If you have not been keeping up with what has been happening in the WORLD today… it is time to take a serious look.
IN MY OPINION… WE ARE ALREADY AT WAR! We are fighting on so many fronts, and I am sad to say WE WILL NOT COME OUT VICTORIOUS. This may or may not be the END OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. IT IS THE END OF FREEDOM! This is the NEW WORLD ORDER coming into fruition. This is a GLOBAL WAR against HUMANITY!
I believe our entire history has been orchestrated to lead us up to this point. I believe it is not by any mistake that suddenly the US is no longer THE SUPER POWER, that countries like IRAN and CHINA are now TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERS on the world front. I remember when I was in school, we were taught about the 2 MILLION MAN army, and how China was the only nation with that many people. We laughed.at the thought of such a backwards country, still living in ancient society, rising up to defeat the USA. Well here we are folks!
IRAN and much of the Middle East was still living in tents as desert nomads, NOT THAT LONG AGO. Now, you need to look at their cities, their commerce and their technology. You have no idea how small it makes us look.
It is not by any mistake that our own government made all this possible. Destroying our own economy while building up theirs. Turning our military into a joke in high heels. Providing China with the very top of the line technology…better than what we were allowed to use here in the US. Wiping out our man power by spreading our military personnel all across the Earth, and exposing them to all number of perils and even sabotage. Bringing our POWER structure into jeapardy. All these things were done deliberately.
If you don’t have a clue what I am talking about, you have been asleep for a very long time.
Now, our country is being destroyed from the inside. With the influx of illegal aliens who have no respect or love for our ways, by turning our police force into sadistic militarized maniacs, turning our people against each other for everything from religion, sexuality, race and status, forcing people out of their homes through the use of weather, disasters, and economics, denying our GOD GIVEN rights in the name of COVID PLANDEMIC or DOMESTIC TERRORISM, and killing our children through abortion, child abuse, vaccines, and contaminated water, air, food and vaccines. These things are being perpetrated by the people who were placed in office by the corrupt election system, who are supposed to be our public servants.
The world is spinning faster and faster toward WAR and DESTRUCTION such as NEVER has been seen before. There will be no way to stop it. There will be no way to escape it. Those responsible for this mess have established methods of keeping very close watch and very formidable control over each and every one of us.
As VIOLENCE, HATRED, and WAR become the rule of the day… WHERE WILL YOU TURN? There is ONE who can save you. ONE who can protect you. ONE who can provide for you. I pray that you find HIM.
Deuteronomy 32:39 “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.”
BELOW YOU FILL FIND CURRENT EVENTS RELATED TO THE WORLD WAR THAT IS MANIFESTING. PLEASE REVIEW THEM PRAYERFULLY.
US base in Iraq comes under rocket attack. An US base was under rocket attacks in Iraq. No casualties were reported, according to Sputnik. There has been no information about who was behind the attack on the base. Quoting an informed security source, Baghdad Today reported that both rockets have landed outside the base and there have been no damages or casualties. The Balad air base is located some 50 miles (or 80.4 kilometers) north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. In March, the Iraqi Air Force’s Balad Base, which hosts US troops and contractors, was targeted by two rockets. On 20 February, two servicemen were wounded as a result of a similar attack. Iraqi military bases housing US personnel faced multiple attacks over the past months. if you want to be more updated, please hit the subscribe button, like and share the video. Thanks for watching.
Yemen Air Force Conducts Retaliatory Attacks Against Saudi Airbase. The retaliation targeted the King Khalid Airbase in the town of Khamis Mushait that lies South of the Saudi capital Riyadh late on Thursday, Al-Masirah television network reported. Announcing the reprisal, Brigadier General Yahya Saree stated the counterstrike was carried out using two drones of the Qasef-2K make. “Targeting King Khaled military base comes in response to the continued US-Saudi military escalation and siege against Yemeni people,” he added. In March 2015, the kingdom and many of its allies unleashed their war machines on the Arab world’s already poorest nation. The war has been trying to restore power to Yemen’s former Saudi-allied officials. The United States has been lending unchecked arms, logistical, and political support to the Saudi-led coalition. President Joe Biden, who has claimed that he seeks to end the American support for the war and take Riyadh to task for its actions, has stopped short of adopting any measure towards the self-proclaimed goal.
#IraqiMilitant Group Vows To Continue Attacks On #US Forces Until They Withdraw From The Country #Americantroops and diplomatic workers have been targeted in numerous shelling incidents over the past several years. The leader of Iraqi political party and militant group Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq , Qais Khazali, has warned the US forces deployed in Iraq that the attacks against them by the paramilitary group will continue until they withdraw from the country’s soil. “There is no room for American military bases, neither in al-Assad nor in al-Harir. This is the decision and promise of the men of resistance”, Qais Khazali said on 1 April. The US has so far stopped short of announcing the complete withdrawal of its forces, with current President Joe Biden ordering a complete review of America’s contingents deployed abroad and the changes to their volumes made under the Trump administration. All redeployments and withdrawals of US forces have been halted for the duration of the review.
Belligerent USA is an unparalleled menace on the world stage — especially when undemocratic Dems are in power like now.
Since Biden replaced Trump by brazen election rigging, its hardliners escalated war on nonbelligerent Russia by other means.
A previous article expressed concern about whether Ukraine will become a flashpoint for US war on Russia — using Kiev conscripts as cannon fodder in pursuit of Washington’s imperial aims.
Intermittent war by Ukraine’s US armed, trained and directed conscript forces has been ongoing for the past seven years.
Conflict resolution is off the table because it’s contrary to US hegemonic aims.
