Get Ready for a ‘Wartime Scenario’ in Europe and Be Wary of Russia and China, Top NATO Officer Warns

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Europeans must be ready to sacrifice some “luxuries” to pay to support Ukraine and to prevent a “wartime scenario” coming to the nations of the continent if they are insufficiently prepared, NATO’s most senior military officer said in a speech namechecking both Russia and China as threats.

NATO’s Admiral Rob Bauer, the Dutch naval officer who is chair of the NATO Military Committee addressed a conference of the European Policy Centre think tank on Monday, and while asserting the alliance is more ready now “than it has ever been”, delivered a somewhat pessimistic message of the need for preparedness for conflict. In a speech aimed at businesses across the alliance, the Admiral outlined that businesses had to be ready for war, but by improving their readiness they also reduced the likelihood of future fighting by improving NATO’s level of deterrence.

The scale of spending needed to keep the peace in Europe is such that ordinary people would feel the pinch in the pocketbook, Admiral Bauer said, calling on politicians to provide strong leadership to make the case this is necessary to voters. He said: “if you ramp up your deterrence and if you ramp up support to Ukraine, there will be less money to spend on other things. It will take away some of our luxuries, it will require sacrifice.”

Also implied is the extra cost on businesses, making a shift away from efficient, cost-cutting but fragile ‘just in time’ models to more robust practices to make businesses in America and Europe more insulated to shock. This itself increases the deterrence of NATO to its adversaries, he said, because knowing Western economies can’t be knocked over by the hybrid warfare of a sudden supply shock denies that weapon to those who would weaponise trade. (Read more from “Get Ready for a ‘Wartime Scenario’ in Europe and Be Wary of Russia and China, Top NATO Officer Warns” HERE)

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Russia Threatens to Attack New U.S. Base in Poland With ‘Advanced Weapons’

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Russia has threatened to attack a new US defense base in Poland with “advanced weapons” — just hours after reportedly launching an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine on Thursday.

Moscow leveled the warning after saying the opening of the ballistic missile defense base, located in the town of Redzikowo near the Baltic coast, would lead to an increase in overall nuclear danger.

“Given the nature and level of threats posed by such Western military facilities, the missile defense base in Poland has long been added to the list of priority targets for potential destruction, which, if necessary, can be executed with a wide range of advanced weapons,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

The US base at Redzikowo, which opened Nov. 13, is part of a broader NATO missile shield — known as “Aegis Ashore” — that can intercept short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles, according to the alliance.

“This is another frankly provocative step in a series of deeply destabilizing actions by the Americans and their allies in the North Atlantic Alliance in the strategic sphere,” Zakharova said of the base’s opening. (Read more from “Russia Threatens to Attack New U.S. Base in Poland With ‘Advanced Weapons’” HERE)

Danish Navy Reportedly Boards Chinese Ship Suspected in European Undersea Cable Sabotage — Sweden’s Defense Ministry Put Freighter at the Time and Place of the Disruption

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The Danish Navy has boarded and detained the Chinese Bulk Carrier Yi Peng 3 in the Danish Straits, near the exit of the Great Belt, according to reports in Eurasia Daily and Defence24. The detention reportedly took place on the evening of November 18. Officials have not verified those reports, however. According to Financial Times sources, Swedish authorities are “carefully studying the Chinese vessel.”

Denmark has sent two ships, the HDMS Hvidbjoernen, an ocean patrol frigate, and the DNK Navy Patrol P525, a smaller patrol craft, to shadow the Chinese Bulk Carrier Yi Peng 3. Authorities suspect the Chinese vessel is connected with the cutting of two undersea internet cables that connect Finland and Sweden to Central Europe, reports MSN.

The undersea cable connecting Sweden to Lithuania was the first to be hit, sustaining damage around Sunday, Nov. 17; the Finland-Germany undersea cable was cut the following day. On Tuesday, the Sweden Ministry of Civil Defense announced that it had recorded the Yi Peng 3’s movements and placed it within the vicinity of possible sabotage events.

According to public records, the bulk carrier left Ust-Luga Anchorage, some 50 miles east of St. Petersburg in Russia, on Nov. 15, and its next destination was Port Said in Egypt. We don’t have any information on her crew or what type of cargo she’s carrying, though.

