Drone attack in Crimea's Sevastopol; Russia backs out of Ukraine grain deal | World News | WION
Drone attack in Crimeas Sevastopol Russia backs out of Ukraine grain deal
After eight long months, the war in Ukraine is getting increasingly worst and uglier by the day. In the latest, Russia's black sea fleet came under attack in Sevastopol. Moscow said, the attack was carried out under guidance of British specialists.
West covers up UK intelligence agencies’ involvement in Nord Stream terror attacks - MFA
Russia has repeatedly called for a joint investigation into these terrorist attacks, Maria Zakharova said.
Rejecting a joint investigation with Russia into the terrorist attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, the Western countries sought to conceal British specialists’ involvement in the explosions, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Saturday.
"Russian defense officials reported that they have information about the complicity of the British intelligence agencies also in the series of explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Russia has repeatedly called for a joint investigation into these terrorist attacks," the diplomat said, indicating that similar proposals had been submitted to the government of Denmark, Sweden and Germany.
"The fact that the Western countries turned this proposal down proves that they have something to hide. Now we understand what exactly they are hiding," Zakharova stressed.
Top Pentagon Contractors to Face Further Parts, Labor Shortages Amid US Aid to Ukraine
Persistent shortages of parts and personnel will continue “to dog” the Pentagon’s top four defense contractors over the next two years as they currently deal with orders related to Washington’s ongoing security aid to Kiev amid Russia’s ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, a UK media outlet has reported, citing the companies’ chief executive officers (CEOs).
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Technologies have been grappling with “snarled supplies” since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, something that is currently being worsened by “widespread cost inflation.”
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Finland Says Ukraine Arms Ending Up In Hands Of Criminal Gangs
Critics of the massive US weapons pipeline to Ukraine have long pointed out there's no accountability or appropriate tracking once those arms enter the country, presenting ripe opportunities for criminals, terrorists, or lucrative black market arms sellers to take advantage.
So it was perhaps only a matter of time before headlines like this began showing up in international publications - "NBI: Arms sent to Ukraine in criminal hands." The NBI is Finland's federal National Bureau of Investigation, and the report is from Finland's national public broadcasting company Yle, and provides confirmation that arms intended for Ukrainian forces are going outside the country.
The recovered weapons featured in the weekend national police statement include assault rifles which were meant for Ukrainian forces. Further neighboring countries have recorded instances of West-provided arms proliferating from the Ukrainian battlefield and into the hands of criminals in neighboring Sweden and Denmark as well.
"Weapons shipped [by various countries] to Ukraine have also been found in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands," NBI Detective Superintendent Christer Ahlgren was quoted in the Finnish publication as saying.
"We've seen signs of these weapons already finding their way to Finland," Ahlgren added. Some of this illicit arms trafficking is being brokered in online forums frequented by criminal gangs. According to more from the NBI lead investigator:
"Three of the world's largest motorcycle gangs—that are part of larger international organizations—are active in Finland. One of these is Bandidos MC, which has a unit in every major Ukrainian city," he explained. "We know that contacts and routes are being warmed up, so that they're in place."
"Ukraine has received a large volume of weapons and that's good, but we're going to be dealing with these arms for decades and pay the price here," Ahlgren added.
"Criminal organizations have their networks in Finnish commercial ports. Stopping this is in everyone's interest," the detective continued, underscoring that police work and investigations have been greatly ramped up since the start of the Ukraine war, especially when it comes to monitoring the nation's points and ports of entry. He declined to provide a detailed list of the types of arms which have made their way into Finland, however.
Washington and NATO countries have over the past eight months since the Russian invasion began pumped tens of billions of dollars in light and heavy weaponry into Ukraine. From the start, Pentagon officials as well as media pundits have warned of the likelihood that many of these weapons would end up outside of Ukraine.
All the way back in April, one White House official even warned in speaking to CNN, "we have fidelity for a short time, but when it enters the fog of war, we have almost zero. It drops into a big black hole, and you have almost no sense of it at all after a short period of time."
