DoD insider details level of possible US involvement in Ukraine training Patriot missile system operators
“I think that it’s fair to say that there are either American, Israel or some European military people [in Ukraine], or contractors who are experts in the use of the Patriot system. The team for the Patriot is over 90 people. It’s very complex,” former Pentagon and National Security Agency officer and retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski told Sputnik, when asked whether it was possible that there was some kind of American oversight over the Patriot missile system which downed the Il-76.
“My experiences with contractors and contractor systems [has been that] they don’t want their systems to be broken or mishandled. They want to be able to be there looking over the shoulder. There’s always kind of training transition. So I would expect that there are contractors, very possibly people in the direct employ of the United States, or possibly contractors in Europe that use the Patriot and possibly obviously the Israelis or retired military,” the retired Air Force Officer said.
“I think that it’s fair to say that there are either American, Israel or some European military people [in Ukraine], or contractors who are experts in the use of the Patriot system. The team for the Patriot is over 90 people. It’s very complex,” former Pentagon and National Security Agency officer and retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski told Sputnik, when asked whether it was possible that there was some kind of American oversight over the Patriot missile system which downed the Il-76.
“My experiences with contractors and contractor systems [has been that] they don’t want their systems to be broken or mishandled. They want to be able to be there looking over the shoulder. There’s always kind of training transition. So I would expect that there are contractors, very possibly people in the direct employ of the United States, or possibly contractors in Europe that use the Patriot and possibly obviously the Israelis or retired military,” the retired Air Force Officer said.
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The power outage at a BP refinery in the US state of Indiana has led to chimney fires
Local authorities said flames were bursting out of the pipes as extra product was allowed to burn as safety measures, causing the fire to erupt.
Some of the plant's employees, as well as a daycare center nearby, were evacuated and surrounding roads were closed.
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Local authorities said flames were bursting out of the pipes as extra product was allowed to burn as safety measures, causing the fire to erupt.
Some of the plant's employees, as well as a daycare center nearby, were evacuated and surrounding roads were closed.
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📹 Russian military intelligence of the “South” group of troops disrupted the rotation of Ukrainian Armed Forces military personnel near Donetsk.
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Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has apologized for withholding information about his hospitalization
Austin stated he had not considered resigning, adding that he has not yet fully recovered and is traveling around the Pentagon in a "pretty neat" golf cart.
Austin publicly apologized at the first press conference after his discharge from the hospital and assured that he did not order his staff to conceal his hospitalization from anyone.
"I did not handle this right," said Austin. "I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis."
Austin stated he had not considered resigning, adding that he has not yet fully recovered and is traveling around the Pentagon in a "pretty neat" golf cart.
Austin publicly apologized at the first press conference after his discharge from the hospital and assured that he did not order his staff to conceal his hospitalization from anyone.
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The British Navy is preparing for the first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the Atlantic since 2016, the Sun newspaper reported.
According to the newspaper, the Trident 2 missile without a warhead will be launched from the nuclear submarine Vanguard 90 kilometers off the east coast of the United States.
The missile should travel about 6,000 km and fall into the sea between Brazil and West Africa.
The British Navy has conducted Trident II D5 missile launches five times in the 21st century. The last one took place in 2016 and was unsuccessful. The ballistic missile manufactured by the American Lockheed Martin was launched from the submarine HMS Vengeance dangerously deviated from its course and automatically self-destructed.
In November 2023, The Sun reported that a nuclear submarine of the Vanguard type with Trident 2 ballistic missiles almost sank. According to the publication, the cause was the failure of depth sensors.
According to the newspaper, the Trident 2 missile without a warhead will be launched from the nuclear submarine Vanguard 90 kilometers off the east coast of the United States.
The missile should travel about 6,000 km and fall into the sea between Brazil and West Africa.
The British Navy has conducted Trident II D5 missile launches five times in the 21st century. The last one took place in 2016 and was unsuccessful. The ballistic missile manufactured by the American Lockheed Martin was launched from the submarine HMS Vengeance dangerously deviated from its course and automatically self-destructed.
In November 2023, The Sun reported that a nuclear submarine of the Vanguard type with Trident 2 ballistic missiles almost sank. According to the publication, the cause was the failure of depth sensors.
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The White House will look into reports of a years-long US campaign of sending undercover operatives into Venezuela to build drug trafficking cases against the country's leadership, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted a multi-year spy operation in Venezuela to build drug trafficking cases against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other top officials, The Associated Press reported earlier in the day, citing a secret 2018 memo.
The operation arguably flouts both Venezuelan and international law, the report said.
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"I don't have anything to share on that at this time, obviously we can look into it," Jean-Pierre said during a briefing, when asked if the White House can confirm reports of such a campaign.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted a multi-year spy operation in Venezuela to build drug trafficking cases against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other top officials, The Associated Press reported earlier in the day, citing a secret 2018 memo.
