What Happened Today in the World of Islam ?Ending of Mourning Period for Imam Hussein

Today, on 6 September 2023, Shiite pilgrims celebrate the holiday of Arbaeen (الأربعين) in Karbala, Iraq. The holiday marks the end of the fourty-day mourning period for Imam Hussein after the anniversary of his martyrdom, the Ashura عاشوراء). Karbala in Iraq is the location where Husayn ibn Ali الحسين بن علي lost his life in a battle against the ruling caliph Yazid in 680. Hussein was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Imam (or protector of the faith), and Muhammad's daughter Fatima. It is therefore that Hussein is being venerated by the followers of Shia Islam as the 3rd Imam after his predecessors Ali, his father, and Hassan, his elder brother. Shia Islam is practised especially in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon. The Lebanese TV station Al-Manar is therefore concentrating on the subject in today's broadcast and news edition.

The Mosque of Karbala in Iraq, center of veneration for
Hussein, is hosting the shrine containing his remains.

Ukrainian Drone Attack on Remote Russian Airfield

Three hours ago, the Chinese news center 腾讯 quoted Russian, Ukrainian and Western reports about Ukrainian drones having attacked a remote Russian military airfield on August 30.

卫星照片曝光，至少2架伊尔-76受损！俄媒称乌军已在地面炸毁24架战机

Satellite photos exposed that at least 2 Il-76s were damaged ! Russian media said the Ukrainian army has blown up 24 war planes on the ground.

美国遥感卫星数据公司星球实验室(Planet Labs)发布了遭无人机袭击后的俄罗斯普斯科夫机场卫星照片，在卫星照片上能明显看到两架伊尔-76运输机受损，从受损位置推测无人机试图攻击伊尔-76运输机的油箱部分，在其中一架伊尔-76运输机附近，还有两辆疑似消防车的红色汽车。

Planet Labs, a US remote sensing satellite data company, released satellite photos of Pskov airport in Russia after the drone attack. On the satellite photos two damaged Il-76 transport aircraft can clearly be seen. From the damaged position it is speculated that the drones tried to attack the fuel tank part of the Il-76 transport aircraft. Near one of the Il-76 transport aircraft, there are two red cars suspected as fire engines.

Editor's Note: Russia's Pskov airfield (普斯科夫机场) is situated north of Belarus, near the border to the Baltic states Estland and Lettland. That means it is more difficult to reach than most other military airfields in Western Russia.

需要说明的是，由于当地云层太厚，卫星并未拍到普斯科夫机场的整体照片。稍早一些，乌克兰军情总局（GUR）宣称，在对普斯科夫机场的发起的自杀式无人机袭击中，乌克兰军队摧毁了4架伊尔-76运输机，机场的加油设施也受到了攻击。俄罗斯方面否认了这些说法，并称没有任何人员和物质损失。

It should be noted that due to the thick local clouds, the satellite did not take an overall photo of Pskov airfield. Earlier, the Main Intelligence Service of Ukraine (GUR) announced that Ukrainian forces destroyed four Il-76 transport planes in a suicide drone attack on Pskov airfield. The airport's refueling facilities were attacked, as well. The Russian side denied such claims and said there were no human and material losses.

在分析了俄罗斯国防部、媒体和开源情报机构的报告后，俄罗斯媒体Verstka称自去年开战后，截至目前，乌克兰军队对俄罗斯、克里米亚和白俄罗斯的空军基地发起了至少9次袭击，在这些袭击中，至少有24架飞机被损坏。

After analyzing reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense, media and open-source intelligence agencies, Russian media outlet Verstka said that since the start of war last year, the Ukrainian army has launched at least nine attacks on air bases in Russia, Crimea and Belarus so far, in which at least 24 aircraft have been damaged.

Map of Russian military airfields attacked and aircraft damaged (number/type) by
Ukrainian suicide drone attacks since the beginning of war (2022 - August 2023).

Die Berliner Mauer 1961-1989Erinnerungen von Zeitzeugen

The Berlin Wall 1961-1989 - Memories of Contemporary Witnesses

The Berlin Wall in August 1961 - Course of the sector border (red line)
Die Berliner Mauer im August 1961 - Verlauf der Sektorengrenze (rote Linie)
Originalaufnahme: Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung

In einigen Fällen verlief die Sektorengrenze direkt an der Häuserfront. Gehörte das Haus zum Westen, dann wurden Durchbrüche zu den Kellern der Nachbarhäuser geschaffen, damit die Bewohner von einer Nebenstraße aus in ihre Wohnungen gelangen konnten. Soweit die Keller während des Krieges als Luftschutzkeller vorgesehen waren, existierten bereits vorbereitete Mauerdurchbrüche, um die Druckwelle explodierender Bomben abzufangen und die Flucht der Schutzsuchenden durch einen anderen Hauskeller zu ermöglichen. Gehörte das Haus zum Osten, dann wurden die Fenster in den unteren Etagen zugemauert und die Bewohner möglichst bald zwangsweise umgesiedelt. Später wurde das Haus abgerissen, wobei manchmal eine "Geisterfassade" übrig blieb.

