Russian EW (electronic warfare) stops NATO exercises in their tracks
In the Baltic region, ships can’t sail, planes can’t fly. What’s a US-led warmonger to do?
Translation with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
BALTIC REGION: PLANES DON’T FLY, SHIPS DON’T SAIL - RUSSIA SHOWED WHAT ITS EW [ELECTRONIC WARFARE] IS CAPABLE OF
In honor of its 75th anniversary, the North Atlantic Alliance is holding Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024. Based on the fact that most of the military events are planned to take place practically near the Russian borders, we can confidently say that the purpose of the exercises is a demonstration of forces in order to instill fear in Russia. However, Moscow had something to respond to NATO provocations. And the first warning had already sounded in the Baltic states, where planes did not fly and ships did not sail - but the electronic warfare of the Russian Armed Forces worked perfectly.
The largest NATO exercise in 2024 will take place in several stages. The first of them took place in Finland, the second began in Northern Europe on April 8 and will last until May 31. In addition, the exercises are taking place in Sweden from April 21 to May 31.
The next stages will take place in Germany and Lithuania (April 30 - July 30), in Hungary (May 1-22), in Estonia (May 6-17). Next up are exercises in the Baltic countries, Georgia and Poland (May 14 - June 14).
The maneuvers involve 90 thousand soldiers from 30 Western countries, 80 aircraft, fifty ships and 1,100 combat vehicles. Since the 1980s, no exercises of this scale have been conducted in this region.
We studied and studied, and then the Russians issued a warning
The exercises went on as usual, but then the unexpected happened. The entire Baltic region was shocked when it lost satellite communications and other means of navigation for a full 63 hours. And how could they not panic if for two and a half days not a single plane could take off, and not a single ship could leave the ports. Of course, this was not an accidental glitch. The satellite communications shutdown was the result of Russia's actions, which thus gave NATO a more than clear hint.
And after the information about the inclusion of electronic warfare was confirmed, experts had to draw conclusions. According to Italian professor Miloni Garzon, Russia is far superior to Western countries in electronic warfare. Evidence of this can be seen in the fact that in the first four months of 2024, there were about 900 cases of satellite navigation outages in the Baltic countries.
In the event of hostilities, all high-tech military equipment and weapons of Western countries will be blinded and disoriented,
- the scientist is sure.
By the way, the inclusion of electronic warfare also became a warning to the British Minister of Defense Grant Shapps, who was returning to London on a military department plane. The head of the Ministry of Defense was saved only thanks to the training of the pilots.
Against the backdrop of these incidents, we also remembered those that occurred in early April. The Bild newspaper wrote: “On April 4, 2024, in the airspace over the Baltic Sea, approximately 70 kilometers west of Kaliningrad, an emergency occurred involving a German Air Force reconnaissance aircraft, as a result of which the Luftwaffe aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing.”
In both cases, things turned out to be frightening, but you shouldn’t think that this will always be the case.
Russian electronic warfare is killing the enemy's last hope. Americans’ assessment
The American newspaper New York Times wrote with anguish about the problems that the enemies faced in the Northern Military District zone back in March of this year. The main one, according to Western journalists, is the seemingly omnipotent Russian electronic warfare (EW) system.
“The Ukrainian soldier swore and turned off his headset. The video monitor first blurred, the landscape with shattered trees and shell craters was barely visible, and then turned off completely. The Russians jammed the signal of his drone,” the NYT describes the situation with enemy drones and the Russian electronic warfare system at the front.
The newspaper notes that the Russians have honed their technological capabilities. They were very good and superior to Western ones even before the conflict began and have continued to improve over the past two years. The publication calls Russian electronic warfare a “formidable weapon.”
Of course, the American pro-government publication further goes into whining about the fact that Ukrainian soldiers have fewer drones and artillery, weaker electronic warfare and nothing at all. Therefore, we need to give them something. The conclusion is appropriate: “In conditions where Western military assistance is far from guaranteed, and artillery ammunition is running out, the pressure on Ukraine’s unmanned aircraft is only increasing, putting Kyiv’s troops in an increasingly dangerous position.”