In short order, Biden regime hardliners created ticking bomb conditions in Ukraine to serve their Russophobic agenda.
The regime is stacked with an array of militant Russophobes.
As long as they control vassal state Ukraine, full-scale war in Europe’s heartland remains an ominous possibility.
If erupts, nations bordering and near Ukraine may be adversely affected.
Russia for sure because US stoked war in Ukraine would be all about trying to harm its security and standing among world community nations.
Other European nations at risk of harm are bordering states Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland — Germany as well despite not sharing a common border with Ukraine.
At a time of Main Street economic collapse in the US and other Western countries, perhaps their Russophobic dark forces see war along Russia’s border as a useful distraction — especially by blaming US orchestrated aggression on Moscow.
Will a made-in-the-USA false flag unjustifiably justify full-scale war in Europe’s heartland?
Joint military drills involving at least five US-dominated NATO countries and Ukraine are planned ahead — a Pentagon drafted joint statement saying:
“(D)efensive actions (sic) will be worked out, followed by an offensive in order to restore the state border and territorial integrity of a state that has been subjected to aggression by one of the hostile neighboring countries (sic)” — a fabricated reference to Russia.
Days earlier, Kiev falsely claimed a “significant increase in shelling and armed provocations by the armed forces of the Russian Federation” along their joint border (sic).”
No Russian shelling is going on — not now, earlier or planned — except in self-defense ahead if US orchestrated aggression threatens Russian territory or its nationals in Donbass.
The US installed fascist regime in Kiev urged “increase(d) international political and economic pressure on Russia.”
For their part, Biden regime hardliners pledged “unwavering support” for US vassal state Ukraine.
In response to announced US-dominated NATO military drills with Kiev, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “such a development of the scenario would…increase…tension(s) near the Russian borders.”
“(T)his will require additional measures from the Russian side to ensure its security,” adding:
Measures will include “everything that is needed.”
US escalated conflict near Russia’s border is “frightening (because of many Biden regime orchestrated) provocations by the Ukrainian forces,” Peskov stressed.
No Russian threat exists to Ukraine or any other countries.
Last week, Russia’s deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko accused Washington and Kiev of “spread(ing) fake” news about a Kremlin threat to Ukraine that doesn’t exist.
“Russia is not interested in any conflict with Ukraine, let alone a military one,” he stressed.
Defying reality, Biden regime war department spokesman John Kirby falsely claimed that “we’ve learned from bitter history (sic) not to just take at face value Russian claims of their intentions (sic).”
Last week, Sergey Lavrov warned of US-led “incite(ment)” along Russia’s border with Ukraine, adding:
Biden regime dark forces (my words, not Lavrov’s) who would try to start a new war in Donbass will destroy Ukraine.”
If occurs, resumption of full-scale —US orchestrated and instigated — war in Donbass would be all about wanting Russia to intervene defensively.
If things turn out this way, Moscow will be falsely accused ofaggression — again.
US-led Western sanctions war on Russia will escalate.
So will the risk of direct confrontation between the US and Russia.
Biden regime dark forces want Ukrainian conscripts to do their fighting and dying for US imperial interests — similar to how Washington uses ISIS and other jihadists as proxy troops in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.
Head-to-head, Ukrainian forces are no match against superior Russian military strength.
They’d be smashed in a matter of days if threaten its security.
Perhaps mass desertions would occur in Ukrainian ranks, conscripts wanting to be home with family members, not waging war they want no part of.
The danger of escalated Biden regime war on Russia by other means turning hot is ominously real — because its geopolitical team is stacked with militant Russophobic hotheads.
BAE Systems Secures UK’s £1.3B Future Maritime Support Project
Russia will start the development of new generation intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Kedr, around 2023. “Research work on Kedr has been nanced under the current state arms procurement program, which is in effect until 2027. Technological development will begin in 2023-2024,” a defense industry source was quoted as saying by government-owned TASS (https://tass.com/defense/1273711)today. According to the source, solid-fuel Kedr ICBMs are to replace Yars systems at the turn of 2030. Kedr will have mobile and silo-based modications, just like its predecessor
Does a Third Lebanon-Israel War Lie Ahead? A multi-front war against Israel appears more possible now that Iraqi militias can use Iranian-supplied missiles, which can strike inside Israel. Despite a collapsing Lebanese economy and considerable political turmoil, Hezbollah continues to threaten Israel. These situations must be taken seriously, given that Hezbollah — the Iranian-backed proxy army — has an incredible stockpile of long-range, medium range, and short-range missiles that can reach every square inch of Israel. Israelis understood the surprise attack possibility in 2019, when they discovered several well-built tunnels that started more than a half mile inside of Lebanon, but crossed into Israel. Israel already lives under constant threat from Hezbollah’s missile arsenal, much of which has been smuggled into Lebanon and retrofitted with advanced GPS guidance systems. From the south, Yemeni Houthis now have projectiles capable of reaching Israel’s port city of Eilat along the Red Sea. In Syria, Hezbollah has battle-tested forces capable of attacking, and there are Iranian and Russian weapon systems ready to strike. Finally, Gaza is home to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two terrorist groups that have been firing rockets at Israeli civilian communities for years. If they all acted together, a five-prong multi-front war against Israel is the worst-case scenario. In 2019, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah went on Hezbollah’s Al Manar television station with his list of Israeli strategic targets that he wants destroyed during the next war with Israel. These strategic targets include Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, power plants, water desalination plants, nuclear sites, seaports, gas production facilities and natural gas rigs, petro-chemical production facilities near Haifa, IDF Headquarters/Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, air bases, naval bases, army bases, military industries, and important financial and commercial centers.