Am Tag des Mauerbaus und vereinzelt auch danach, gab es in solchen Ostberliner Grenzhäusern noch Bewohner, denen es in einem unbeobachteten Moment gelang, aus dem Fenster oder vom Balkon zu springen, - in ein bereit gehaltenes Sprungtuch der Westberliner Feuerwehr. Die hatte am 13. August einen unerwarteten Goßeinsatz. W.W. (=> Bericht der Berliner Feuerwehr zum Mauerbau 1961)

English Version:
In some cases, the sector boundary ran directly along the front of the houses. If the house belonged to the West, then openings were made to the basement walls of neighbouring houses so that residents could get to their apartments from a side street. As far as such cellars had been intended as air-raid shelters during the war, there were certain wall spots already prepared to intercept the blast wave of exploding bombs and to enable those seeking protection to escape through another basement. If the house belonged to the East, then all windows on the lower floors were bricked up and residents were forcibly resettled as soon as possible. Later, these houses were demolished, sometimes leaving a "ghost façade".

On the day the Wall was built and occasionally afterwards, there were still residents left in East Berlin border houses who managed to jump out of the window or from a balcony, - just into a jumping mat held ready by the West-Berlin fire brigade. Therefore, the fire brigade had an unexpected large-scale operation on August 13 (=> Link to a Berlin Fire Brigade report referring to 1961). W.W.

PDF-Link:

Erinnerungen eines Westberliners
an die Berliner Mauer 1961-1989

Ein Resümee von Wolfgang Wiesner © 2023

Die folgende Tonaufnahme lässt einen Zeitzeugen zu Worte kommen,
dessen Schicksal in meinem Resümee ausführlich beschrieben wird.

India Celebrates - Russia is Shocked

India accomplishes its first ever spacecraft landing on the moon, — days after Russia failed. The Chandrayaan-3 uncrewed spacecraft made a “soft landing” on the southern polar region of the moon on Wednesday, August 23 shortly after 6 p.m. Indian time.

Video: The technical details of a time-consuming but low-cost Indian moon mission.


Russia's foreign minister Lavrov congratulates
his Indian counterpart at the BRICS Summit.

Only some days earlier, on Saturday, August 19, Russia’s first moon mission in 47 years had failed when its Luna-25 spacecraft had spun out of control and crashed into the moon after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, thus underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space program.

The crash of a Russian business plane near Moscow is adding to the gloomy situation after Russia's space failure. It is at the origin of today's breaking news, as Russia's 'warlord' Yevgeny Prigozhin was listed as a passenger and is now believed to be dead. Speculations about the reason of that air crash are now spreading worldwide.

Jeddah Summit - How to reach Global Peace ?

Last UPDATE included at Midnight

Today, Saturday August 5, 2023, the Jeddah Summit is to begin.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host peace talks regarding Ukraine, in the city of Jeddah, provided that the talks will include the United States and a number of Western and developing countries.

The talks, according to US officials, are aimed at developing common principles for ending the war and discussing what kind of military assistance Kiev needs to deter a Russian invasion from attacking Ukraine again.

Earlier, US officials said that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will be present on behalf of the United States. Ukraine said other major developing countries, such as India and Brazil, would also attend.

The talks are the second in a series of meetings organized by Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak's chief of staff, and the first took place earlier this year in Copenhagen.

The photo is showing Zelensky together with Saudi Crown Prince Salman
in an article published today, 5 August 2023. [Al-Youm Assaabiae اليوم السابع]

Here is a quotation from Al-Youm Assabiae / The Seventh Day اليوم السابع:

عبر الرئيس الأوكراني فولوديمير زيلينسكي عن شكره للمملكة العربية السعودية على تقديم منصة لمفاوضات السلام في أوكرانيا، في إشارة إلى قمة جدة التي تنعقد اليوم السبت.

وقال زيلينسكي ـ في بيان نُشر على الموقع الرسمي للرئاسة الأوكرانية - "في جدة بالمملكة العربية السعودية، سيبدأ اجتماع لمستشاري رؤساء الدول وممثلي وزارة الخارجية بشأن صيغة السلام، وسيتم تمثيل العديد من البلدان من قارات مختلفة، بما في ذلك بلدان الجنوب العالمي".

وأشار زيلينسكي إلى أن اجتماعا مماثلا (لقمة جدة) عُقد مؤخرًا في كوبنهاجن، مضيفا: "نحن نتحرك خطوة بخطوة نحو عقد قمة عالمية للسلام"، موجها الشكر لجميع الداعمين لخطة السلام والذين انضموا بالفعل إلى الجهود المشتركة من أجل التنفيذ الكامل لها.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his thanks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for providing a platform for peace negotiations in Ukraine, referring to the Jeddah summit that will be held today [Saturday August 5, 2023].

Zelensky said - in a statement posted on the official website of the Ukrainian presidency - "In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a meeting of advisers to heads of state and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will begin on the peace formula, and many countries from different continents, including countries of the Global South, will be represented. "

Zelensky pointed out that a similar meeting like the Jeddah Summit was only recently held in Copenhagen, adding: "We are moving step by step towards convening a global peace summit," thanking all the supporters of the peace plan who have already agreed on joint efforts for its full implementation .