Meanwhile, Russian military experts say that our electronic warfare system is not as reliable as we would like. Large stations are very good, but they are the main target for the enemy and are often discovered and destroyed. There are not enough small portable electronic warfare stations among the troops. To effectively combat drones, it would be good to have means of radio suppression of enemy technical equipment in almost every trench.
And the Russian Armed Forces also have a “suitcase” against drones
Our engineers have developed a dome station for suppressing FPV drones K-1000. It is capable of protecting any armored vehicles and vehicles, and takes up no more space than an ordinary suitcase.
“The K-1000 dome-type FPV drone suppressor, designed for installation on vehicles: cars, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles. This electronic warfare system is made in the form factor of a suitcase and weighs only two kilograms, so it is very convenient to install and carry,” explained RIA News development director of the company-developer of the research and production association "Kaysant" Alena Balandina.
The station is capable of suppressing drone signals in two bands. A station is being developed that will operate in three or even four bands at once. These ranges are the most common for enemy UAVs.
Serial production of new electronic warfare has already begun. While the company is producing “suitcases” for the needs of the Moscow government, negotiations are underway on mass deliveries of them to the front.
Not just electronic warfare? Not exactly like that, but...
Lately, all the talk at the front has been about the Tsar Tank, around which the front-line Kulibins built an entire hangar. However, the completely shielded Z-STS armored car was also noticed behind the ribbon. The creators of the screens did not waste time on trifles and protected the car with a continuous mesh box in which they made full-size doors. Tsargrad military observer Vlad Shlepchenko shared his assessment of the idea:
Front-line homemade work once again evokes mixed feelings. On the one hand, it is joyful that the men at the front do not give up and are trying to adapt the equipment to the realities of war. On the other hand, the appearance of such homemade products is a very clear marker of intellectual impotence and myopia of dozens of research teams.
Thousands of highbrow designers, together with graduates of military academies, were unable to provide the Russian soldier with equipment adequate to the requirements of the modern battlefield.
And it is precisely the discrepancy between the “hardware”, which was once again prepared for the last war, and current threats, that forces front-line soldiers to create makeshift defense, Shlepchenko believes. Now the emphasis is on equipping equipment with electronic warfare systems. However, the problem is that FPV drones have already been equipped with auto-target acquisition technology, which makes these systems useless:
In fact, both tanks and other armored vehicles need kinetic means of destroying drones: new active protection systems and on-board air defense systems. For example, in the form of automatic shotguns capable of meeting an approaching UAV with a dense stream of buckshot. Of course, Doppler radars, which can detect missiles flying at speeds of hundreds of meters per second, but cannot detect slowly buzzing drones, are not suitable for such systems. We need new power supply systems, fire control systems and much more that, in principle, cannot be welded in a garage.
In conclusion, Shlepchenko added:
There is an axiom: the heroism of some is a consequence of the idiocy of others. Now we can safely add one more thing to it: front-line creativity is a consequence of rear-line stupidity and laziness. Look at what the soldiers on the front line are doing collective farms, and you will understand who in the rear is getting paid in vain.
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The above story received VERY little attention in the West. Here is an exception: https://www.newsweek.com/russia-electronic-warfare-gps-jamming-nato-finland-poland-sweden-kaliningrad-ukraine-1863096
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Here’s your air strike update for May 5, 2024
Translation with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
The Russian army dealt a powerful blow to Slavyansk TPP-2
According to eyewitnesses, the territory of the station has long been used by Ukrainian militants and foreign mercenaries as their place of deployment; according to some sources, launchers of the S-300 complex were also located there, apparently, this did not help. In addition, there is information that part of the generation from TPP-2 [TPP: thermal power plant] was used to supply energy to military enterprises in Kharkov.
And news from the Ministry of Defense. In the Avdeevsk direction, another American Abrams tank was destroyed, as well as two infantry fighting vehicles, including a Bradley. The enemy is suffering huge losses, more than one thousand 150 militants per day.