The question remains, who could have seen this coming? The answer is everyone with common sense*.*
@DG-Truther-Videos embedded tweet with YT link
U.S. resumes 'on-site' inspections to keep track of weapons in Ukraine
The United States has restarted on-site inspections in Ukraine to help keep track of the billions of dollars of weapons being provided to Kyiv, a senior U.S. official said on Monday.
Moving large amounts of weaponry into the largest conflict in Europe since World War Two carries with it risks that some could fall into the wrong hands.
But U.S. officials have said that it has been a risk worth taking in providing about $18 billion in weapons since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.
A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Ukrainian government had committed to safeguarding and accounting for the weapons and there was no credible evidence they were being diverted.
But, the official said, the United States had recently restarted "on-site" inspections to check weapons stocks in Ukraine "whenever and wherever the security conditions allow."
On-site inspections are a routine part of agreements countries sign with the United States when they are provided certain weapons.
"We'll continue to work with our colleagues across the U.S. government and with our international partners to ensure accountability of security assistance now and in the future," the official told reporters.
The inspections are being carried out by the defense attache and office of defense cooperations at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, which re-opened in May.
The official declined to say how many on-site visits had been carried out so far, but acknowledged that it was not always easy to keep track of weapons in an area with an active conflict.
The United States cannot visit some places, like those close to the frontline, and is providing training to Ukrainian forces so they can provide better data, the official added.
Smaller and Highly portable missiles such as Stinger surface-to-air missiles -- which are a type of MANPAD -- can help win wars, but in the past they have also been lost, sold, or wound up in the arsenals of extremist groups.
Last week, the State Department laid out a series of steps it would take in the coming years to counter the diversion of weapons in eastern Europe.
Italy has announced that it is “freezing” arms shipments to Ukraine
After Britain prepares the climate for a “cease” of military and economic aid to Ukraine, the Meloni government in Italy has in turn “frozen” the sending of the next, sixth, package of military aid to Kyiv, as revealed by Il Messaggero newspaper , citing government sources.
As government sources told the newspaper, the operation for military aid to Ukraine has been put on hold because “first we need to coordinate with NATO and delve into the details of Ukraine’s military requests in detail.”
“Only then will we understand what Kyiv needs and what weapons we can supply.”
The newspaper reminds that the Secretary General of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, will visit the country and will meet both with Prime Minister Meloni and with the Minister of Defense of Italy.
Along with Stoltenberg, the Italian authorities are likely to draw up a list of weapons for Ukraine, according to the newspaper.
In fact, Georgia Meloni is also waiting to see the result of the US mid-term elections on November 8th to decide whether to stop aid to Ukraine.
It is noted that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will stop providing financial aid to Ukraine due to the serious financial problems the country is facing.
It will appear as a “freeze” in the foreign aid budget for another two years, the Telegraph newspaper reported yesterday, citing well-informed sources.
In essence, Rishi Sunak is preparing everyone at home and abroad in Britain for at least a partial withdrawal from support for Ukraine.
In fact what awaits is the looming crushing of the Democrats (according to polls they will lose control of the Senate and Congress) in the mid-term elections on November 8 in the US, by the Republicans, who have repeatedly declared that “the US will not remain in ATM of Kiev”.
In the USA, Americans are angry with the Biden administration and the extremist circles that control it and are pushing the country into a nuclear confrontation with Russia, while fuel accuracy is now “hurting” the American middle class as well.
If the Biden administration is not forced to “soften” its stance on Russia, then everyone in Europe will continue in the same pattern that inevitably leads to economic collapse and even worse situations after that.
A nuclear war is now possible.
A “freeze” of financial aid to Ukraine by Britain and probably after November 8 by the US will mean the real end of Ukraine’s war effort.
Shipments of additional MLRS from the British have already been “frozen”. They will supply Kyiv with 50% of what they were given in weapons during Johnson times and no money at all!
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Meloni and Sunak are hoping for a Biden loss to give them the pretext they need to get out of this madness…
Key points:
The UK is in too deep in the conflict in Ukraine. Russia has the proof.
