15 Mar, 2023 00:06

US drones have no business near Russia – ambassador

Moscow regards the presence of American UAVs in the Black Sea as a provocation, said Anatoly Antonov

Moscow regards Tuesday’s incident in which an American drone crashed in the Black Sea as a provocation, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said after beingsummoned to the State Departmentin Washington.

Antonov met with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried, who protested the “unsafe and unprofessional intercept” of the drone that resulted in its loss.

“We consider this incident a provocation,”Antonov told reporters after the meeting. He said he told Donfried that US drones, planes and ships had no business being that close to Russian borders.

“Could you imagine what the reaction of the US media or the Pentagon would be,if such a drone would appear near New York or San Francisco?” he asked.

Antonov described the talks with Donfried as “constructive” and said both sides shared their concerns. TheUS and Russia need to be “extremely cautious” how they act, given the current situation in Eastern Europe, he added. He also told Donfried that Moscow is seeking “pragmatic relations” and not conflict with the US.

According to the US military, two Russian Su-27 interceptors flew dangerously close to the MQ-9 Reaper drone on Tuesday morning, spilling fuel on the drone and at one point damaging its propeller, causing the UAV to crash. The drone, they said, was on a peaceful surveillance mission in international waters.

In response, the Russian Defense Ministry said theUAV stalled after executing drastic maneuvers, and that the interceptors “did not come into contact with the UAV.”

Antonov had pointed out that the drone was of a type that can carrymultiple missiles and bombs. The MQ-9 was developed as a “hunter-killer” variant of the MQ-1 Predator.

The US has flown drones and surveillance planes near the Russian border for over a year, providing intelligence andtargeting information to the Ukrainian government– along with weapons, ammunition and money – while insisting it is not a party to the conflict.

The exact location of the incident was not provided by either government. Russian media have reported that the Reaper’s last location was about 60 kilometers southwest of the Crimean port of Sevastopol.

https://www.rt.com/russia/572984-ambassador-us-drone-down/

14 Mar, 2023 23:34

US spy stabbed in terrorist attack – media

The mysterious attack in Cheltenham, UK involved an American woman working for GCHQ, the Daily Mail reports

The woman injured in last week’s knife attack in Gloucestershire was an American intelligence operative seconded to British surveillance, the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday. Last Thursday’s incident, initially described as attempted murder but then upgraded to terrorism, has led to rampant speculation in the UK asneither the victim nor the attacker were publicly named.

The attack happened in the parking lot outside a leisure center – a facility with a gym, swimming pools, cafe and other amenities, used by members and the public alike – around 9 pm local time. The facility is in Cheltenham, less than five kilometers away from the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). TheGCHQ has declined requests for comment.

Within hours, police had arrested a 29-year-old man and charged him with attempted murder. On Friday, he was re-arrested under the Terrorism Act, and the investigation was handed over to Counter Terrorism Policing South East “due to some specific details of this incident,” according to the state broadcaster BBC.

According to local residents interviewed by the Daily Mail, the woman and her attacker were inside the car, arguing, before the stabbing.

“They were either parked or had pulled into the car park when she was stabbed and then she managed to get out of the car and get to the leisure center,” one witness said. “There were two ambulances and then the police arrested the bloke in the car.”

Police had closed down the leisure center and the parking lot, pending the investigation. “I would like to reassure those living locally or visiting the county that we believe this was an isolated incident and we are not aware of any wider threat to members of the public,”Richard Ocone, a spokesman for Gloucestershire Constabulary, said in a statement.

Cheltenham is a spa town of about 120,000 residents, located halfway between Birmingham and Bristol in southwest England. It is best known for the annual horse jump racing festival, happening this week. It is alsohome to the headquarters of Britain’s surveillance agency, which has been known to do spy work for the US as part of the “Five Eyes” network.

https://www.rt.com/news/572983-us-spy-gchq-stabbing/

14 Mar, 2023 07:44

Doubts in Ukraine about readiness for new offensive – WaPo

Kiev’s forces have lost most of their experienced fighters and ammunition is in short supply, the US paper has claimed

Kiev’s forces have been so “degraded” by a year of fighting against Russia that some Ukrainian officials doubt their ability to execute a planned spring offensive, the Washington Post has reported.

The conflict has taken many of the most seasoned Ukrainian troops, with the arrival of inexperienced draftees changing the profile of the country’s military, theUS paper pointed out on Monday.

US and European officials haveestimated that up 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or woundedsince the launch of Russia’s military operation last February, it added. Kiev keeps information abouts losses secret, even from its Western backers.

“Unfortunately, they are all already dead or wounded,” a battalion commander in Ukraine’s 46th Air Assault Brigade, identified only by his call sign, Kupol, told the paper about his experienced troops. And the poorly trained rookies that he’s been getting recently “just drop everything and run” as soon as the battle begins, the commander added.

Another problem faced by Ukrainian troops is a shortage of ammunition, including artillery shells and mortar bombs, the Washington Post said, citing those fighting on the ground.

“You’re on the front line. They’re coming toward you, and there’s nothing to shoot with,”Kupol said, describing the situation.

“We don’t have the people or weapons,” anunnamed senior Ukrainian government officialtold the paper. He explained that casualties incurred by the side mounting an offensive are usually two or three times higher than on the defending side. “We can’t afford to lose that many people,” the official added.

“If you have more resources, you more actively attack. If you have fewer resources, you defend more. We’re going to defend. That’s why if you ask me personally, I don’t believe in a big counteroffensive for us. I’d like to believe in it, but I’m looking at the resources and asking, ‘With what?’ Maybe we’ll have some localized breakthroughs,” the source said.

The official called the number of tanks promised to Kiev by the US and its allies “symbolic,” while some of other officials who talked to the paper didn’t believe that Western weapons would be able to reach the frontline in time.

The newspaper also cited a US official, who said that – despite some gains on the battlefield recently – ammunition, manpower and motivation problems were even worse on the Russian side. However, no facts were provided to back this claim.

As for Ukraine, the stakes will be “particularly high” in the coming months as Kiev’s Western supporters watch to see if the country can reclaim the initiative, the Washington Post noted.

(DOD, DOJ, SOS call out agents leaking rumors to let Zelensky know the time is coming when his whole scam is not working and neither is his strategy. Too bad you weren’t invited to the Oscars. BTW its time to change your clothes.)

https://www.rt.com/russia/572937-ukraine-losses-offensive-us/