Our units are gradually improving their positions along the entire front line. Over the past 24 hours, operational-tactical aviation, missile forces and artillery have destroyed: a Western-made missile weapons depot in the Odessa oblast, a rocket fuel production workshop, as well as manpower and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 108 regions.
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05 MAY 2024
STRIKES ON DNIPROPETROVSK ON MAY 5: WHERE WERE THE EXPLOSIONS, WHAT TARGETS ARE HIT
Over the past 24 hours, the Russian army launched several powerful attacks on Ukrainian Armed Forces targets in Dnepropetrovsk (Dnepr) and the oblast. We tell you what is known about the situation in Dnepropetrovsk on May 5th.
In the city of Dnepropetrovsk, renamed Dnepr by Ukraine, a series of explosions occurred at night. The first incident was reported by the Ukrainian Channel 24, and later the Public edition confirmed information about new explosions in the same city
Presumably, the industrial part of Pavlograd, where the chemical plant is located, is again under attack. The previous attack in this area took place less than 24 hours ago.
According to official Ukrainian sources, the air defense managed to shoot down 23 of the 24 Shaheds.
Footage of the fire in the Dnieper after the Shahed attack. Debris was reported falling on infrastructure. Fires are reported in two places.
Consequences of the shelling of the Dnieper
After the arrivals in Dnepropetrovsk, a serious fire continues at one of the infrastructure facilities
At night and early in the morning, the Russian army worked on Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities. Local publics report that after the arrivals, fires are still burning in Dnepropetrovsk - local media wrote that infrastructure facilities were affected, but did not specify which ones.
The day before, the Russian army struck the energy sector in the Dnepropetrovsk oblast. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy, the substation was de-energized, as well as two mines and a water utility. Industrial facilities were also left without electricity.
On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a special operation in Ukraine, which, according to him, was caused by the need to protect the residents of Donbass. He noted that Russia had no other choice.
The West condemned Moscow's actions, deciding to support Kyiv with financial assistance and weapons. In this regard, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that the geographical objectives of the special operation in Ukraine have changed, and they will not be completed within the territories of Donbass only
Europe is still confident that sanctions can stop the Russians, and therefore suffers losses and a destructive impact from its own decisions on its own economy. Respectable citizens in Europe do not understand why prices in stores are rising, and fuel is becoming more expensive, and why the Kyiv authorities do not compromise in order to sit down at the negotiating table with the Kremlin.
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by Rodney Atkinson
LATEST FROM FREENATIONS
PLEASE SEND TO JOURNALISTS AND MPS
UKRAINE ARMY LARGELY DESTROYED, BATTLEFIELD LOSSES, MOBILISED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, CANCER, FOREVER WAR CRIPPLING WEST, THE $61BN FARCE, NOVOROSSIYA PEACE BASIS
More here
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Absolute proof that the Russian military operation was PROVOKED by the US and Kiev.
I had previously compiled a collection of video clips documenting the provocation of Russia, ie, the shelling of Donbass that killed thousands of innocent ethnic Russians after 2014 when the Obama-Biden regime took over the Maidan protests and turned a peaceful protest into a violent coup – and then installed a Nazi government.
There is a lot more evidence than that. I have added more links below.
Patrick Lancaster’s emotional report just before the Russians launched their special operation:
The US role in the war was also reported here
(OSCE first reported it), and https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/02/the-buildup-to-war-in-ukraine-february-13-2022.html , https://www.donbass-insider.com/2022/02/23/shelling-and-terrorist-attacks-from-ukraine-continue-after-russian-recognition-of-the-dpr-and-lpr/
Here https://consortiumnews.com/2022/02/21/putin-recognizes-donbass-independence-as-violence-soars/
And by the eminent John Pilger
https://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=250157
And if there is anyone who still doubts that the US and its partners in Kiev deliberately goaded Russia into launching its special military operation, consider the US complicity in the Gaza genocide, where the US and its partner in crime Israel used the Hamas attack as an excuse to ethnically cleanse Palestine by killing tens of thousands of people.
Genocide is what the US does.