Russia is “aggravating” Donbass situation, Ukraine recently claimed. A NATO official has also accused Russia of undermining peace efforts. Meanwhile, the US has promised support to Ukraine.
Yemen Air Force Conducts Retaliatory Attacks Against Saudi Airbase. The retaliation targeted the King Khalid Airbase in the town of Khamis Mushait that lies South of the Saudi capital Riyadh late on Thursday, Al-Masirah television network reported. Announcing the reprisal, Brigadier General Yahya Saree stated the counterstrike was carried out using two drones of the Qasef-2K make. “Targeting King Khaled military base comes in response to the continued US-Saudi military escalation and siege against Yemeni people,” he added. In March 2015, the kingdom and many of its allies unleashed their war machines on the Arab world’s already poorest nation. The war has been trying to restore power to Yemen’s former Saudi-allied officials. The United States has been lending unchecked arms, logistical, and political support to the Saudi-led coalition. President Joe Biden, who has claimed that he seeks to end the American support for the war and take Riyadh to task for its actions, has stopped short of adopting any measure towards the self-proclaimed goal.
Iran’s Bavar-2 ‘Flying Boats’ Could Be a Nightmare for the U.S. Navy. Iran has maintained robust capabilities to close down the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s development of unmanned GEV drones seems a logical progression for a system that would likely prove vulnerable to air-defense weapons. In any case, while Bavar and its ilk may not be the super stealthy missile-toting terrors boasted about by Tehran, they still could serve as useful force multipliers for its fast boat fleet, and are another example of the unconventional approaches adopted by Tehran to facilitate its asymmetric warfare strategy in the Persian Gulf. Iran has fielded a variety of unusual weapons over the years: F-14 Tomcat fighters hotwired to fire Russian missiles, homemade mini-submarines, and remanufactured Cold War jets. In 2006, Iranian television showcased a peculiar sea-skimming flying boat, and four years later Tehran triumphantly announced it had three squadrons of them serving in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. News commentators boasted it was one of the few countries to “design and produce such advanced flying boats,” which is technically true. The blue-painted Bavar-2 flying boats seen in this video are examples of Ground Effect Vehicles, also known as ekranoplans, sea skimmers, or Wing-In-Ground vehicles. Basically, these are designed to fly at very low altitudes by capitalizing on “ground effect,” the phenomenon in which wing surfaces encounter less drag the closer they are to the surface. After generating lift through speed during takeoff, GEVs can stay airborne as long as they remain within that low-altitude envelope. This makes them more applicable to maritime operations, where inconvenient mountains are scarce.
US, Japan and Indonesia will invoke forces to hold joint military exercise in South China Sea to upgrade maritime defenses for its Southeast Asian ally nations. After China announced the extension of military drill being conducted by People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the disputed territorial waters of the South China Sea to March 31, defense chiefs of Japan and Indonesia on Monday agreed to boost defense cooperation in the disputed region to deter China’s belligerence and PLA’s unilateral attempts of changing status quo in the South and East China seas. In an attempt to tackle China’s aggression after at least 200 PRC flagged militias flotillas anchored in Julian Felipe Reef (Chinese name Whitsun Reef; Vietnam’s Da Ba Dau) within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and Indonesian defense chief Prabowo Subianto decided to hold 2+2 talks on Tuesday in Tokyo to bolster regional diplomacy and military influence to deter Chinese threat. Source: https://www.republicworld.com/world-n… That’s All! Thanks for Watching. Don’t miss every videos! Subscribe Now! to PH UNCENSORED.
#NEWWARSHIP .#IRANFleet of #MissileSlingingCatamarans Iran’s paramilitary navy is constructing the first of what will likely be a whole new fleet of fast-attack craft—a type of small, nimble warship that operates on the offensive in close proximity to the coast. The boat is a twin-hulled catamaran that will one day carry both anti-ship and anti-air missiles. The new vessel is currently under construction at the Shahid Mahallati Shipyard in Bushehr, Iran. Iran has likely analyzed the attack on the Mason, in which the American guided-missile destroyer swatted down both incoming missiles. The result of that attack suggests Iranian warships should carry a minimum of three missiles (or more) if possible. The #Soleimaniclass will reportedly carry anti-aircraft missiles,too. According to USNI News, at least three hulls are under construction simultaneously. Iran could build more than a dozen of the ships, though, giving the IRGC the ability to swarm larger vessels with missiles.
Does Iran Have Its Own Version of the S-300 Air Defense System? On August 22, 2019, Iran unveiled to much fanfare its Bavar-373 mobile long-range air defense system in a Defense Industry Day event attended by President Hassan Rouhani. In a speech, he elucidated at length on the rationale behind the weapon’s nomenclature by comparing it to Russian surface-to-air missiles. “Its number is between 300 and 400. It’s 373. In any case, his system is stronger than the S-300 and very close to the S-400.” The latter is arguably the most capable long-range surface-to-air missile system on the planet, and the former is its well-respected predecessor. Iran also shared launch footage of the Bavar-373’s Sayyad-4 missiles, which supposedly is capable against targets ranging from jet bombers and fighters, stealth aircraft, drones, and cruise and ballistic missiles. Tehran claimed the system remains effective under all weather conditions, and is hardened against jamming and nuclear/biological/chemical threats. Iran’s chief military threat comes in the form of air and missile strikes from the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia. This explains why the deployment of an ostensibly top-tier system is receiving such hype.
