Memories of the siege of Leningrad is in Putin's DNA, having had his maternal grandmother killed, a two-year old brother starve to death, and his mother hospitalised with malnutrition. His father was seriously wounded at that time, and two maternal uncles disappeared (KIA?) on the eastern front. With Germany in full support of the Ukraine war, it must bring to his mind German enmity. Not of the people, but of the leadership. The starvation of the Gazans would also have gone over like a lead balloon.
Putin never moves unless all his ducks are in a row, and the Zionist presence in Moscow must be handled carefully, though he did call for Russian Israelis to return to Russia, indicating a dire future for Israel. The strengthening of ties with Iran, and his providing safe harbour for the Assads, indicates that Putin's focus is shifting to West Asia.
With Indonesia a full member of BRICS+, more than half of the world's PPP (purchasing power) is now in the hands of BRICS+ nations. With Nigeria just made a partner, and Venezuela eager to join, if Saudi Arabia gets off the BRICS/US fence, most of the world's oil production will be in the hands of BRICS+ nations. Powerful ducks.
Europe, Israel, and the US need to understand that when it comes to world wars, RUSSIA BATS LAST.
And lets not forget the Finns played an integral part in the siege and the "neutral Swedes" provided the Germans with much war needed iron ore throughout the war.
The poor German people are not so poor, in fact the live quite well, as they recieve Bürgergeld. For a Family with four chlidren they recieve nearly 3000€, plus free health Care plus House Rent plus heating, which amounts to more than 1000€ extra.
For this a normal Family has to earn 6000€ brutto or more.
Now it was revealed, that the German civil servants have less net income than Bürgergeld Receiver, so the state has to add 150.000.000€ to make it even.
As all Ukrainan Refugees also recieve Bürgergeld, the State has to look for additional 10.000.000.000€+ €.
No wonder that less and less people like to work. Especially as there are no sanctions when they do not look for a job.
As for Dr. Alice Weidel, she got a 1.0 degree, worked in China, speaks fluently Mandarin and earned her own money until she went into politics. Which is rare for German politicians, who often have neither finished University nor learned any trade. She seems a serious person to me but gets smeared from some weirdos for being a "Banker".
And she has some Idea of money and economy, which our present Government clearly does not have.
Yes it is very convenient for the MSM to follow the Globalist Narrative and label anyone who objects to the Ukraine war, and mass immigration as "extreme right". The current leadership is so far under he US boot heel that they are doing badly by their people, and as far as I can see the AfD is a better choice.
The German political scene has form. Its a kept a mystery in the West but the Berlin blockade and Wall were down to western political maneuvers. If i recollect the Soviets decided to blockade Berlin when the Western powers unilaterally decided to reintroduce a post Nazi DM which create economic turmoil by divergence with the east ie the Soviet zone. The wall is less convoluted- As i understand it the West German government banned the German Communist Party; sought the release of Hitlers's officer corps from prison for war crimes and refused Soviet overtures to unify Germany as a unitary neutral state in favour of joining that beacon of light: NATO.
I was checking the development of the AK47. It really looks like the StG 44. Sturmgewehr. Apparently, the AK47 isn't based on the StG44 design but i just discovered the designer of the StG, Hugo Schmeisser, was actually handed over to the Russians and was sent to the factory where they designed and built the AK47. That seems far too coincidental for there not to be an overlap on the design. When i was a kid my granny bought me a Schmeisser toy machine gun (amazing you could actually buy them in the late 1970s toys shops in the UK). But the gun named after him had nothing to do with him apart from the magazine.
Thanks for the excellent update Rob. I find it bizarre that Zelensky can pose as the great strategic genius and lecture others as to what they should do. He has destroyed his country and this destruction is ongoing , with the mighty Z wanting to ramp up the speed. What a fool. I will be surprised if he is alive by the end of 2025. If he is alive he won't be in Ukraine.
Sounds like the UK is heading back to the third world, take care.
I imagine the once great Z will avoid reality for a while, being better served by delusion and white powder to get him through. If he started to reflect on what he has done he will find it hard to live with himself. He sold his soul to the devil and the devil failed to deliver.
It’s not clear why leaders, including trump, are so dead-set on supporting Ukraine. Either they are completely incompetent as not to understand the current state of the war or they are so corrupt that they are simply lying to their people. Either warrants removal from office, or worse.