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Russia Says Major Dam Hit By US-Supplied HIMARS Rockets
Russia has announced Sunday that a major dam in the Russian-controlled region of Kherson was damaged in a Ukrainian strike using an advanced US-supplied system.
"Today at 10:00 there was a hit of six HIMARS rockets. Air defense units shot down five missiles, one hit a lock of the Kakhovka dam, which was damaged," Russian news agencies quoted local emergency authorities as saying.
The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in southern Ukraine has been in Russian hands since near the start of the invasion of Ukraine, considered a critical asset to the Russians given it supplies water to Crimea. This also makes it a potential target for the Ukrainian army, given President Zelensky's prior pledges to "liberate" Crimea.
An official with the Moscow-installed administration, however, said "Everything is under control. The main air defense strikes were repelled, one missile hit [the dam], but did not cause critical damage."
The Kakhovka dam has for months been at the center of competing accusations and claims, with President Zelensky saying weeks ago that Russian troops are plotting a 'false flag' detonation of the large structure in order to trigger cataclysmic flooding.
Zelensky appealed to world powers to ensure the dam's safe operation by sending an international mission to protect and operate it, pointing out that if the dam burst it would case a "catastrophe on a grand scale".
"The dam of this hydroelectric power plant holds about 18 million cubic meters of water," he said in statements last month. "If Russian terrorists blow up this dam, more than 80 settlements, including Kherson, will be in the zone of rapid flooding. Hundreds, hundreds of thousands of people may be affected."
He described that Russian forces previously kicked the dam workers out of the facility and now have complete control over it. "They have complete control over the station," Zelensky added. “It is necessary to act immediately so that Russia does not have the opportunity to realize this catastrophe."
The ongoing standoff mirrors that of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has also from the war's start been under Russian control but has also suffered shelling, which if damaged severely enough could have catastrophic effects on the whole area, given the potential for radioactive fallout.
Europe does not want war, but authorities unable to control their region — Lukashenko
The Belarusian leader drew attention to the role of the United States in the current situation.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
© Yuri Smityuk/TASS
MINSK, November 7. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko believes that the citizens of European countries wish to live in peace, but their authorities are unable to "put out the fire in their own home."
"Germany, the whole of Europe - there are no leaders now. But even if there were some... They can't even put out the fire in their own house," the BelTA news agency quotes him as saying.
"The Europeans do not want this war. They understand well enough what is going on today in Ukraine. Here in Belarus, they are trying to start a fire, too. Tomorrow the whole of Europe will be ablaze," Lukashenko said. He believes that the Europeans need to stop the confrontation, which has already resulted in the conflict on the territory of Ukraine.
Lukashenko described the European leaders as loonies, who, unable to say NO to Washington, were fanning the flames in the region.
"Are those who allowed the Americans to bring additional nuclear weapons there (to Europe - approx. TASS) real leaders? They are loonies," he said.
Lukashenko drew attention to the role of the United States in the current situation.
"The only thing the Americans are afraid of is nuclear weapons, because they can fly there. And if nuclear weapons are not to be used, then they will be fighting with conventional weapons. Where? They will be fighting here. We will be here, in this turmoil. Ukraine is on fire already," he said.
The Belarussian leader called the events in Ukraine a catastrophe, adding that "there is no country in the Soviet era that received such heavy investments as Ukraine has."
America is Running Out of Diesel Fuel and the Consequences Could Be Disastrous Posted on October 27, 2022 by Constitutional Nobody According to a recent report, America only has 25 days’ worth of diesel fuel left in its reserves
Column: U.S. diesel shortage increasingly likely until economy slows
By John Kemp
3 minute rea
[1/2] Storage tanks for crude oil, gasoline, diesel, and other refined petroleum products are seen at the Kinder Morgan Terminal, viewed from the Phillips 66 Company's Los Angeles Refinery in Carson, California, U.S., March 11, 2022. REUTERS/Bing Guan
LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - U.S. diesel supplies are becoming critically low with shortages and price spikes likely to occur in the next six months unless and until the economy and fuel consumption slow.
