Is war with Russia an ever increasing reality?

[Alice Purjorick]

What do you expect from either side ?

What we all should worry about is any politician or other a-hole who thinks they can win any war using atomic weapons.

A la Dr. Strangelove.

They will carry on fighting proxy wars as they have done since 1950. It's the only way to make a proper field test of some of the hardware. Never forget it is usually the Russians who put the wind up the Yanks not the other way around. The MiG15, Sputnik I, Yuri Gagarin and the MiG Foxbat for example.

Finding an idiot to want to drop nukes would perhaps not be difficult. Douglas MacArthur in the Korean "Police Action" for example.
Finding a politician to stop the idiot may not be so easy. Harry S Truman in the Korean "Police Action" for example.
Then on the other hand the politician may be that idiot doing it as a "Police Action".

"The spectre of nuclear weapons not stopping the Chinese was the chief fear that haunted the Americans at the time. For if atomic weapons were not seen as an effective deterrent, then they would lose their credibility as the threat that was supposed to stop the spread of Communism. Americans realized that for the atomic bomb to work, it was better that it not be used at all, except under the most dire circumstances. So they resigned themselves not only to the grinding stalemate that became the Korean War, but also to the larger Cold War".

"In other events, the Congress of the United States had not made a formal declaration of war, yet the President, as the commander-in-chief, has claimed authority to send in the armed forces when he deemed necessary, with or without the approval of Congress. The legal legitimacy of each of these actions was based upon declarations such as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and Iraq Resolution by Congress and various United Nations resolutions. Nonetheless, Congressional approval has been asserted by means of funding appropriations or other authorizations as well as the contested War Powers Resolution".

[Wonderfulspam]

‘S-300, S-400 air defenses in place’: Russian MoD warns US-led coalition not to strike Syrian army.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has cautioned the US-led coalition of carrying out airstrikes on Syrian army positions, adding in Syria there are numerous S-300 and S-400 air defense systems up and running.

Russia currently has S-400 and S-300 air-defense systems deployed to protect its troops stationed at the Tartus naval supply base and the Khmeimim airbase. The radius of the weapons reach may be “a surprise” to all unidentified flying objects, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson General Igor Konashenkov said.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, any airstrike or missile hitting targets in territory controlled by the Syrian government would put Russian personnel in danger.

The defense official said that members of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria are working “on the ground” delivering aid and communicating with a large number of communities in Syria.

“Therefore, any missile or air strikes on the territory controlled by the Syrian government will create a clear threat to Russian servicemen.”

“Russian air defense system crews are unlikely to have time to determine in a ‘straight line’ the exact flight paths of missiles and then who the warheads belong to. And all the illusions of amateurs about the existence of ‘invisible’ jets will face a disappointing reality,”  Konashenkov added.

He also noted that Syria itself has S-200 as well as BUK systems, and their technical capabilities have been updated over the past year.

The Russian Defense Ministry’s statement came in response to what it called “leaks” in the Western media alleging that Washington is considering launching airstrikes against Syrian government forces.

“Of particular concern is information that the initiators of such provocations are representatives of the CIA and the Pentagon, who in September reported to the [US] President on the alleged controllability of ‘opposition’ fighters, but today are lobbying for ‘kinetic’ scenarios in Syria,” he said.

He cautioned Washington to conduct a “thorough calculation of the possible consequences of such plans.”

US-led coalition jets bombed positions of the Syrian government forces on September 17, resulting in the deaths of 83 servicemen. Washington said the airstrike was a mistake, however Damascus claimed the incident was a “blatant aggression.”

The relocation of the S-300 system in order to protect Russian ships and the naval base in Syria was confirmed by Russian defense officials on October 4. Konashenkov assured that the S-300 is a “purely defensive system and poses no threat.” Russia also has S-400 missile defense systems at Khmeimim base that were placed there after Turkey downed a Russian SU-24 jet in November of 2015.

https://www.rt.com/news/361800-russia-syria-usa-aistrikes/

[Alfie]

‘S-300, S-400 air defenses in place’: Russian MoD warns US-led coalition not to strike Syrian army.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has cautioned the US-led coalition of carrying out airstrikes on Syrian army positions, adding in Syria there are numerous S-300 and S-400 air defense systems up and running.

Russia currently has S-400 and S-300 air-defense systems deployed to protect its troops stationed at the Tartus naval supply base and the Khmeimim airbase. The radius of the weapons reach may be “a surprise” to all unidentified flying objects, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson General Igor Konashenkov said.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, any airstrike or missile hitting targets in territory controlled by the Syrian government would put Russian personnel in danger.

The defense official said that members of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria are working “on the ground” delivering aid and communicating with a large number of communities in Syria.

“Therefore, any missile or air strikes on the territory controlled by the Syrian government will create a clear threat to Russian servicemen.”

