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Russia’s Ammo ‘Rapidly Dwindling,’ May Begin To Run Out in Early 2023: Pentagon

The Russian military is quickly running out of artillery and rocket ammunition, Pentagon officials said Monday, and the Russian army can only sustain its current rate of attack in Ukraine until early next year.

A senior U.S. defense official told reporters on a conference call that Moscow is increasingly turning to Iran and North Korea to replenish its “rapidly dwindling” stockpiles of rocket and artillery rounds, which have been crucial to Russia‘s months-long assault on Ukraine‘s energy infrastructure.

The Russian military has relentlessly attacked Ukrainian civilian targets across the country in recent months ahead of the looming winter season, but the current pace may only be sustainable for another few weeks or months at best. (Read more from “Russia’s Ammo ‘Rapidly Dwindling,’ May Begin To Run Out in Early 2023: Pentagon” HERE)

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This Is the Real Reason Why Biden Took the Deal To Get a WNBA Player Out of Russia

As we’ve noted here, when it comes to The Art of the Deal, Biden doesn’t have it, which was painfully exposed when he pulled the trigger on a bad deal to get back WNBA star Brittney Griner who has been detained in Russia for months. In February, Griner was jailed on drug charges, with vape charges containing cannabis oil on her person. It was for medicinal purposes, but it’s illegal in Russia. A months-long legal circus carried allegations that the Biden White House either didn’t know or care that an American was being detained overseas. It also didn’t help that Griner’s detention occurred just as the Biden administration and the rest of the West slapped sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. . .

The Biden administration’s new line appears we took the deal because this notorious arms dealer would be released from prison soon anyway. That’s at least what John Kirby told Fox News’ Shannon Bream (via RealClearPolitics):

SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS: So, how will this administration answer the questions about why Marc Fogel and Paul Whelan were left behind?

KIRBY: We will, of course, cooperate fully with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle. If there’s a need and desire for more information, we’ll be as forthcoming as we obviously can be. Of course, we respect the role of Congress.

A couple of points here. Mr. Bout wasn’t serving a life sentence, Shannon. He was going to get out in 2029. So, at some point in the not too distant future, he would have been a free man. It is six years earlier.

(Read more from “This Is the Real Reason Why Biden Took the Deal To Get a WNBA Player Out of Russia” HERE)

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Trump Says He Rejected Russian Offer to Swap Former Marine for ‘Merchant of Death’

Former President Donald Trump said Sunday that he had previously rejected an attempt by Russia to trade “Merchant of Death” arms dealer Viktor Bout for former US Marine Paul Whelan — insisting he would never free someone who has “killed untold numbers.”

“I turned down a deal with Russia for a one on one swap of the so-called Merchant of Death for Paul Whelan,” Trump, 76, said in a Truth Social post.

“I wouldn’t have made the deal for a hundred people in exchange for someone that has killed untold numbers of people with his arms deals.”

Bout, who was convicted in 2011 of conspiracy to kill Americans by supplying a Colombian terrorist group with weapons, was freed last week in exchange for the return of WNBA star Brittney Griner.

Griner had been sentenced to nine years in a Russian forced labor camp after authorities found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her suitcase when she touched down in Moscow back in February. (Read more from “Trump Says He Rejected Russian Offer to Swap Former Marine for ‘Merchant of Death'” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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War Could ‘Spin Out of Control’, NATO Chief Warns – As Zelenskyy Says Russians Have ‘Destroyed’ Bakhmut, Nuclear Risks Skyrocket

By Sky News. Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of the military alliance, today warned that fighting in Ukraine could spin out of control – and become a war between Russia and NATO. . .

He added: “It is a terrible war in Ukraine. It is also a war that can become a full-fledged war that spreads into a major war between NATO and Russia.

“We are working on that every day to avoid that.”

Mr Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, added that “there is no doubt that a full-fledged war is a possibility,” saying it is important to avoid a conflict “that involves more countries in Europe and becomes a full-fledged war in Europe.”

The Kremlin has accused NATO allies of effectively becoming a party to the conflict by providing Ukraine with weapons, training its troops and feeding military intelligence to attack Russian forces. (Read more from “Ukraine War Latest: War Could ‘Spin Out of Control’, NATO Chief Warns – As Zelenskyy Says Russians Have ‘Destroyed’ Bakhmut” HERE)

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After U.S. Approves Ukrainian Drone Strikes Deep Into Russia, Putin Officials Warn of Nuclear War Risk

By Will Stewart and Abul Taher. Vladimir Putin’s henchmen warned last night that the fighting in Ukraine could escalate into an ‘all-out nuclear war’ after America gave Ukraine the green light to launch drone strikes deep inside Russia.