War begins, Russia Moves Mass Troops to the Ukrainian Border. Trains loaded with large amounts of Russian military hardware, including tanks and other heavy armored vehicles, as well as heavy artillery, appear to be streaming toward the country’s borders with Ukraine. There are unconfirmed reports that the scale of these movements is so significant that it has, to the dismay of Russian farmers, disrupted shipments of tractors and other agricultural equipment ahead of the spring harvest season. U.S. officials are now worried that a new major round of fighting between Russia and Ukraine may be imminent as a ceasefire is at risk of expiring tomorrow.
US Urges Turkey Not to Retain Russian S-400 Systems. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in his phone conversation with Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar called on Ankara not to retain the Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems, the Defense Department announced in a release on Thursday. “Secretary Austin and Minster Akar discussed the instability along NATO’s eastern and southern flanks, including challenges posed by Russia,” the release said, Sputnik reported. “Secretary Austin noted the importance of working to strengthen US-Turkey military-to-military cooperation, and urged Turkey not to retain the Russian S-400 missile defense system,” it added. Ankara’s purchase of the S-400 systems has been a point of contention in US-Turkish relations since July 2019. Washington has demanded that Ankara refuse the deal, threatening to cancel deliveries of F-35 fighters. Ankara has so far resisted, even in the face of sanctions on its defense sector that were imposed in December 2020, and is negotiating with Russia the delivery of the second batch of S-400 systems. Austin thanked Akar for Turkey’s role in the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and for its support of the ongoing peace process, the release said. “The two leaders also discussed the positive diplomatic developments and efforts to reduce all tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, where the Secretary welcomed ongoing exploratory talks between NATO Allies Turkey and Greece and the commitment of both governments to this process,” the release added. “Secretary Austin also highlighted cooperation among Allies and partners in the Black Sea, including recent exercises that included the USS Monterey and USS Thomas Hudner and Turkish naval assets,” according to the release. Turkish officials earlier told Sputnik that Ankara’s stance on the use of the Russian S-400 air defense systems remains unchanged: Turkey does not need the US permit for that. According to a spokesman for the parliamentary defense committee, Turkey had made its decision on S-400s a long time ago and would not back down from it.
China prepares to counter US intervention in an invasion of Taiwan, with a pincer attack with Chinese jets on the island of Taiwan, as the Chinese Communist Party pushes US China relations to a desperate low. That and more on this week’s China news headlines.
This is not an April Fools joke. According to The Sun (UK), China has become a “dumping ground” of horrifying genetic experiments that are combining human genes with chimpanzees (and other primates) to create hybrid “Planet of the Apes” specimens. The long-term goal is to genetically engineer a race of obedient “humanzee” hybrid super soldiers who have the crazy strength of apes and just enough intelligence and obedience to follow orders and carry weapons.
NaturalNews videos would not be possible without you, as always we remain passionately dedicated to our mission of educating people all over the world on the subject of natural healing remedies and personal liberty (food freedom, medical freedom, the freedom of speech, etc.). Together, we’re helping create a better world, with more honest food labeling, reduced chemical contamination, the avoidance of toxic heavy metals and vastly increased scientific transparency.
Israel warns citizens of possible strikes in five Arab countries. The National Security Council issued a travel advisory Thursday, warning that Iran may try to strike Israelis overseas and urging greater vigilance, citing recent situations toward Israel by Iranian officials. In the travel advisory, the NSC did not specify the nature of the Iranian scenes, but alluded to Iranian officials publicly blaming Israel for the assassination of top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh over the weekend, and to Tehran’s vows of action. The NSC advisory listed countries neighboring Iran as places where Iranians could try to strike Israelis — including Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, and Israel’s two new Gulf peace partners the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — as well as Iraqi Kurdistan, the Middle East in general, and the entire African continent. The Israel Airports Authority estimates that about 25,000 Israelis will fly to the UAE this month on the five airlines now plying the route between Tel Aviv and the Gulf state’s airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Celebrities, entrepreneurs and tourists already have been flocking to Dubai. “This is going to be a nightmare, and I really hope that both governments, UAE and Israel, are coordinating and doing the best they can to safeguard those Israelis,” said Yoel Guzansky, a former Israeli counterterrorism official who is now a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. “I’m really worried that that something might happen, and especially now.
More than 200 Chinese ships descended on the disputed Spratly islands in what the Philippines described as a ‘swarming and threatening’ move. Beijing defended itself saying the vessels are Chinese shipping boats. WION’s Palki decodes China’s endgame in the South China Sea. #Gravitas#SouthChinaSea#China
A report out from the National Pulse today says China has boasted about having control over Western Think Tanks, ‘Election Integrity Groups, and the Biden Administration’s National Security team. This is no April Fool’s joke.
The Chinese Communist Party’s Cyberspace Administration of China has boasted of one of the most critical connections between the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the groups and individuals campaigning to stop President Trump and his “America First” agenda, The National Pulse can exclusively reveal.
New, bombshell admissions over China’s influence in both the United States and Europe link organizations such as the Berggruen Institute with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Berggruen Institute first rose to national attention after co-founding the “Transition Integrity Project” which advised on how Joe Biden could seize power on the back of an ostensible Trump victory.
New, bombshell admissions over China’s influence in both the United States and Europe link organizations such as the Berggruen Institute with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Berggruen Institute first rose to national attention after co-founding the “Transition Integrity Project” which advised on how Joe Biden could seize power on the back of an ostensible Trump victory.
The news lends further credibility to election-tampering theories especially concerning Chinese Communist Party influence.
A 2017 report effectively claims – on the CCP’s behalf – that CNN host Fareed Zakaria, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Facebook Oversight Board member Helle Thorning-Schmidt, NeverTrump philanthropist Pierre Omidyar and many others “co-operate” with the CCP and its goals.
