Saturday, October 21, 2023

Palestinian Westbank - Incursion of Israeli Forces

LAST UPDATE added below on Oct. 23

مواجهات بين شبان فلسطينيين وقوات الاحتلال
في مخيم شعفاط بالقدس المحتلة

قال مراسل الجزيرة إن مواجهات اندلعت بين شبان فلسطينيين وقوات الاحتلال في مخيم شعفاط بالقدس المحتلة

Clashes between Palestinian youths and occupation forces
in Shuafat refugee camp in occupied Jerusalem.


A correspondent of Al-Jazeera [TV station in Qatar] said that clashes broke out between Palestinian youths and occupation forces in Shuafat [مخيم شعفاط] refugee camp in occupied Jerusalem.



The 'Demographic Wall' (Separation Wall) at Shuafat Refugee Camp.


Al-Jazeera life coverage on October 20, 2023


=> Israeli bombardment near Al-Quds Hospital in Ghaza City on Oct. 23, 02:00 GMT <=

=> Scenes at Rafah hospital, southern Ghaza, after local Israeli bombardment on Oct. 23 <=



Quds Press seems to be a Hamas-near publication located in Britain. The same source is mentioning an Israeli incursion in the Jericho area.


Here is a summary of mass demonstrations in support of the Palestinians that took place in Arab countries, given by Quds Press on Oct. 21, 2023:

ففي مصر، خرجت مظاهرات حاشدة في عدة مدن وميادين ومساجد منها "ميدان التحرير" والجامع الأزهر بالعاصمة القاهرة، ردد فيها المتظاهرون هتافات نصرة للفلسطينيين ورفضا لتهجيرهم

ومن بين هذه الهتافات: "أرضي أرضك دينك ديني"، "بالروح بالدم نفديك يا أقصى

وطالب المتظاهرون بسرعة إدخال مساعدات إنسانية إلى قطاع غزة الذي يشهد حصارا مطبقا منذ أسبوعين من القوات الإسرائيلية التي قطعت عنه الكهرباء والغذاء والدواء والماء والوقود

وفي الدوحة، نظم المئات وقفة تضامنية مع غزة في ساحة مسجد الإمام محمد بن عبد الوهاب بعد صلاة الجمعة.

وفي الأردن، شارك الآلاف في فعاليات تضامنية مع غزة بالعاصمة عمان، منها بمنطقة "الرابية" حيث مقر السفارة الإسرائيلية، رافعين أعلام فلسطين، ومرددين "بالروح بالدم نفديك يا أقصى"، وغيرها من الهتافات، وفق مراسل الأناضول

وفي المغرب، أعلنت الجبهة المغربية لدعم فلسطين ومناهضة التطبيع (غير حكومية)، انتظام أكثر من 114 وقفة ومظاهرة في عدة مدن بالبلاد، دعما لفلسطين وتنديدا بما سمته "التواطؤ العالمي
..........
وفي اليمن، تظاهر الآلاف في مدن عدة، منها مأرب وتعز وعتق تضامنا مع الشعب الفلسطيني، وتنديدا بما يحدث في قطاع غزة، رافعين العلم الفلسطيني، ورددوا هتافات من قبيل "لبيك يا أقصى


In Egypt, mass demonstrations took place in several cities, squares and mosques, including Tahrir Square and Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, in which demonstrators chanted slogans in support of the Palestinians and rejected their displacement.

Among these chants are: "Satisfy your land, your religion is my religion", "With soul and blood we redeem you, O Al-Aqsa".

The demonstrators demanded the rapid entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, which has been under siege for two weeks by Israeli forces who cut off electricity, food, medicine, water and fuel.
[Editor's Note: Meanwhile 20 trucks with aid materials have been allowed into Ghaza at the Rafah checkpoint.]

In Doha, hundreds held a stand in solidarity with Gaza in the courtyard of the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab mosque after Friday prayers.

In Jordan, thousands participated in solidarity events with Gaza in the capital Amman, including the "Rabieh" area, where the Israeli embassy is located, raising Palestinian flags, chanting "With soul and blood, we redeem you, O Al-Aqsa," and other slogans, according to an Anadolu correspondent
[Anadolu: Turkish press agency].

In Morocco, the Moroccan Front for Support of Palestine and Against Normalization (non-governmental) announced the organization of more than 114 vigils and demonstrations in several cities in the country, in support of Palestine and condemning what it called "global complicity."
..........
In Yemen, thousands demonstrated in several cities, including Marib, Taiz and Ataq, in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and to denounce what is happening in the Gaza Strip, raising the Palestinian flag, and chanting slogans such as "Labbaik Ya Al-Aqsa".








Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Ghaza Underground - The Underworld of Palestine




A couple of years ago, some "diplomatic and military observer" published the following text on a Chinese military news site. Parts of that text have been translated and could serve as some kind of an expert comment about Hamas using "Ghaza Underground" to fight Israeli incursions into the densely populated Palestinian settlements of Ghaza:


揭秘加沙特色的地道战:哈马斯令以军损失惨重
Uncovering the unique tunnel warfare in Ghaza:
Hamas caused heavy losses to the Israeli army.


Starting in early July [2014], the Israeli army launched a large-scale ground offensive into the Gaza area controlled by Hamas, code-named "Operation Protective Edge." In addition to the standing army, the Israeli army also mobilized 86,000 reserve soldiers with the goal of completely clearing Hamas rocket launch sites in Ghaza. However, since the battle started, the Israeli army has only achieved the "result" of killing hundreds of Hamas militants at the heavy cost of 61 dead soldiers. The exchange ratio has hit a new low, surprising everyone from all walks of life.

In this battle, Hamas's armed resistance actions featuring "tunnel warfare" were talked about by all parties because of their special tactics and outstanding results: not only Hamas repeatedly broadcast news of sneak attacks on Israeli troops through tunnels , the Israeli army itself has made destroying Hamas tunnels its top priority. In China, the media's constant exaggeration and the lasting influence of the classic military-education film "Tunnel Warfare" made it regarded as a "good recipe" for Hamas to defeat the enemy.

In Palestine, which is full of deserts, the elusive tunnel warfare of Hamas has some similarities and more differences with its distant Chinese cousin, the Ranzhuang tunnel warfare. What are Hamas's tunnels and tunnel warfare like? This has to start with the blockade of Ghaza.