Stocks of diesel and other distillate fuel oils were just 106 million barrels on Oct. 21, the lowest for the time of year since the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) started collecting weekly data in 1982.
Distillate inventories were a massive 26 million barrels (-20% or -1.94 standard deviations) below the seasonal average for the previous ten years (“Weekly petroleum status report”, EIA, Oct. 26).
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The deficit has been worsening steadily since the start of the year when stocks were 15 million barrels (-11% or -1.18 standard deviations) below the ten-year average.
By the end of July, stocks had already fallen to 113 million barrels, the lowest since 1996 and before that 1954, based on the most recent data available from the EIA’s more comprehensive monthly surveys.
In terms of consumption, however, inventories at the end of July were equivalent to just 30 days of demand, the lowest seasonal level in monthly records going back to 1945.
Since then, the inventory position has tightened even further, with stocks estimated to have fallen to a record seasonal low of fewer than 27 days of demand in October.
The twelve-month calendar spread for ultra-low sulphur diesel futures has flared out to a backwardation of $50 per barrel from less than $10 this time last year, as traders anticipate physical shortages.
As a result, retail diesel prices including applicable taxes are now $1.45 per gallon higher than for gasoline, a record premium, up from just 24 cents per gallon a year ago.
Distillate fuel oil is primarily used in freight transport, manufacturing, farming, mining and the oil and gas industry itself, so consumption is strongly influenced by the economic cycle.
Growth in distillate consumption has been closely correlated with changes in industrial production estimated by the U.S. Federal Reserve and manufacturing activity in surveys by the Institute for Supply Management.
Stabilising then rebuilding inventories to more comfortable levels will require a significant slowdown in freight movements and manufacturing activity.
There are early indications manufacturing and freight activity peaked in the third quarter of 2022. If confirmed that would take some of the pressure of distillate inventories.
But a deeper and more prolonged slowdown in the United States and/or in Europe and Asia will be needed to boost inventories significantly.
Rebalancing diesel supply will likely require a further rise in interest rates and tighter financial conditions in the United States and other major economies to reduce fuel consumption to more sustainable levels.
10 Nov, 2022
EU braces for diesel crunch – analysis
Stockpiles of the fuel are projected to hit a 12-year low in early spring
Diesel fuel inventories in northwest Europe will drop to the lowest in nearly 12 years as early as March, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing the latest outlook from Wood Mackenzie.
Analysts at the UK-based consultancy expect the stocks to be filled in December and January, before a sharp drop-off, and then hit the lowest on record for any month in data going back to 2011.
Starting early February, EU’s latest sanctions against Russia will prohibit imports of nearly all seaborne refined petroleum products, including diesel-type fuel, from the bloc’s single biggest cross-border supplier. The inventories are a vital cushion against disruptions, and when they run low, they leave the fuel market open for increased volatility.
Lower inventories have contributed to stronger margins for oil refineries, incentivizing European operators to run hard, according to James Burleigh, a principal analyst at Wood Mackenzie.
“We expect the higher production to continue to be supported by the strong net cash margins, and expect gasoil/diesel stocks at end-December to have built almost three million barrels,” the expert said, adding that northwest Europe’s daily crude processing would increase by 420,000 barrels in November, reaching 6.14 million.
Challenges related to diesel availability both in Europe and the US lie in the structure of futures markets. The ICE gasoil curve is backwardated, meaning prompt supplies are more expensive than the same fuel being delivered at a later date, thus discouraging stockpiling, as traders can likely sell today at a better price than they can lock in for the future.
Elite UK troops prepare for Russian invasion of Europe — in the Mojave desert
The British Army has sent a new elite infantry regiment and a platoon of drone operators to the Mojave desert to take part in an American war-gaming exercise that simulates a Russian invasion of Europe.
About 450 British soldiers were flown to California for a fortnight of drills at Fort Irwin, a US military base that is almost 1,000 square miles. Among those joining in the exercises, called Project Convergence, were the Rangers, an elite British Army regiment formed last year.