China's Role in Jeddah

[China Times 中时新闻网 August 6]

中國外交部網站4日晚發布，中方將派團，由中國政府歐亞事務特別代表李輝出席在沙烏地阿拉伯吉達舉行的烏克蘭和平峰會，外媒一致認為中國將是此次談判的關鍵。烏克蘭總統澤倫斯基則在會議期間的當地時間5日下午2點04分，在社群媒體以烏克蘭文和中文發文，對中國持續受洪災影響的民眾，表示慰問及支持。

The website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on the evening of the 4th that China will send a delegation, including Li Hui, the special representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian affairs, to attend the Ukrainian peace summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Foreign media agreed that China will be the key to this negotiation . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a message in Ukrainian and Chinese on social media at 2:04 pm local time on the 5th during the meeting, expressing condolences and support to the people in China who continue to be affected by the flood.

Niger - The Russian Aspect of the Coup

UPDATE included on August 4.

Yesterday, July 30, the Arabic news center El-AIN العين from the Emirates stressed the pro-Russian aspect of mass demonstrations directed against France, Niger's former colonial power. They are asking the following question:

انقلاب النيجر.. هل مخطط من "فاغنر" للإطاحة بفرنسا؟
The Niger Coup - What is the Wagner [group's] plan to subdue France ?

متظاهرون أمام السفارة الفرنسية بنيامي

وحاول بعض المتظاهرين اقتحام مبنى السفارة بينما انتزع آخرون اللوحة التي تحمل عبارة "سفارة فرنسا في النيجر" وداسوا عليها ووضعوا مكانها علمي روسيا والنيجر وسط هتافات "تحيا روسيا" و"لتسقط فرنسا".

وكانت "رابطة الضباط من أجل الأمن الدولي" التي تعتبرها الولايات المتحدة واجهة لمجموعة فاغنر في جمهورية أفريقيا الوسطى، بثت تسجيلاً صوتياً نسبته لزعيمها يفغيني بريغوجين مساء الخميس، يؤكد فيه أن محاولة الانقلاب في النيجر "كفاح ضد المستعمرين".

ويمكن التعرّف من خلال المقطع المنشور على تطبيق تليغرام على صوت بريغوجين ونبرته، لكن لم يتمكن مراسلو وكالة فرانس برس من التأكد من صحة التسجيل تمامًا. ومنذ 26 يونيو/حزيران الماضي بعد محاولة تمرده الفاشلة في روسيا لم يصدر رئيس فاغنر أي إعلان رسمي على حسابات منظمته.

Demonstrations in front of the French Embassy in Niamey

Some of the demonstrators tried to storm the embassy building, while others grabbed the plaque bearing the phrase "France's Embassy in Niger" and trampled on it, placing the flags of Russia and Niger in its place, amid chants of "Long live Russia" and "Down with France."

The "Association of Officers for International Security," which the United States considers a front for the Wagner Group in the Central African Republic, broadcast an audio recording attributed to its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Thursday evening, confirming that the coup attempt in Niger is "a struggle against the colonialists."

Prigozhin's voice and tone can be identified from the clip posted on Telegram, but AFP reporters were unable to verify the authenticity of the recording. Since last June 26, after his failed rebellion attempt in Russia, Wagner's president has not made any official announcement on his organization's accounts.

My UPDATE on August 4 is quoting an earlier article about Wagner chief Prigozhin, deliberating on the Niger coup and the fight against colonialism. It was published by the Saudi government near paper Al-Shark Al-Awsad (The Middle-East) الشرق الأوسط two days before, on July 28.

Russia Strikes Grain Port on Border to NATO Member

Russia’s surgical strike on the Moldovan-Romanian-Ukrainian Tri-Border on July 24 damaged Ukraine's grain port of Reni [Рени] on river Danube, - only within a stone's throw away from NATO territory. The West remained silent.

Russian forces targeting Ukraine's grain port of Reni [Рени]
right on the Danube river border to NATO member Romania.




Another video of Ukrainian military origin, hosted on a pro-Ukrainian twitter account and showing the moment of attack on Reni port more directly, couldn't be linked to this site for technical reasons. It is quoted by europereloaded on some military analysis website, dated July 25.

_____________________________________________________

The Consequences: Rising Prices for Grain and Fertilizer

The below quoted information comes from Phenix Net and refers to (official) information from Beijing.

