Damaged but not deterred: US investor sets sights on Nord Stream 2 auction

An American investor with a flair for Russian dealmaking is reportedly aiming for the sabotaged Nord Stream 2 pipeline, viewing it as the deal of the century - if not a geopolitical mic drop.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Stephen P. Lynch has approached the US Treasury for permission to bid on the $11 billion project in a Swiss bankruptcy auction, undeterred by sanctions or the less-than-ideal "damaged goods" status of the pipeline.

With many investors likely steering clear due to the geopolitical chaos, Lynch appears eager to step in, arguing that US ownership of the pipeline could be a game-changer - not just for peace talks with Russia but for locking down control of Europe's energy supply.

He’s called it a "once-in-a-generation opportunity," which is certainly one way to describe buying a pipeline that’s both politically radioactive and physically broken.

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🇷🇺 Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov on Russia's use of the Oreshnik missile:

🔸 Russia would prefer if Washington had paid attention to President Vladimir Putin's statements made prior to the Oreshnik test.

🔸 There has been no contact with the current US administration following the Oreshnik test.

🔸 Russia’s military is working on mechanisms to notify Ukraine’s civilian population in the event of plans for new ballistic missile strikes.

🔸 President Putin's main message is that the reckless decisions made by the West to supply missiles to Ukraine cannot go unanswered.

🔸 Russia has demonstrated its capabilities to respond to Western actions by using ballistic missiles.

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📑Unhinged Germany goes ballistic, gears up for potential war with Russia – reports

Germany is implementing contingency protocols in preparation for a large-scale war with Russia, German media reported, citing a classified strategy paper.

Fueled by hyped allegations of a “Russia threat,” the Bundeswehr has reportedly developed comprehensive plans for responding to a potential “maneuver” by Moscow on NATO's eastern flank in its Operation Plan Germany (Operationsplan Deutschland).

Here are some details:

◻️ Identifies infrastructure facilities deemed “particularly worthy of protection for military reasons”;

◻️ Involves possibly moving 200,000 military vehicles across German territory if needed;

◻️ Details the logistics of national defense mobilization, highlighting the significant challenges Germany would face if it became a hub for “tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands” of soldiers, along with military equipment, food, and medicine that would need to be transported east to the front lines;

◻️ Advises businesses to work out plans for crisis scenarios that include stockpiling of diesel generators, securing alternate energy sources such as wind turbines, and stocking up on supplies;

◻️ Tasks territorial command centers with implementing the plan developed by government officials and military leaders, a Bundeswehr spokesperson was cited as saying.

Operation Plan Germany first surfaced following the COVID pandemic, and then earlier in the year, with German Brigadier General Thomas Hambach quoted as saying that the plan deals with issues ranging from “homeland security and the protection of defense-critical infrastructure to deployment planning and national territorial defense.” It also addresses the possibility of rapid NATO troop movements through Germany.

Russian officials ridiculed the Bundeswehr’s rich imagination at the time, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova comparing the leaked plan to a “powerful horoscope,” saying she wouldn’t be surprised if the scenario was provided to the German military by the Foreign Ministry and its notoriously Russophobic chief, Annalena Baerbock.

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❗️Russian forces have liberated the settlement of Novodmitrovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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❗️Russian forces struck a defense industry facility in Dnepropetrovsk in response to the use of long-range American and British weaponry.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's weekly briefing on the special military operation's progress:

🔸 The launch of the medium-range ballistic missile "Oreshnik" against Ukraine's defense industry facility in Dnepropetrovsk was successful, with all warheads reaching their designated targets.

🔸 The Russian Sever Battlegroup hit Ukrainian forces, inflicting losses of 2,620 militants.

🔸 Ukraine lost 3,845 militants in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

🔸 Ukrainian forces lost more than 3,210 militants in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone,

🔸 Ukraine lost up to 975 militants in the Russian Vostok Battlegroup's combat zone.

🔸 Ukraine lost over 2,680 militants in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup combat zone.

🔸 The Russian Dnepr Battlegroup struck Ukrainian forces, resulting in the loss of up to 530 militants and the destruction of four field ammunition depots.

🔸 82 Ukrainian militants surrendered, with 52 in the Kursk region.

🔸 Russian air defenses shot down two Storm Shadow missiles and 642 Ukrainian drones.

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'Why wouldn't you want to hear from the other side?' - US journo on EU ban of Sputnik and RT

"One of the very first steps they [EU] took legislatively was to ban the platforming, to criminalize the platforming of Russian media like RT and Sputnik," Glenn Greenwald said in an interview with Tucker Carlson.