The operation arguably flouts both Venezuelan and international law, the report said.
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The start of construction of a new Iranian nuclear power plant, was announced by Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, as reported by Iranian state-run news agency IRNA.
The Iran-Hormoz nuclear plant with a capacity of 5,000 megawatts, will be built in Sirik city, located in the southern coastal province of Hormozgan, Eslami was cited as saying.
The project was given the green light by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi along with 157 other initiatives in the field of industry and energy,
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The Iran-Hormoz nuclear plant with a capacity of 5,000 megawatts, will be built in Sirik city, located in the southern coastal province of Hormozgan, Eslami was cited as saying.
The project was given the green light by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi along with 157 other initiatives in the field of industry and energy,
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The EU's new 50bln-euro ($54bln) aid package to Ukraine will cost France 8bln euros in taxpayers' money, which could be put to better use such as helping the protesting farmers, French member of the European Parliament Thierry Mariani said.
On Thursday, leaders of the 27 European Union countries sealed a deal to allocate 50 billion euros as part of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine over the next four years.
Recently French farmers have been protesting by blocking highways and dumping manure in front of government buildings. The farmers are demanding recognition of the importance of their profession and denouncing the government's agricultural policies, which they say make them noncompetitive.
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"Another 50 billion [euros] for Ukraine (17 in donations plus 33 in loans … which will never be repaid). Do the French realize that they will have to pay 8 billion [euros] since we contribute 16% of the EU spending? Eight billion that our farmers would dream of," Mariani wrote on X.
On Thursday, leaders of the 27 European Union countries sealed a deal to allocate 50 billion euros as part of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine over the next four years.
Recently French farmers have been protesting by blocking highways and dumping manure in front of government buildings. The farmers are demanding recognition of the importance of their profession and denouncing the government's agricultural policies, which they say make them noncompetitive.
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💽 CIA engineer is convicted in a massive theft of secrets released by WikiLeaks A former CIA software engineer was convicted on Wednesday of federal charges accusing him of causing the biggest theft of classified information in CIA history. Joshua Schulte…
Ex-CIA officer Joshua Adam Schulte sentenced to 40 years in jail for the biggest data breach in the agency's history, espionage and child pornography, announced the Department of Justice.
Schulte was convicted at trials that concluded on March 9, 2020 and September 13, 2022, the Justice Department said.
According to court documents, from 2012 to 2016, Schulte was employed as a software developer in the Center for Cyber Intelligence (CCI). In 2016, Schulte used his access to steal copies of the entire CCI tool development archives and then transmit them to WikiLeaks. The effect was described at trial by the former CIA Deputy Director of Digital Innovation as a "digital Pearl Harbor".
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"...Schulte was sentenced to 40 years in prison by US District Judge Jesse Furman for crimes of espionage, computer hacking, contempt of court, making false statements to the FBI, and child pornography," the release said on Thursday.
Schulte was convicted at trials that concluded on March 9, 2020 and September 13, 2022, the Justice Department said.
According to court documents, from 2012 to 2016, Schulte was employed as a software developer in the Center for Cyber Intelligence (CCI). In 2016, Schulte used his access to steal copies of the entire CCI tool development archives and then transmit them to WikiLeaks. The effect was described at trial by the former CIA Deputy Director of Digital Innovation as a "digital Pearl Harbor".
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🎙Check out AfroVerdict's latest episode where the host joins an IR expert to examine why the West refuses to pay attention to the Global South's peace proposals to the Ukrainian crisis.
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🇿🇦🇧🇷 Despite South Africa and Brazil offering peace settlement proposals to the Ukrainian conflict, the West seems to turn a blind eye to them. AfroVerdict host sits down with a Ugandan international relations expert to examine the issue on a deeper level.…
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Germany will send its frigate Hessen to the Red Sea next week to take part in a European operation to protect merchant vessels from Yemen's Houthi rebels, DPA news agency reported.
The frigate, equipped, among other weapons, with air defense missiles, is expected to arrive in the Red Sea by the end of the month.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on January 31 that the EU aimed to establish and launch the maritime mission in the Red Sea no later than February 19, adding that it would be defensive and no operations would be carried out on land.
In mid-January, Borrell called on the Houthis to show restraint and stressed that countries had the right to protect their ships from attack. He said the Red Sea was a vital maritime route for the whole world, which is the reason why he would propose that the EU establish its own mission in the Red Sea to ensure safety of navigation. Last week, Borrell said EU foreign ministers had agreed to set up the mission.
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The frigate, equipped, among other weapons, with air defense missiles, is expected to arrive in the Red Sea by the end of the month.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on January 31 that the EU aimed to establish and launch the maritime mission in the Red Sea no later than February 19, adding that it would be defensive and no operations would be carried out on land.
