Russian Arctic ‘island’ disappears

A once-large mass of ice has melted away, apparently due to global warming, the Russian Geographical Society has reported

A large glacier near Russia’s Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, described as an ‘island’ by observers, has completely disappeared, the Russian Geographical Society has reported. Researchers have tentatively attributed the development to global warming.

On Thursday, the Society issued an article, citing observations made by its young volunteers after analyzing satellite images of the area. The group’s head, Aleksey Kucheyko, said that “near Eva-Liv Island in Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arctic, an ice formation which was previously called Mesyatsev Island has disappeared.” The discovery warrants an update to maritime maps, he added.

According to the piece, the ‘island’ had formed by at least 1995, separating from the ice cap on Eva-Liv Island as it progressively melted away. The Society reported that while as of August 2015 it measured approximately 53 hectares (0.2 square mile), the island had shrunk to just 3 hectares by earlier this year. When the researchers analyzed satellite imagery this September, even that tiny remainder was gone.

The article noted that additional probes would have to be carried out in the area to confirm the conclusion.

The researchers theorized that global warming, which is leading to a sea level rise and particularly noticeable in the Arctic, was to blame for the demise of the ice island.

Earlier this year, the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences issued a report, suggesting that Russia’s GDP could grow by “approximately 0.6 trillion rubles ($6.5 billion) every ten years” should the current climate trends continue.

The researchers estimated that on average, the temperature in Russia grows by 0.5 degrees Celsius every ten years.

According to the paper, the agriculture and forestry sectors in particular could stand to benefit from rising average temperatures. Additionally, global warming could foster the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) – the shipping waterline running along the Russian Arctic coast that connects Europe to such Far Eastern economic powerhouses as South Korea, Japan and China.

https://www.rt.com/russia/606919-arctic-ice-island-disappears-global-warming/

Kiev officials ‘ready’ for potential Trump presidency – WaPo

The US Republican nominee’s “negative” messaging on Ukraine is just campaign rhetoric, members of Vladimir Zelensky’s team allegedly believe

Officials in Kiev don't believe that a US election victory for Donald Trump would spell disaster for Ukraine, despite his criticisms of US aid and pledges to quickly end the conflict with Moscow, the Washington Post reported on Friday.

Two unnamed members of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s team told the paper that the Republican presidential candidate’s “negative” messaging on Ukraine was “just campaign rhetoric” that will not necessarily correlate with his actions if he wins the election on November 5.

There is a belief in the Kiev government that Trump would not want to look weak on the global stage by turning his back on Ukraine and, as a result, might make more decisive moves to support Kiev, WaPo said.

“With Russia advancing on the battlefield for the past year,” the Ukrainian officials believe that the status quo, which is likely to be maintained if Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris prevails in the race for the White House, is “not working,” the report read. Because of this, they suggested that “a drastic change” in US policy towards Ukraine could actually “be good” for Kiev.

There is optimism in Zelensky’s office that he could forge a personal bond with Trump and eventually turn him into a supporter of Kiev, WaPo said.

However, some Ukrainian officials, who talked to the paper, acknowledged that there is a “higher potential for a downside” if Trump wins a second term, and expressed concern that he would pressure Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for peace.

Last month, Trump said on the PBD Podcast that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was “a loser” and that Zelensky “should never have let that war start.” He described the Ukrainian leader as “one of the greatest salesmen I have ever seen,” referring to his ability to persuade the Biden administration to provide him with more military aid every time he comes to Washington.

The Republican presidential candidate also reiterated his claim that he “will settle the Russia-Ukraine [conflict], while I am president-elect,” but did not reveal how he might achieve this.

READ MORE: I don’t want war with Russia – Vance

Back in June, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on media reports of that Trump’s team was developing a roadmap for settling the Ukraine conflict, and stressed that “the value of any plan lies in the details and whether it takes into account the situation on the battlefield.” Peskov reiterated that Moscow remains ready for negotiations, but only if Ukraine recognises the realities on the ground.

https://www.rt.com/news/606889-zelensky-ukraine-trump-harris/

Chechen leader cancels ‘no prisoners’ order

Ramzan Kadyrov claims to have received thousands of letters from Ukrainian citizens asking him to rescind the instruction

The head of Russia’s Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov has announced that he hаs rescinded an order to his commanders not to take any Ukrainian servicemen as prisoners on the battlefield.