On July 25, Russia launched an air strike on Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine further escalated. And just the day before, Russia bombed the port of Reni on the Danube River in Ukraine, near the Romanian border, causing irreversible damage to the port and making it impossible to continue to use it. This port was once used by Ukraine as the last port for grain export after the black sea grain export agreement was interrupted. an alternate channel. In addition to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ukraine’s shipping ports were completely blocked, and its grain exports through land transport and inland rivers were also boycotted by five neighboring countries. Ukrainian food is also difficult to export. Ukraine is a major grain producer and exporter in the world. Affected by the further intensification of conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, the global prices of major grain futures such as wheat, corn, and soybeans have risen to varying degrees. On July 24, the Bloomberg Grain Sub-Index rose 5.02%. CBOT (*) corn futures rose 6.45%; wheat futures rose 8.6%; soybean futures rose 1.68%. Industry insiders said that with the sharp rise in international grain prices again, the prices of the three major fertilizers, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are necessary for grain cultivation, may be further affected and are expected to stabilize and rise. Among them, due to the higher concentration and stronger monopoly of global potassium resources, and being at the core of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it affects SINOTRANS (*) in Russia and Belarus, the main suppliers of potassium fertilizers. This event has a more positive impact on potassium fertilizer prices. In addition, one of the most direct results is that farmers in some countries will profitably sell futures to lock in grain sales prices, ensuring the planting area and increasing the demand for potassium fertilizers, which will also support the continuous rise in potassium fertilizer prices.

* SINOTRANS: Sinotrans Ltd. is a logistics enterprise under China Merchants Group and listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. 中國外運股份有限公司（简称“中国外运”）是招商局集团下属的物流企业，在上交所和港交所挂牌上市。

* CBOT: The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) is a designated contract market offering products subject to CBOT rules and regulations.

While the above text is quoting CBOT, here are latest market prices from another source, published by Easy Net on July 26:

The impact of rising food prices on Africa's population as a result of Russia obstructing any grain export from Ukraine, became a subject of discussion on the 2nd Russian-African Summit in Saint Petersburg in July 2023. On July 28 Al-Jazeera therefore dealt with the subject in the following evaluation.

اعتماد غالبية الدول الأفريقية على واردات القمح الروسي والأوكراني؛ فعلى سبيل المثال يعتمد الصومال وبنين اعتمادا كاملا على البلدين، في حين تستورد مصر ما يزيد على 80% من احتياجاتها منهما، تليها السودان بـ75% ثم الكونغو 69% والسنغال 66%، وفق تقارير.

The majority of African countries rely on imports of Russian and Ukrainian wheat; for example, Somalia and Benin are completely dependent on the two countries. Egypt imports more than 80% of its needs, followed by Sudan with 75%, Congo with 69% and Senegal with 66%, according to reports.

UNO - China Calls on "Fellow Traveler" Russia to Comply

News Report from India TV: In a session of the United Nations Security Council, China showed its support for an international call on Russia to enable further grain exports from Ukraine.

By the way, it should be added that India belongs to the countries unwilling to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

China's deputy UN ambassador Geng Shuang said that he hoped Russia and the UN would work together to resume grain exports from both countries at "an early date" for maintaining international food security and alleviating the food crisis in developing countries.

This is the mildest form of protest China is willing to express in order to critisize its long-standing partner Russia.

On the same day, the Chinese news center NetEase published an article that clarifies China's strategy in its fight for supremacy against the West. As usual, NetEase marked that article as kind of 'personal opinion' and denies any responsibility.

而俄乌战争，就给我们制造了一个良机。被制裁的俄罗斯，和我们的关系也越来越好，原油天然气等便宜出售给我们，双方谈成了好几笔大单子。

大量的资源输入我国，也造福了我们人民。俄乌战争开战一年多，我们的汽油价格基本稳定，而反观欧洲地区，汽油价格飙升，各项生活成本也迅速增加，社会随之变得动荡不安。

The Russo-Ukraine war created a good opportunity for us. Russia, which has been sanctioned, has a better and better relationship with us. Crude oil and natural gas are sold to us cheaply, and the two sides have negotiated several big deals.

A large amount of resources have been imported into our country, which has also benefited our people. The Russo-Ukrainian war has been going on for more than a year, and our gasoline prices are basically stable. In contrast, in Europe, gasoline prices have soared, various living costs have also increased rapidly, and society has become turbulent.

..........

为了遏制俄罗斯，美国被迫放松对我国的遏制，给我们经济恢复创造良机。因此，对于我们来说，俄罗斯，是不能输的，他的战败并不符合我国的利益。

In order to contain Russia, the United States is forced to relax its containment of our country, creating a good opportunity for our economic recovery. Therefore, for us, Russia cannot lose, and its defeat is not in the interests of our country.

____________________________________

In order to understand different strategic positions of China and India in comparison with those of rich Western countries, the global development of industrial production might be a key factor, as economic aspects have always driven geopolitical decisions.

Some Chinese language open platform on economy [爱集微] put it that way, using the followwing title for their related article published on July 17:

经济学人：欧美政客重金押注芯片和新能源，但他们注定会失望
The Economist: European and American politicians bet heavily on chips and new energy, but they are destined to be disappointed

在西方国家，目标是扭转工业衰退的趋势，这一点选民们深感其重要性。作为全球经济产出的一部分，制造业的占比已从1997年的19%下降至今天的16%，其中富裕国家的下降幅度最大。在中国和印度，工业在经济产出中的份额似乎与三十年前相差不大，但即使在这些国家，近年来工业的份额也有所下降（参见图表1）。

In Western countries, the goal is to reverse the trend of industrial decline, which voters feel deeply important. As a share of global economic output, manufacturing has fallen from 19 per cent in 1997 to 16 per cent today, with the largest declines in rich countries. In China and India, industry's share of economic output appears to be about the same as it was three decades ago, but even in these countries, industry's share has declined in recent years.