At the time of writing, Marinetraffic.com puts the Chinese ship in the middle of the Kattegatt, the sea bound by Denmark on the west and Sweden in the east. The smaller Danish patrol ship is immediately beside it, while the Hvidbjoernen is located some 15 to 20 miles southwest of the two vessels (although the website says that this position was last updated more than seven hours ago). (Read more from “Danish Navy Reportedly Boards Chinese Ship Suspected in European Undersea Cable Sabotage — Sweden’s Defense Ministry Put Freighter at the Time and Place of the Disruption” HERE)

Big Change to Russian Nuclear Doctrine Now Allows Putin to Use Nukes in Ukraine

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Just days after the United States allowed Ukraine to use its long-range missile for deep strikes within Russian territory; President Vladimir Putin has approved changes to his country’s nuclear doctrine.

The changes to the nuclear doctrine have been approved by Putin on Tuesday.

The most noticeable change is that it expands the conditions under which nuclear weapons can be used by Moscow.

To put things into perspective, Russia can now use nuclear weapons in instances when a non-nuclear state supported by nuclear power attacks its area.

The timing suggests that it is the U.S. President Joe Biden’s approval to Kyiv for using the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) for deep strikes within Russian territory that has brought about this shift in the Russian nuclear doctrine. (Read more from “Big Change to Russian Nuclear Doctrine Now Allows Putin to Use Nukes in Ukraine” HERE)

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Russia Begins Mass Production of Radiation-Resistant Bomb Shelters

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These bomb shelters are designed to protect against radiation and natural disasters.

And they’re now being mass produced in Russia, the country’s emergency ministry research institute has said.

That announcement coming as U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration agreed to allow Ukraine to fire American long range missiles deep into Russia.

Though the research institute did not link the production increase to any current crisis.

The ”KUB-M” shelter is said to defend against a variety of threats including shrapnel, debris and fires. (Read more from “Russia Begins Mass Production of Radiation-Resistant Bomb Shelters” HERE)

Sweden, Finland Warn Residents to Be Ready for War: ‘Situation Is Serious’

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Sweden and Finland have all begun warning their residents to prepare for the possibility of war as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine rages on.

Stockholm on Monday published its latest version of “In Case of Crisis or War,” a pamphlet instructing civilians on how to prepare for, and ride out, a national crisis that was last sent out in 2018.

The pamphlet, which has been issued five times since World War II, is now twice as long at 32 pages and focuses on war preparations as the Swedish government warns of the worsening situation in Ukraine. . .

The Swedish campaign comes as neighboring Finland has also published its own online crisis prep brochure, detailing how the Finnish government would react in case of war.

Helsinki warned that as of the last government survey in September, only 58% of Finns have adequate emergency supplies at home to ride out a crisis. (Read more from “Sweden, Finland Warn Residents to Be Ready for War: ‘Situation Is Serious’” HERE)

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Famous Ballet Dancer And Putin Critic Falls Out Of Building, Dies: REPORT

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Renowned Russian ballet star Vladimir Shklyarov reportedly died Saturday at the age of 39 after falling from the fifth-story balcony of a building in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Shklyarov was a vocal advocate for ending the war against Ukraine since the initial invasion in 2022, and it remains unclear whether his outspoken stance on Putin’s war could be related to his death. However, many critics of Putin have suffered unexplained early deaths that include mysterious circumstances, according to a 2024 report issued by Newsweek. Shklyarov was the top-ranking dancer at the Mariinsky Theater, according to TMZ.

Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti reported that authorities have begun an investigation into Shklyarov’s death, but initial findings suggest the famous dancer’s fall was accidental, according to TMZ.

Shklyarov’s died two days prior to a scheduled complex spinal surgery, and local news outlet Fontanka reported that he had been using painkillers for his ailments. (Read more from “Famous Ballet Dancer And Putin Critic Falls Out Of Building, Dies: REPORT” HERE)

WWIII Watch: Biden Reportedly Approves Ukraine Long-Range Missile Strikes in Russia Before Trump Comes to Power

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Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden has reportedly approved the use of long-range American missiles by Ukraine to strike within the Russian mainland, in a move which may escalate the conflict two months before President-Elect Donald Trump comes into office with a mandate to seek a peace settlement.