Kadyrov initially issued the instruction earlier this week after Kiev conducted a drone strike on the Special Forces University (RUS) in the Chechen city of Gudermes, setting the roof of one of its buildings on fire.

In response, the Chechen leader vowed vengeance on those behind the attack and warned that they would face a retaliation they had “never dreamed of.” Shortly after the incident, Kadyrov said that he had ordered all commanders of Chechen units in Ukraine not to take enemy combatants prisoner and to “up their fighting [efforts] by another 100%.”

However, in a message on his official Telegram channel on Saturday, Kadyrov explained that he’d received “more than two thousand letters from Ukrainian residents” asking him to cancel the order.

“The explanation for the request in each application is the same: surrendering to Russian soldiers is the only way to stay alive for those who are sent to the trenches against their will,” Kadyrov wrote.

He added that he appreciated the fact that those who write the letters understand Ukrainians are “victims of Western cowardice and meanness, and they are being sent to the trenches by European and US politicians while the country’s leadership is corrupt puppets and fascists.”

“I answer all the applicants here, in my official channel: the order given to [Chechen commanders] earlier ‘not to take prisoners’ has been canceled,” Kadyrov wrote, adding that “those who wish to surrender to Russian troops will live. I do not envy the rest.”

Last month, Major-General Apty Alaudinov, a commander of the Chechen Special Forces, had reported that many members of ‘elite’ Ukrainian units that had invaded Russia’s Kursk Region in August have been laying down their arms in order to stay alive.

The commander rejected claims made by Kiev that Russian soldiers had been executing Ukrainian service members, describing the allegations as “fake news” aimed at discouraging soldiers from surrendering to Moscow’s forces.

Alaudinov claimed that many Ukrainian servicemen “openly say they can fight no more” and that even the units that are considered to be Kiev’s “most unassailable and elite” have been slowly leaning towards surrendering.

The commander insisted that Russia is ready to spare even those who serve in Ukrainian neo-Nazi units, so long as they lay down their arms.

https://www.rt.com/russia/606921-chechen-no-prisoners-order/

French-made howitzer destroyed by kamikaze drone – Russian MOD (VIDEO)

Caesar self-propelled howitzer in Ukraine was caught at its firing position, footage released by the Russian military shows

The Russian military has destroyed a French-made Caesar self-propelled artillery system in Ukraine, the Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

The artillery piece was discovered at its firing position in an unspecified location in Ukraine’s Sumy Region, according to the Russian military. Thermal drone footage released by the Defense Ministry shows the howitzer firing a shot while parked on a dirt road by a wooded area.

The howitzer rears into the shrubbery immediately after firing, yet ends up hit by a Lancet-family drone. The artillery piece appeared to sustain a direct hit and was destroyed with a powerful explosion observed at the site.

Over the past few weeks, multiple French-made Caesar howitzers, as well as other similar mobile artillery systems, have been destroyed by the Russian military in Sumy Region. Kiev has deployed the systems into the area to provide fire support to its forces operating in the adjacent Russian Kursk Region, invaded by Ukraine in early August.

The Russian military’s concentrated effort to hunt for the systems has seen it deploy surveillance drones to find the artillery, using various means to destroy it, including medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) strike drones, ballistic missiles and the Lancet loitering munitions.

The latter family of drones has become one of the key medium-range tools in the Russian arsenal amid the conflict, with the Lancets repeatedly used to take out Ukrainian high-value assets, such as mobile and towed artillery, anti-aircraft, radar and other systems.

https://www.rt.com/russia/606922-lancet-destroys-caesar-howitzer/

>>21884719

Good catch.

DOD post so commsy clock.

>>21884982