According to the National Pulse, China was connected with the Berggruen Institute:
A collaborative effort between former Soros counsel Rosa Brooks and Berggruen executive Nils Gilman, TIP littered the U.S. media with commentary about how Joe Biden should refuse to concede in the event of an apparent election night victory for President Donald Trump – which is precisely what happened…
…In effect, you had a leading, CCP-linked think-tanker working to solidify a Biden victory while threatening the life of a public intellectual. And the tweet – despite clearly breaching Twitter’s Terms of Service – remains up. Twitter CEO Dorsey served on Berggreun’s CCP-linked 21st Century Council, alongside Gilman.
This information adds additional support to reports that China interfered in the 2020 Election. With Biden in the White House none of this will ever be investigated.
A British reconnaissance plane confirmed Russia completed an initial test of a new missile, the Mach 8 Zircon, this week.
The Zircon, which is capable of speeds over 5,900 mph, reportedly will be the weapon of choice in the event of a nuclear conflict. Putin previously described the missile as “truly unparalleled … in the world.”
“Flight trials [of the Zircon] from Admiral Gorshkov have been completed successfully,” a military source said. “A total of four launches have been made. All missiles hit the ‘bullseye.'”
“Trials of the Zircon missile are planned to be finished in 2021, while serial production of the new weapon is expected to commence in 2022.”
It was the second time this week a British reconnaissance plane spied on Russia conducting missile tests.
#SecondAttack#TargetsUS#LEDCOALITION In IRAQ Within A Few Hours Two logistical support convoys belonging to the US-led international coalition in Iraq were targeted by two explosive devices in the country’s central and southern provinces, a local security source told Sputnik on Monday. An attack targeted on Monday convoy carrying logistical support equipment for the US-led Coalition on Nasiriya. “An explosion targeted today a Global Coalition convoy on Nasiriya Highway without causing any causality”, a source told Shafaq News Agency. There was no claim of responsibility. Washington accuses armed Iraqi factions linked to Iran of being behind the attacks. No casualties have been reported – only the wheels of the convoy vehicles were damaged by the blasts, the source added. Iraqi forces, assisted by the US-led coalition, continue raiding dormant terrorist cells scattered around the country. None of these images, music & video clips were created/owned by us. -This video is purely fan-made, if you (owners) have seen your content and want to remove this video, please message us privately or mail us : (bashkimmurati17@gmail.com) before doing anything. We will respectfully remove it immediately. Please don’t use YouTube strikes! So much love!
Three Russian ballistic missile submarines surfaced next to each other from beneath the ice near the North Pole as part of a recent major Arctic exercise. The head of the country’s Navy said that event was a first for his service. It also underscores the growing geopolitical competition in this highly strategic region.
On March 26, 2021, the Russian Ministry of Defense released details, as well as imagery, about the submarine activity that has been a part of the Umka-2021 drills. So far, the Kremlin has not officially confirmed what submarines are taking part in the exercise, which began on March 20, and has also seen an unspecified nuclear submarine fire a torpedo underneath the Arctic ice.
RUSSIAN MOD CAPTURE Three Russian ballistic missile submarines surfaced near the North Pole as part of the Umka-2021 Exercise.
However, official video footage, seen in full later in this story, shows what appears to be at least two sails belonging to Delta IV class submarines, also known as Project 667BDRM Delfins. It’s possible that the third boat could be either a member of the Borei class, or the lone Borei-A class submarine presently in service, the Knyaz Vladimir. The Borei and Borei-A designs are Russia’s most advanced ballistic missile submarines. Both of these types can be loaded with up to 16 RSM-56 Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles, each one of which can be armed with between 6 and 10 Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles (MIRV), depending on the type of nuclear warhead. The Delta IVs can be armed with up to 16 R-29RMU Sineva submarine-launched ballistic missiles, themselves capable of each carrying either 4 or 10 MIRVs, again depending on the warhead type.
A pair of MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors, supported by an Il-78 aerial refueling tanker, also flew over the North Pole and troops have been conducting maneuvers on the ground in extreme cold weather conditions as part of Umka-2021. Average temperatures in the exercise area, at present, are ranging between -13 and -22 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds gusting up to just over 70 miles per hour, according to state-run media outlet TASS.
Today, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, listened via video conference call to the report of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, on the ongoing Umka-21 complex Arctic expedition. Admiral
“As part of the Arctic expedition, three nuclear-powered submarines surfaced from under the ice in a limited space with a radius of 300 meters [approximately 984 feet] for the first time in the history of the Russian Navy,” Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, Command-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, reported to President Vladimir Putin on March 26. “For the first time, a set of combat training, scientific research, and practical diverse measures is underway under the single design and plan in subpolar regions.”
Russian Geographical Society has also been involved in Umka-2021, which has been taking place primarily in and around Alexandra Land Island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago, a group of Russian islands in the Arctic Ocean.
It is known that Russian ballistic missile submarines conduct deterrent patrols under the protection of the Arctic ice, where is especially difficult to track their movements. They do, of course, still have to move out from under the ice to unleash their deadly payloads.
It is also hardly the first time a submarine has pushed its way up through that ice as part of an exercise. The U.S. Navy notably conducts Ice Exercises (ICEX) each year in which submarines surface from under the ice, though not with ballistic missile boats.
However, this particular drill is, nevertheless, a significant show of force and general demonstration of the Russian Navy’s strategic capabilities.
RUSSIAN MOD The Delta IV class ballistic missile submarine Tula.
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RUSSIAN MOD The Borei class ballistic missile submarine Alexander Nevsky.
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SPUTNIK / OLEG KULESHOV
The Borei-A class ballistic missile submarineKnyaz Vladimir.
