certainly Chuck Todd and NBC do not. And notice that even the NBC article refers to "alleged" Russian interference because not a shred of evidence has been presented to prove that senior Russian officials were actually behind the hacking of Hillary's emails...but who needs facts when you have a complicit media eager to advance whatever propaganda is necessary to maintain power?
Former CIA officers interviewed by NBC said that there is a long history of the White House plotting potential cyber attacks against Russia. That said, none of them were ultimately carried out because "none of the options were particularly good, nor did we think that any of them would be particularly effective."
The response came this morning Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "US aggressiveness is growing, and threats to carry out cyberattacks against Russia are unprecedented" adding that Russia will take “precautionary measures.”
“The fact is, US unpredictability and aggression keep growing, and such threats against Moscow and our country’s leadership are unprecedented, because the threat is being announced at the level of the US Vice President,” Peskov told RIA Novosti cited by AFP. “Of course, given such an aggressive, unpredictable line, we have to take measures to protect our interests, somehow hedge the risks,” he said, adding that “such unpredictability is dangerous for the whole world.”
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov vowed Moscow would respond to any US cyber attacks, saying such threats were "borderline insolence", the news agency said.
For much of the summer, the F.B.I. pursued a widening investigation into a Russian role in the American presidential campaign. Agents scrutinized advisers close to Donald J. Trump, looked for financial connections with Russian financial figures, searched for those involved in hacking the computers of Democrats, and even chased a lead — which they ultimately came to doubt — about a possible secret channel of email communication from the Trump Organization to a Russian bank.
Law enforcement officials say that none of the investigations so far have found any link between Mr. Trump and the Russian government. And even the hacking into Democratic emails, F.B.I. and intelligence officials now believe, was aimed at disrupting the presidential election rather than electing Mr. Trump.
In other words, the FBI itself is telling the Democrat establishment to move on and find a different attack on Putin because the "Putin agent" is getting old.
However, as NBC News reports today, that has not stopped the Obama administration from implicitly declaring war on Russia...
U.S. military hackers have penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications networks and the Kremlin's command systems, making them vulnerable to attack by secret American cyber weapons should the U.S. deem it necessary, according to a senior intelligence official and top-secret documents reviewed by NBC News.
American officials have long said publicly that Russia, China and other nations have probed and left hidden malware on parts of U.S critical infrastructure, "preparing the battlefield," in military parlance, for cyber attacks that could turn out the lights or turn off the internet across major cities.
It's been widely assumed that the U.S. has done the same thing to its adversaries. The documents reviewed by NBC News — along with remarks by a senior U.S. intelligence official — confirm that, in the case of Russia.
U.S. officials continue to express concern that Russia will use its cyber capabilities to try to disrupt next week's presidential election. U.S. intelligence officials do not expect Russia to attack critical infrastructure — which many believe would be an act of war — but they do anticipate so-called cyber mischief, including the possible release of fake documents and the proliferation of bogus social media accounts designed to spread misinformation.
On Friday the hacker known as "Guccifer 2.0" — which U.S. officials say is a front for Russian intelligence — tweeted a threat to monitor the U.S. elections "from inside the system."
The senior U.S. intelligence official said that, if Russia initiated a significant cyber attack against critical infrastructure, the U.S. could take action to shut down some Russian systems — a sort of active defense.
So last week we had VP Joe Biden proclaiming publicly that "we are sending a message to Putin" and now NBC confirms the US military has undertaken cyberattacks on Russia's infrastructure.
One problem, officials say, is that the doctrine around cyber conflict - what is espionage, what is theft, what is war - is not well developed.
"Cyber war is undefined," Brown said. "There are norms of behavior that we try to encourage, but people violate those."
Well judging from where we started - with NATO's declaration that a cyberattack is equivalent to a kinetic attack and thus an act of war, one can only wonder how the Russians will view this admission of 'action' by the Americans.
--------------------------------------------
At the 30:00 min mark of the podcast below is a report from a credible intelligence source.
This week a private meeting took place between a high level Russian General that traveled from Russia to Washington DC in civilian clothes to meet with a high level US intelligence military official also in civilian clothes to discuss the growing level of conflict between Russia and the Unites States.
The Russian General expressed their nation does do not want a war with the United States, but if we have war, "it will be nuclear".
Will America repent BEFORE the Russians fry our nation with nukes?
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NATO is said to be preparing a military force of up to 300,000 personnel, capable of being deployed within just two months, in response to growing tensions between the West and Russia.
November 7, 2016
Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, said the allied nations are putting hundreds of thousands of troops in a state of high alert in an effort to deter a mounting threat from Moscow.
While NATO cut its defence budget and military investment since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia has been bolstering its military capabilities, holding parades involving more than 100,000 troops each year.
Mr Stoltenberg said: “We have seen Russia being much more active in many different ways.
“We have seen a more assertive Russia implementing a substantial military build-up over many years; tripling defence spending since 2000 in real terms; developing new military capabilities; exercising their forces and using military force against neighbours.
He told the Times: “We have also seen Russia using propaganda in Europe among NATO allies and that is exactly the reason why NATO is responding. We are responding with the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.”
Adam Thomson, the outgoing permanent representative to NATO, estimates that at present, it would take the military alliance 180 days to deploy a force of 300,000, and that speeding up this rate is of top importance.
The measures come in response to Russia flexing its military might abroad, allegedly conducting cyber attacks on Washington and holding nuclear war drills at home.
Last week, Moscow was seen as deliberately antagonising NATO by sending hundreds of paratroopers to a Serbian airbase despite NATO holding disaster relief exercises just 150 miles away in Montenegro.
Putin's decision to hold military drills so close to NATO's emergency exercises in Montenegro - which went ahead despite Moscow's drills - was seen as a brazen stand-off between both sides.
Igor Sutyagin, an expert at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, said: "Russia wants to show that it can intimidate NATO… and NATO is saying to Russia, 'If you show up, we'll be there as well'."
Meanwhile, Russian authorities have been accused of attempting to pervert the democratic process of the US presidential election by hacking into Democrat emails and sharing findings with vigilante publishers such as WikiLeaks and DC Leaks.
The prospect of cyber war between America and the Soviet state also comes as the threat of nuclear war increases, with Moscow holding bunker hide-out drills for its citizens.
In a TV advert a few weeks ago, Putin advised citizens to prepare themselves with gas masks and find out the location of their nearest bomb shelters.
The Russian president also sparked concern when he called for Russian nationals to return home for their own safety.
Re: World War Three Thread....
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Business Russia Congress in Moscow, Russia, October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool - RTX2PBJL
Originally Posted by Malsua
If war does break out, this place will get REAL busy, real fast.Thanks To Hillary, Russia Is Preparing For WWIII
Putin, Fearing For His Country, Declares War Is Coming If Hillary Continues
She’s Very Friendly With Russia
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