James G
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Post by James G on Nov 10, 2020 16:24:11 GMT
Cracking stuff.
Love the security battalions idea but I would bet the numbers are made up by men from the Motherland too to sturdy the ranks.
Any security scares or 'terror instances' to delay the NATO build up? Much could be done with bullets or explosions directly.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Nov 10, 2020 19:47:58 GMT
forcon
Of course with this steady build up what does Putin do? Since the alliance [bar Turkey] has openly committed itself to fighting for the Baltics might he risk a 'defensive' pre-emptive strike against assembling NATO forces or would he consider that too much of a risk and still be hoping the alliance is bluffing?
Steve
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 10, 2020 20:52:06 GMT
Cracking stuff. Love the security battalions idea but I would bet the numbers are made up by men from the Motherland too to sturdy the ranks. Any security scares or 'terror instances' to delay the NATO build up? Much could be done with bullets or explosions directly. Thank you. Those security battalions have two objectives; it's a PR stunt, largely to make the more gullible audiences think that the Baltic's Russian population's actually want Putin's tanks rolling down their streets (by and large, they don't, but as in Ukraine there will be a number of volunteers) and secondly to give Putin a force he can wash his hands of when 'dirty' counter-insurgency work needs doing. These battalions will have at least a veneer of deniability. As you say, there won't be enough volunteers to bring the units up to strength. A lot of the members will likely be retired Russian soldiers, mercenaries with the Wagner Group and similar organisations, and possibly recruits from Ukraine. As for the security issues and potential for terror/commando raids, I'll answer that with Stevep's question below because my the reasoning for both answers is the same. forcon
Of course with this steady build up what does Putin do? Since the alliance [bar Turkey] has openly committed itself to fighting for the Baltics might he risk a 'defensive' pre-emptive strike against assembling NATO forces or would he consider that too much of a risk and still be hoping the alliance is bluffing?
Steve
My plan is for the Russians to go with a more deniable means of combatting the build-up, through cyber attacks, terror/Spetsnaz cells, stirring up anti-war dissent in the West, etc. Putin can (at least in his mind, for the purpose of TTL) spin the occupation of the Baltics as a defensive move to prevent a genocide of Russians living there. He thinks he can get away with it in terms of international relations, gambling that NATO is bluffing. Now, Putin is NOT Saddam. He won't sit there and allow the Allies to build-up a massive offensive force in Poland without interfering. But he won't fire the first shots either, not openly at least. In his mind, if NATO does go on the offensive, he can still spin that as Western aggression or imperialism. Occupying the Baltics is at least on the surface a move to protect Russian people everywhere; invading Poland is not. Russian efforts to stop the build-up will come in the form of sabotage, cyber warfare and other non-attributable (at least not officially) methods. Now, I am trying to reverse the normal scenario of a NATO defensive operation here, and I'm mirroring the Gulf War and the buildup to that somewhat. Once the air campaign starts, Russia will be moving to secure it's flanks and create some depth, but anything that brazen is off of the table until NATO fires the first shots. |
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 11, 2020 16:03:16 GMT
Part IV.
Switzerland offers hope
The Guardian, April 26
An offer by the Swiss government to host and mediate negotiations between NATO and Russian delegates has provided fresh hopes that war can be avoided, despite the ongoing build-up of forces by both sides.
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200,000 attend anti-war rallies nationwide
CBS News, May 1
The peace movement was apparently reinvigorated by the misguided notion that the approaching talks in Zurich, Switzerland, where a result of mass protests in Europe. While there appears to be no outright correlation between Swiss government’s offer to mediate peace talks, the anti-war movement has nonetheless gained traction since the announcement was made last week.
In Boston, New York, Washington DC, San Diego, Seattle, Austin, Los Angeles and Chicago, over 200,000 people attended today’s anti-war rallies.
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Peace summit begins in Zurich; diplomats put cards on table
AP News, May 4
In what has been described as a ‘Hail Mary’ effort to avoid war over the Baltic States, diplomats from the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland along with opposing figures from Russia initiated a round of negotiations intended to prevent the outbreak of hostilities by coming up with a solution that both sides find acceptable.
However, given the nature of Russia’s occupation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, it seems unlikely that a negotiated settlement will be reached. Despite this, many in Europe and the US have taken the beginning of real negotiations as a symbol of hope. Absenteeism in France fell by 19% upon the announcement of negotiations, for example, while in Germany, schools are seeing full classrooms for the first time in months.
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Troop movements continue despite peace talks
The National Post, May 7
Despite the initiation of Swiss-mediated peace talks in Zurich, troop movements continue both in Russia and in NATO countries. Canada today began the deployment of a mechanised brigade-group to potentially serve under the command of a British division. With over sixty Leopard 2 tanks under its command, the reinforced 1st Canadian Mechanised Brigade Group reportedly began flying and sailing to landing zones in Belgium and Holland in preparation for hostilities.
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Peace talks ‘achieving nothing’, says US Ambassador
CNN, May 10
Former Democratic Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg, now the US Ambassador to the United Nations, seconded as Chief Negotiator for the Swiss peace talks, has told CNN that the talks have thus far achieved ‘nothing’, and that no further headway is expected to be made in resolving the crisis.
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Commandos train for wartime landings
The Daily Mirror, May 12
As peace talks continue in Zurich, Royal Marines have been spotted practicing amphibious manoeuvres off of the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland.
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US walks away from Zurich talks
The Guardian, May 15
Hopes that the Zurich talks would prevent hostilities from erupting over the Baltic States have been crushed today by the announcement of the US’ withdrawal from the talks. With the talks now having seemingly failed, there appears to be little choice for NATO to recover the Baltic States other than the use of military force.
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Explosion near Dover; more to follow
BBC News, May 17
We are currently receiving reports of an explosion at the port of Dover. The cause of the explosion is not yet known, but Dover has become a focal point for the movement of British troops overseas…
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Dover bombing could be linked to Moscow, says MI6 Chief
The Independent, May 18
Britain’s top spy said today that Russia could have been responsible for an apparent terrorist attack that occurred yesterday morning in Dover. So far, six British soldiers and two dock workers have been confirmed dead. If Russia was behind the bombing, as the British government seems to believe, it could be part of a wider effort to slow the movement of troops to Eastern Europe.
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Russian troops open fire on protestors in Riga
FOX News, May 22
Cell phone footage has emerged of Russian soldiers apparently opening fire on unarmed protestors in Latvia’s occupied capital city, Riga, today. The horrific footage shows a crowd numbering in the hundreds marching towards Russian troops, calling for Latvia to regain her independence, which was stolen by an invasion from Russia.
Moments later, the soldiers begin shooting at the demonstrators in apparent panic. The State Department has yet to comment on the apparent atrocity, although it is not the first war crime that is known to have taken place in Latvia under Russian occupation.
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Hamburg blackout ‘definitively’ linked to Russia
Reuters, May 25
The power outage in the German city of Hamburg yesterday was ‘definitively’ the result of Russian action, most likely a cyber-attack, the head of Germany’s BND agency has said.
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Massive Royal Navy fleet spotted leaving Portsmouth
The Daily Mail, May 29
As the spectre of war looms over Europe, a fleet of Royal Navy warships has departed from the Royal Navy’s base at Portsmouth. The fleet includes the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth II, which was seen with several F-35 warplanes on her deck as she steamed out of the naval base. Numerous other frigates, destroyers, submarines, and support ships have also taken to the sea, with many coming from the other bases at Devonport, on the South Coast like Portsmouth, and Faslane, which is located in Scotland.
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Dutch mobilisation continues
NL Times, June 4
The mobilisation of Dutch troops continues as members of the 1st Marine Combat Group set sail aboard HMNLS Rotterdam, which will reportedly rendezvous with the Royal Navy task force in the North Sea for ‘military exercises’ to take place over the course of the summer. However, given the current situation in Eastern Europe, it is highly likely that Dutch and British forces will operate together should military action against Russia be undertaken.
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Australia commits warships, troops, airplanes
CBS News, June 7
The Australian government today announced the deployment of two warships along with a support vessel to join NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1 in the North Atlantic. Additionally, a battalion of infantry from the Royal Australian Regiment, supported by tanks, artillery, and combat engineers is set to deploy to Europe over the course of the next month, along with a detachment of Super Hornet fighter jets. Australia is easily the nation in the budding coalition that is geographically furthest from the potential conflict zone in the Baltic States, and so its commitment to supporting future NATO operations symbolises the belief in Canberra that Russia’s actions threaten stability not just in Europe but around the world.
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Congress authorises additional reserve call-ups
The Boston Globe, June 11
Congress today voted by a significant margin to authorise the President to call up some 500,000 reservists and National Guard troops to support operations in Europe. Many of these citizen soldiers are being pulled away from their day jobs to be shipped overseas, leaving many employers lacking staff…
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NATO members reaffirm commitment to Baltic liberation
The National Post, June 14
A statement issued by General Austin Miller, the newly-appointed Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, informed us that Gen. Miller is ‘thrilled’ by the successful ongoing mobilisation of NATO forces and the apparent resilience of the alliance. Gen. Miller confirmed that the agreement within NATO’s political circle was near unanimous that if Russian forces would not withdraw from the Baltic States, military action to remove them would eventually take place.
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Protests outside Russian embassy
The Daily Telegraph, June 16
Protestors threw bricks at the gates of Russia’s embassy in London today as more violence swept across the capital…
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FBI arrests three under Espionage Act
CNN, June 20
Early this morning, the FBI conducted a trio of raids against residences in Virginia and Maryland, arresting three people who the Department of Justice says are Russian intelligence officers belonging to the SVR, or Foreign Intelligence Service, one of the successors to the infamous KGB of Cold War fame.
The three operatives, two men and one woman, were indicted last night by a secret grand jury after an FBI investigation into their activities lasting several months. Given the current geopolitical situation, it is likely that the three operatives will face harsh penalties if convicted. The Espionage Act, under which the trio is charged, can carry the death penalty in serious cases. Although federal prosecutors have not indicated whether or not they will seek the death penalty, it is a given that a capital sentence would infuriate Russia and quite possibly lead to retaliation against American citizens within Moscow’s reach.
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Breaking; Russian warship turns back after confrontation
AP News, June 23
AP News has learned that a Russian warship came with several hundred feet of the British frigate HMS Westminster in the North Sea today, and that the Russian vessel only turned back after two warning shots were fired across her bow.
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Four shot dead outside RAF Chicksands
BBC News, June 25
Four men were shot dead last night while attempting to break into the grounds of RAF Chicksands, an important facility used by British military intelligence personnel and units from all three armed services. By the Ministry of Defence’s account, the four men were spotted in a floodlight and ordered to halt, but they instead raised weapons of their own, at which point they were killed in self-defence by RAF personnel and members of the Ministry of Defence Police.
Further details will be provided as the story breaks.
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Britain struggling to deploy ‘war-fighting’ force, say MOD sources
The Independent, June 29
According to numerous sources within the Ministry of Defence, the British Army is struggling to deploy its 3rd Division overseas. Not only are spare parts running low, but there is also a shortage of transportation equipment and an overall lack of replacements even for small and ‘unimportant’ items such as batteries for radios and night-vision equipment.
This week’s planned call-up of over 15,000 members of the Army Reserve – formerly the Territorial Army – should alleviate many of these issues, with the MOD hoping to have an expeditionary force of nearly 50,000 troops in position in Poland by the end of the summer.
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Celebrations undercut by tension
NBC News, July 4
Independence Day celebrations are occurring across the United States as per usual, but there is an undercurrent of tension behind the fireworks and hotdogs, many feel.
“It’s scary, you know, my boy’s in the reserves. I get what we gotta do, but, you know, I don’t want this to be the last time I see my son,” said Marty Coleman, a carpenter in Missouri whose son will soon be deployed to Europe with an Army Reserve unit.
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James G
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Post by James G on Nov 11, 2020 16:17:26 GMT
Excellent work.
Chicksands must have been Spetsnaz and they've just had a bad night!
Great buildup of tension too.
Some of the smaller NATO countries will be ripe for ops like Hamburg to frighten, destabilise and cause distraction.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Nov 11, 2020 16:21:34 GMT
Part IV.
Breaking; Russian warship turns back after confrontation
AP News, June 23
AP News has learned that a Russian warship came with several hundred feet of the British frigate HMS Westminster in the North Sea today, and that the Russian vessel only turned back after two warning shots were fired across her bow.
A Russian warship backing down from a fight, must not be a major warship then. |
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James G
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Post by James G on Nov 11, 2020 21:18:56 GMT
Part IV.
Breaking; Russian warship turns back after confrontation
AP News, June 23
AP News has learned that a Russian warship came with several hundred feet of the British frigate HMS Westminster in the North Sea today, and that the Russian vessel only turned back after two warning shots were fired across her bow.
A Russian warship backing down from a fight, must not be a major warship then. A journalist might call a ship a warship but that doesn't mean it is one. The media often call anything tracked a tank even if it is only mounting a machine gun. |
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 12, 2020 15:33:16 GMT
Excellent work. Chicksands must have been Spetsnaz and they've just had a bad night! Great buildup of tension too. Some of the smaller NATO countries will be ripe for ops like Hamburg to frighten, destabilise and cause distraction. Thank you. Dover and Chicksands were both Spetsnaz ops, but the latter was, as you say, a pretty rough night for them. It would be better if one of them had been captured alive, but I suppose the papers could be wrong about all four being killed! Hamburg was more about having a direct affect - physically slowing the movement of heavy equipment from the port - but terror was a secondary goal. There will be plenty of similar ops to come! A Russian warship backing down from a fight, must not be a major warship then. A journalist might call a ship a warship but that doesn't mean it is one. The media often call anything tracked a tank even if it is only mounting a machine gun. I didn't actually think in detail about the nature of the warship, but my thinking is it's a spy ship or a corvette coming near the RN task group off of Denmark. On that subject, I recently saw a photo of a Humvee described as a a 'main battle tank' by the press. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Nov 13, 2020 11:35:21 GMT
Excellent work. Chicksands must have been Spetsnaz and they've just had a bad night! Great buildup of tension too. Some of the smaller NATO countries will be ripe for ops like Hamburg to frighten, destabilise and cause distraction. Thank you. Dover and Chicksands were both Spetsnaz ops, but the latter was, as you say, a pretty rough night for them. It would be better if one of them had been captured alive, but I suppose the papers could be wrong about all four being killed! Hamburg was more about having a direct affect - physically slowing the movement of heavy equipment from the port - but terror was a secondary goal. There will be plenty of similar ops to come! A Russian warship backing down from a fight, must not be a major warship then. A journalist might call a ship a warship but that doesn't mean it is one. The media often call anything tracked a tank even if it is only mounting a machine gun. I didn't actually think in detail about the nature of the warship, but my thinking is it's a spy ship or a corvette coming near the RN task group off of Denmark. On that subject, I recently saw a photo of a Humvee described as a a 'main battle tank' by the press.
On that last point its a running joke on a naval board I'm on that to the press just about that floats and has a gun is a battleship.
With Chicksands that could be an interesting idea. If one is still alive its possibly that some information would be extracted from him. Albeit possibly not very reliable as he's unlikely to know that much and torture is notoriously unreliable in getting information.
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James G
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Post by James G on Nov 13, 2020 13:13:55 GMT
If there is a prisoner, he has no POW rights as war hasn't been declared.
However, no way will a hair on his head be harmed. Anyone doing that / ordering that would be fearful of domestic legal ramifications years down the line.
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 13, 2020 16:33:12 GMT
On that last point its a running joke on a naval board I'm on that to the press just about that floats and has a gun is a battleship.
With Chicksands that could be an interesting idea. If one is still alive its possibly that some information would be extracted from him. Albeit possibly not very reliable as he's unlikely to know that much and torture is notoriously unreliable in getting information.
Honestly I don't even think it needs a gun to be called a battleship. The hypothetical prisoner, who may or may not exist, could be mighty useful. But to the outside world, he is a write-off. If there is a prisoner, he has no POW rights as war hasn't been declared. However, no way will a hair on his head be harmed. Anyone doing that / ordering that would be fearful of domestic legal ramifications years down the line. There won't be any serious torture or abuse, but he's likely to have a pretty nasty time regardless...if he exists. If this Spetsnaz man did exist, ahem, hypothetically, ahem, he would be being held at a secret facility at an RAF base somewhere in East Anglia with the RAF Regiment running security and people from Defence Intelligence, Five, and Six running his interrogations. He won't be being waterboarded or anything like that, but lots of confusing tactics, loud music, flashing lights, etc, could be used to soften him up. That is, if he exists. |
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 13, 2020 16:38:44 GMT
Part V.
Senators call for draft
CNN, July 9
Senator Lindsey Graham today announced his support for the reintroduction of the draft, should the President introduce a motion to do so. With storm clouds brewing on the horizon in Europe and hostilities expected to break out if Russian forces continue to occupy Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the call was not unexpected. However, there remain numerous difficulties with actually imposing conscription, including the relative lack of infrastructure to train a large influx of new recruits.
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Truck bomb kills Russian soldiers in Lithuania
Reuters, July 10
An explosion this morning caused heavy damage to a Russian garrison in Kaunas, Lithuania. The exact source of the attack is not yet known, although members of the Lithuanian Armed Forces are known to have escaped capture during the invasion. A resistance movement across all three occupied Baltic States is known to be active.
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More evidence of war crimes uncovered in occupied Baltic States
Reuters, July 13
Following last month’s video footage showing Russian soldiers firing on demonstrators in occupied Riga, Latvia, further evidence of war crimes by occupying forces has come to light. Satellite footage shows evidence of a second mass grave in the Gauja National Park, Latvia, while reports have emerged that several prominent figures in local communities have seemingly ‘vanished’, according to…
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Congress authorizes third reserve call-up
NBC News, July 16
Once again, the President has asked Congress to authorize the mobilisation of additional reserve forces. Congress voted almost unanimously to call up another 35,000 members of the Army and Air Force Reserves, and 27,000 National Guardsmen on top of the units that have already been mobilised.
With the situation in Europe seemingly stalemated, it seems as though it will only be a matter of time before war breaks out, says General…
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NATO forces ‘ready, willing, and able’ to liberate Baltics, says Gen. Miller
BBC News, July 17
NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, General Austin Miller of the US Army, told reporters that the Alliance was ‘ready, willing, and able’ to liberate occupied NATO territory. However, Gen. Miller clarified that any military operations would be subject to approval by NATO’s political leadership.
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Britain and Western Europe will face attacks on their own soil, says retired NATO chief
The Independent, July 21
General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe and retired British Army officer has told the Independent that he expects Britain, and other European nations, to come under direct attack from the air, by sea, and from commandos or saboteurs.
Shirreff said, “they really do have the capacity to do it, just like in the last war. We won’t be shielded from the worst of it just because of our geographical location.” He then added, “the Russians can launch from the sea, from the air and from commando units infiltrated into the country in any one of a dozen ways.”
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Breaking; airliner crashes over Warsaw; possibly hundreds of casualties
CNN, July 23
An American Airlines passenger airplane flying into Warsaw International Airport has apparently crashed. The aircraft was reportedly under the control of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, and was carrying US service personnel to Poland. More details to follow.
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US Convoy arrives in Rotterdam; Marines drill off Norway
Le Monde, July 26
A massive convoy of American cargo ships, mainly of the Roll on/Roll Off or RORO type, arrived in Rotterdam today amidst preparations for offensive operations by NATO against Russia. According to sources, the convoy carries the equipment of an entire US Army division, with over 250 Abrams tanks as well as armoured vehicles, artillery pieces, and helicopter gunships. A heavy presence of military police is visible around Rotterdam, following the shooting down of an aircraft carrying nearly three hundred US Army soldiers just three days ago over Poland.
Meanwhile, locals in Norway were awoken by the sounds of artillery fire, which occurred as several battalions of US Marines practiced amphibious assaults on Norway’s Lofoten Island Chain. The Marines reportedly accessed their pre-positioned equipment stocks located in the Norwegian Fjords to conduct their operations.
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Breaking; British drone shot down in northern Poland; Russians responsible
The Daily Telegraph, July 30
The Ministry of Defence reports that a ‘Watchkeeper’ drone operated by the Royal Artillery in Poland was shot down by a surface-to-air missile launched from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Further information will follow…
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‘Free Baltic’ Brigades forming in Poland
The New York Times, August 4
General Miller, NATO’s commander in Europe, told the New York Times that the Alliance is forming several ‘Free’ brigades of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian citizens in Poland. The recruits are mostly refugees, along with a number of soldiers from the three occupied nations who escaped captivity during the invasion. Miller said he planned to form a division of three brigades, each numbering between approximately 4,000 troops.
American soldiers from the Security Forces Assistance Brigade (SFAB) are involved in training the new recruits, alongside British soldiers…
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Russian officers indicted for war crimes in Baltic States
The Chicago Tribune, August 7
A federal grand jury indicted seven Russian military officers, including four members of the revered Spetsnaz commando unit, on various war crimes charges last night, the Department of Justice reports. The charges relate to the killing of civilians during a protest in Riga, Latvia, two months ago, along with a pair of commando raids in occupied Lithuania which left several civilians dead. A DOJ spokesman said that further indictments will follow in the near future.
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Russian bombers chased out of Alaska, Canada airspace
AP News, August 15
United States Air Force interceptors responded to provocations today when a trio of Russian Tupolev-160 ‘Blackjack’ bombers entered US airspace, twice probing the edges of Alaska and then flying south towards Newfoundland. While the confrontation was largely peaceful, it served as a reminder that if war does break out, North America may not be shielded from direct attack.
Fears are growing in the Pentagon that the US mainland could come under attack if the crisis escalates. The ‘Blackjack’ bombers used in today’s intrusions are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but they can also use conventional bombs and cruise missiles, some of which have a range of over 3,000 kilometres. From northern Canadian or Alaskan airspace, they could hold Seattle or even Chicago at risk of a devastating bombardment.
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US rejects Vatican offer to host peace talks
Russia Today, August 17
An offer to prevent war from breaking was summarily rejected by the United States today, Russia Today has learned…
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Sniper attack kills Russian general in Estonia
BBC News, August 19
An assassination has been carried out in occupied Estonia which saw the death of a Russian officer, a general serving as the deputy commander of the Western Military District, which is overseeing the occupation of Estonia as well as Latvia and Lithuania. While the identities of the perpetrators themselves remain unknown, the killing speaks to the success of Estonia’s fledgling resistance movement.
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Still hopes for peace, PM insists
The Guardian, August 21
The Prime Minister told reporters today that there was still a chance for a peaceful resolution to the crisis if President Putin is willing to come to the negotiating table once again. However, it appears unlikely that a second round of negotiations will commence, especially after the US rebuffed an officer by the Vatican to hold the talks…
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US will not concede Baltic territory, says President
The Chicago Tribune, August 24
At a speech outside the Pentagon, the President said that the US will not concede the territory of the Baltic States, and will never do so in the future. He also condemned Russia ardently for a serious of recent terror attacks in the UK and Poland, the deadliest of which occurred last month and left 362 American soldiers, along with an American Airlines flight crew and over fifty Polish civilians dead. President Biden stated unequivocally that Moscow was, directly or indirectly, responsible for the atrocities.
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Gunmen open fire on US troops in Czechia
Associated Press, August 25
Two gunmen opened fire on American soldiers belonging to the 1179th Transportation Battalion, US Army Reserve, in Czechia today. Eleven American soldiers were killed in the incident, while NATO sources claim that the three gunmen were shot dead in military police shortly after.
There is not yet any evidence to link the attack to Russia, but with the situation in Eastern Europe escalating and NATO blaming Russia for a cyber-attack in Germany in May and a bombing that occurred in the UK in May, as well as the downing of an American troop transport over Poland just over a month ago, it seems likely that elements of Russia’s security apparatus could be behind the strike.
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No abandonment for ethnic Russians, Putin declares
Russia Today, August 29
In the face of persistent threats from NATO and the United States, President Putin stated firmly that Russia will not abandon Russians living in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Several thousand additional troops are in the process of deploying to the Baltic region to defend Russians their against a NATO invasion.
Meanwhile, the President has ordered the mobilisation of some 340,000 reservists from across the nation…
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NATO commanders close to troop goals in Europe
CBS News, August 30
NATO commanders in Europe now have over 450,000 troops under their command. With more forces arriving from across the Atlantic, as well as from Western Europe, every day, it has become apparent that NATO will soon have the resources available to launch military operations to liberate the Baltic States.
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Lloyds cancels insurance for shipping in North Atlantic
The Times, August 30
Lloyds of London today cancelled insurance for ships operated by European and North American reserve fleets in case of war. Each vessel costs hundreds of millions of dollars, and the company is evidently unable to replace large numbers of vessels that might be sunk in the event of war.
The decision is a devastating blow for…
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James G
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Post by James G on Nov 13, 2020 21:13:17 GMT
There is a whole range of ways that the UK can be hit, just as that general says. The airliner shootdown shows just how that can be done with little military effort too.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Nov 14, 2020 9:40:32 GMT
forcon , Things are hotting up steadily and war is clearly coming.
One small quibble in the report.
I assume it means two probed Alaskan air space and then a 3rd appeared off Newfoundland but as written it sounds like they probed Alaska then flew south toward Newfoundland, which would obviously be wrong.
Steve
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 15, 2020 19:18:05 GMT
There is a whole range of ways that the UK can be hit, just as that general says. The airliner shootdown shows just how that can be done with little military effort too. There will be a whole lot of firepower directed at Europe once the shooting starts, Spetsnaz included. Stuff like the airliner shootdown is just the beginning. forcon , Things are hotting up steadily and war is clearly coming.
One small quibble in the report. United States Air Force interceptors responded to provocations today when a trio of Russian Tupolev-160 ‘Blackjack’ bombers entered US airspace, twice probing the edges of Alaska and then flying south towards Newfoundland. While the confrontation was largely peaceful, it served as a reminder that if war does break out, North America may not be shielded from direct attack. I assume it means two probed Alaskan air space and then a 3rd appeared off Newfoundland but as written it sounds like they probed Alaska then flew south toward Newfoundland, which would obviously be wrong.
Steve
One more peacetime update to go. Yeah, thanks for catching that. I meant that a separate flight of Bears came round from Greenland and down towards Newfoundland. |
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