Beyond that, submarine operations around the world typically occur with a certain degree of secrecy, and boats sailing on the surface outside of very mundane activities, such as returning to their homeport, often carry a message. For instance, the appearance of Omsk, an Oscar II class guided-missile submarine, also known as a Project 949A, on the surface in the Bering Sea off Alaska in August 2020 sent alarm bells ringing and prompted an unusual public statement from U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) that it was monitoring the situation. That notably followed the equally rare decision on the U.S. Navy’s part to publicize a visit to Norway by the highly-advanced and extremely secretive submarine USS Seawolf earlier that month. Seawolf and her two sister ships, including the larger and uniquely configured spy submarine USS Jimmy Carter, are all known themselves to be particularly capable when it comes to cruising quietly under the Arctic ice.
In December 2020, the Navy also made a very public display of sending the USS Georgia sailing on the surface through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf a moment of particularly heightens tensions with Iran. Georgia is one of four Ohio class ballistic missile submarines converted into guided-missile submarines. They also received significant intelligence-gathering and command and control capabilities, something you can read about more in this past feature and that has made them some of the most in-demand boats in the Navy today.
In the same way, it was taken as a message from the United States to China when three of the four Ohio guided-missile boats surfaced at virtually the same time, though at different locations in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, in 2010. That followed Chinese tests that sent missiles flying into the East China Sea.
With regards to Umka-2021, all of this is magnified by the ever-increasing strategic significance of the Arctic and growing geopolitical competition there, as a result. Much of this has been driven by the emergence of new economic opportunities as global climate change has caused ice in the region to recede. This has made the prospect of sending commercial shipping via the Northern Sea Route more viable and offers the possibility of greater access to untapped natural resources, including oil and natural gas.
Just this week, Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom has been promoting the Northern Sea Route as an alternative to traditional routes in light of the very serious situation in the Suez Canal. The container ship Ever Given, the world’s largest, has been preventing any maritime movement through that strategic chokepoint since it ran around on March 23. Rosatom is notably responsible for operating Russia’s unique fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers, which includes the Arktika, the largest ship of this type with any kind of propulsion in the world.
Suez Canal to be blocked for days over a container ship ran aground. Bloomberg says some 42 vessels are waiting for the ship to be re-floated. BTW, trip from Murmansk (Russian city near Norway) to Japan on the Northern Sea Route is 5770 miles & 12 840 miles through the Suez Canal pic.twitter.com/DLmzrc7rdO
— Rosatom Global (@RosatomGlobal) March 24, 2021
Thread: reasons to consider Northern Sea Route as a viable alternative to the Suez Canal Route
1. Way more space to draw peculiar pictures using your giant ships https://t.co/SqcMmlC0K8 — Rosatom Global (@RosatomGlobal) March 25, 2021
3. You might get stuck in the Suez Canal for days pic.twitter.com/Z6slwdyq53 — Rosatom Global (@RosatomGlobal) March 25, 2021
With all this in mind, it’s interesting to remember that Russian Tu-142 Bear long-range maritime patrol planes buzzed a temporary camp established on an ice floe in international waters off Alaska as part of a U.S. Navy-led ICEX around this time last year. The Seawolf-class USS Connecticut and the Los Angeles class attack submarine USS Toledo both took part in that training event, which included surfacing through the ice in close proximity to each other.
The Umka-2021 drills come as Russia and the United States, among others, are working to expand their abilities to project military power into the Arctic. Russia has been working particularly hard to build new facilities and expand existing ones, especially air bases, in the region. The U.S. military, in cooperation with Canada, just recently demonstrated its ability to conduct more routine combat aviation operations out of the strategic Thule Air Base in Greenland, as well.
“We’re in competition … and to be competitive with Russia and China, specifically in the Arctic, you have to be on the field,” U.S. Air Force General Glen VanHerck, who presently serves as both head of NORTHCOM and the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), told members of Congress just last week. “And, so it’s crucial that we do that and we continue producing capabilities that will allow us to be in the Arctic.”
The Russian Navy sending three ballistic missile submarines punching through the Arctic ice together in a row near the North Pole provides a very clear look at this competition and more such displays are likely to come as the geopolitical friction in the region continues to increase.
News that the Coast Guard, at the Navy’s request, has sent ships to the Far East is a sign of two worrisome facts. One is the need to respond quickly to increasing Chinese belligerence toward Taiwan and other aggressive moves in the international waters of the South China Sea. The other is the diminished size of the Navy’s fleet of warships, something that will take years to change.
The aggressively critical tone taken by top Chinese representatives last week during a meeting in Alaska with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan adds to the signs that a crisis is brewing over China’s approach to Taiwan.
In words much more confrontational than any U.S-China exchange in years, Chinese Communist Party chief foreign affairs official Yang Jiechi told reporters after the meeting: “(The) United States does not have the qualifications to say that it wants to speak to China from a position of strength.” That’s a pretty clear assertion that China thinks it has a better hand to play than President Joe Biden.
China seems to think it can bully Mr. Biden into taking an accommodating stand while Beijing sets about sweeping Taiwan into its net, as it has done recently, and brutally, in Hong Kong.
The tensions between China and the United States are relatively new, but the question of whether the United States has the strength to protect Taiwan has deeper roots.
Forty-two years ago, the United States agreed to recognize Communist-ruled China as the nation entitled to a veto at the United Nations, and to drop its recognition of Taiwan as the legitimate claimant. But it also promised to supply Taiwan with the means of self-defense and clarified that it would regard any attempt by China to forcefully acquire Taiwan as a threat to our own security. The major means of showing U.S. intent has been to keep a strong naval presence in the South China Sea.
