Ukrainian soldiers ride atop an armored vehicle in Ukraine’s Sumy region, close to the country’s border with Russia, 14 Aug 2024.
Superb Ukrainian intelligence and US-provided weaponry are behind the rapid advance of Ukrainian forces into Russian territory over the past week. A former spokesman for the Ukrainian armed forces’ general staff advised that Ukrainian intelligence and the US-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, had been critical to the stunning advance:
“The real scourge of the Russian army is the HIMARS, which turn into ashes a huge number of Russian weapons, equipment and personnel.”
In addition to the powerful surprise attack, low morale and a high desertion rate are impacting Russian combat effectiveness. Pervasive alcohol abuse and lack of potable water at the front forced Russian troops to improvise filtration attempts, using stagnant puddles for daily water requirements. These personnel likely experienced spikes in waterborne diseases and dehydration, lowering their fighting spirit. Up to August this year, Russian courts received 5,204 cases of military personnel accused of abandoning their positions. Throughout 2023, the courts have already logged a total of 5,096 cases.
Despite having to defend Russian soil for the first time in decades, Vladimir Putin — who has insisted since it started on calling his full-scale invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation” — still seems reluctant to admit that he has taken Russia into war.
The President of Russia continues to describe the Ukrainian offensive as a “large-scale provocation,” announcing the start of a “counter-terrorist operation” in response. Putin is carefully couching his language because he does not want to draw attention of his failure to defend Russia’s borders.
Sources:
Intelligence, US-provided weapons seen as key to Ukraine’s Kursk offensive (voanews.com)
Russian Army Desertions Are Surging, Court Records Indicate (msn.com)
Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Public Officials and Killing FBI Agents
Michael Lee Tomasi (37) of Rio Verde, AZ, pleaded guilty to making threats against federal officials, including killing FBI agents. During his arrest, agents uncovered three firearms, including a Smith & Wesson AR-15-style rifle, 5,000 rounds of ammunition, and body armor. A loaded handgun was found in his vehicle.
From May 2021 through November 2023, while living in Colorado and Arizona, Tomasi used social media to incite violence and threaten a variety of individuals and groups, including a city district attorney and a state court judge. The defendant specifically wanted to subject a US congresswoman to “the horror of a violent rape.”
On 26 Aug 2023 Tomasi posted a specific threat to kill FBI agents:
“Shoot the FBI first and ask questions later. . . . Any FBI [] have a problem with that[,] come to my house and see what happens. Shoot before they even pull their guns out of their trunk and you shoot to kill.”
Well, the FBI did have a problem with that and everybody, including Mr. Tomasi, did get to see what happened. This rank imbecile is scheduled to be sentenced on 23 Oct 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
In an average year in Arizona, 1,054 people die by firearms violence, with a rate of 14.7 deaths per 100,000 people. The Grand Canyon State has the 18th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. Arizona firearms licenses on record in 2021: 258,691. An estimated 46.3% of adults have guns at home.
Sources:
7. Arizona – Gun map: Ownership by state – statistics and rates (cbsnews.com)
WHO Declares Monkeypox (mpox) Global Public Health Emergency for Second Time in Two Years
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has spread to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. The disease is spreading at an alarming rate, with more than 17,000 suspected cases and more than 500 deaths this year, mainly among children in the DRC.
The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of an endemic strain, known as clade I. But a new variant, clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact. Usually mild, mpox is fatal in rare cases and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body. No vaccines are available yet for this variant of mpox.
Sources:
WHO Director-General declares mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern
‘Got Him in a Chokehold’: Expert Tells CNN Trump is Having ‘Complete Meltdown’
Link to CNN interview: https://youtu.be/lavvIgom2Zs
Donald Trump’s campaign is in a tailspin as the Republican presidential nominee’s attacks on Kamala Harris fail to land, one Democratic strategist told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
“It’s very clear the former president is unraveling. He’s having a complete meltdown,” said Ashley Etienne, a former Joe Biden staffer and political advisor.