Ghaza Blockade and Tunnels

As a traditional human construction project, tunnels have played a significant role in war. In military history, tunnels have played various roles: During the Anti-Japanese War, the Ranzhuang Tunnel in the North China Plain provided shelter for villagers when the Japanese and puppet troops invaded; during the Vietnam War, thousands of people's troops lived, marched and even fought in hidden tunnels; To this day, the Syrian opposition continues to destroy fortresses by digging tunnels and planting explosives beneath enemy positions. In Gaza, the two most important types of tunnels are the most basic traffic tunnels.

Gaza faces the sea on one side and borders Egypt and Israel on land. After Hamas gained full management rights over Ghaza in 2007, Israel completely blocked Ghaza and carried out intermittently shelling and "targeted killing" operations in Ghaza; Egypt also nominally closed the border between Egypt and Ghaza.

Ghaza was obviously unable to support itself with only a small amount of humanitarian aid, so it started a large-scale tunnel smuggling business. In the first quarter of 2013, the tunnels provided Ghaza with 65% of its flour, 67% of its consumer goods, 98% of its sugar, and 100% of its steel and cement. It also provided Hamas with important weapons and financial support - to 800 militants annually. The taxes levied by many smuggling tunnels are equivalent to 40% of Hamas's fiscal revenue. Firearms, ammunition, rocket launcher parts and even anti-tank missiles and other weapons continue to flow into Hamas's armed forces, greatly enhancing its strength.

Most of these smuggling tunnels lead to Egypt, and a few extend into Israel. The tunnels are usually wide and sturdy, and can generally accommodate two people or one person and a cart. Large ones can even pass small cars. The tunnels are reinforced with steel beams, reinforced concrete prefabricated panels or cement hollow bricks to prevent collapse or bombing. Due to the actual connivance of the Egyptian government, most of the tunnels leading to Egypt are semi-open, while the smuggling tunnels leading to Israel are strictly covered both at the entrance and exit.

Coexisting with smuggling tunnels are military tunnels. At present, it seems that such tunnels were dug by Hamas specifically for sneak attacks on Israeli troops. This kind of tunnel is smaller in size and is reinforced with cement boards, but the exit can only accommodate a single person crawling. Even close to the entrance, the tunnel is still several meters deep, and the entrance is carefully camouflaged. Such tunnels usually penetrate deep into Israel, and after the Israeli army attacked Gaza, they became Hamas' main means of harassing the Israeli army's rear areas.

No matter what kind of tunnel, it is very expensive and expensive to build. It is dangerous to dig tunnels in places where there is a lack of geological exploration and safety equipment. Many young people have died in landslides during the 12 hours of tunnel excavation every day. Normally, a tunnel consumes 350 tons of concrete, and the excavation cost for an average tunnel of 700 meters is as high as US$250,000. A tunnel to Israel or Egypt costs millions of dollars. This is why many tunnel diggers joke about having millions (assets) but not even a million dollars in cash.

Underground Infiltration and Short-Range Artillery

Unlike the one-time blast tunnels that frequently appear on the Syrian battlefield and are specially used for government forces to fly "earth planes", most Ghaza tunnels can now be used repeatedly as long as they are used properly (Before 2012, Hamas tried to use them repeatedly. Blasting tunnels to blow up Israeli military outposts, but this type of tunnel excavation is expensive, easy to be discovered by the Israeli army and can only be used once, so it was gradually abandoned by Hamas). Through these tunnels, Hamas penetrates into Israeli military positions or behind frontline troops in teams of less than 10 people, and launches sneak attacks on Israeli military posts or small groups of troops in areas far away from tunnel entrances.

The Ghaza border is long and the Israeli army is short of troops. It can only ensure that there are sufficient troops at the front and only a few people are stationed at the rear post. The fast-moving Hamas team can easily succeed and evacuate from the tunnel before Israeli reinforcements arrive. Even if the sneak attack fails and the assault team is annihilated, as long as they are not in a position to enter the tunnel, the tunnel will not be easily exposed. In order to solve this problem, the Israeli army recruited a large number of reserves and tried to protect these rear strongholds by increasing the density of troops and the number of patrols. Unexpectedly, this move actually increased the probability of Israeli casualties.

In the past few years, with the continuous expansion of the smuggling tunnel business, Hamas, which has become richer in financial resources, has begun to reflect on its combat experience in resisting Israeli invasions and strengthened its armed forces in a targeted manner. An important step is to equip portable anti-tank missiles on a large scale. As Libya, Egypt, Syria and other countries fell into civil strife, a large number of weapons, including anti-tank missiles, were dispersed into the arms market. Together with the imitation Soviet-made anti-tank missiles purchased from North Korea, Hamas's anti-tank strength has greatly increased. .

Although these 1970s-era missiles are incapable of destroying the heavy armored vehicles and main battle tanks of the Israeli frontline troops in a direct confrontation, they have a unique opportunity in the face of the called-up reserves: the old M113 armored vehicles for the reserves can only defend themselves against attacks from old-style rocket launchers and are powerless against anti-tank missiles. Hamas can launch missiles relatively covertly from one kilometer away, and as long as they hit, they can cause "mass casualties." Compared with rocket launchers that are not powerful enough and have to get as close as 100 to 200 meters, yet only hitting by luck, anti-tank missiles have become a "nightmare" for the Israeli army.

This tactic is generally the same as that of the Lebanese Hezbollah. In 2009, Hezbollah used 500 anti-tank missiles to destroy more than 50 Israeli tanks and armored vehicles, causing the Israeli army to pay huge casualties.

Another use of tunnels by Hamas is to conceal rocket launch sites. Among the Hamas tunnels discovered by the Israeli army, one had four rocket launchers installed at the entrance of the tunnel. Not only is such way of launching more concealed, it can also increase the range of the rocket with the help of tunnels. - Half of the indigenous rockets of poor quality land on Ghaza's own territory due to their insufficient range. Moving the launch site underground to Israel will increase the rocket's probability of reaching Israeli territory to 100%. Because the ballistic trajectories of Turkish rockets are unstable, it is difficult for the Israeli military to accurately determine the location of these launch positions and attack them.

Of course, these two tactics are not enough to stop or even contain the Israeli army. They only make the Israeli army pay a higher price and bear greater domestic pressure. Judging from the fact that the Israeli military has shifted its focus to attacking tunnels, this kind of attack is still effective.



الليله || مصر الجزائر كندا بلجيكا - وشعب الاردن مصمم على فتح الحدود
Tonight in Egypt Algeria Canada Belgium
[Thousands are shouting their motto]
"The People of Jordan demand a border opening"


Demonstration of pro-Palestinian activists in Amman, Jordan, demanding the opening
of the Rafah border crossing to Egypt in southern Ghaza to enable the entrance of aid
delivery into Ghaza. The people of Jordan comprises 98% Arabs, including 370,000
Palestinians who are living in UNRWA refugee camps after having to flee from Israel.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Black Friday News - Decay of the Jewish State ?