As a rule of thumb, it takes three ships in a fleet to support a forward naval deployment, such as the Navy’s more than century-old Far Eastern fleet. At the end of the Cold War, that meant the Navy had as many as 75 warships available to mount foreign presence missions, a crucial Navy role that for decades has kept sea lanes open for commerce. Today, it struggles to keep more than 30 warships “on station.” As a result, other naval vessels, such as those in the amphibious warfare and minesweeping fleets, have been pressed into service for these distant missions.
The trouble in the Far East and continuing threats in the Persian Gulf from Iran, another country that seems intent on testing Mr. Biden, have meant longer deployments and more stress on Navy personnel.
The shrinkage of the U.S. fleet reflects decisions in the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations to favor other priorities. President Donald Trump and Congress budgeted funds to grow the Navy’s fleet from 308 ships to 355 by 2032, and new ships are joining the fleet. That’s still below peak Cold War levels, and the buildup won’t come soon enough to handle the current China threat. Thankfully, the Coast Guard is helping to fill the gap.
But the sheer number of Navy ships is not the definitive measure of combat capability, as former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vernon Clark and others have noted. Sharpening our cyberspace capabilities and the forward-basing of combat vessels also can help counter the emerging threats from China and other potential adversaries. The United States will need to improve its abilities in these areas and more to keep pace in our increasingly dangerous world.
For all the talk of China, the Russia factor is still a huge challenge for the Biden administration.
Russian President Vladimir Putin during his annual press conference in December 2020 (Kremlin.ru)
Published 22 Jan 2021 10:00
Vladimir Putin is a master of keeping his political counterparts on their toes. After being among the last world leaders to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory in the United States Presidential elections, Putin had another surprise for the new administration – the withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty on 15 January 2021, following US pullout last November.
Despite the need to address problems at home and the great China game Biden will have to make the Russia vector one of his top priorities. The 2021 Russia agenda includes several pressing matters ranging from the strategic stability dilemma, to threats to the rules-based international order, to unresolved regional conflicts.
Any prospects of Russia’s Western-style democratisation are remote, especially following Opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s immediate detention upon his return to Russia after the poisoning incident. Still, Russia’s forthcoming parliamentary elections in September mean that Putin needs to think very hard about getting the economy right to boost his domestic popularity. In these circumstances Putin may choose to play again the anti-US/West political card, also because 70% of Russians perceived the US as enemy state last year.
One of the first pressing items that the Biden administration will encounter as a matter of urgency is to ensure that the strategic dialogue between the two nuclear superpowers is alive. Russia’s Chairmanship of the Artic Council (2021–23) will provide for one such opportunity within the Bering Strait and Sea region.
In his annual press conference in December 2020 Putin blamed the US for pulling out of arms control treaties over the past two decades, starting with the George W. Bush withdrawal from the 1972 ABM Treaty and ending up with Donald Trump canning the 1987 INF Treaty and the Open Skies agreement.
Will it happen? For now Putin will seek to keep up the heat but so will Biden.
Putin also made it clear that Moscow is keen to retain strategic nuclear edge over the US, also by rolling out several variants of hypersonic strategic and sub-strategic systems, new lines of intercontinental ballistic missiles, combat laser systems and other. For the first time ever, Russia publicly released its strategic nuclear doctrine in June 2020. As the new START treaty between the nuclear superpowers is due to expire in February 2021, all eyes are on Washington and Moscow for the next steps on this front.
Besides Russia’s expanded strategic nuclear capability the US will also have to factor in recalibrated and expanded Russian conventional military power, which benefited from a decade-long modernisation with a more than US$600 billion defence procurement program. Russia’s revived great power ambitions were highlighted by its Syrian campaign. Moscow’s recent bold move to establish a naval facility in Sudan illustrates that the US will have to keep a close eye on Russia’s enhanced military activities globally.
NATO, the European Union, Ukraine and Russia
Rebuilding confidence of the US key allies in the reliability of the US post Trump will be another urgent task for Biden, though addressing pressing domestic matters may not make it an immediate priority.
In Europe, engaging in damage control with US’s key European partners such as the UK, Germany, France as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union will require both time and effort. But there is an expectation that the new US administration would address it, particularly in the light of the growing strategic anxiety across Europe about Russia’s behaviour and intent. The balancing game in the Baltic and the Black Sea regions, the Russo-Ukrainian political-military standoff since 2014 and claims of Russia’s interference in European affairs through a variety of means has made Moscow once again the principal strategic and military threat to both NATO and the EU.
The Kremlin-Pentagon dialogue on the Eastern Mediterranean is now needed more than ever.
Given Biden’s previous close engagement in Ukrainian affairs there are hopes in both Kyiv and Brussels that his administration will reserve Trump’s effective disengagement from resolving Ukrainian crisis.
The Indo-Asia-Pacific, Russia’s convergence with China, and the Quad
The Russia factor will have to be recognised also in the context of the Indo-Asia-Pacific, particularly with respect to hedging against China, and by furthering strategic ties with India.
Despite problematic past neither China nor Russia are ready to sacrifice their special relations, leave alone hedge against each other. Russia and China find the current status quo of a near alliance practical and convenient, and something they can use to support either individual or joint strategic hedging against the West. The current state of near alliance does not preclude Moscow and Beijing from forming sporadic coalitions and joining forces in response to mutual threats across the Indo-Asia-Pacific and beyond.
Washington will need to keep a close eye on the Russia-India relationship, also in the context of the Quadrennial Security dialogue (or “Quad”). Despite suggestions that Moscow’s negative stance on India’s support for the Quad may cause some tension in bilateral ties New Delhi’s appreciation of its special relationship with Moscow combined with its firm stance on retaining strategic autonomy may curtail furthering the US-led Quad.