According to reports from the Democrat-aligned Washington Post and New York Times newspapers, both citing unnamed U.S. officials, lame-duck President Joe Biden has lifted restrictions barring Ukraine from using American Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles to strike targets within Russia.

The Biden White House previously approved the use of ATACMS by Kyiv to strike Russian targets within Ukrainian territory, including Russian-occupied lands such as Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Moscow under the Obama administration in 2014. The Biden administration had also approved the use of shorter-range American missiles for limited cross-border strikes within Russia.

However, President Biden had been hesitant to permit the Ukrainians to use ATACMS within Russia for fear of escalating the conflict, with reported concerns over the world’s largest nuclear power potentially using more powerful weapons within Ukraine, Moscow increasing assistance to American adversaries such as the Islamist regime in Iran or to the Houthi terrorists in Yemen in their quest to disrupt global shipping.

The apparent about-face from the Biden administration may be seen as an attempt to undermine peace efforts by incoming President Donald Trump, who has already embarked upon unofficial diplomatic efforts to fulfil his promise of negotiating an end to the war. (Read more from “WWIII Watch: Biden Reportedly Approves Ukraine Long-Range Missile Strikes in Russia Before Trump Comes to Power” HERE)

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Ukraine’s Plan for International Suicide: Zelensky May Build a Nuke If Trump Doesn’t Support War

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Ukraine could develop a rudimentary nuclear bomb within months if Donald Trump withdraws US military assistance, according to a briefing paper prepared for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.

The country would quickly be able to build a basic device from plutonium with a similar technology to the “Fat Man” bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945, the report states. “Creating a simple atomic bomb, as the United States did within the framework of the Manhattan Project, would not be a difficult task 80 years later,” the document reads.

With no time to build and run the large facilities required to enrich uranium, wartime Ukraine would have to rely instead on using plutonium extracted from spent fuel rods taken from Ukraine’s nuclear reactors.

Ukraine still controls nine operational reactors and has significant nuclear expertise despite having given up the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal in 1996. The report says: “The weight of reactor plutonium available to Ukraine can be estimated at seven tons … A significant nuclear weapons arsenal would require much less material … the amount of material is sufficient for hundreds of warheads with a tactical yield of several kilotons.” . . .

“That would be enough to destroy an entire Russian airbase or concentrated military, industrial or logistics installations. The exact nuclear yield would be unpredictable because it would use different isotopes of plutonium,” said the report’s author, Oleksii Yizhak, head of department at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies, a government research centre that acts as an advisory body to the presidential office and the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine. (Read more from “Ukraine’s Plan for International Suicide: Zelensky May Build a Nuke If Trump Doesn’t Support War” HERE)

Blinken Assures NATO Biden Will Funnel Billions to Ukraine Prior to Trump Return

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Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a farewell visit to the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday in which he repeatedly insisted that President Joe Biden would “push every dollar out the door that we have at our disposal” to Ukraine.

Blinken met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Ukraine’s newly minted foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, asserting that the Biden’s administration secured $8 billion in Ukraine spending in September and would continue to find way to supply Ukraine with “the air defenses it needs, that has the artillery it needs, that has the armored vehicles it needs” to fight Russia.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shortly after Biden lifted sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, which would have dramatically increased Russian natural gas exports to western Europe, particularly Germany. President-elect Donald Trump sanctioned the pipeline project during his first term as a means of depriving Russian strongman of the funds necessary to conduct more belligerent activity in eastern Europe; Putin initially invaded Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and colonized it in 2014. Biden’s move to rescind the sanctions prompted shock and condemnation in Kyiv, where President Volodymyr Zelensky declared himself “very unpleasantly surprised” by the news.

Biden has supported the funding of the Ukrainian military since the full-scale invasion to the tune of tens of billions of dollars, but has done little to support negotiations with the aim of ending the conflict. Trump, in contrast, vowed to end the fighting as soon as possible to prevent the further destruction of the Ukrainian state. Zelensky enthusiastically welcomed the news last week that Trump would return to office and was among the first world leaders to congratulate him and speak to him directly following the election. (Read more from “Blinken Assures NATO Biden Will Funnel Billions to Ukraine Prior to Trump Return” HERE)

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