Last Update: Oct. 15


Israel is mourning after the deadliest attack in its 75-year history, as more than 1,500 Hamas members attacked through the Gaza security barrier in their coordinated land, air and sea attack on the Jewish Sabbath.

Hamas' ability to remain undetected while preparing and launching such a big, complex assault from the closely monitored and heavily guarded Gaza strip could serve as kind of evidence of an => unprecedented intelligence failure for US ally Israel <=.

One Hamas official claimed that when they got into southern Israel they were surprised by the [Israel Defense Forces] IDF’s weak response: “We were planning to make some gains and take prisoners to exchange them. This army was a paper tiger.” It would be granting too much to Hamas to assume that it had no interest in murdering local civilians and no plans to do so. But with the IDF absent there was nothing to prevent them going on a rampage, moving into nearby towns and villages, shooting whoever they found and breaking into houses to kill residents. [Financial Times, October 14]

Israeli authorities say Hamas gunmen killed more than 1,200 people and wounded over 2,700 as they swept into small towns and kibbutzim and indiscriminately killed residents who hid in their homes or died defending their communities.

Israel has been relentlessly pounding Hamas targets in Gaza in response, and the war has already claimed the lives of more than 3,700 lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, soldiers and combatants.

=> Why We Refused <= is an article published in Israel's newspaper Haaretz on Sept. 25, 2002. It's about three Israeli bomber pilots who refused to bomb civilian areas and non-military targets in Lebanon.

In Washington, President Joe Biden has pledged to send more US munitions and military hardware and expressed revulsion at the "sheer evil" of the slaughter of civilians.

Republican Congressman Michael McCaul (Foreign Affairs Committee / before: Committee on Homeland Security) said the attack may have been planned as long as a year ago. "We're not quite sure how we missed it. We're not quite sure how Israel missed it," he told reporters.

Cairo has not commented officially on suggestions that it may have offered an early warning. But Arabic media quoted senior security sources from Egypt on Monday Oct. 9, confirming that such warnings had been issued.

However this is not all !

Israel's army has undergone a loss of qualified personnel due to dramatic changes in society. Qualified young Israelis are not willing any longer to join the army for a rather low salary while well-paid jobs are waiting for them elsewhere.

But there is even more when it comes to severe changes planned for Israel's judicial system on behalf of prime minister Netanyahu. His efforts to cling to his outstanding government position seem to be => Netanyahu's way to avoid prison for corruption charges <=. To serve his purpose, he doesn't even refrain from building an alliance with the most questionable hardliners to be found in Israel's society.

If Netanyahu was ever charged and sentenced with corruption, this would not be the first time for a high-ranking Israeli politician to commit a criminal offence: On 22 March 2011, Moshe Katsav was sentenced to seven years in prison and two years' probation for rape, indecent acts, sexual harassment and obstruction of justice, in this way becoming the first former President of Israel to be sentenced to prison. I still find it difficult to believe that such extent of criminal attitude and behaviour on the highest level of society, deeply rooted in the personality of a public leader, could be observed in a nation we have to call 'civilized'.

So there is something foul in the state of Israel !





Above: Latest News from BBC on October 14.

Below: Footage of the Hamas attack on Israel
by Erem News إرم نيوز including pictures from
people fleeing the youth music festival where
Israeli hostages were taken. Pictures taken
of cheering Palestinians at a border breach.
Inside Israel, 2 fighter jets of Israel's air force
were removed on low-loaders to protect them
during Hamas attacks with Qassam rockets
.
Foreigners are being shown, trying to leave
Tel Aviv in a hurry from Ben Gourion airport.



"Safe region" of Israel


By the way, all that is necessary to know
about the Hamas attack can be found in
my repeatedly updated blog from Oct. 7, the
original address of which has been corrupted.

This should have something to do with firewall
synchronization, a subject of cyber security.

Saturday, October 07, 2023

War on Israel - Operation Al-Aqsa Storm عملية عاصفة الأقصى
Hamas launched 5,000 rockets from Ghaza

Updates have been added
below on Oct. 8 / 9 / 11 / 12.



Egypt Warning Israel
Kuwaiti Newspaper السياسة Oct. 9
Information confirmed by official US sources [NDTV Oct. 11].



Opinion from China 来自中国的意见


The Chinese source is quoting Israel's newspaper Haaretz which has published a list of high-ranking Israeli officers who died in the conflict. Major General Nimrod Aloni, former commander of the Gaza Division, was captured at the beginning of the war. Brigadier General Peled, deputy commander of the border police, died together with his family of three.

实事求是的说没有不被打死的将军或者说高级指挥官,问题是以色列国防军一直以来都被认为是先进军队,且能征善战,在四次中东战争中高级军官身先士卒,指挥得力,把阿拉伯国家军队打得丢盔卸甲…这怎么到了21世纪装备更加现代化了,人却越来越退步了呢?

其根本原因就是随着以色列社会的变革,以色列的兵源的素质越来越差了,当兵工资待遇与以色列其他行业相比低得可怜,虽然说以色列是义务兵制度,适龄青年都必须参军,但是服役期过后没人愿意继续待在部队付出青春,留不住人才,特别是陆军基层军官和普通士兵的素质越来越低了。

To be honest, there are no generals or senior commanders who have been killed. The problem is that the Israel Defense Forces have always been considered as an advanced army and capable of fighting well. In the four Middle East wars, senior officers took the lead and commanded effectively, leading the Arab countries' armies to loose their armor... How does it come that in the 21st century, while equipment has been modernized, yet personnel has become more and more regressed?

The fundamental reason is that with the changes in Israeli society, the quality of Israel's soldiers is getting worse and worse. Compared with other industries in Israel, the salary and benefits of soldiers are pitifully low. Although Israel has a compulsory military system and all young people of appropriate age must join the army, however, after their service period none is willing to stay in the army and devote their youth, and it is impossible to retain talents. Especially the quality of the army's grassroots officers and ordinary soldiers is getting lower and lower.




First news from Israel



Hamas fired a large number of rockets towards Israel, launched
from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip this morning, Oct. 7, 2023.


Hamas terror commander Mohammed Deif has called for more attacks and encouraged assaults against Israel to take place from within Israel, according to Al-Mayadeen, which is considered pro-Iran.

Al-Mayadeen as well as Iranian media such as Tasnim News have all detailed the widespread attack. This illustrates the widespread Iranian axis involvement in the wave of rocket fire and attacks on Saturday morning.