The journalist to whom Edward Snowden gave his dossier in 2013 noted that the European Union "didn't want their citizens hearing any information from the Russian perspective."

"You can think whatever you want about Russia, but why wouldn't you want to hear from the other side?" he asked.

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Russia’s Oreshnik strike is ‘sending a message’: How has the West reacted?

Western politicians and media have erupted in a flurry of responses to Russia’s Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile strike on a Ukrainian defense manufacturer. The move was announced by President Vladimir Putin as a response to US and British weapon strikes on Russian territory.

What has the media said?

⚪️AP: Russia was “sending a message.” “Signaling — signaling to the Ukrainians. We’ve got stuff that outrages you. But really signaling to the West ‘We’re happy to enter into a competition around intermediate range ballistic missile. P.S.: These could be nuclear tipped. Do you really want to take that risk?’”

⚪️Washington Post: Russian employment of novel firepower is a “threat of more to come”;

⚪️New York Times: Russia’s use of a missile from its strategic arsenal to target a site within range of conventional weapons was meant as “clear warning” to Kiev and its Western patrons;

⚪️Forbes: “After warning US officials of its intention to launch, Russia lobbed a mysterious new ballistic missile,” adding that the attack came “in retaliation for Ukraine’s own deep strikes targeting arms depots and command posts in western Russia”;

⚪️BBC: Use of the Oreshnik was “symbolically important.” This was a “reminder that Russia has a wider arsenal of different and larger missile types and is ready to develop more,” it quoted a military scholar as saying;

⚪️Le Parisien: Putin’s stern face left no doubt: Russia is “ready” for all scenarios in the West’s proxy conflict.

What have politicians said?

🗣Olaf Scholz: Russia's missile strike was a “terrible escalation,” adding that Germany has to work with its allies “to do what prevents an escalation in this war to a war between Russia and NATO”;

🗣 Viktor Orban: “If the president says something in Russia, these are not empty words. This is not a communications ploy.” He emphasized that countries providing military assistance to Ukraine must exercise prudence, “otherwise there may be problems”;

🗣 Keir Starmer: The strike was “reckless and dangerous,” omitting the fact that UK-made Storm Shadow missiles had attacked Russia's Bryansk and Kursk regions, triggering the Russian response;

🗣 White House: The US “will not alter its policy regarding the Ukraine conflict”;

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❗️Houthis claim to have launched hypersonic missile at Nevatim Air Base in southern Israel.

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🇷🇺 Sergey Lavrov's main statements at press conference following the Collegium of the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Belarus:

🔸 Volodymyr Zelensky was afraid of Russia's reaction to the use of long-range missiles on Russian territory and began to accuse his masters of leaving him unarmed.

🔸 The security concept of the Union State and an interstate security treaty are expected to be signed at the Supreme State Council of the Union State.

🔸 On the authorization for Kiev to attack Russia with long-range missiles: The Democrats want to leave the worst possible legacy for the next US administration.

🔸 The content of Russia's updated nuclear doctrine is fully synchronized with security documents to be signed at the Union State’s Supreme State Council.

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💬 Russia’s use of Oreshnik missile is a grave warning to NATO amid danger of a world war – analysts

Russia’s strike on a Ukrainian defense facility using its new Oreshnik hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile is a “a serious warning to NATO,” Robinson Farinazzo, a retired Brazilian officer, told Sputnik.

He underscored that US President Joe Biden crossed "a red line" by authorizing the Kiev regime to strike Russia with long-range American weapons. "Moscow is perfectly aware that this type of attack, technically difficult, can only be carried out with the support of NATO, in this case the US," he said.

Other analysts agree:

🔸 Washington is “provoking an escalation that completely changes the nature of the conflict,” military history expert Ricardo Cabral emphasized.

🔸 The US allowing Kiev to use long-range weapons is "a continued psychological offensive" to test Moscow's tolerance, Venezuelan analyst Vladimir Adrianza noted, adding that the dangerous stage of the conflict stems from the “voracious appetite of the US military, financial and technological complex.”

🔸 Moscow has every right to defend itself against NATO's “sinister and criminal actions," noted Humberto Morales, professor at the Autonomous University of Puebla, Mexico.

🔸 President Vladimir Putin has clearly conveyed the message that current events on the international arena demonstrate the “suicidal and irresponsible behavior by the West which threatens total destruction,” Lebanese political scientist Hassan Hmadeh underscored, adding, "The world must stand up to these evil people who are determined to destroy the planet, and the response must be commensurate with their actions."