The video, named Europe's Deindustrialization: Ukraine War's Ripple Effect [Asia Times], presents an intelligent perception of the subject by David Woo, some Wall Street expert of Chinese extraction. It seems to support the above quoted Chinese article in a certain way.

Ukraine - Bigger Damage Inflicted on Crimean Bridge

Here some excerpts from different Chinese sources that published their reports about the 2nd Ukrainian attack, targeting the strategically important Kerch Bridge in Russian occupied Crimea on July 17. They are quoting today's news from China's CCTV (July 19).

主管交通运输的俄罗斯联邦副总理马拉特·胡斯努林说：“克里米亚大桥公路部分的一跨已被摧毁且无法修复”。此外，“大桥的一条铁轨有轻微损坏。”克里米亚刻赤海峡大桥被炸以后，如何恢复与克里米亚半岛的交通成了头等大事。[NetEase]

"A span of the highway section of the Crimea Bridge has been destroyed beyond repair," said Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin of the Russian Federation in charge of transport. In addition, "one rail of the bridge was slightly damaged." After the Kerch Strait Bridge in Crimea was bombed, how to restore traffic with the Crimea Peninsula became a top priority.

The Chinese source emphasizes that US satellites are obviously monitoring every move in the Russian-Ukrainian war theater almost 24 hours a day.

.................

克里米亚大桥17日凌晨再遭破坏，造成两人死亡、一人受伤，大桥公路路面受损。俄罗斯副总理胡斯努林18日表示，须拆除通往刻赤方向被摧毁的桥段，修复所需的材料和构件17日已经从陶里亚蒂[Толья́тти]启运。由于桥墩位于汽车车道和铁路车道之间，无法使用浮吊，需建造一座250米长的临时桥，预计这一工作将耗时2个月。初步预计，修复费用可能为10亿至13亿卢布（约合人民币8000万至1亿元）。[Sohu]

The Crimea Bridge was damaged again in the early morning of the 17th, resulting in two deaths, one injury, and damage to the road surface of the bridge. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Khusnullin said on the 18th that the destroyed bridge section leading to Kerch must be dismantled, and the materials and components needed for repair have been shipped from Togliatti [former Stavropol in Samara Oblast] on the 17th. Since the pier is located between the car lane and the railway lane, floating cranes cannot be used, and a 250-meter-long temporary bridge needs to be built. This work is expected to take 2 months. It is initially estimated that the repair cost may be 1 billion to 1.3 billion rubles (about 80 million to 100 million yuan).

Ukraine - Diplomatic Activity after 500 Days of War

Security in Lithuania enforced ahead of NATO summit about Ukraine on July 11.


Turkish president Erdogan willing to support Ukraine's entry into NATO after war with Russia.


German language news report on Zelensky's visit to Turkey.

US-Russian Tensions Rising in Syria and Ukraine

On July 1st, the Iranian news center Tasnim quoted 'military-diplomatic sources' in Damascus, Syria, on the formation of Kurdish volunteers by Ukrainian experts inside Syria, in what is referred to as 'terrorist structures'. It is about both, countering Russian presence in Syria and preparing Kurdish fighters for a later deployment in Ukraine. The original text message from Iran is as follows:

Furthermore, the source revealed that American and Ukrainian intelligence officers hold regular joint consultations in Iraq to address the issue of countering the Russian presence in Syria. It was also disclosed that a decision has been made to double the number of 'terrorist structures' in the region.

According to the source, Ukrainian experts trained at US bases in Iraq are currently providing training to recruited militants who will be sent to Ukraine at a later stage. The source highlighted that the Ukrainian consul in the Kurdish Autonomous Region in Iraq is typically entrusted with the task of recruiting militants and facilitating their transfer to Syria.

Notably, recent meetings between US forces and armed factions from Arab tribes in Al-Hasakah and Raqqa in Syria have intensified. These meetings aim to coordinate efforts with the militants, raising questions about the nature of this movement and the potential resurgence of tensions along the Syrian-Iraqi border.

At the same time, tensions between the US side and Russia's air force in Syria seem to rise as has been reported by Kurdistan 24, a Kurdish news center on June 22:

In a briefing to journalists [in Washington], U.S. Air Force Lt. General Alexus Grynkewich, who heads CENTCOM’s Combined Forces Air Component, explained how the war in Ukraine is exacerbating tensions in northeastern Syria, where the U.S. supports the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against ISIS. ..........

Asked by Kurdistan 24 if Russia’s aggressive posture toward U.S. forces in Syria might relate to its aggression against Ukraine, Grynkewich seemed to agree, providing several examples.

He suggested that Russia’s air force in Syria had become more aggressive “perhaps as a way to compensate for the fact that they have had to move capability and capacity out of Syria in order to support the war in Ukraine.”