Al-Mayadeen said that Deif had announced the “Al Aqsa Storm” operation in response to “the occupation” and Israel’s policies in Jerusalem. He referenced claims that women had been assaulted in Jerusalem.

“In response to the occupation’s orgy in Al-Aqsa Mosque and the dragging of women in its courtyards” the Hamas terror leader said that 5,000 rockets had been fired at Israel, Al-Mayadeen claimed.

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

The terror group successfully invaded around 22 Gaza corridor communities, of varying sizes, by cutting through the IDF’s supposedly enhanced border fence, amphibious landings with naval commandos at Zikim, and makeshift small air transport and drone-type vehicles simultaneously starting around 6:30 a.m.

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

According to local Israeli media released today, more than 250 Israelis have been killed and more than 1500 wounded. An unknown number has been kidnapped and brought to Gaza where they are still being held hostage. The wounded and dead resulted from all attacks: the invasion, the rockets, and from a surprise attack on various youth events in open areas. This was the largest number of Israeli casualties, especially civilians, in decades. [Jerusalem Post October 7, 2023]

Latest news on October 9 mentioned a death toll of more than 800 Israeli citizens. Israeli prime minister Netanyahu declared the 'state of war حالة الحرب'.
On October 11, the death toll of Israeli citizens was reported to have reached 1,200 while 1,500 Hamas activists should have perished in their operation 'Al-Aqsa Storm/Flood'. The number of hostages taken by Hamas militants at a Youth Music Festival in Israel is being considered to comprise about 150 persons, including at least 5 German citizens. [Western TV & Radio stations and other sources]




The proceedings of Operation 'Al-Aqsa Storm' on Oct. 7 in a daily
video overview published by channel Al-Jazeera قناة الجزيرة



2 years ago, the Voice of America (VOA) has published a video
showing Israeli bombardment of Ghaza as it used to take place
in the past. - This should serve as a typical example of Israeli
air force routine.





Heavy Israeli Bombardment of Ghaza
قصف إسرائيلي عنيف على غزة



Al-Manar (Hezbollah TV) - Special news for latest proceedings of the Al-Aqsa Brigades
during their Operation 'Al-Aqsa Flood' [Al-Aqsa Storm].
المنار - طوفان الأقصى



Voices from Iran
اصوات من إيرانا


الصحف الإيرانية: "طوفان الأقصى" عملية مفاجئة ومخططة بدقة
Iranian newspapers: The "Al-Aqsa Flood" is a
sudden and meticulously planned operation

في سياق متصل، قال "جعفر قنادباشي" أحد المحلّلين الاستراتيجيين الإيرانيين لأوضاع المنطقة في صحيفة "جام جم" إنّ: "العملية الكبيرة، وغير المسبوقة التي أطلقتها فصائل المقاومة أمس، كانت مفاجئة ومخططة بدقة وعلى أساس حسابات عسكرية دقيقة، ولم يسبق لها مثيل في تاريخ فلسطين"، مؤكدًا أنّ: "هذه العملية هي نتيجة لسلسلة من الجهود التي بذلت على مدى عدة عقود للرد على مجمل جرائم المحتلين خلال السبعين سنة الماضية".

In a related context, Jaafar Qandabashi, one of the Iranian strategic analysts of the situation in the region, said in the [Iranian] newspaper “Jam-e Jam جام جم: “The large and unprecedented operation launched by the resistance factions yesterday was sudden, meticulously planned and based on precise military calculations, and was unprecedented in Palestinian history. That [reference to Palestinian history] is stressing that: “This operation is the result of a series of efforts made over several decades to respond to all the crimes of the occupiers during the past seventy years.” [العهد = The Alliance / Epoch, Lebanon, Oct. 9]








Tuesday, October 03, 2023

HISTORY - How the U.S. saved millions of Soviet citizens
from mass starvation - HISTORY


US President Herbert Hoover - A capitalist working in Russia
An article published in the English edition of Russia Beyond.

Herbert Clark Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, worked in Russia as an entrepreneur from 1909 to 1913 and helped during the mass famine of 1921-1923.


Herbert Clark Hoover - US President 1929-33 during the "Great Depression".
"Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die."
"Children are our greatest natural resource."


Hoover, a mining engineer by profession, had been working in Russia since 1909. In Kyshtym in the Urals, he bought the enterprises from the heirs of the South Urals merchant Lev Rastorguev and created the joint-stock company ‘Kyshtym Mining Plants’. He was engaged in both financial reorganization and modernization of production.

This success at Kyshtym brought important repercussions. Russian industry had, hitherto, been often dominated by German and British operators. The Russians were always suspicious of them, fearing political implications. They resented the assumed superiority of the British and the German officials. They had none of that feeling toward Americans. The Russian engineers were most able technical men, but lacked training on the administrative side. There was instinctive camaraderie by which the Russians and Americans got along together,” Hoover wrote in his memoirs.

Hoover, who quickly gained prestige in Kyshtym, was later invited to supervise the development of the mining fields in the Altai Mountains. In his opinion, it was the largest and richest ore deposit known in the world. American engineers worked there until the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

Hoover left Russia in 1913.”"Had it not been for World War I, I would have had the largest engineering fees ever known to man,” he recalled of his work in Russia. He also headed several mining and oil companies.

In 1917, the United States severed diplomatic relations with the newly formed Bolshevik government. Nevertheless, when a mass famine broke out in Soviet Russia in 1921, Hoover, already Secretary of Commerce and head of the American Relief Administration (ARA), sent humanitarian supplies to the country, despite the fact that he was extremely negative about Bolshevism.

ARA donated aid to 20 million people in Soviet Russia. It provided food and shoes, agricultural machinery and seeds and opened hospitals and dispensaries.

Under President Hoover, the U.S. actively developed trade relations with the USSR. In 1932, with American assistance, an automobile plant in Nizhny Novgorod and a metallurgical plant in Novokuznetsk were launched.



Russian peasants suspected of cannibalism on a
photo with human remainings found at their home.
[Contemporary documents are also available from
the same Russian (?) source.]


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


Mass Famine in Russia - A Historic Event.
Another article published on 15 June 2022
in the German edition of Russia Beyond.

Originally, the U.S. initiative was aimed at curbing the influence of the Bolsheviks in Soviet Russia. During the great famine between 1921 and 1922, however, it saved the lives of millions of people.

One of the greatest disasters since the Middle Ages.

The catastrophe that forced the United States to send large-scale humanitarian aid to Russia is sometimes called one of the largest European disasters since the time of the Black Death, that is, the plague.