“Kamala Harris has got him a chokehold that is really driving him to the point of insanity, and really driving his campaign to the point of paralysis.”
Etienne points out that Trump’s rise in the polls has flatlined, while Harris’ star continues to rise. She compared Trump’s campaign to a shop that “needs new customers.”
“Trump can’t help himself but to be Donald Trump and the more people see of him, the more they are turned off by him,” Etienne said. “There’s too many people that don’t like Donald Trump and he has no path to growth.”
What’s also frustrating for Trump is that “all of his attacks against Kamala Harris are being undermined by the facts,” Etienne said, noting the strong economy and reduced number of border crossings.
“You underestimate Kamala Harris at your own peril and Donald Trump is finding that out now,” Etienne concluded.
Sources:
https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-2668967886/
Suspected Sabotage Attempts at Two Military Bases in Germany
A German military base was sealed off for several hours as authorities investigated suspected sabotage while a NATO airbase dealt with an intrusion incident.
The Bundeswehr base in Cologne-Wahn was locked down because of “a suspicion of an attempted intrusion and a suspicion of sabotage,” said a German defense ministry spokesman in Berlin. A hole was discovered in a fence near drinking water storage facilities. The perpetrators had not been found and personnel on the Bundeswehr base were advised not to drink the tap water over concerns that the water supply “may be contaminated”. The base re-opened later in the day.
The Cologne-Wahn base near Bonn, houses several military and civilian facilities of the German armed forces as well as aircraft used by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his ministers for government travel. The base is also an important hub for military support for Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers regularly fly home from there, via Poland, after receiving training in Germany.
A NATO base in the western German town of Geilenkirchen meanwhile dealt with a suspicious trespassing incident and police are investigating the incident. Following the lockdown at the Cologne-Wahn base, the NATO site also increased its security level and conducted routine checks of its water supply. The base, home to NATO AWACS reconnaissance aircraft, was not sealed off and continued operating at full capacity.
Germany and NATO have been on high alert for sabotage and attacks on its military facilities in the wake of Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In April 2024, investigators arrested two German-Russian men on suspicion of spying for Russia and planning attacks in Germany, including against US Army facilities, to undermine military support for Ukraine.
Sources:
Military, NATO Bases In Germany Hit By Security Scares | IBTimes
North Korean Soldiers Loot Food and Supplies in Flood-Ravaged Areas
North Korean soldiers mobilized to rebuild flood-destroyed towns are stealing food and other necessities from helpless local residents because the regime didn’t supply the unit with food or supplies. The troops are part of a new unit called the Paektusan Hero Youth Shock Brigade tasked with rebuilding efforts after heavy rains caused massive flooding near the mouth of the Yalu River, separating North Korea from China. 7,000 acres of land and 4,100 homes were submerged and as many as 1,500 residents are dead or missing from this catastrophe.
Kim Jong-Un had declined an offer of assistance from Beijing.
When the Shock Brigade arrived, they immediately built a barracks, “but the government did not supply materials,” a local resident said. “The brigade salvaged wood and bricks from houses that collapsed from the flood and built temporary lodging.”
Moreover, the Pyongyang government also did not provide food, so the soldiers were responsible for feeding themselves until government supplies arrived.
“The troops went around private gardens that had been swept away by flood, they picked fallen corn ears and roasted them,” a local resident said. “The troops went into the city at night and stole things such as coal and salted cabbage from storage in private homes that were not damaged by floods.” The residents see the soldiers as a burden and a nuisance rather than support from their new Dear Leader.
Sinisterly, North Korean security personnel expressly warned these flood victims who lost their homes, livelihoods, and family members, not to exhibit their grief. To ensure that, these families are kept under strict surveillance.
Sources:
State media shows North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un leading flood rescue
North Korea refused China’s rescue offer for Yalu River island residents
North Korean flood victims who lost their homes or families told not to show sadness
Do hardworking American taxpayers want a dotardly “Triumph the Comic Insult Dog” leading the United States of America or a young, dynamic successful former prosecutor, US Senator, and Vice-President?
Coriolanus 