In mid-January, Borrell called on the Houthis to show restraint and stressed that countries had the right to protect their ships from attack. He said the Red Sea was a vital maritime route for the whole world, which is the reason why he would propose that the EU establish its own mission in the Red Sea to ensure safety of navigation. Last week, Borrell said EU foreign ministers had agreed to set up the mission.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s failure to fire his Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny shows that there is no “center of power” in Kiev, international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda told Sputnik’s Fault Lines.
“The president has failed to fire his own commander-in-chief. That means there is no center of power within the regime at the moment, or perhaps Zaluzhny has more power than Zelensky. Or, the West is just running the show and Zelensky [has] been revealed as nothing but a puppet middle manager with no agency or control in his own country.”
Sleboda noted it reminded him of a situation in 2019, when an Azov commander got into an argument with Zelensky on video.
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“if [US President] Joe Biden is the ‘emperor with no clothes’, then that kind of makes Zelensky the ‘butt-naked king.’
“The president has failed to fire his own commander-in-chief. That means there is no center of power within the regime at the moment, or perhaps Zaluzhny has more power than Zelensky. Or, the West is just running the show and Zelensky [has] been revealed as nothing but a puppet middle manager with no agency or control in his own country.”
Sleboda said that the Ukrainian general’s reported refusal to resign at the behest of Zelensky, as well as the reported refusal by his potential replacements to take the post, showcase that the “military establishment united against [Zelensky]. … they all said ‘no’ to him,” describing it as “defiance.”
Sleboda noted it reminded him of a situation in 2019, when an Azov commander got into an argument with Zelensky on video.
“Right after he became president. 'I'm not some loser off the street,' he said. And [the] Azov commander is like, 'Yeah, okay, whatever, dude.' And it was after that that he gave up on any attempts to complete the Minsk protocols, which initially he made some gestures, some small gestures towards [that]. That's what he was there to do to get Azov to stop firing artillery shells into Donetsk and they refused.”
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The US has “overstayed” its “effectiveness in our influence” in the Middle East, Michael Maloof, a former senior security policy analyst for the Secretary of Defense and author told Sputnik’s Final Countdown while speaking about the drone strike in Jordan that killed three US soldiers and injured dozens more.
Maloof called for a flexible foreign policy that reevaluates the situation and adjusts to changing conditions. “We’re looking at the Middle East completely through the prism of Israel and look [at] what it’s gotten us. It started with Iraq… we spent trillions there, and what [do] we have to show for it? Nothing,” he explained.
He also warned that if Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, “it would create a worldwide depression… and no one’s talking about it.”
Read more in the full article
“Clearly, we have overstayed our effectiveness in our influence [in the Middle East] because everyone uniformly hates us,” Maloof explained. “We really have to reevaluate what our policies are, and that’s not happening. All we’re doing is reacting now to events and what it’s doing is putting us on more of an escalatory approach and having us dig deeper holes than we ever wanted.”
Maloof called for a flexible foreign policy that reevaluates the situation and adjusts to changing conditions. “We’re looking at the Middle East completely through the prism of Israel and look [at] what it’s gotten us. It started with Iraq… we spent trillions there, and what [do] we have to show for it? Nothing,” he explained.
Maloof also warned the situation could escalate quicker than the US is prepared for. “It could bring in Russia and China. I mean, this thing could get out of control completely. … Why do we want to continue on? We have Saudi Arabia and UAE saying, ‘Look we want normalization. We want to get this war over with so we can have normalization and bring some sanity to the region again’ but instead we’re provoking and continuing to agitate even further.”
He also warned that if Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, “it would create a worldwide depression… and no one’s talking about it.”
Read more in the full article
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The United States created the conflict in Ukraine to keep Europe “under its thumb,” analyst Dr. David Oualaalou told Sputnik’s Critical Hour.
Oualaalou comments came after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a press conference that “Weapons are – in fact – the way to peace [in Ukraine,]” an assertion that Oualaalou said “defies logic” and said that Ukraine is already “gone” with or without further aid from the West.
In fact, according to Oualaalou, money is not the only issue facing the Ukrainians, there are also ammunition shortages, something Europe cannot help them with.
Oualaalou warned that there were likely more conflicts planned by the US security apparatus.
“That's usually how the narrative goes because that is the aim - you move from one conflict to the next one because you're already preparing [for] the next conflict. … what I see on the horizon, is what's going on too, in Asia,” he explained. “It [has] become clear in the West that Ukraine is a failed state. The objective has been accomplished. Let's move to the next conflict. And once that's settled, we're going to move to a third one and so forth.”