As a result of the First World War, the Civil War, hunger and the policies of the Bolsheviks, many regions in Russia suffered from an unprecedented famine between 1921 and 1922. Tens of millions of people were affected. The total number of victims who died due to the famine is estimated at at least five million. This state of affairs prompted the Soviet regime to ask for help from the "capitalist world" for the first time.

A struggle with food shortages and the "Bolshevism disease".

Two years before the outbreak of the devastating famine in Russia, the U.S. Congress had passed the "European Famine Relief Bill" in April 1919 with a sum of 85 million euros. The program was intended to help European countries suffering from food shortages after the First World War. The fight against hunger was led by the newly created American Relief Administration (ARA) under the leadership of Herbert Hoover, then U.S. food administrator and future president of the United States.

Bolshevik Russia was not directly represented in the list of countries that received assistance from the United States. This would have been hard to imagine, considering that the US and other Western countries had only recently intervened in the Russian Civil War on the side of the White Army and supported anti-Bolshevik troops in several Russian regions with army units.

Furthermore, the entire program was directed against Soviet Russia, as it was believed that left-wing radicalism might have spread to other European countries along with hunger. The historian Bertrand Patenaude puts it this way: "The economic and political instability of these states, most of which had just been built from the ruins of old empires, made them susceptible to the plague of the East, commonly called "the Bolshevism disease." European and American statesmen generally assumed that this evil was caused by hunger; that Bolshevism was the consequence of good people starving."

Russian intellectuals and Kremlin's plea for help.

However, this situation changed in the middle of 1921. The Bolshevik regime successfully resisted the foreign invasion and defeated its opponents – they had to be taken very seriously at the latest. Moreover, the famine at that time was so terrible that it was impossible to ignore it. Around 100,000 people fell victim to the disaster every week.

Russian writer Maxim Gorky turned to the international public and asked for help. Lenin also turned to the international proletariat for support. Then, in September, the famous Norwegian adventurer Fridtijof Nansen spoke to the public from the League of Nations rostrum and said that it was not right "to sentence millions of people to death just because of enmity with the Soviet regime."

At the same time, the ARA and the Soviet government concluded an agreement. However, it would be a mistake to think that Hoover dropped his political agenda during the time he was helping the Soviet Union. "Hoover believed that if only he could rid the Russians of starvation, they would regain their sanity and regain their physical strength in order to free themselves from the oppression of the Bolsheviks," Patenaude argues.


ARA poster "A gift from the American people".


Food for ten million people every day.

Hoover did not succeed in achieving his political goals. On the contrary, with his help, he contributed to the stabilization of the situation in Russia. Nevertheless, his support saved millions of lives.

The situation was indeed dramatic. As journalist and scientist Cynthia Heaven writes, people in the famine-stricken areas had to eat everything they could find: "grains of ground bones, tree bark and clover, but also horses, dogs, cats, rats and straw from the rooftops. The government sought to put an end to the sale of human flesh and set up guards in cemeteries to protect them from looting." Heaven also cites the terrifying memories of an ARA employee in Russia: "I've seen stacks of half-naked and frostbitten corpses in the most bizarre positions, with signs that they may have been eaten by stray dogs. I saw all these bodies – and it was a sight I'll never forget." During this time, the authorities opened more than 7,000 kitchens to feed people in need – far from enough.


ARA poster "America – for hungry Russians".
[The steamer "Phoenix" with a cargo of food
arrived in Petrograd on 1st September 1921.]


In August of the following year, for this reason, the ARA set up another 19,000 kitchens and supplied ten million people every day to support the Soviets. Usually, a meal included corn semolina, canned milk, cocoa, white bread and sugar – goods imported into the Soviet Union from abroad. In addition to the soup kitchens, ARA opened emergency shelters for the homeless and wise men and helped fight the typhus epidemic.

"Your help will go down in history as a unique, huge achievement, which deserves the greatest honor, which will long be remembered in the memory of millions of Russians whom you saved from death," Maxim Gorky wrote to Herbert Hoover in gratitude for his support.


Here is another reliable source on the same subject:
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross
Famine in Russia: The hidden horrors of 1921


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


Editor's Comment:
It should be added that the former Soviet Union during all the time of its existence never succeeded in feeding its population properly. Purchase of grain from Canada and even from the US became a regular item during its last years, not to mention the grave mistakes committed in the concept of agricultural production by Stalin and his followers. While the Great Famine of 1921-22 was mainly a result of an unusual drought, exaggerated by the consequences of a civil war that emerged after the Bolshevist revolution, Russia's new leaders, namely Lenin, managed to keep in the background instead of actively inviting foreign help into their country. Everything that was done to fight mass starvation remained the initiative of Hoover's ARA and other international aid organizations. Instead, the Cheka as an instrument of supervision and suppression was activated under the guidance of the Politburo to 'prove' any anti-Bolshevist attitude among members of such aid organizations, especially those from America.

Even years later, more money was spent to finance industrial espionage operations instead of modernizing Russia's inadequate economical structures. I remember a Professor at my West-Berlin university who unexpectedly became the target of a little snoop, obviously sent by some 'informal member' (IM) for East-German state security (Stasi), and who kept a facade for science espionage at East-Berlin's Humboldt University. That IM operated in close connection with Russia's KGB when it came to detect anything new discovered by Western scientists. As to the above-mentioned West-Berlin Professor, it was his professional interest in a certain group of chemicals occurring in nature which lead him to the development of chemically stable fungicides for plant protection, a project turning into a big-selling hit for Germany's agricultural chemicals branch much later.
After the crumbling of the East-German state in 1989, their state security IM in the background, and who held the post of a regular Humboldt Professor, was immediately licensed (*) while his 'errand boy' vanished to the Munich region, embedded in a group of similar guys. He is still naming himself 'Herr Onur' in allegation to his documents describing him as the Turkish citizen Onur K., and who should have undergone academic formation. In fact, he usually behaves like some crook who jumps on the back of his victim from behind. Despite his feigned interest in a local 'Institute of Turkish Culture', he avoided to speak Turkish, his alleged native language, at the time when he had to face two of my Turkish colleagues on our West-Berlin campus. He was therefore regarded as rather coming from one of the Caucasian Soviet Republics (Georgia / Chechnya) with a very limited knowledge of his alleged 'scientific profession'. I came to think that he had already entered 'the radar screen' of West-German security authorities many years ago, so I didn't mention him earlier.

(*) = Verstrickungen der Humboldt-Universität mit dem MfS
Entanglements of Humboldt University with the Ministry of State Security (MfS)


Thursday, September 28, 2023

What happened to China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning ?