🔸 Washington's approval for Kiev to use US-made missiles is intended to force Donald Trump’s future administration to “operate in geopolitical chaos,” Venezuelan international relations expert Wilmer Depablos said.

🔸 With less than two months to go before the transfer of power, Biden is trying to make it as difficult as possible for the next president to resolve the Ukraine crisis, Iranian political scientist Emad Abshenas believes.

🔸 Putin's order to use the Oreshnik missile is “a warning to NATO countries amid the growing threat of a world war,” Chinese pundit Sima Pingbang explained, going on to say that the Kiev regime has become “an obstacle to peace” and that “Biden and Zelensky are unable to accept Moscow's victory."

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💬 Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova announced that 46 residents of the Kursk region have returned to Russia as a result of the negotiation process with Ukraine.

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Hezbollah fighters struck an Israeli Air Force technical personnel training base in Haifa with a series of rockets, the movement announced.

The base is located 35 kilometers from the Lebanese border.

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How US deploys previously-banned medium-range missiles in Europe and Asia-Pacific

Russia developed intermediate-range missiles in response to US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear (INF) Treaty and deployment of the previously banned weapons with a range of between 500 and 5,000 km in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted on November 21 after the launch of Russia's newest Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile.

Where are US mid-range missile installations planned or already located?

Europe

◼️ Deveselu Military Base, Romania the US Aegis Ashore Ballistic Missile Defense System, which is potentially capable of firing the Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles with a maximum striking range of 2,500 km

◼️ Redzikowo Military Base, Poland the US Aegis Ashore Ballistic Missile Defense System potentially capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles

◼️ Wiesbaden Multi-Domain Task Force, Germany starting from 2026 will be capable of launching:

➖ Tomahawk cruise missiles

➖ Raytheon Standard Missile 6 (SM6) missiles with a range of up to 460 km

➖ Lockheed Martin Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) or Dark Eagle (over 2,770 km)

Asia-Pacific

◼️ Laoag, northern Philippines the Lockheed Martin Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Typhon missile system capable of launching:

➖ SM6 missiles

➖ Tomahawk cruise missiles

◼️ Japan

➖ Japan is due to receive 400 US-made Tomahawk Block 4 and Block 5 cruise missiles with a range of up to 1,600 km between 2025 and 2027. Eight Japanese Aegis destroyers will be armed with Tomahawks.

◼️ Guam, a US territory the US Aegis Ashore Ballistic Missile Defense System potentially capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles

◼️ In April, the Pentagon announced plans to deploy Typhon land-based launchers for Tomahawks and SM-6s in the region, with the Asahi Shimbun newspaper naming Japan and Guam as potential sites.

◼️ In September, the Pentagon showed interest in deploying the Typhon missile system to Japan, under the pretext of joint military exercises.

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🇧🇾 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has granted asylum to former Polish judge Tomasz Schmidt, the president's office said

Schmidt fled to Belarus in early May after facing political persecution in Poland. On May 7, he said he was seeking political asylum in Minsk. On May 15, he was arrested in absentia for three months on espionage charges by a Polish court. In early June, Interpol refused to issue a red notice against Schmidt, as it does not allow the processing of data through its channels for actions against the security of the state, which are considered political crimes.

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💐 Bouquet for NATO: how Russian arms designers troll adversaries with endearing weapons names Part 1 👉🏻 Part 2

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Thursday speech unveiling the Oreshnik missile left Western observers scrambling to decode the meaning behind its name, which translates to 'hazel' - a flowering plant in the birch family.

But anyone familiar with Russian weapons design knows that there’s nothing Russian engineers enjoy more than giving their terrifying creations names that sound deceptively harmless or mundane:

Deadly bouquets and children’s stories

This includes Russia’s lineup of artillery, like the 2S1 Gvozdika (lit. ‘Carnation’), 2S3 Akatsiya (Acacia), 2S4 Tyulpan (Tulip), 2S5 Giatsint (Hyacinth), 2S7 Pion (Peony) - which shoots nuclear artillery rounds, and the 2B9 Vasilek (Cornflower) gun-mortar.

🔸 The deadly thermobaric rocket artillery systems Buratino (Pinocchio) and Solntsepyok ('Place Where the Sun Shines’) have equally harmless-sounding names.

Animals, smiles, grumps, goblins and orphans

🔸 Command & control and support equipment makers also seem to have been bitten by the funny naming bug, with the 1V152 fire control system nicknamed the Kapustnik (roughly, ‘Cabbage Patch’), while the 1L219 radio-locator complex is called the Zo’opark (Zoo), and the RPMK-1 radar the Ulybka (Smile).

🔸 The 3K60 coastal defense system is called the Bal (as in the stately dance party), while the Kh-58U missile control system is also known as the Phantasmagoria. The satellite comms system Vorchun literally means ‘Grump’ or ‘Grumbler’.

🔸 Same goes for various Army weapons, like the 9M14 Malyutka ('Little One') anti-tank system, the RPG-18 Muha (Housefly), the 122-mm D-30A howitzer (called the Lyagushka, or ‘Frog’), the Gnome 40-mm grenade launcher, the Privet (Hello) KS-23 shotgun rubber bullet, and the Obuvka (Shoe) grenade launcher, which fires Gvozd (Nail) rounds. Another grenade round, the Podkidysh, literally means ‘Orphan’.

🔸 The Kikimora (Hobgoblin) and Leshiy (Wood Goblin) sniper suits are named after Russian fairytale lore.

Grandmas and little ballerinas

🔸 Aircraft are no exception, with the Mi-24 helicopter gunship known as the Krokodil (Crocodile) and Stakan (Drinking Glass), while the MiG-15 trainer jet has been called the Babushka (Grandma), the Su-25 CAS jet the Grach (Rook) and the Su-27 attack jet the Zhuravlik (Little Crane).

🔸 The Air Force’s 9A-4071 automatic gun is better known as the Ballerinka (Little Ballerina), and deploys the Stuardessa (Stewardess) friend or foe ID system.

🔸 At sea, the MRG-1 ship-based grenade launcher is also known as the Ogonek (Little Fire) while the SET-65 anti-ship missile system is also called the Yenot (Raccoon).

🔸 The Oreshnik is in good company among Russian missiles in terms of casual nomenclature, with the RT-23 Barguzin train-launched ICBM dubbed the Molodets (Good Sport), and the RSS-40 missile known as the Kuryer (Courier).

👉🏻 Part 2

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💐 Bouquet for NATO: how Russian arms designers troll adversaries with endearing weapons names Part 2 👉🏻 Part 1

NATO weapons names: wrapped up in images of power, glory, shock and awe

These names stand in stark contrast to those bestowed on many of NATO's more pretentious and grandiose-sounding armaments, with the US weapon-naming tradition in particular seemingly aimed at evoking ancient empires and great conquerors, or striking terror in the hearts and minds of the enemy.

🔹 The former applies to weapons like the A-10 Thunderbolt CAS aircraft, the C-130 Hercules transport, the B-1 Lancer strategic bomber and the M109 Paladin artillery system, evocative, respectively, of Ancient Greek legends, medieval cavalrymen and the great Paladin knight warriors of Charlemagne’s Court. The same principle applies to General Dynamics’ Griffin armored vehicle – referencing the legendary Ancient Greek lion-eagle hybrid.
Birds of prey

🔹 AH-1Z Viper and AH-1 Super Cobra attack helicopters, F-22 Raptors, F-15 Strike Eagles, and F/A-18 Hornets seem aimed at conjuring the injuries that deadly snakes and birds of prey can inflict on their victims.

🔹 Other names are obviously meant to evoke a sense of imperious glory and power, with the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter, B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, and B-52 Stratofortress seemingly aimed at fitting that bill.

Swords and flesh-eating animals

🔹 Many British weapons names seem equally pretentious, from the Land Ceptor missile and the Starstreak SAM to the Warrior, Bulldog, Mastiff, Wolfhound and Jackal series of armored vehicles, and the Sky Sabre medium-range air defense system.

🔹 Not to be undone are the Germans, whose habit of naming their armored vehicles after big cats (Leopard, Puma) and other flesh-eating animals (Marder, Wiesel), intentionally or unintentionally reminding history buffs of some of the Wehrmacht’s most fearsome weapons.

👉🏻 Part 1

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💐 Deadly bouquet: Russian weapons with flowery names

Hyacinths, peonies, cornflowers, and carnations aren't just wonderful, sweet-smelling flowers; they're also the names of some of Russia's deadliest weapons systems.

On Thursday, Russia added the Oreshnik (lit. Hazel) hypersonic missile system to the list.

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⚡️ Putin stated that Russia will continue testing the Oreshnik missile complex, adding that a reserve of Oreshnik systems is available.

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⚡️ The Oreshnik missile system is based on the latest developments — Putin

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🇷🇺 Putin held a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense.

Putin congratulated the Ministry of Defense leadership on the successful testing of the Oreshnik complex.

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⚡️The Oreshnik system, when used on a massive scale against enemy targets, will be comparable to strategic weaponry, Putin stated.

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