“Russian air defense system crews are unlikely to have time to determine in a ‘straight line’ the exact flight paths of missiles and then who the warheads belong to. And all the illusions of amateurs about the existence of ‘invisible’ jets will face a disappointing reality,”  Konashenkov added.

He also noted that Syria itself has S-200 as well as BUK systems, and their technical capabilities have been updated over the past year.

The Russian Defense Ministry’s statement came in response to what it called “leaks” in the Western media alleging that Washington is considering launching airstrikes against Syrian government forces.

“Of particular concern is information that the initiators of such provocations are representatives of the CIA and the Pentagon, who in September reported to the [US] President on the alleged controllability of ‘opposition’ fighters, but today are lobbying for ‘kinetic’ scenarios in Syria,” he said.

He cautioned Washington to conduct a “thorough calculation of the possible consequences of such plans.”

US-led coalition jets bombed positions of the Syrian government forces on September 17, resulting in the deaths of 83 servicemen. Washington said the airstrike was a mistake, however Damascus claimed the incident was a “blatant aggression.”

The relocation of the S-300 system in order to protect Russian ships and the naval base in Syria was confirmed by Russian defense officials on October 4. Konashenkov assured that the S-300 is a “purely defensive system and poses no threat.” Russia also has S-400 missile defense systems at Khmeimim base that were placed there after Turkey downed a Russian SU-24 jet in November of 2015.

https://www.rt.com/news/361800-russia-syria-usa-aistrikes/

Russia Today, a new agency funded by the Russian Government.  How very impartial that must be...

[Wonderfulspam]

Hilarious!


Here's that same story as told by western media outlets, for those here too inherently racist to read Russian media.


Russia warns it will shoot down alliance jets over Syria if US launches air strikes against Assad
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/06/russian-air-defence-missiles-would-respond-if-us-launches-air-st/


Russia strongly warns US against striking Syrian army

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3825456/Russia-strongly-warns-US-against-striking-Syrian-army.html

[Alice Purjorick]

Russia Today, a new agency funded by the Russian Government.  How very impartial that must be...

A bit like The Washington Post and Daily Telegraph only spelt differently.

[Wonderfulspam]

Interesting times.

The US can either forget their crusade for regime change, or start the war.

There's been a lot invested (by the Saudis), in trying to oust Assad, they wont want to give up.

[Wonderfulspam]

Why US & Saudis say "Assad Must Go"

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

[Wonderfulspam]

Russian newspaper warns 'risky game' Putin is playing in Syria could start Third World War

Conflict could spark 'direct military confrontation' with US, popular Russian tabloid suggests.



A Russian newspaper has warned that Russian President Vladmir Putin is playing an "astonishingly risky game" in the Syrian conflict that could even lead to a Third World War.

Popular tabloid, Moskovsky Komsomolets, ran an article that suggested hostilities in Syria could spark a “direct military confrontation" between the nations of a similar scale to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

The warning comes after the US broke off talks and recalled its negotiators from Geneva. Meanwhile, Russia has suspended an agreement to destroy its weapons grade plutonium. Among the conditions it said were needed to continue the accord was an end to Ukraine-related sanctions.

In an article with the headline, "The stakes are higher than Syria,” the privately-owned tabloid, which has been criticised for sometimes sensational content, warned war could break out.

“Just imagine that the US does what it has wanted to do for a long time and strike against Assad, not by mistake but on purpose and openly,” the article stated, via translation by The Sun.

“Should Russia defend its ally or consider striking against the Americans, but this would definitely lead to a Third World War.

“Russia can win big in Syria but it can also lose big too. We must not forget that in Syria we are playing an astonishingly risky game.”

“According to our fighter pilots, the best we could do is shoot down a few coalition forces but this would mean a full-scale war,” it added.

Moskovsky Komsomolets has a circulation of almost one million, making it one of the most highly read newpapers in Russia.

Speaking about the disintegrating relations between the two countries, the head of the Russian International Affairs Council, Andrey Kortunov, told the BBC: "We had bad relations during the Cold War, but [...] the relationship was more or less stable, because we knew what to expect from each other, we knew the rules of the game.

"Today we don't have anything like that. So relations aren't stable. This is what makes this relationship dangerous."

Yet Leonid Radzikhovsky, a leading political analyst, told the broadcaster Russia would not risk a major war: "Putin is a megalomaniac [...] But he's not the kind of person to open a window on the 18th floor, declare 'I can fly' and jump out.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-nuclear-war-us-syria-warning-world-war-3-moskovsky-komsomolets-a7349686.html

[John]

It will only take one little mistake by a US pilot to set off a chain reaction which could see all out war with Russia.

[Wonderfulspam]

US accuses Russia of cyber attacks

US officials have formally accused Russia of cyber attacks against political organisations in order "to interfere with the US election".

Recent hacked emails are "consistent with the methods and motivation of Russia-directed efforts", the Department of Homeland Security said.

Data revealing discussions within the Democratic Party was hacked earlier this year.

Some states reported "probing" attempts made on "election-related" systems.