The Russian officials were responding to reports that the Pentagon had told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky that he can launch the attacks within Russia, which the US previously advised against, fearing an all-out war between Russia and Nato.

One source in Putin’s circle said last night: ‘This is playing with fire, risking full-scale war which could easily go nuclear.’

Another said: ‘Who will now give Moscow the green light for strikes against Ukrainian decision-making centres?’ (Read more about the Ukraine war going nuclear HERE).

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U.S. Defense Secretary Announces that Russia is Rapidly Modernizing, Expanding its Nuclear Arsenal

By Christine Fernando. Russia is “modernizing and expanding its nuclear arsenal,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned in remarks Friday.

“As the Kremlin continues its cruel and unprovoked war of choice against Ukraine, the whole world has seen Putin engage in deeply irresponsible nuclear saber-rattling,” Austin said at a ceremony for the new commander of the U.S. Strategic Command.

With close to 6,000 warheads, Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, according to Reuters. The U.S. and Russia together hold about 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads, the news wire reported.

Russia has previously said it will prioritize building its nuclear infrastructure in 2023. But this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed concerns he would use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. He said his reminders about Russia’s nuclear weapon arsenal are a “factor of deterrence” rather than one of escalation. (Read more about the risk of the Ukraine war going nuclear HERE)

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Iran Is Now Putin’s ‘Top Military Backer’, US and UK Warn

By Independent UK. The British defence ministry today reiterated the Biden administration’s claims that Iran has become one of Russia’s ‘top military backers’ since Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

It warned that Tehran’s support to the Russian military is likely to “grow in the coming months”.

(Read more from “Iran Is Now Putin’s ‘Top Military Backer’, US and UK Warn” HERE)

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Pentagon Says New Military Equipment, Ammo Heading to Ukraine

The Pentagon is shipping more ammunition and military equipment to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against the Russian invasion that started 10 months ago.

The Department of Defense said Friday that it will send 80,000 artillery rounds with more ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and equipment used to counter Russian drones. The package also includes air defense weapons, ambulance Humvees, medical equipment and 150 generators.

The latest round of firepower, valued at about $275 million, is again coming straight from U.S. military stocks. It is the 27th such drawdown since August 2021, U.S. officials said.

“This security assistance package will provide Ukraine with new capabilities to boost its air defenses in addition to providing critical equipment that Ukraine is using so effectively to defend itself on the battlefield,” the Pentagon said in a statement. (Read more from “Pentagon Says New Military Equipment, Ammo Heading to Ukraine” HERE)

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Putin Considers Preemptive Nuclear Strike Doctrine, Boasts Russian Cruise Missiles Surpass U.S. Equivalents

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that his country could adopt the doctrine of preemptive nuclear strikes while boasting that Russia’s cruise missile capabilities surpass those of the U.S.

Speaking at a summit of former Soviet nations in Kyrgyzstan, the Russian dictator referred to what he called America’s preemptive nuclear strike doctrine, saying that Russia is “thinking about” implementing something similar. Currently, Russian military doctrine states that Moscow can use a nuclear strike if the country comes under nuclear attack or the existence of the country is threatened.

“Speaking about a disarming strike, maybe it’s worth thinking about adopting the ideas developed by our U.S. counterparts, their ideas of ensuring their security,” Putin remarked with a smile, according to the Associated Press.

In October, the Pentagon rejected any limits on using nuclear weapons in its new National Defense Strategy, Bloomberg reported. Officials mentioned international threats from Russia and China as the reason for the refusal.

“[B]y the 2030s the United States will, for the first time in its history face two major nuclear powers as strategic competitors and potential adversaries,” the Pentagon said, adding that the U.S. will “maintain a very high bar for nuclear employment.” (Read more from “Putin Considers Preemptive Nuclear Strike Doctrine, Boasts Russian Cruise Missiles Surpass U.S. Equivalents” HERE)

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Trump Hired a Crew To Search His Storage Units. Here’s What They Found.

By WND. It dawned on me that the liberal media’s coverage of the FBI’s illegal Mar-a-Lago raid in August is the same modus operandi as the Russian collusion hoax: death by a thousand cuts. The only difference is that the liberal media ate more crow over the latter, with a litany of so-called bombshell stories about Trump and the Kremlin, which fell apart. And, the liberal media often ended up hoisting themselves on their own petard. The levels of corruption are similar, as they both have the same point source: the Department of Justice. . .

The email tag between Trump’s lawyers and the National Archives stretched for months, but they did return items in question, pointing to cooperation. Also, Trump was the president who could declassify anything at will, which makes it nearly impossible to indict a former president for mishandling classified materials, unlike Hillary Clinton, who was guilty of that crime but was never charged because she’s a Democrat.