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Israel Establishes Rafah Military Command, Palestinian Resistance Just Bombed It
May 5, 2024
By Palestine Chronicle Staff
Al-Aqsa TV cited security and field sources from the Palestinian Resistance as saying that at least three soldiers were killed and ten others wounded, some of them critically.
The Israeli army suffered losses on Sunday in an attack that the Israeli media described as unusual, as the Palestinian Resistance bombed gatherings of soldiers at the Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) crossing located in southern Gaza.
According to Al-Jazeera, Israeli media reported that a publication ban was imposed on them regarding the exact location of the shells and the army’s losses.
Some Israeli newspapers and websites reported that up to 10 soldiers were injured, some of them in serious condition.
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Student protest leader, excellent
https://twitter.com/i/status/1786841841309999311
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WD re. The destruction of Western arms train:
Hypersonic missiles have changed warfare and Russia has the lead.
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Saudi Arabia thwarts public opinion, arrests pro-Palestine activists
New Poll Sheds Light on Saudi Views of Israel-Hamas War | The Washington Institute
If a monarchy wants to avoid a revolution, it would be wise to listen to the people.
Saudi cracks down instead!
New Poll Sheds Light on Saudi Views of Israel-Hamas War | The Washington Institute
As for the role of the broader Arab world, almost all Saudis (96%) agree with the proposal that “Arab countries should immediately break all diplomatic, political, economic, and any other contacts with Israel, in protest against its military action in Gaza.”
Overwhelming Saudi Majority Rejects Normalization, Supports Resistance - Poll - Palestine Chronicle
‘Wishful Thinking’
“For years, US and Israeli media invested in a false narrative that the Saudis have abandoned Palestine and that normalization between Israel and the Kingdom, in fact, the entirety of the Muslim world, was just a matter of time,” Ramzy Baroud, Palestinian journalist and political analyst, said.
“This poll is not the first time that Saudis prove that their solidarity with Palestine is unconditional and that talks about ‘integrating’ Israel into the Middle East at the expense of the Palestinian cause were nothing but wishful thinking,” Baroud added.
“It is equally important to note that the Saudis are also fully aware that Israel would have not been able to prolong its genocide of the Palestinians without direct US military backing and political support. That, too, shall have consequences in the perception of the Saudis, in fact, all Arabs and Muslims, of Washington.”
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بلومبيرغ: السعودية تكثف اعتقالات من يهاجم إسرائيل عبر الإنترنت (alkhanadeq.org.lb)
Saturday 04 May 2024 12:58
Bloomberg: Saudi Arabia intensifies arrests of those who attack Israel online
Saudi Arabia arrests those who attack Israel electronically
Bloomberg revealed in this article, which was translated by the Trench website, that Saudi Arabia is taking strict measures against electronic comments and tweets against Israel, regarding its aggression against Gaza. But the most important thing is what he added that Saudi Arabia and the United States are working to strengthen relations in this way to tempt Israel, and not the opposite as some think, especially in Arab and Islamic countries, that Tel Aviv and Washington are the ones trying to tempt Riyadh to normalization.
The article also added that the motive behind the recent increase in arrests is the fear of the Saudi ruling authority - which is shared by many regimes - that these protests will develop into something similar to the “Arab Spring revolutions”!
Translated text:
Saudi Arabia has intensified the arrest of citizens over social media posts related to the war between Israel and Hamas, as the kingdom signals its willingness to agree to diplomatic relations with the Jewish state - if it commits to establishing a Palestinian state.
Detention of people for their online comments – even those over the age of 10 – and restrictions on freedom of expression and political expression, are the norm in Saudi Arabia. However, the recent wave of arrests has been driven by security concerns specifically linked to Hamas' deadly October 7 invasion of Israel and its aftermath, according to Riyadh-based diplomats and human rights groups.
Israel's retaliatory bombing of Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to authorities in the Hamas-run enclave, and left many in desperate need of food and health care. This has sparked a violent public backlash against Israel, across the Arab world and in Western countries including the United States, where violent clashes occurred on university campuses, and hundreds of demonstrators were arrested in the United States on Wednesday.