THE British Army is taking part in war drills simulating a Russian invasion of Europe alongside their US counterparts, the Ministry of Defence has revealed.
Some 450 British soldiers including an elite new Ranger regiment and a platoon of drone operators were flown to California for two weeks of drills.
It is part of Project Convergence, a series of exercises taking place at Fort Irwin, an enormous base in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
The harsh, open landscape of the base - which stretches some 1,000 square miles - was used to replicate the flat terrain of the Ukrainian steppe.
Roughly 4,500 soldiers - including troops from Australia and the US - took part in the exercises.
The drills are also an opportunity to showcase new military machinery.
They include the Watchkeeper and Puma reconnaissance drones, as well as the Mission Master, an unmanned vehicle capable of carrying laser-guided rockets.
Swarms of drones identified targets while dune buggies swept across the desert, as British GMLRS rocket launchers fired at enemy positions located by US F-35 fighter jets.
Exercises were carried out around a fake village on the base called Ujen.
The British soldiers involved were drawn from the 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade, the 2nd Battalion Yorks, and the Rangers.
Dressed in grey berets, the Rangers were trained to deal with extreme weather alongside their US counterparts, including snow, dust storms, and temperatures exceeding 40C.
"This has proven we can work alongside US special forces," Captain Ollie Dean, who led the eight-strong detachment, told The Times.
"We've got the thumbs up that we're up to standard."
Captain Dean's forces worked with their counterparts from the US 7th Special Forces Group.
The Rangers were set up to identify targets in advance of main fighting units.
So far, the regiment has some 800 soldiers, but they hope to eventually have 1,000.
They serve as part of the Army Special Operations Brigade, and hopeful recruits have to undergo a further 10 weeks of intensive training.
"We have to be able to be comfortable in austere environments, working in small teams and even by yourself potentially," Dean added.
The Rangers were also testing new technologies alongside the 2 Yorks, who have been dubbed the RAS (Robotic and Autonomous Systems) Platoon, because of their focus on drone warfare.
Watchkeeper drones are used to gather intelligence on enemy positions.
Then, Zodiac, an artificial intelligence system, gives commanders a "menu" of options suggesting the best way to destroy the target.
Brit soldiers also flew handheld Puma drones, which are thrown into the air like a javelin.
Major Andy Sawyer, who serves in York 2s, warned the British Army was playing "catch-up" on drone warfare after seeing the devastating impact of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) in the war in Ukraine.
The Russians have unleashed Iranian-made "kamikaze" drones on major Ukrainian cities to deadly effect.
For their part, Ukrainians have used cheap drones to direct artillery fire on the battlefield.
British soldiers in the US also experimented with an autonomous dune buggy M-Raza and the unmanned German vehicle Mission Master.
The UK's Defence Procurement Minister Alex Chalk said: "Delivering on our ambitions outlined in Future Soldier and the Integrated Review, Project Convergence highlights the progress the British Army is making to being more lethal, agile and expeditionary force, through key collaboration with our longstanding international allies and partners."
He added that the desert exercises set out clearly the urgent need to invest in drone warfare.
"The way you multiply force is by allying UAV technology with individuals in the field," he said.
"We saw one person here controlling over 30 drones. Those aren't just UAVs for reconnaissance.
"They can also deliver that punch on the battlefield as well.
As well as preparing our forces for a hypothetical conflict with Vladimir Putin's forces, soldiers were also trained in how to respond to so-called "non-linear warfare".
This cornerstone of Russian military strategy involves incorporating conventional and irregular forces with information and cyber warfare, such as by using fake news, social media, and psyops.
In these latest drills, fake civilians were given their own social media networks - named "Fakebook" and "Twatter" - on which they could whip up a mob by reporting stories of abuses by US troops.
Soldiers were then trained to "pacify" the crowds.
How British Army’s elite new Ranger regiment is preparing for Russian invasion
Sean Penn gives Oscar to Zelensky… This is not a joke…
We all know Zelenski is an actor but this is just in your face lunacy lol
An interpretation of the video in the link above:
