patrick.net

Yes, Socal2, any day now, Putin will be surrendering to the masterful battle commander Zelensky.

Maybe Putin is running low on those 'Chinese Golf Carts' that you claim the Russians are now using?

No sane person starts out thinking 'let's start a world war.' That's not what happened when WW I began, at it didn't happen in WW II. What happens, is that once tensions begin to escalate, matters take on a life of their own and eventually spin out of control. More and more, I'm feeling that this is exactly what is happening now ...

Poland and Baltic Countries Prepare To Send Troops Into Ukraine if Russia Makes a Strategic Breakthrough: REPORT (from Gateway Pundit)

Against the backdrop of continuing Russian advances, some Western leaders have started to advocate missile strikes inside Russian territory, from NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg up to chief warmonger, former British Premier Boris Johnson:



Now, some European neighboring countries have started preparing to introduce their troops into Ukraine in case of strategic Russian advances in Eastern Ukraine.

The Baltic states and Poland have warned Germany that they could send troops to Ukraine if the situation gets noticeably worse for Kiev due to its allies being reluctant to supply it with weapons.

Reported by Der Spiegel:

“If the Russians succeed in a strategic breakthrough in eastern Ukraine because the West is reluctant to help Kiev, the situation could escalate sharply. In this case, the Baltic countries and Poland will not wait for Russian troops to deploy on their borders, Baltic politicians warn, they will send troops themselves to Ukraine."

That would make NATO a party to the conflict—exactly what German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden fear.

More here: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/poland-baltic-countries-prepare-send-troops-ukraine-if/

Remember when practically everyone said that Putin was bluffing when he innitially threatened to invade Ukraine? I personally get the feeling that Putin and the Russians are not in the bluffing business, and, it is highly doubtful that Suslov's article was written and published without Putin's approval:

Dmitry Suslov: It’s time for Russia to drop a nuclear bomb

The US-led bloc has lost its fear of the mushroom cloud, but seeing one would perhaps focus some minds

By Dmitry Suslov, member of the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, deputy director of World Economy and International Politics at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, and Valdai Club expert.

There’s every indication that the US and several of its allies may soon allow Ukraine to use Western weapons, including long-range missiles, to attack targets located within – how do we put this? – Russia’s internationally recognized borders. Or those that existed before the 2014 Maidan in Kiev.

In America, as the New York Times recently reported, backers of the idea include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, most Republicans in Congress (including the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson), and many members of the foreign policy establishment, including Victoria Nuland, who recently resigned as deputy secretary of state. In Europe, Poland, the Baltic states, Germany’s main opposition party, the CDU/CSU, and some Western European figures, including the head of the UK Foreign Office, David Cameron, are agitating for the measure.

Recently, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made a similar appeal, but he would not have made such statements if the issue had not already been considered on a practical level and had not received substantial support from Washington. It has already come to the point where the topic has been discussed at the level of the heads of defense ministries of EU member states.

Such a decision would take the conflict to a fundamentally different level, would mean the erasure of one of the brightest “red lines” that has existed since February 24, 2022, and signal the direct entry of the US and its NATO bloc into the war against Russia. Indeed, the strikes would be carried out on the basis of coordinates provided by Western intelligence systems; the decisions on these strikes would be taken by Western military officers (the media has repeatedly relayed confessions from Ukrainian military officers that every case of Western missile use is coordinated in advance by Western military advisers); and even the button would probably be pressed directly by Western military officers. It is no coincidence that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz justifies his reluctance to transfer Taurus missiles on the grounds that they would have to be operated by German, not Ukrainian, military personnel.

This is why denying Kiev such a right was the main condition for providing it with military aid and one of the main principles of Western involvement in the conflict from the very beginning.

There are at least two reasons why the West is now discussing abandoning this principle. The first and main one is the increasingly difficult position of the Ukrainian army on the battlefield. Don’t forget that NATO leaders have been saying throughout that the outcome is of existential importance not only for Ukraine, but also for themselves, as it will determine the nature of the new world order. In other words, the West itself has given the Ukrainian conflict the status of a World War, and therefore Kiev’s defeat will mean its own strategic defeat, the final collapse of the Western-centered international order. Accordingly, the worse the situation for Kiev at the front, the greater the risks of escalation that the West is willing to take.

The second reason is Russia’s unwillingness to escalate relations with the West each time it crossed a ‘red line’ and became more involved in the conflict (supplying Kiev with tanks, aircraft and, eventually, long-range missiles). As a result, the fear of escalation, which was relatively high at the beginning of the military operation, has gradually diminished, as Western publications have repeatedly pointed out.

Thus, the West has come to believe that the cost of Kiev’s defeat is far greater than the risks of a direct military confrontation with Russia, as a result of allowing Western weapons to strike deep into its ‘old’ territory. The voices of those who argue that even this time Moscow will not inflict direct military damage on Western countries are growing louder.

This logic can inevitably lead to World War III. And if the West’s further involvement in the conflict in Ukraine is not stopped now, a full-scale “hot” war between Russia and NATO will become inevitable. Moreover, due to the superiority of the US and its 31 NATO members in the field of conventional weapons, this war will inevitably move to the nuclear level.

In a few months (or maybe even weeks), the same logic will be applied to stationing regular Western troops in Ukraine and then starting to shoot down Russian missiles over it. The Kiev regime has been making these proposals more and more insistently of late.

According to even the current Russian nuclear doctrine (certainly a ‘peacetime’ doctrine in need of tightening), such a scenario would amount to official grounds for the use of nuclear weapons.

There is only one way to prevent such a catastrophic development of events: a sharp increase in Moscow’s policy of deterrence and intimidation. The option of ‘freezing’ military operations along the current line of demarcation without any political conditions for Kiev and modalities for its security relations with the West is completely unacceptable.

Some political forces in the West are increasingly advocating this and threatening escalation in the event of our refusal. But this option is categorically undesirable for us, because it means even greater militarization of what’s left of Ukraine and its even closer military integration with the West. This would herald the emergence of an even bigger threat on Russia’s borders than existed before 2022.

Instead, we should first tell the US and NATO roughly what Moscow already told London after David Cameron’s words about Ukraine’s right to strike anywhere with British Storm Shadow missiles. Namely, that in the event of an attack on ‘old’ Russian territory, Moscow reserves the right to strike any facilities of the countries concerned, including the US, anywhere in the world. There are many American military bases dotted around the globe.

Secondly, it is important to officially declare that if the US/NATO launches a non-nuclear strike on Russian territory in response to such a Russian strike, Moscow may in turn use nuclear weapons – in full accordance with the ‘Fundamentals of Russian State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence’.

Thirdly, since there has been talk of possible attacks not only on British but also on American facilities (and of a possible direct military response from the US), it would be desirable to hold exercises on the use of strategic nuclear forces in addition to the current exercises on the use of tactical weapons.

Finally, to confirm the seriousness of Russia’s intentions and to convince our adversaries of Moscow’s willingness to escalate, it is worth considering a demonstration (i.e. non-aggressive) nuclear explosion. The political and psychological effect of an atomic mushroom cloud, broadcast live on all the world’s television channels, will hopefully bring back to Western politicians the one thing that prevented wars between the great powers after 1945, and which they have now largely lost – the fear of nuclear war.

This article was first published by Profile.ru, translated and edited by the RT team
https://www.rt.com/russia/598488-us-russia-nuclear-bomb/

Good films to watch as we observe the coming apocalypse:

Threads
When the Wind Blows
Testament
The Day After
On the Beach
Dr. Strangelove
Failsafe (this is a cheat - Global Thermonuclear War is averted - in the same vein - War Games)

Ranked in order of how I personally believe how good they are.

stereotomy says

Good films to watch as we observe the coming apocalypse:

Threads
When the Wind Blows
Testament
The Day After
On the Beach
Dr. Strangelove
Failsafe (this is a cheat - Global Thermonuclear War is averted - in the same vein - War Games)

Ranked in order of how I personally believe how good they are.

Jericho was ok.

stereotomy says

Good films to watch as we observe the coming apocalypse:

Threads
When the Wind Blows
Testament
The Day After
On the Beach
Dr. Strangelove
Failsafe (this is a cheat - Global Thermonuclear War is averted - in the same vein - War Games)

This is absolutely essential apocalyptic viewing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vD9ergWghk

We're moving closer and closer to a direct confrontation with Russia:

Biden secretly gave Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia with US weapons

From Politico:

"It’s a stunning shift the administration initially said would escalate the war by more directly involving the U.S. in the fight. But worsening conditions for Ukraine on the battlefield –– namely Russia’s advances and improved position in Kharkiv –– led the president to change his mind."

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/30/biden-ukraine-weapons-strike-russia-00160731

RayAmerica says

We're moving closer and closer to a direct confrontation with Russia:

That was always the Globalista plan. Trump in theory having 1. the nuke football and codes 2. the comms (Starlink) 3. the field commanders, then the brinksmanship that was supposed to have been implemented by IHLlary to start WWIII, according to the Gnostic Woosters, instead will deliver a near death experience that will allow Trump to marshal some kind of leverage over the situation. What that might be, I suppose, is part of the popcorn and the hopium. Or, if you see the mushroom clouds, don't bother to run, just hope it's quick.

RayAmerica says

"It’s a stunning shift the administration initially said would escalate the war by more directly involving the U.S. in the fight. But worsening conditions for Ukraine on the battlefield –– namely Russia’s advances and improved position in Kharkiv –– led the president to change his mind."

Putin upped the ante leading to the November election.

Paradoxically, Obama (whose staffers are now in the Birdbrain Biden admin) did not want to arm Ukraine, and Trump gave them Javelin and Stinger missiles which proved effective in the first few months of Russian's invasion.

.

.

AD says

Paradoxically, Obama (whose staffers are now in the Birdbrain Biden admin) did not want to arm Ukraine, and Trump gave them Javelin and Stinger missiles which proved effective in the first few months of Russian's invasion.

Nothing paradoxicall about it. Remember "Tell Blyadimir I'll be more flexible after the election"? Cucknig to the Soviets/Chinese at every turn was his SOP.

WW3 WATCH: Kremlin Warns U.S. of ‘Fatal Consequences’ as Biden Greenlights Missile Strikes on Russian Mainland

Senior aides within the Biden administration are moving towards supporting the use of American missiles to strike targets inside Russia.

According to a report from POLITICO, two senior administration officials have “opened the door” to reversing the current policy, which prohibits the Ukrainian military from firing missiles directly at targets within the Russian mainland.

The report states:

The move, if made, would come as European allies, lawmakers and Ukrainian officials exert pressure on the White House to lift the restrictions, and as Russia has made major advances on the battlefield. It also suggests that President Joe Biden and his team are increasingly worried about Kyiv’s ability to fend off Russia’s attacks, especially its latest advance in Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken signaled the possible change during a visit to Moldova when pressed by reporters. A “hallmark” of the Biden administration’s approach toward Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion two years ago “has been to adapt as the conditions have changed, as the battlefield has changed, as what Russia does has changed.”

“We’ve adapted and adjusted, too, and we’ll continue to do that,” he continued.

Shortly afterward, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, while stating that there’s “no change” in the current policy that says Ukraine can’t use U.S.-supplied weapons to strike inside Russian territory, also noted that America’s “support to Ukraine has evolved appropriately.”
The apparent shift comes just days after Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, indicated his support for lifting the ban despite the obvious risks of escalation that propels the world into a Third World War.

“I think the time has come for allies to consider whether they should lift some of the restrictions they are put on the use of weapons they have donated to Ukraine because, especially now when a lot the fighting is going on in Kharkiv, close to the border,” Stoltenberg said.

“To deny Ukraine the possibility of using these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory makes it very hard for them to defend themselves.”

Earlier this month, the Ukrainian government sent a delegation to Washington with a view to persuading the Biden regime to reverse the ban. David Arahamiya, a Ukrainian MP who led the delegation, said that the current U.S. policy was a form of insanity.

“It’s like if somebody were to attack Washington, D.C., from the Virginia state, and you say we’re not going to hit Virginia for some reason,” he said. “It’s crazy. Military people, like generals, they don’t understand. So they are pushing us as politicians, like stop [the policy] this is insane.”

According to a recent report from Reuters, Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to agree on a ceasefire in Ukraine along current battle lines. However, the U.S. and other NATO is currently no signs of taking him up on that offer.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/ww3-watch-senior-biden-officials-signal-openness-allowing/

RayAmerica says

“It’s like if somebody were to attack Washington, D.C., from the Virginia state, and you say we’re not going to hit Virginia for some reason,

Odd comparison. So, he is implying that Ukraine is a part of Russia that is acting rouge?

RWSGFY says

pedo Orban

Link? I never heard that Orban was a pedophile.

HeadSet says

RayAmerica says

“It’s like if somebody were to attack Washington, D.C., from the Virginia state, and you say we’re not going to hit Virginia for some reason,

Odd comparison. So, he is implying that Ukraine is a part of Russia that is acting rouge?

No, I think the Ukrainian is arguing that they can’t fight a war against an aggressor if they are not allowed to attack the aggressors suppliers.

It’s kinda like in Vietnam where the US was not allowed to attack the north, where the viet Kong was in full control.

But that is why we know both Vietnam and Ukraine are sham/proxy wars. Real killing, real dying, but not really a true all out war.

We need to look to our political leaders and for the wisdom that is required to keep us out of World War III. The following should inspire you to take action. (As for me, I'm looking into building a bomb shelter ...)

George W. Bush Tricked By Russian Pranksters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZTGlhLaqgs

Are They TRYING to Start a Nuclear War?
by James Rickards

The steady path toward World War III continues. U.S. and NATO support for Ukraine in the war with Russia has been one long failure, but that hasn’t stopped them from escalating the war with new weapons and tactics.

Russia has met the escalation with its own escalation every step of the way. At what point do rational leaders in the West (if there are any left) pause, consider that the war is lost in Ukraine, deescalate and seek a treaty to end the war?

There’s no sign of that yet. In fact, all of the signs point to further escalation, which is a sure path to nuclear war. What good has escalation accomplished?

The West supplied Ukraine with HIMARS precision-guided artillery, but that largely failed because the Russians quickly learned how to jam the GPS guidance systems, so the missiles went off course.

That doesn’t mean the Russians shoot down or jam every HIMARS rocket Ukraine launches. Some will always get through. But overall, their effectiveness has been limited compared with expectations.

The U.S. and NATO also supplied Ukraine with Abrams, Leopard and Challenger tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles that have been left burning on the battlefield. They also require intensive maintenance Ukraine can’t necessarily provide, and are often unsuited for the battlefield conditions in Ukraine. Many Ukrainian soldiers have actually expressed a preference for Russian-made equipment over NATO’s.

Not Wonder Weapons

Meanwhile, the Patriot anti-missiles systems cannot shoot down Russian hypersonic missiles and have been destroyed one-by-one at a cost of $1 billion each. F-16s are the next wonder weapon promised. But Russia fields the most sophisticated air defense system in the world. Many planes will be shot down by Russian S-400 anti-aircraft batteries and other systems.

These planes are also old, obsolete models from NATO inventories at the end of their service lives. And they can’t even be flown by Ukrainian pilots since they barely read English (the training manuals and maintenance manuals are all in English) and have not had enough time to train.

It takes about two years to become a competent F-16 fighter pilot; the Ukrainians have barely had six months to learn. F-16s are also unsuited for the often rugged airfield conditions in Ukraine (they require pristine runways so debris doesn’t get sucked into their engines on takeoff).

They can be operated from NATO bases but that opens another can of worms.

NATO’s Latest Harebrained Scheme

What’s the next harebrained scheme from NATO? Here’s the latest example. The U.S. and its allies have green-lighted missile attacks deep inside Russia using U.S.-made ATACMS ballistic missiles with a range of up to 190 miles.

These attacks have hit civilian targets such as the Russian city of Belgorod and critical military targets such as the Russian nuclear missile radar warning arrays. Both types of attacks are prompting a severe Russian response, including the final destruction of the entire Ukrainian power grid.

The attack on Russia’s early warning system is particularly provocative. Ukraine used U.K.-supplied drones to strike this radar system used by Russia to detect incoming nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The U.S. and Russia already adhere to what’s called the “launch on warning” doctrine. This means that if you detect incoming nuclear missiles, you don’t wait for them to hit their targets.

Instead, you launch your counterattack as soon as you detect the missiles. When it comes to nuclear war, it’s use it or lose it.

That puts the world on a hair trigger. Hitting a radar facility that’s part of a nuclear defense creates a blind spot in that defense and makes the hair trigger even more sensitive and launch prone.

And while Ukraine may have technically launched the missiles into Russia, it could not have done so without precise targeting data provided by the U.S. and its NATO allies. How do you think the U.S. would react if Mexico attacked U.S. targets using targeting data provided by Russia? It would directly implicate Russia and hold it responsible.

Here’s another question: Why would Ukraine attack this radar system at all? Ukraine doesn’t have nuclear missiles so it has no reason to compromise Russia’s nuclear defenses. The radar has no impact on the ground war in Ukraine. It wasn’t an airfield or ammo depot or any other militarily relevant target.

This plan is just another example of dangerous escalation by the U.S. and NATO and moves the world one step closer to nuclear war. Ukraine is all too happy to comply.

“Don’t Worry!”

Proponents of escalation dismiss these concerns, saying we’ve already crossed multiple “red lines” and Russia hasn’t directly retaliated against us. Maybe against Ukraine, but not us. We can therefore go ahead and cross another red line, the Russians won’t do anything.

First off, that just provides more evidence that Vladimir Putin isn’t some bloodthirsty maniac who can’t be deterred. He obviously can be, and clearly recognizes the dangers of escalation. He doesn’t want war with the U.S. and NATO. Why would he?

Secondly, and more importantly, NATO’s arming and equipping of Ukraine was never a red line for Russia. Western observers simply assumed that providing HIMARS, ATACMSs and tanks would be red lines for Russia. But Russia never specifically said they were. They warned about the overall threat of escalation, but these weren’t specific red lines.

But direct attacks on Russian soil are a different matter. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin himself have issued specific warnings about NATO facilitation of attacks within Russia itself. That’s the difference. Here’s what Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, had to say:

Russia regards all long-range weapons used by Ukraine as already being directly controlled by servicemen from NATO countries. This is no military assistance, this is participation in a war against us. And such actions could well become a casus belli. Nobody today can rule out the conflict’s transition to its final stage.

It doesn’t take a genius to understand what he means by the conflict’s “final stage.” Now, Medvedev often issues provocative statements. But listen to the comments of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. It’s about as strongly worded as a diplomatic statement can get:

I would like to warn American leaders against miscalculations that could have fatal consequences. For unknown reasons, they underestimate the seriousness of the rebuff they may receive.

Except the reasons aren’t unknown. It’s because the West is led by incompetent and reckless people who don’t know what they’re doing. They don’t understand that they’re playing with fire.

How Nuclear War Starts

I began studying nuclear war fighting in 1969 and have continued my studies for decades, which includes all the leading thinkers about nuclear war. While the experts disagree in certain respects, they all agree on one thing:

The most likely path to nuclear war is escalation. No one wakes up and says, “Nice day for a nuclear war. Let’s start one.”

Instead, war will be the result of a process of one side raising the stakes, the other side responding in kind and escalating further and so on in successive rounds until one party is backed into a corner and has no choice but to use nuclear weapons in an existential response.

Ironically, in that situation, the party that is less threatened may actually start the nuclear war in order to get the first-strike advantage. The result is annihilation: not just World War III, but possibly the end of most human life on Earth. Those that survive would probably wish they hadn’t.

This is incomprehensible. Ukraine is trying to drag the U.S. directly into the war with U.S. boots on the ground. Events may not get that far.

We may be destroyed in a nuclear World War III if this reckless escalation continues. Will anyone stop it?
https://dailyreckoning.com/are-they-trying-to-start-a-nuclear-war/

The plan to start WWIII started a long time ago, and IHLlary was supposed to be the hand on the lever. It's nothing new that the various NWO Globalist types have had this on their agenda for a very long time.

Their sacred timelines have been disrupted, so who knows where the Woo goes.

The rapture of the church is the next big event in human history. We won’t have WWIII until after all believers and likely all children below the age of accountability disappear in a twinkling of the eye (An instantaneous event). And that could happen at any moment.

But when it does, lookout! Things are going to go downhill fast for those left behind.

Ukrainian air force hits first target on Russian territory as war continues to escalate

This was the first attack against Russia carried out by a Ukrainian aircraft

A Ukrainian military aircraft has hit a target on Russian territory for the first time, a Kyiv military source announced, in the latest sign that Ukraine and the West are willing to bring the war to Russian soil.

According to the Ukrainian source, a “Russian command center” was reportedly attacked on Sunday, June 9, near Belgorod in western Russia.

It is not yet clear what type of ammunition was used in the attack, including whether it was a Western weapon. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the military source told Sky News, “The Ukrainian air force hit a Russian command center in Belgorod. Although damage assessment is still ongoing, the attack resulted in a direct hit. This is the first Ukrainian airstrike on a target on Russian territory.”

https://rmx.news/article/ukrainian-air-force-hits-first-target-on-russian-territory-as-war-continues-to-escalate/

I think Putin is holding out until the election in November. If Bidet and the neocons get the boot, we can all avoid WWIII. If the deep state steals the elction again, kills Trump, or escalates to such a degree that it's too late for Trump to do anything, then kiss your kids goodbye until the next life.

Incrementally, we are moving closer and closer to a direct confrontation with Russia ...

Russia Blames U.S. for Deadly Ukraine Missile Strike on Crimean Beach

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russian authorities said six people died and over 100 were wounded in Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Sunday, while the second day of Russia’s aerial bombing of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine killed at least one person.

Among the dead were five people – including two children – who were hit by falling debris from Ukrainian missiles that were shot down over a coastal area in Sevastopol, a port city in Russia-annexed Crimea, said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city’s Moscow-installed governor. Another person died in Grayvoron city in Russia’s Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing the Health Ministry, said 124 people were wounded in Sevastopol. Falling rocket fragments caused a forest fire of over 150 square meters (1,600 square feet) and set a residential building alight, RIA Novosti said, noting that a fifth missile had exploded over the city.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said both Ukraine and the U.S. bore “responsibility for a deliberate missile strike on civilians.” It said that U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles were used in the Ukranian attack.

Razvozhayev declared Monday a day of mourning in Sevastopol, with public events canceled.

Air defenses overnight shot down 33 Ukrainian drones over Russia’s western Bryansk, Smolensk, Lipetsk and Tula regions, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Sunday. No casualties or damage were reported.

More here: https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/06/23/russia-blames-u-s-for-deadly-ukraine-missile-strike-on-crimean-beach/

Ukraine pushing US to allow strikes deeper into Russia – AP

Kiev reportedly believes that only “desperate battlefield conditions” will prompt Washington to authorize long-range ATACMS strikes

Ukrainian officials are imploring the US to allow the use of American-made ATACMS long-range missiles for strikes deep into Russia, the Associated Press reported on Saturday.

In late May, several US outlets reported that Washington had given the green light for Ukrainian cross-border attacks using the weapons in order to repel Moscow’s offensive in Kharkov Region. The shift in policy was later confirmed by US President Joe Biden, who said that Ukraine could use US-made arms “only in proximity to the border [with Russia] when [Russian weapons] are being used on the other side of the border to attack specific targets in Ukraine.”

Washington is “not authorizing strikes 200 miles [322km] into Russia and we’re not authorizing strikes on Moscow, on the Kremlin,” he said at the time. Later, the Pentagon announced that Ukraine could use US-supplied weapons beyond Kharkov Region to respond to a cross-border attack from Russia, as long as it did not use long-range weapons to strike deep into its neighbor’s territory.

Three unnamed US officials interviewed by AP confirmed, however, that the Biden administration still does not allow Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300km to strike inside Russian territory. Ukrainian commanders told the agency that under the current rules of engagement for using ATACMS “their hands are tied.”

If the US were to reverse this policy, Kiev “could target [Russian] brigade command points and the entire northern grouping, because they are located 100 to 150 kilometers from the front line,” an artillery commander with the callsign ‘Hefastus’ said.

”Unfortunately, we still cannot reach, for example, airfields and their aircraft. This is the problem,” said Egor Cherniev, deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on national security. He asked Kiev’s backers to lift restrictions on the use of long-range missiles against limited military targets in Russia.

One Ukrainian drone company commander noted that “it seems pretty absurd when the enemy is so actively advancing on our territory… and we cannot strike back inside the enemy’s territory where they hold logistics and supplies.”

According to AP, while Ukrainian officials hope to convince the US to approve such a policy shift, they believe that “only desperate battlefield conditions” can bring that about.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Ukrainian attacks into Russian territory using Western-supplied weapons are “close to aggression,” warning that Moscow could arm North Korea to mirror Western long-range weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/russia/599785-ukraine-pushing-us-long-range-strikes-russia/

RayAmerica says

Incrementally, we are moving closer and closer to a direct confrontation with Russia ...

No we're not. We can do this proxy all day. Do I agree with it, no. Russia can't do anything though. They couldn't even take Ukraine BEFORE NATO countries supplied munitions. Who the fuck are they going to attack? Alaska being the nearest state? They'd be melted overnight.

Just because we have an inept POTUS and DEI hires in the military, doesn't mean we wouldn't stomp out Russia. They don't have the capability for an overseas fight. Never have. No one does. It's insanely impossible which is why D-Day outside of Biden shitting his pants is such a huge deal to this day. They can nuke and that's it. Let's see if those work as well as the invasion of Ukraine....

If you were playing poker with Putin, would you judge him to be a 'bluffer?'

Putin just made an OMINOUS nuclear warning, and the west better pay attention | Redacted News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCSLT3KodnM

Ukraine kills civilians in Crimea with US-supplied missiles – Russian MOD

Four people, including two children, died in the shelling, with more than 100 injured, the authorities have said

The Ukrainian military launched several US-made ATACMS long-range missiles armed with highly controversial cluster munitions on Russia’s Crimea on Sunday, resulting in numerous civilian casualties, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

The strike was first reported by Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev. He said that the attack killed at least three people, including two children. The death toll later rose to four. According to Russia’s Health Ministry, 124 people were injured, including 27 children.

The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed the Ukrainian attack, which it said took place at around noon local time. Officials said that the shelling involved five ATACMS missiles, four of which were destroyed mid-air.

The remaining one, however, was damaged by air defenses, veered off course and detonated over the city of Sevastopol. As a result, the falling fragments of cluster munitions led to numerous civilian casualties, the statement read.

Сluster munitions – which scatter dozens of smaller bombs when denotated – are banned in more than 100 countries, including the UK, France, and Germany. This type of weapon is considered extremely dangerous to civilians, as the munitions typically spread over large areas and can remain unexploded in the ground for many years.

Neither the US, Ukraine, nor Russia has signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions. However, in the summer 2023 then-Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that Moscow would not deploy this type of weapon against Kiev for humanitarian reasons. He warned, however, that Russia might potentially reverse this policy.

The US announced in July 2023 that it would provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, sparking outrage in Moscow. At the time, US President Joe Biden called the decision “very difficult” but justified, arguing that the deliveries were needed to fuel a Ukrainian counteroffensive that subsequently failed with heavy losses for Kiev.

Ukraine has previously attempted to target the peninsula with ATACMS missiles, with one of the most notable attacks taking place in late May. Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said that a total of ten ATACMS aimed at the strategic Crimean Bridge were shot down, saving hundreds of lives.

https://www.rt.com/russia/599789-ukraine-attacks-crimea-atacms/

Death Toll From Ukraine's Missile Attack on Sevastopol Rises to 5 - Governor

SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) - The death toll from the Ukrainian missile attack on Sevastopol, the largest city in the Crimean peninsula, has risen to five people, governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the governor said that three people, including two children, were killed as a result of Kiev's strike.

"Unfortunately, we now have three dead children and two dead adults," Razvozhayev said.

He also said that the number of injured people had increased to 119.

The Ukrainian armed forces attacked Sevastopol earlier in the day, using US-made ATACMS missiles with cluster warheads, four of which were shot down and one deflected and exploded over the city. The Russian Health Ministry said that 124 people were injured, including 27 children.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240623/death-toll-from-ukraines-missile-attack-on-sevastopol-rises-to-5---governor-1119080023.html