Some of the people, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the conflict, said that Saudi Arabia and regional allies such as Egypt and Jordan are concerned about this trend, fearing that Iran and Islamist groups will exploit the conflict to incite a wave of uprisings. Memories of the Arab Spring more than a decade ago are still fresh among the region's rulers, who are desperate to avoid a repeat.
According to people inside and outside Saudi Arabia with knowledge of the matter, the latest Saudi arrests included an executive at a company involved in the kingdom's Vision 2030 economic transformation plan — a cornerstone of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's agenda. They added that the detainee expressed his views on the conflict in Gaza, which the authorities considered controversial.
The sources said that a media personality who said Israel should never be forgiven was also arrested, as well as a person calling for a boycott of American fast food restaurants in the Kingdom. People exchanged this information on the condition that their identity or the identity of the detainees not be revealed.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior and the government's Human Rights Commission did not respond to requests for comment.
A person familiar with the Saudi government's thinking acknowledged the arrests, attributing them to what he described as a high level of vigilance after October 7, and the authorities' desire to deter people from making statements online about the war that might affect national security
On Thursday, Saudi opposition figures and activists will hold in the United States their largest conference since the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who went from a member of the royal court to a critic, and who was killed by Saudi agents in 2018. It is expected For the opponents to reveal what they call the “coalition” and the “people’s vision” for the kingdom, which gives priority to freedom of expression and the release of all political prisoners.
Solid line
The Saudi arrests over Gaza-related posts indicate that Prince Mohammed's regime will take a hard line against citizens who do not toe the line when it comes to normalizing relations with Israel - a topic the kingdom was working on with the United States before the October 7 events muddied the waters. Riyadh and Washington resumed talks on a defense agreement and US cooperation in launching a civilian nuclear program earlier this year, and with an agreement reached, Israel will be invited to join a tripartite agreement or risk being left behind.
Since October 7, Saudi Arabia has sharply criticized Israel over its war in Gaza and demanded an immediate ceasefire, while indicating that it remains open to warmer relations if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdraws his forces and commits to establishing a Palestinian state. However, the latter outcome remains a distant possibility, especially with Netanyahu's far-right coalition remaining in power.
Jane Kinninmont, a Gulf expert and director of policy and influence at the European Leadership Network, said the crackdown on pro-Palestinian sentiment on social media could be a sign of Riyadh's seriousness about normalization with Israel: "If they want to change their policy and go visit Israel and have the Israelis come to... “Riyadh, when war looks different, they don’t want there to be some kind of pro-Palestinian movement that might protest that kind of thing.”
More widespread arrests
There are no accurate figures on the number of people arrested by Saudi Arabia since October 7.
A Saudi man, who regularly visits a family member detained over a pre-war internet post in a prison south of Riyadh, said his relative told him about a significant increase in the number of prisoners at the high-security facility over the past six months. This was confirmed by several diplomats in the Saudi capital and human rights organizations, who said they were tracking a significant rise in social media-related arrests since October 7.
But they said the reasons included comments about other Saudi issues such as the cost of living, or anything critical of the kingdom or its leadership.
Manahil Al-Otaibi, a Saudi fitness trainer and women's rights activist, was sentenced in January to 11 years in prison and charged with "terrorist crimes" over social media posts demanding greater freedoms for women and videos showing herself in public without wearing the traditional clothing: abaya. This is according to statements by Amnesty International and the Saudi human rights group ALQST.
“People are very disturbed by what is happening in Palestine and they expect a strong response from their country, but they are not seeing it,” said Yahya Asiri, a Saudi opposition leader based in London who founded a group that tracks human rights violations in the kingdom. “Anger over the war in Gaza is often linked to dissatisfaction with other government policies, especially on the economic front,” said Asiri, who was granted political asylum by the UK in 2017.
He added: "These links are very worrying for them, but their fears are exaggerated," referring to the Saudi security services.
Writer: Editorial room
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Our thanks to JS for this:
RE: Palestinian student addressing injustices
This brave and beautiful young woman should not remain nameless.
University of Toledo commencement speaker Meha Zedan shares her message of Peace (Salam). (Video credit: Haidar Koussan)
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