The intensified military activity near each other’s borders, cyber security and counter-terrorism, control over the Arctic, Middle Eastern politics, and human rights concerns would also be additions to the long list of points that require mutual attention.
Will it happen? For now Putin will seek to keep up the heat but so will Biden. The choice of a new CIA Director indicates that Moscow should not be expecting any softening of Washington’s stance on resurgent Russia.
Russia has released new footage of an advanced arsenal of weapons in the wake of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump.
The Russian Defense Ministry showed off a number of the weapons that were officially revealed during Putin’s State of the Nation address in March. They include nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable weapons as well as a laser complex all said capable of thwarting even the world’s top defenses, even those of the U.S. In once clip, Russia could be seen testing its highly-anticipated RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, known in the West as “Satan 2.”
“The program of the system’s pop-up tests has been completed with the positive results, which makes it possible to switch to preparations for the flight trials of the Sarmat missile complex,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, according to the state-run Tass Russian News Agency.
“All the measures that have been carried out allow for making a clear conclusion that the Sarmat missile system will be created and placed on combat duty within the scheduled timeframe,” officially set for 2021.
In March, Putin claimed the super heavy Russian ICBM had virtually no range limits and could be fired over the North or South Poles. To demonstrate this, Russia showed off a simulation of the weapon coming down on what appeared to be Florida, a scenario that may have ended in the entire state being wiped off the map. In another clip from Thursday, a Russian Mikoyan MiG-31K fighter jets armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles could be seen conducting joint exercises with Tupolev Tu-22M3 long-range bombers.
“Tactical flight drills were held in the first ten-day period of July with the crews of long-range aviation to practice hitting ground and naval targets. The drills focused on planning, preparing and jointly employing Kinzhal air-launched missile systems and long-range Tu-22M3 missile-carrying bombers, and also on fighter jets’ operations to provide cover for air strike groups,” Russia’s air force Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant-General Sergei Dronov said, according to Tass.
He said the training missions “have been accomplished highly qualitatively and within the established timeframe” and “the flight personnel have gained the necessary skills of joint practical actions.”
The Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missile has reportedly been improved from 1,200 miles to more than 1,800 miles and is capable of traveling 10 times the speed of sound. It can also be maneuvered mid-flight to hit targets with a powerful conventional or nuclear payload.
The same press release also spoke of upcoming tests for its “fine-tuned” and “unlimited-range” nuclear-powered cruise missile, a state-of-the-art weapon recently named Burevestnik after a seabird known in English as the stormy petrel. The weapon will be the first of its kind.
“The missile’s component makeup is being improved based on clarified requirements, while ground tests continue and preparations are being made for experimental flight tests of the improved missile,” a Russian Defense Ministry official told reporters, according to Tass.
“A low-flying and low observable cruise missile carrying a nuclear warhead, with an almost unlimited range, an unpredictable trajectory and capability to bypass interception lines is invincible to all the existing and advanced air and missile defense systems,” the ministry said, echoing Putin’s words in March.
U.S. anti-missile systems are traditionally designed to block attacks from high-flying ICBMs, meaning a cruise missile could prove problematic. Even in nuclear-capable ICBM trials where conditions are predetermined and ideal, U.S. missile defenses work about half the time.
The Russian Defense Ministry also said Thursday it had begun test trials of the Poseidon underwater drone. The drone is capable of carrying a nuclear torpedo and was described as a “Doomsday” weapon in a White House report in February.
After officially announcing its production in March, Putin said it could travel “extreme depths, intercontinentally, at a speed multiple times higher than the speed of submarines, cutting-edge torpedoes and all kinds of surface vessels, including some of the fastest.”
Touting the technological achievement, he said the submersibles “are quiet, highly maneuverable and have hardly any vulnerabilities for the enemy to exploit. There is simply nothing in the world capable of withstanding them.” If it does have the “tens” of megaton power previously cited in Russia media, some experts say it could even cause nuclear tsunamis capable of consuming major cities.
In 2015, Russia’s state-run NTV channel accidentally showed documents suggesting the underwater drone, then referred to as “Status-6 Oceanic Multipurpose System,” could carry a 100-megaton nuclear explosive that can travel up to 6,200 miles away at a depth of trajectory of up to 3,300 feet, as BBC News reported. This would make it nearly twice as strong as the Soviet Union’s Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated.
Russia also displayed its Peresvet laser combat system, named after a 14th-century warrior monk who battled the Mongol army. The weapon has been officially accepted into Russia’s air force, a novel addition to a branch trying to compete with a much larger, technologically advanced U.S. counterpart.
“The Peresvet laser complexes have been placed at sites of permanent deployment,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to Tass. “Active efforts to make them fully operational are underway.”
“To ensure their proper functioning, the necessary infrastructures and specialized facilities for housing the complexes and duty crews have been built,” it added.
Following Putin’s speech in March, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov discussed with local media the necessity of such weapons in modern warfare. He claimed the Peresvet could disarm targets “within fractions of a second.” He later argued that Russia had even “gone ahead” of the U.S. in terms of laser combat technology.
Russia also announced it successfully finished developing the Avangard, an ICBM equipped with a gliding hypersonic warhead. Putin described the weapons as “absolutely invulnerable to any air defense and missile defense weapons” due to its extremely high maneuverability.
“The Russian defense industry has completed developing the Avangard missile system with the principally new armament – the gliding cruise warhead. Industrial enterprises have switched to its serial production,” the Russia Defense Ministry said Thursday, according to Tass.