Grynkewich also suggested that the difficulties Russia is facing in Ukraine may be contributing to reckless behavior by its pilots.

Editor's Comment:
I created this blogspot in order to shed some light on an alleged 'deployment of Kurdish mercenaries in Ukraine', a topic discussed by different Chinese media some days earlier.

As to the credibility of Russian sources, quoted by the Chinese, I have my seconds thoughts. Same goes with the Iranian news center:

Trying to verify any information given here, I stumbled on the fact that this article was only available in English. While other daily subjects of high importance usually go with a translation into other regional idioms like Arabic, Farsi or Hebrew, this was obviously not the case.

In a subsequent search of the net I therefore used keywords in Arabic, but without any relevant result. Among lots of Arabic sources of each provenance there was simply no (= zero) additional information on the subject coming from the region. I might have overlooked something of minor importance, but I don't believe so. So I come to think that this is just another disinformation campaign, as I already indicated in my last blogspot.

[By the way, I even found the Arabic version of a Tasnim article on Syria challenging the US in front of the United Nations Security Council for inflicting damage on Syria, including 100 billion US dollars of economic losses. That information had been quoted by the Chinese. => Compare last blogspot of mine !]

Syrian Ambassador Sabbagh during a session of the UN Security Council [Tasnim, Jan. 25, 2023]

Russian Agency : Kurdish Mercenaries for Ukraine ?

当地时间6月30日，俄新社援引来自叙利亚相关人士的话报道称，美国当局开始从叙利亚境内招募武装力量以支持乌克兰。为此，美国中央情报局的相关人员正同叙境内的库尔德武装力量和一些部落进行谈判。

On June 30, local time, RIA Novosti quoted sources from Syria as saying that the US authorities began recruiting armed forces from Syria to support Ukraine. To this end, relevant personnel of the US Central Intelligence Agency are negotiating with the Kurdish armed forces and some tribes in Syria. [Chinese news published on 1st July]

Another Chinese source, published the same day, is stressing that Ukrainian forces might be running out of active soldiers, referring to 'heavy losses' but, as well, to lots of Ukrainian 'citizens fleeing the country'.

As to the Ukrainian refugees now flooding West European countries, I should add that these are entirely women and children. Young male adults are forbidden to leave Ukraine and are, therefore, either joining the army or waiting to be called to the weapons. And this is just what happens.

Russia's media information is difficult to believe. In fact, the US position in Syria seems to be rather delicate such as US troops can neither advance nor retreat in a war against, both, the Islamic State (ISIS) and Iranian-backed groups in a semi-autonomous region, run by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish group. It looks as if the US are essentially relying on their Kurdish allies in some kind of perpetual war that cannot be won. How then send away their most able Kurdish partners in combat to Ukraine ?

The following information is the gist of an article published on June 15 by Jonathan Guyer, a foreign policy, national security, and global affairs editor for VOX News:

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that troops are needed because “if you completely ignore and turn your back, then you’re setting the conditions for a resurgence.”

But experts say that the US troops there are not building toward a sustainable outcome, and that resisting ISIS has become the pretext for a perpetual US presence.

“It’s a strategy that just makes no sense,” says Robert Ford, who served as US ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014. “The real way forward is not leaving 900 troops to play whack-a-mole in eastern Syria.”

Ford explains that the American mission to secure the outright defeat of ISIS is impossible. The 900 troops in the northeast of Syria and the US garrison at al-Tanf cannot stop a low level of recruitment into ISIS ranks. “So we can bomb some and we can kill some, but they'll always replace the people that they lose,” he told me. “This is a classic forever war.”

Anyway, it is difficult to understand why US units in Syria and their Kurdish allies should get into the focus of recruiters in need of loyal mercenaries for a deployment in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Instead, the whole story seems to be fabricated by the Russian side which follows different policies in the Syrian conflict and would welcome everything useful to weaken the US position there.

And there is another reason for the US to stay in Syria: It's the oil and gas fields that have to be 'secured' by US and allied military. Of course, US legitimacy for that can be questioned, but it's just another reason for the US to stay, as an earlier Chinese article indicated on June 16:

2022年12月，叙利亚外交部致信联合国秘书长和联合国安理会主席指出，美国非法驻军及其支持的反对派武装，不断盗运叙利亚石油等资源、并破坏叙利亚基础设施，已给叙利亚造成259亿美元的直接经济损失，以及860亿美元的间接经济损失。

“我们留下军队就是为了石油”

多位分析人士指出，美军不请自来、又赖着不走，他们就是为了这里的石油。但这些石油所带来的收入原本是为了改善叙利亚民生，叙利亚石油从来就不属于美国。

In December 2022, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Chairman of the UN Security Council, pointing out that the illegal presence of U.S. troops and the opposition forces supported by the United States have continued to smuggle Syrian oil and other resources and destroy Syrian infrastructure, which has caused 25.9 billion US Dollars damage to Syria in direct economic losses and of 86 billion US Dollars in indirect economic losses.

"We keep the military for the oil"

Many analysts pointed out that the U.S. military came here uninvited and refused to leave, and they did so for the oil here. However, the income from that oil was originally intended to improve the livelihood of the Syrian people, and Syrian oil has never belonged to the United States.