Now, we have not one, but two, marked classified items discovered in Trump’s storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida. The former president hired the crew that rummaged through the contents, and the team turned over the documents to the FBI (via WaPo):

Lawyers for former president Donald Trump found at least two items marked classified after an outside team hired by Trump searched a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Fla., used by the former president, according to people familiar with the matter.

Those items were turned over to the FBI, according to those people, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

(Read more from “Trump Hired a Crew To Search His Storage Units. Here’s What They Found.” HERE)

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Classified Documents Found in Trump Search of Storage Site

By New York Times. Former President Donald J. Trump hired people to search four properties after being directed by a federal judge to look harder for any classified material still in his possession, and they found at least two documents with classified markings inside a sealed box in one of the locations, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Mr. Trump’s search team discovered the documents at a federally run storage site in West Palm Beach, Fla., the person said, prompting his lawyers to notify the Justice Department about them. . .

The discovery of the documents at the storage unit, maintained by the federal General Services Administration, came during a series of wider searches that were completed around Thanksgiving and conducted at Mr. Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, N.J.; at Trump Tower in New York; and in a storage closet at Mar-a-Lago, according to two people familiar with the events. (Read more from “Classified Documents Found in Trump Search of Storage Site” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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Russia Willing to Discuss Ending Bloody War With Ukraine — If Demands Are Met

The Kremlin on Friday once again claimed it was “open to negotiations” on ending the war in Ukraine, but only if the West accepts its demands.

“The president of the Russian Federation [Vladimir Putin] has always been, is and remains open to negotiations in order to ensure our interests,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to comments made Thursday by President Biden, according to Reuters.

Biden and Putin have not spoken since Russia invaded Ukraine nine months ago, and Peskov’s comments were the second time in two days that the Kremlin signaled they would be open to resuming talks with Washington.

However, Rebekah Koffler, a Russia expert and former DIA intelligence officer for Russian Doctrine & Strategy, told Fox News Digital, “Make no mistake, Putin is not caving.”

“This is likely a distraction,” she added, pointing out that Putin was also in talks with Western nations, including the U.S., as he was preparing to invade Ukraine in February. (Read more from “Russia Willing to Discuss Ending Bloody War With Ukraine — If Demands Are Met” HERE)

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Eastern Ukraine Had Good Reason to Join Russia, After Kyiv’s Aggression

Once a Pittsburgh sister city also known for its steel industry, Donetsk, and the greater Donbas region in which it is located, has been at war since 2014. According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, 14,000 people died in this conflict, even before Russia began its military operations in February. I’ve just returned from there.

Before Russia’s intervention, the conflict had been between the people of that region and the government in Kiev, after an unconstitutional coup took 2014. This coup, known as “Maidan,” was — as then US Ambassador to Ukraine Victoria Nuland explained in a recorded telephone conversation — managed by the United States.

The coup brought to power a pro-Western, anti-Russian, government, which contained elements which were far-right and even Nazi. The best known element, as the Nation Magazine reported in 2019, is the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, which has been part of Ukraine’s National Guard since 2014. Its commander Andriy Biletsky once wrote that Ukraine’s mission is to “lead the White Races of the world in a final crusade…against the Semite-led Untermenschen.” . . .

However, the people of Donetsk, who have lived this reality now for almost nine years, are very clear that all of this is real. Indeed, I met people in Donetsk (some quite elderly) who volunteered back in 2014 to defend their land and their people from the Kiev government’s aggression.

Much of the government views the predominantly ethnic Russian people of the Donbas as inferior beings whose language and culture, including the Russian Orthodox Church, should be eradicated. I actually traveled to Donestk in a vehicle laden with clothes destined for a Russian Orthodox monastery in Donetsk that is constantly being shelled by the Kiev government. These monks now live in underground rooms beneath the increasingly-destroyed monastery. (Read more from “Eastern Ukraine Had Good Reason to Join Russia, After Kyiv’s Aggression” HERE)

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Russian Crypto Billionaire Dead in Helicopter Crash: Reports

Russian billionaire cryptocurrency investor Vyacheslav Taran died near the French-Italian border after his helicopter crashed, according to multiple reports.

Taran was riding in an Airbus H130 from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Monaco on Friday when it crashed in Villefranche-sur-Mer, the New York Post reported, citing radio network France Bleu.

The helicopter carrying Taran was owned by the company Monacair, Alexander Makogonov, head of press service for the Russian Embassy, told Russian news outlet TASS. The Russian Embassy in Paris has been in communication with Taran’s family, according to TASS.

(Read more from “Russian Crypto Billionaire Dead in Helicopter Crash: Reports” HERE)

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