China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning is often being compared with its 'sister ship', Russia's carrier 'Admiral Kusnezov', as the hull of both ships was originally built in the former Soviet Union. China bought one of both ships, equipped and renamed it Liaoning. Up to now, it served the Chinese Navy as a training ship. After recent overhaul, the Liaoning will finally enter the class of combat ships.
As to the remark 'Kusnezov collapsed in the mud', to be found in the headline of the above quoted Chinese article, this refers to the Kusnezov now lying in a muddy dry dock. The meaning of it: There has nothing been done to modernize the Russian ship while China's Liaoning has undergone significant changes.

中国一共服役了两艘航母,一个山东舰,一个辽宁舰,2018年,辽宁舰就已经展开相关改造工作,数月后以焕然一新的姿态亮相,不论是外形还是各个系统,都发生巨大变化。

如舰岛,外观看起来比此前更加干净简洁,另外,舰岛上的控制塔台也采取了相关改造,不仅窗口面积变大,还新增了很多人性化设计。

最近一次升级改进工作,则是去年12月。当时,辽宁舰完成西太巡航后,便直接进入大连造船厂进行升级改造。据媒体传出的照片来看,此次辽宁舰升级工作量将达到前所未有的程度。 由于是中国第一艘航母,所以外界对辽宁舰一举一动都格外关注。港媒公布了该航母近段时间动态,从大量高清照片中可以看到,此次改造升级工作,将涉及方方面面,如防空系统、雷达、控制系统、舰载武器系统等。

图片(图解:外界猜测辽宁舰很可能加装电磁弹射器)


China has commissioned a total of two aircraft carriers, one Shandong and one Liaoning, and in 2018, the Liaoning ship has already begun related renovation work, and a few months later it will appear in a new posture, both in appearance and in various systems, it has undergone tremendous changes.

For example, the appearance of the ship island looks cleaner and simpler than before, in addition, the control tower on the ship island has also undergone related modifications, not only the window area has become larger, but also a lot of new humanized design.

The most recent upgrade was last December. At that time, after the Liaoning completed a Western Pacific cruise, it directly entered Dalian Shipyard for upgrades. According to the photos released by media, the workload of the Liaoning ship upgrade will reach an unprecedented level. Since it is China's first aircraft carrier, the outside world pays special attention to the Liaoning's every move. Hong Kong media announced the recent dynamics of the aircraft carrier, and it can be seen from a large number of high-definition photos that the transformation and upgrading work will involve all aspects, such as air defense systems, radars, control systems, shipborne weapon systems, etc.


Image: The outside world speculates that Liaoning is
likely to be equipped with electromagnetic catapults.


消息人士透露,辽宁舰很可能将重量级装备搬上舰,即电磁弹射器。

在其看来,电磁弹射器可以极大程度上提升航母舰载机数量和起降效率,或者是搭载更多固定翼舰载机,一定意义上增强辽宁舰战斗力,使其成为真正的战斗舰。

但是,也有不少专家对这种猜测存在疑问,毕竟辽宁舰空间有限,采取的苏式结构早已固定,想要加装电磁弹射器,难度会非常大。而且电磁弹射器离不开中压直流综合电力供应系统,要想实现该装备上舰,辽宁舰起码要对动力系统进行大改,这样一来,工作量无疑会成倍增加。

According to sources, the Liaoning is likely to carry heavyweight equipment on board, that is, electromagnetic catapults.

In this view, electromagnetic catapults can greatly improve the number of aircraft hosted and the takeoff and landing efficiency, or carry more fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft. In a certain sense, this would enhance the combat effectiveness of the Liaoning, making it a real combat ship.

However, there are also many experts who have doubts about this speculation, after all, the space of the Liaoning ship is limited, the Soviet-style structure adopted has long been fixed, and it will be very difficult to install an electromagnetic catapult. Moreover, the electromagnetic catapult is inseparable from the medium-voltage DC integrated power supply system, and in order to realize the equipment on the ship, the Liaoning ship must at least overhaul the power system, so that the workload will undoubtedly multiply.




Saturday, September 23, 2023

Russia's Black Sea Fleet Under Attack - Background


UPDATE on September 26 included below.



Video of one of the missiles hit at Black Sea Fleet HQ.
No signs of air defense even attempting to intercept it.


据悉,该指挥所是在苏联时代建立的,曾经是乌克兰海军中央通信中心,编号A-2929,俄军占领克里米亚后,将其改名为黑海舰队指挥部第744通信中心。该中心由多栋地面建筑和一个庞大的天线网组成,还有庞大的地下部分,可以与俄罗斯海军其他舰队和更上级单位通信。

通常来说,这类军事设施本身就具备很强的防御能力,可以抵挡重磅炸弹的直接命中,附近还有防空系统保护,不过,英国和法国提供给乌克兰的“风暴阴影”、“斯卡普-EG”这两款导弹,其“钻孔”战斗部被设计用来专门对付这类目标:在击中目标后,“钻孔”的第一级聚能战斗部会在建筑物的外墙上打出一个洞,第二级高爆战斗部从这个洞里钻进目标建筑物内部爆炸。

It is reported that the command post was established in the Soviet era and was once the Central Communications Center of the Ukrainian Navy, number A-2929, which was renamed the 744th Communications Center of the Black Sea Fleet Command after the Russian army occupied Crimea. The center consists of several above-ground buildings and a large network of antennas, as well as a large underground section that can communicate with other fleets of the Russian Navy and higher-level units.

Usually, such military installations themselves have strong defensive capabilities to withstand direct hits from heavy bombs, and there are air defense systems nearby, but the "Storm Shadow" and "Scalp-EG" missiles [French version of Storm Shadow], provided by Britain and France to Ukraine, with "drilling" warheads are designed to deal specifically with such targets: After hitting the target, the "drill shaped" first-stage warhead will make a hole in the outer wall of the building, and the second-stage high-explosive warhead will drill into the target building from this hole and explode.

值得注意的是,这次袭击是在白天进行的,而以往的类似袭击则是在深夜或黎明时分发动的。不确切的信息显示,乌克兰空军的苏-24M“击剑手”前线轰炸机发射了多枚“风暴阴影”巡航导弹,并发射了3枚AGM-160 MALD诱饵弹,但部署在塔尔汉库特角和贝尔贝克机场的俄军“铠甲-S1”防空系统击落了5枚导弹,3枚导弹则突防成功并击中目标。

视觉证据证实,本月以来,包括在干船坞里被毁的“明斯克”号登陆舰和“顿河畔罗斯托夫”号潜艇在内,黑海舰队已经至少有6艘舰艇遭乌克兰军队攻击,其中4艘被毁或被击沉,黑海舰队面对这种袭击无能为力,被迫将军舰疏散,登陆舰前往亚速海,潜艇则撤往新罗西斯克,当然,新罗西斯克也不安全,那里也曾被乌克兰海军的自杀式无人艇攻击过。

It is noteworthy that this attack was carried out during the day, while similar attacks in the past were distributed late at night or at dawn. Inaccurate information indicates that the Ukrainian Air Force's Su-24M "Fencson" front-line bombers fired multiple Storm Shadow cruise missiles and fired 3 AGM-160 MALD decoy shells, but the Russian "Pantsir-S1" air defense system deployed at Cape Talhancourt and Belbek Airport shot down 5 missiles, and 3 missiles successfully penetrated and hit targets.

Visual evidence confirms that since this month, including the landing ship "Minsk" and the submarine "Rostov-on-Don" destroyed in dry dock, at least 6 ships of the Black Sea Fleet have been attacked by Ukrainian forces, 4 of which have been destroyed or sunk, and the Black Sea Fleet is powerless in the face of such an attack. Forced to evacuate the warships, the landing ship goes to the Sea of Azov and the submarine withdraws to Novorossiysk. Novorossiysk, however, is not safe and has also been attacked by unmanned suicide boats of the Ukrainian Navy.



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


UPDATE on September 26:



For fear of Russian air strikes, Ukrainian grain transporters have been temporarily anchoring their ships at night on the Romanian bank of the Danube arm Chilia, which forms the border with Ukraine. Diplomats from the EU and the United States had negotiated this protection option with Romanian and Ukrainian authorities in August, told the director of the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta, Florian Vizan, the German Press Agency (DPA). He had been present at these talks.

Friday, September 22, 2023

Delivery of Russian LNG to the EU - Paths of Distribution


A REUTERS report on tankers carrying Russian Liquefied Natural Gas
(Russian LNG) via Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

While the European Union has imposed sweeping sanctions on the Kremlin following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it still allows gas imports from Russia. Some European politicians, however, condemn the purchase of Russian LNG, which increased after Gazprom cut off pipeline supplies as a result of the war.

In Germany, the arrival of LNG tanker Amur River for loading in Zeebrugge, Netherlands, has caused special public interest because the German government earlier declared to be unwilling to accept any delivery of Russian gas. It is now feared that from the vessel's final destination in India the Russian gas might find its way back to the EU as crude or refined product. Germany is therefore taking a rather firm position in comparison with other European partners which might result, in the log run, in an expensive solution for the country.


Reuters
Thu, September 21, 2023 at 5:45 PM GMT+2

The following liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers are expected to arrive in Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany in the coming weeks. Estimated arrival dates, often revised by port authorities and AIS Live ship-tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon, are updated below. Some tankers heading for Belgium and Britain may be loading at the terminal. Those expected to load are indicated with an (L). Those likely to perform ship-to-ship transfers are indicated with (STS). Tankers that have docked are indicated with (A). Floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) terminals are added to the table when they near deployment. As of Dec. 27 2022, this includes the Eemshaven terminal in the Netherlands, and the Wilhelmshaven, Brunsbuettel and Lubmin terminals in Germany.

For the Reuters LNG guide:
DESTINATION - LNG TANKER - CAPACITY (cubic metres) - EXPECTED ARRIVAL IN PORT

BRITAIN Arctic Lady 145,000 Sept. 21 (A = has arrived)
Norway Isle of Grain Maran Gas Amorgos 174,000 Sept. 26
United States South Hook Methane Julia Louise 168,000 Oct. 14
Spain Milford Haven BELGIUM LNG Merak 174,000 Sept. 22
Russia Zeebrugge Lusail 143,000 Sept. 27
Qatar Zeebrugge Boris Davydov 170,000 Sept. 29
Russia Zeebrugge Clean Vision 162,000 Sept. 30
Russia Zeebrugge Amur River 157,000 Oct. 1 (L = expected to load in Zeebrugge)
N/A Zeebrugge Sonangol Etosha 158,000 Oct. 3
Angola Zeebrugge Al Areesh 149,000 Oct. 8
Qatar Zeebrugge NETHERLANDS Adamastos 174,000 Sept. 21 (A)
United States Eemshaven Energy Universe 165,000 Sept. 22
Portugal Gate Cadiz Knutsen 136,000 Sept. 26
United States Gate Lngships Empress 174,000 Sept. 28
Portugal Eemshaven Woodside Rees Wither 170,000 Sept. 30
United States Gate Elisa Larus 174,000 Oct. 1
United States Gate Traiano Knutsen 180,000 Oct. 6
United States Eemshaven Sonangol Benguela 158,000 Oct. 6
United States Gate LNG Schneeweisschen 177,000 Oct. 2 (L)
N/A Gate GERMANY LNG Endurance 174,000 Sept. 21

United States Wilhelmshaven Sources: Ports, AIS Live ship tracking, Refinitiv Eikon data. (^) Partial unload (*). Arrival date estimated based on flows data. (Reporting By Susanna Twidale)


Friday, September 15, 2023

Kim JongUn in Russia - Indication of Military Talks



凤凰網 is a TV station in Shenzhen and Hong Kong serving China Mainland.

据央视新闻报道,当地时间9月15日,朝鲜最高领导人金正恩抵达俄罗斯阿穆尔河畔共青城并前往加加林飞机制造厂。

韩国媒体援引情报机构消息源称,金正恩参观俄飞机制造厂,是此次访俄的“重头戏”。外界表示,这传递出了十分重要的信号,就是朝鲜渴望升级其规模庞大的老旧空中力量,甚至一举解决战机代差问题。

According to a CCTV news report, on September 15 local time, North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, and went to the Gagarin aircraft factory.

South Korean media quoted intelligence agency sources as saying that Kim Jong-un's visit to a Russian aircraft factory was the "highlight of his visit" to Russia. The outside world said that this sends a very important signal that North Korea is eager to upgrade its large and aging air power and equally solve the question of another fighter generation.