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“[The US] created the conflict to ensure that Europe will stay under [its] thumb by dictating the terms and complicating matters for them,” Oualaalou explained. “One way you do that, [is] you complicate the economic outcome for an entity, doesn't matter who, that's how you do it,” Oualaalou added, noting the rise in food and energy prices in Europe.
Oualaalou comments came after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a press conference that “Weapons are – in fact – the way to peace [in Ukraine,]” an assertion that Oualaalou said “defies logic” and said that Ukraine is already “gone” with or without further aid from the West.
In fact, according to Oualaalou, money is not the only issue facing the Ukrainians, there are also ammunition shortages, something Europe cannot help them with.
“I hope your listeners know that the UK cannot fight the Houthis, for example,” Oualaalou said, referring to the growing conflict in the Red Sea. “The reason? They don't have firepower, they don't have enough. That is why they are just riding with the US.”
Oualaalou warned that there were likely more conflicts planned by the US security apparatus.
“That's usually how the narrative goes because that is the aim - you move from one conflict to the next one because you're already preparing [for] the next conflict. … what I see on the horizon, is what's going on too, in Asia,” he explained. “It [has] become clear in the West that Ukraine is a failed state. The objective has been accomplished. Let's move to the next conflict. And once that's settled, we're going to move to a third one and so forth.”
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Trump seemingly abandons his promise to seek a peace deal in Ukraine.
Instead, the former president promised to pressure European countries into spending more money on military support for the Zelensky regime.
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Instead, the former president promised to pressure European countries into spending more money on military support for the Zelensky regime.
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Zelensky wants Zaluzhny ousted for alleged ceasefire-related secret talks with West- Seymour Hersh
Volodymyr Zelensky wants to remove Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny from his post over his alleged involvement in secret talks with Western officials about pursuing a ceasefire with Russia, US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported.
The New York Times, citing sources, reported Tuesday that Kiev postponed Zaluzhny's dismissal because of a leak about his possible resignation.
The head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Kyrillo Budanov, and the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, were named as possible successors.
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Volodymyr Zelensky wants to remove Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny from his post over his alleged involvement in secret talks with Western officials about pursuing a ceasefire with Russia, US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported.
"Zelensky's desire to fire his commanding general is the result, some Americans believe, of his knowledge that Zaluzhny has continued to participate - whether directly or through aides is not known - in secret talks since last fall with American and other Western officials on how best to achieve a cease-fire and negotiate an end to the war with Russia," Hersh said.
The New York Times, citing sources, reported Tuesday that Kiev postponed Zaluzhny's dismissal because of a leak about his possible resignation.
The head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Kyrillo Budanov, and the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, were named as possible successors.
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🇷🇺 The Central Election Commission has announced the number of eligible voters in Russia - over 112.3 million. For the first time, data has been presented taking into account voters living in the new regions. There are also almost 1.9 million voters outside Russia.
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❗️The Russian Presidential Administration has not received any requests from Kiev asking for the transfer of the bodies of prisoners of war killed in the Il-76 crash, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik.
Earlier, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry stated that Kiev had asked Russia to hand over the bodies of the prisoners of war killed in the Il-76 crash in the Belgorod region, but that Moscow had allegedly not yet given an answer.
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Earlier, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry stated that Kiev had asked Russia to hand over the bodies of the prisoners of war killed in the Il-76 crash in the Belgorod region, but that Moscow had allegedly not yet given an answer.
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▪️ Iran begins building new nuclear power plant
▪️ Trump urges Europe to spend more on Zelensky regime
▪️ Zelensky-Zaluzhny feud signals anarchy in Kiev
More stories:
▪️ ’Digital Pearl Harbor’ leaker and WikiLeaks activist sentenced to 40 years
▪️ US created Ukrainian conflict to dominate Europe – analyst
▪️ US failed in Mideast, sparking ubiquitous hatred – analyst
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▪️ Trump urges Europe to spend more on Zelensky regime
▪️ Zelensky-Zaluzhny feud signals anarchy in Kiev
More stories:
▪️ ’Digital Pearl Harbor’ leaker and WikiLeaks activist sentenced to 40 years
▪️ US created Ukrainian conflict to dominate Europe – analyst
▪️ US failed in Mideast, sparking ubiquitous hatred – analyst
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The current US approach towards Ukraine involves backing the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny and implementing nationwide reforms that will lead to a change in the Zelensky regime, US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh said.
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"The actual concept ... envisions sustained support for Zaluzhny and reforms that would lead to the end of the Zelensky regime," Hersh said.
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According to Ukrainian media, border guards reported that military draft dodgers in Ukraine have resorted to disguising themselves as animals in their attempt to escape the country.
Security camera footage that has been published captures the moment two men, under the cover of darkness, crawl on all fours while attempting to cross the border.
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Security camera footage that has been published captures the moment two men, under the cover of darkness, crawl on all fours while attempting to cross the border.
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