Extended oil and gas fields, as well as wheat in the northeastern provinces of Syria

Sandworm - Hacker Unit of Russia's Military Intelligence

On June 27, the Austrian paper 'Der Standard' published an article about Jewgeni Serebrjakow, prominent member of Russia's hacker group 'Sandworm'. Here some excerpts from the German language publication in the English and Chinese version:

In April 2018, Yevgeny Serebryakov and three other Russian agents are standing in a parking lot in The Hague, the Netherlands, with a lot of hacking equipment in his rental car. The men have a plan: they want to hack into the Wi-Fi in the nearby building of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). At that time, the OPCW was investigating whether the Assad regime, which was allied with Russia, had used poison gas against civilians.

But before the hackers can get started, they are surrounded by Dutch agents who had been shadowing Serebryakov and his colleagues. The Dutch confiscate the equipment – cash, mobile phones, laptops – and expel the men from the country. A few months later, the Dutch company held a press conference – and presented photos of the passports used, the rental car and a bag in which the hackers collected their garbage so as not to leave fingerprints in the hotel. It is, there is hardly any other way to put it, a public demonstration of the GRU secret service. [GRU = Russia's military intelligence service]

Diplomatic passport used by Jewgeni Serebrjakow

2018年4月，叶夫根尼·谢列布里亚科夫和另外三名俄罗斯特工站在荷兰海牙的一个停车场，租来的车里有很多黑客设备。这些人有一个计划：他们想入侵禁止化学武器组织（禁化武组织）附近大楼的Wi-Fi。当时，禁化武组织正在调查与俄罗斯结盟的阿萨德政权是否对平民使用毒气。

但在黑客开始之前，他们被一直跟踪谢列布里亚科夫及其同事的荷兰特工包围。荷兰没收了设备——现金、手机、笔记本电脑——并将这些人驱逐出境。几个月后，这家荷兰公司举行了新闻发布会，并展示了所用护照、租车和黑客收集垃圾的袋子的照片，以免在酒店留下指纹。几乎没有任何其他方式可以说，这是 GRU 特勤局的公开展示。

However, the same Yevgeny Serebryakov now leads one of the most dangerous hacking groups in the world: Sandworms. That's a staggering increase, as sandworm forces play a central role in Russian military intelligence: Ukrainian hackers shut down the grid twice, albeit only for a brief time in 2015 and 2016. Sandworms also play an important role in Russia's war of aggression. In March, the US trade magazine Wired reported on the promotion, and soon after a document appeared on the Internet that was of particular interest to Western intelligence services: a certain Yevgeny Serebryakov's master's thesis on the title: "Information Confrontation in World Politics." In more than 90 pages and 77 footnotes, it explains the meaning behind the clumsy term "information confrontation": it is generally believed not only in Russia that information can be used as a weapon.

然而，同样的叶夫根尼·谢列布里亚科夫现在领导着世界上最危险的黑客组织之一：沙虫。这是一个惊人的增长，因为沙虫部队在俄罗斯军事情报部门发挥着核心作用：乌克兰的黑客两次关闭电网，尽管只是在 2015 年和 2016 年的短暂时间。沙虫在俄罗斯侵略战争中也发挥着重要作用。 3月，美国贸易杂志《连线》报道了这次推广，不久后，一份文件登陆了互联网，西方情报部门对此特别感兴趣：某叶夫根尼·谢列布里亚科夫的硕士论文，题目："世界政治中的信息对抗"。在 90 多页和 77 个脚注中，它解释了笨拙的术语"信息对抗"背后的含义：不仅在俄罗斯普遍认为信息可以用作武器。

In 2020, some Chinese language publication already mentioned the Sandworm group as being targeted by US authorities:

美联社和CNN等多家美媒报道，当地时间10月19日，美国宾夕法尼亚州西部地区地方法院对6名俄罗斯黑客发出了逮捕令，被通缉的6名黑客属于Sandworm（沙虫）黑客组织，在俄罗斯情报机构的支持下，对美国公司、乌克兰能源系统、2018年韩国冬季奥运会的组织者等进行了网络攻击，导致数千台计算机瘫痪，损失约10亿美元，美国方面相信这6名俄罗斯黑客就是NotPetya勒索软件的幕后黑手。

Associated Press, CNN and other US media reported that on October 19, local time, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania issued arrest warrants for six Russian hackers. The six wanted hackers belonged to the Sandworm hacker organization which is backed by Russian intelligence agencies. [They had allegedly] carried out cyberattacks on U.S. companies, Ukrainian energy systems, organizers of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, etc., paralyzing thousands of computers and costing about $1 billion. The U.S. believes the six Russian hackers are behind the NotPetya ransomware.

Leaked IT contractor files detail Kremlin's stockpile of cyber-weapons: The NTC Vulcan Files.
How the 'Washington Post' got their hands on the Vulcan files, leaked from Russia's IT giant.