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

2002年,苏霍伊设计局在竞标中击败米高扬设计局,赢得研发俄罗斯第五代战机项目后,第一时间选择与加加林飞机制造厂合作。目前加加林飞机制造厂已向俄国防部分批交付第五代隐身战机苏-57。据塔斯社8月30日报道,俄罗斯军工综合体的一名消息人士说,苏-57在特别军事行动中击中了距离120公里的目标,未来短期内还将获得能击中300公里内目标的航空导弹。

In 2002, after defeating the Mikoyan Design Bureau [ => MIG-41 ] in a competitive bid to win the project for the development of a Russian fifth-generation fighter, the Sukhoi Design Bureau immediately chose to cooperate with the Gagarin aircraft plant. At present, the Gagarin aircraft factory has delivered the fifth-generation stealth fighter Su-57 to the Russian Defense Ministry. According to TASS on August 30, a source in the Russian military-industrial complex said the Su-57 hit targets at a distance of 120 km during the special military operation [ => Ukraine ], and soon in the future, aviation missiles capable of hitting targets within 300 km will be obtained.

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

韩国统一部长金永浩说:“俄防长绍伊古访朝后,从朝俄间的动向、金正恩最近数次视察军需工厂、此次首脑会谈的随行人员、俄罗斯暗示向朝鲜提供人造卫星等来看,双方正在持续加强军事交易。”

South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yong-ho said: "After the visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to the DPRK, judging from the movements between North Korea and Russia, Kim Jong-un's recent inspections of munitions factories, the entourage of the summit, and Russia's hint at providing artificial satellites to North Korea, the two sides are continuing to strengthen military transactions."


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




Thursday, September 14, 2023

Did Ukraine use North Korean Weapons ?
N Korean Leader meets Russian President


The following article is referring to Russian battle field experience and has already been published one month ago.


国际上发生一件有意思的事,这边俄罗斯外长访问朝鲜,进行军售交易。那边俄罗斯前线阵地被朝鲜军火袭击,这可就尴尬了。本应该救援自己的武器,居然被敌人收到,用来打击自己。俄罗斯当时应该很懵逼,可能也怀疑朝鲜的用心。

An interesting thing happened in the international community when the Russian foreign minister visited North Korea and carried out arms sales transactions. It is embarrassing that Russian front-line positions over there were attacked by North Korean arms. Weapons that were supposed to rescue themselves [i.e. the Russians] were actually received by the enemy and used to strike at themselves. Russia should have been confused at the time, and probably suspected North Korea's intentions.


I am trying to recount the gist of this story; it is therefore some kind of a 'commented translation'.

It is said that North Korean weapons used by Ukraine have been provided by the US who could have seized them from a ship. That ship, however, was not operated by North Korea but simply transporting such ugly things from the battle fields of the Middle East, where they should have protected Russian units [i.e. especially in Syria], to anywhere else. As can be seen in the photo below, transferring rotten ammunition is not necessarily a secretive matter. For a US spy satellite it should not be too difficult to detect and identify them on a slowly moving vessel. From there it sounds understandable the US seized the North Korean weapons on the basis of international sanctions and gave them away to the Ukrainians who might have used them.



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


Early in the morning: Russian officials receive Kim JongUn at
the border station Khasan between North Korea and Russia.

The private train of Kim JongUn entered the yard of Khasan Railway
Station at 6:00 AM local time. Kim was greeted by Alexandr Kozlov,
the minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia, and Oleg
Kozhemyako, the governor of the Maritime Territory Administration.
[Workers Party News - North Korean news site]


Kim JongUn meets Putin at Russia's far-eastern spaceport.
[KCNA News - North Korean news site]

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



Saturday, September 09, 2023

War on Ukraine - Russia's New Friend in Combat


UPDATE added on September 11

The day before, I already guessed that the chief propagandist of Russia's state TV, Margarita Simonyan, was => preparing for a change <= in her pro-Putin campaign; - today we have the proof for it. North Korea is emerging as a 'friend in combat' to Putin in Russia's war on Ukraine !


Against the backdrop of Ukraine accelerating its counterattack and the situation on the Korean Peninsula continuing to be tense, news suddenly spread that Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un would meet in the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok. According to Western media, Putin invited Kim Jong-un to "come over" with the intention of seeking arms assistance from North Korea. This news immediately exploded in the Western camp. If Kim Jong-un agreed to Russia's request, it would be extremely detrimental to the Ukrainian army, so Western countries must find ways to stop it. Sullivan, the national security adviser to the US president, warned the DPRK that if the United States finds out that North Korea is providing weapons to the Russian army, the United States will make the DPRK "get into a jam". [China's NetEase 网易 on September 9, 2023]

DPRK = Democratic People's Republic of Korea


North Korea's Workers Party News about Russia's
contribution to N Korea's 75th Anniversary. [Sept.11]


Friday, September 08, 2023

State TV Boss - Russia has No Allies in the Ukraine War


On September 6, Newsweek confronted us with a rather strange comment on the Russian-Ukrainian war, launched by 'Russia's State TV Boss' Margarita Simonovna Simonyan, chief editor of RT ('Russia Today') and saying: Russia has no allies in the Ukraine war and is waging the "most difficult, toughest and generally unprecedented war in our history" while Russia's traditional allies are only watching the scene with some sympathy.

Subtitled Video : RT editor Margarita Simonyan deliberating on Russia's lonely war on Ukraine

A certain Anton Gerashchenko, the provider of English subtitles to the official video, describes himself on his Twitter/X-account as "a Ukrainian patriot, advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and founder of the Institute of the Future, as well as an official enemy of Russian propaganda."

The video prepared by Gerashchenko, however, can be regarded as authentic because the same stance of Margarita Simonovna Simonyan has already been quoted by other sources, including China's Tencent 腾讯 news center.


There are public comments to the Chinese article mentioned above, including one that introduces a brandnew aspect, the role of North Korea :

在侵略乌克兰的战争中,俄罗斯只有朝鲜,白俄罗斯两个盟友。
[这说明了得道多助失道寡助的道理。]
In the battle of invading Ukraine, Russia has only two friends: North Korea and Belarus.
[This is clearly the reason for mentioning a little help when speaking of all help would be wrong.]


Editor's Opinion: This point of view can be easily understood when it comes to a recent North Korean offer to provide weapons for Russia in its war on Ukraine. In addition to weapons, North Korea could rent out, as well, a mercenary army of almost any size in order to benefit the financial needs of the Kim family. So there could be some kind of: Two misunderstood and sanctioned countries brotherly united against the rest of the world. Maybe this is what Russia's Margarita Simonyan had in mind and wants to lead on. In her video performance, however, she only mentioned Belarus.

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



朝中社:朝鲜第一艘战术核攻击潜艇下水,金正恩出席典礼
KCNA: N-Korea's 1st tactical nuclear attack submarine launched.
Kim Jong-un attended the ceremony.


Source: KNCA (Korean Central News Agency) quoted by
China's Global Network (环球网) on September 8, 2023.

Wednesday, September 06, 2023

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.