However, officials said those attempts could not be directly linked to the Russian government.

Russian officials told Interfax news agency the claims it was involved in the cyber attacks were "nonsense".

But a joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence on Election Security said high-ranking officials at the Kremlin were almost certainly involved in the successful attacks.

"We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities," they said.

However, altering any actual ballots or election results would be "extremely difficult", they added, because of a decentralised system and multiple checks and balances.

A number of embarrassing emails have come to light during the 2016 election campaign.

In July, a hacker calling himself Guccifer 2.0 claimed responsibility for the release of documents from the Democratic Party.

Gigabytes of files including emails and other documents that revealed the inner workings of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) were taken.

At an early stage, many US officials linked the breach to Russia. At the time, Moscow denied any involvement and denounced the "poisonous anti-Russian" rhetoric from Washington.

The leaked emails appeared to show that Democratic Party officials were biased against Bernie Sanders in his primary race against Mrs Clinton.

The hack led to the resignation of the party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and sparked protests at the national convention in Philadelphia.

Adam Schiff, a senior member of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said he applauded the decision to publicly name Russia as the culprit.

"All of us should be gravely concerned when a foreign power like Russia seeks to undermine our democratic institutions," he said.

He called for co-operation with "our European allies" to develop a response.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2016-37592684

[Wonderfulspam]

Interestingly, the harbinger of world peace that is Hillary Clinton has previously said......

"As President, I will make it clear that the United States will treat cyberattacks just like any other attack. We will be ready with serious political, economic, and military responses"

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/clinton-us-should-use-military-response-fight-cyberattacks-russia-china-1579187

[Alice Purjorick]

It will only take one little mistake by a US pilot to set off a chain reaction which could see all out war with Russia.

Maybe not. Gary Powers only stopped a conference.
Right enough he didn't shoot at anything just invaded their airspace and was shot down for his transgression.

[Alice Purjorick]

Interestingly, the harbinger of world peace that is Hillary Clinton has previously said......

"As President, I will make it clear that the United States will treat cyberattacks just like any other attack. We will be ready with serious political, economic, and military responses"

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/clinton-us-should-use-military-response-fight-cyberattacks-russia-china-1579187

Like anchoring up a destroyer in the Humber Estuary and popping off a Tomahawk missile at some kid's bedroom in Hull?
They'd do better hiring the English kids to make their [The Septics]  systems hacker proof. Poachers and gamekeepers and all that.

[Wonderfulspam]

Hitler-y Clinton, again, attacked Russia, Putin & Assad during the 2nd presidential debate.

She repeated the Assad must go mantra, claimed that she would & has been fighting ISIS..... (  I know right, the same Saudi supported ISIS whom she's in bed with) & said she'd enforce a no fly zone in Alleppo.

This would of course bring direct confrontation with Russia.......Genius!

Trump, on the other hand, suggested fighting with Russia & Assad against the 'head chopping, drown people in cages' ISIS & not turning Syria into Libya.

[Wonderfulspam]

US missile defense in Europe directly threatens Russia – Chinese military

US antimissile shield in Europe directly threats Russia, a senior-ranking Chinese general said as cited by RIA Novosti. He added that US actions across the globe disrupt the balance of regional power and provoke regional instability.

“The US did not provide legally-binding guarantees that the missile defense system they are deploying in Europe would not be aimed against Russia. But at the same time it poses a real and direct threat to the Russian security,” Maj. Gen. Cai Jun, the vice head of the Central Military Commission Joint Staff Department's warfare bureau, said in a speech at the Xiangshan international security forum in Beijing.

The assessment is similar to that of the Russian military, which insists that the American antimissile shield in Europe compromises Russia’s security and needs to be countered with better ballistic missiles and capabilities to destroy antimissile sites, should the need arise.

“China and Russia have similar positions about strategic antiballistic missile systems and oppose attempts by any nation or group of nations to create such systems unilaterally at the expense of strategic international security,” the general said.

Speaking alongside the Chinese official, Russian Lt. Gen. Viktor Poznikhir said that US duplicity over the antimissile shield is highlighted by the fact that the project continues despite a nuclear deal with Iran, which Washington claimed to be the main target for the European system.

The Russian official added that in addition to undermining Russian and Chinese nuclear deterrence, the US system poses a potential threat to any nation pursuing space exploration.

The system’s “anti-satellite capability is one of the reasons why the US rejects any treaties on banning weapons in space,” Poznikhir said. “The actions of the US do not give credibility to their statements that Russian and Chinese missiles and satellites are not considered targets for their antimissile systems.”

Gen. Poznikhir said Russia and China are forced to respond to these threats and preserve the strategic balance of power.

The 7th Xiangshan Forum is co-hosted by the Chinese Association for Military Science and the China Institute for International Strategic Studies and runs from Monday to Wednesday. Some 350 foreign officials and experts from 64 countries are visiting the event, according to organizers.

https://www.rt.com/news/362323-us-shield-europe-china/