Russia's Private Armies - Acting in a Legal Vacuum

然而，尽管是最高调的存在，“瓦格纳”却不是唯一在乌克兰为俄罗斯作战的私人军事公司，它的崛起也并非“独一无二的现象”。事实上，俄乌冲突导致俄罗斯其他私人军事公司急速扩张，以及众多雇佣兵团的诞生。据统计，俄罗斯已有超过30个雇佣兵团。

此前不少分析称，这些大多由俄罗斯富豪、权贵资助的兵团实质就是私人军队，其背后引发的“权力游戏”注定将在俄罗斯产生“破坏性影响”。俄媒也在24日的报道中称，“瓦格纳”从“心腹变为心腹大患”的根源，是这些私人军事公司游走在俄罗斯法律的真空地带，再加之金钱、权力等一系列纠葛。

Wagner is not the only private military company fighting for Russia in Ukraine, nor is its rise a "unique phenomenon". In fact, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine led to the rapid expansion of other Russian private military companies and the birth of numerous mercenary regiments. According to statistics, Russia has more than 30 mercenary regiments.

Many previous analysts said that these corps, which are mostly funded by Russia's rich and powerful, are essentially private armies, and the "power game" behind them is destined to have a "destructive impact" in Russia. In a report on the 24th, Russian media also said that the root cause of "Wagner" from "henchman to henchman" is that these private military companies wander in the vacuum of Russian law, coupled with a series of entanglements such as money and power. ...........

美国战争研究所在去年10月的一份评估报告指出，普里戈任在“俄罗斯国家结构和信息空间中占据着独特的优势地位”，这使得他比俄军高级指挥官更容易在俄罗斯“扩大自己的选区”。不仅如此，普里戈任还可以自由地“提升”自己和他的部队，同时还能“批评俄政府官员或俄武装部队，而不必担心遭到反击”。

随着“瓦格纳”快速成长为一支俄罗斯政府军主力的结盟部队，其在俄乌冲突中扮演的角色也越来越重要，最好的例证可能就是今年初的一次法律改革。今年3月，一项禁止“诋毁或审查俄武装部队”的法律范围扩大到了包括“雇佣军和志愿军”。

An assessment report by the U.S. War Research Institute in October last year pointed out that Prigozhin occupies a "uniquely advantageous position in the Russian state structure and information space", which makes him more likely than a senior Russian military commander to conduct military operations in Russia and "expand his legal frame". Not only that, but Prigozhin is also free to "promote" himself and his troops, and at the same time "criticize Russian government officials or the Russian armed forces without fear of retaliation."

As Wagner has rapidly grown into a mainstay of the Russian government's allied force, its role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has grown, perhaps best exemplified by a legal overhaul earlier this year. In March, a law prohibiting "defamation or censorship of the Russian armed forces" was expanded to include "mercenaries and volunteers". ..........

GAZPROM - Military Branch

俄最大能源巨头至少手握4支队伍。

去年11月被任命为乌克兰俄控区监狱管理员后，乌克兰亲俄商人阿尔缅·萨尔基斯扬便计划利用自己的职位，并借鉴“瓦格纳”集团的招募模式，成立一个私人军事公司。乌克兰方面声称，这家公司由俄罗斯富豪萨姆韦尔·卡拉佩提安资助。卡拉佩提安是塔希尔控股公司老板，该公司是俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司的分包商。

最为关键的是，俄最大能源巨头俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司（简称“俄气”）也组建了多个雇佣兵团。据报道，至少有三家与俄气公司有关联的私人军事公司一直在乌克兰境内与俄罗斯军队并肩作战，它们分别被称为“火炬”“洪流”和“堡垒”。

其中，“堡垒”是唯一一家规模和经验都与“瓦格纳”接近的。据悉，该组织已存在数年，此前为叙利亚的基础设施项目提供安全保障，最初规模很小，但在俄乌冲突爆发后一直在积极“招兵买马”。

Russia's largest energy giant holds at least 4 teams.

After being appointed as the administrator of the prison in the Russian-controlled area of Ukraine in November last year, Ukrainian pro-Russian businessman Armen Sarkisyan planned to use his position and learn from the recruitment model of the 'Wagner' group to set up a private military company. Ukraine claims the company was funded by Russian billionaire Samwell Karapetian. Karapetian is the owner of Tahir Holding, a subcontractor for Gazprom.

The most critical thing is that Russia's largest energy giant Gazprom has also formed a number of mercenary groups. At least three private military companies linked to Gazprom, known as 'Torch', 'Torrent' and 'Fortress', have been fighting alongside Russian forces inside Ukraine, according to reports.

Among them, 'Fortress' is the only company whose scale and experience are close to 'Wagner'. It is reported that the organization has existed for several years. It previously provided security for infrastructure projects in Syria. It was originally small in scale, but it has been actively "recruiting troops" after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

A similar article, dealing with the same subject, was published
the same day by some other regional news center (above).

.........................


It's about sabotage of the North Stream pipelines that should have provided Germany
with natural gas delivered by Russia's GAZPROM. After the beginning of Russia's full-
fledged attack on Ukraine, Germany froze the project and enforced the construction of
Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminals to ensure energy supply independent from Russia.