Hard to watch trump make an absolute ass of himself with his seeming approach to Russia wrt Ukraine. What a colossal misstep.
Thanks for the timely update Rob. Some great stuff here.
The war in Ukraine seems to be rolling along to its eventual finish.
Just how desperate will the Western neocon and Euro warmongers be to enable the banderists to throw a spanner in the works to continue the war?
I think it was defnce commissioner Kubilus that came out with something like 'we need to extend the war in Ukraine to allow Europe to build up for war with Russia'
The results could be calamitous.
I saw that Scholz had blocked Ukrainian funding from the budget but apparently he would be quite happy if it was funded from borrowing instead.
OK I've ordered it from ebay. One thing that resonates reading 199 Days is the political geography: some of the places being fought over are now suffering Ukrainian drone attacks.
That's the thing i keep noticing that the names of towns etc aren't completely unknown because i have read about them from a previous episode in Ukrainian/Russian history. For eg Cherkassy is now getting mentioned as the Russians advance.
Trump is focusing on his top priorities, and that is taking care of the US. The stuff he has done already is incredible, an example of DEI. Just the difference in his inauguration portrait tells you how much he has matured. The high tech Barrons that attended his inauguration is another huge change. As well as his focus on Censorship. We will see what Trump does agains overseas censorship that is impact US companies.
UK and the EU, Trump does not see as a priority. It would be funny if the Labor People sent to help the election against Trump got charged with Fara violations. I am sure this is part of the reason Starmer was not invited to the inauguration. Trump is focused on what he can make significant changes on, such as Energy. Trump is definitely doing an America First Policy. And I am sure, Trump remembers where the Steele Dossier came from, and what intelligence service backed it. I expect a lot more to come out about the entire Russiagate Political Hit Job. Supposedly lots of stuff was supposed to be declassified at the end of his term, but he was bushwacked and it did not happen. There is a worry the release may impact the "Special Relationship".
Ukraine is just a mess, and Russia is in the driver's seat. Ukraine has little to offer the United States legally, illegally it money bombed Washington DC that bought a huge amount of influence. And Trump remembers that Ukraine aided and abetted one of the impeachments against him. There is not much the US can do, and Trump needs to be careful with the Russian collusion / control BS. It was used very effectely against him, resulting in him even getting impeached, in his first term.
With the Israel Gaza ceasefire Trump actually did Israel a favor by getting them mostly out of that quagmire, and allows himself to be a scapegoat for internal Israeli politics - the delusion "if we only had more time, we would have won". With Syria, Israel destroyed another government next to it, but now they share a border with Turkey, whose leader wants the Ottoman Empire reborn.
Trump, as always, in a mixed bag. America First, but Trump before America. The IDF were losing too many bods in Gaza, but Trump is not forgetting the prime beachfront real estate opportunities there, that the Israelis have salivating over for years. The 'ceasefire' has already been breached, with IDF snipers targeting children. And Trump immediately green-lighted the burning of Palestinian houses, cars, and businesses, and killing of Palestinians in the West Bank, where, coincidentally, Kushner's family has a housing construction business. The Jenin refugee camp already looks like Gaza.
Barron Trump is the wildcard in the pack. He's a lot smarter than Trump, and has his ear. Could make a difference this time around.
It will be interesting to see if Trump goes after the Biden crime family. Pass the popcorn.
Israel’s Lobby, AIPAC, in the US Congress is very powerful. Each Congress person has an assigned minder, with a few exceptions (Massie and ?). Trump with his other priorities is not going to pick a direct fight with them. Indirect such as pushing the Gaza “truce”, yes.
The argument is Israel a good investment and a US friend. My view it’s a one sided relationship that mostly benefits Israel. I’m in awe of their influence and spying operations. And all the legal and dirty tricks used to support it. Epstein seems to have had relations with Israeli intelligence. Disagree with Israel and you are labeled anti semitic. The Holocaust has become a religion, that none may question in any way, less your personal and professional life is destroyed.
Trumps near death experience seems to have made him much more focused and he feels he was saved for a reason. His EO’s are well written and very targeted.
Kushner’s influence this administration seems to be diminished.
About Trump putting himself first. I disagree. Trump would be a lot richer if he had not run for President. I’m amazed with all the dirty tricks done to him, he’s still standing.
The US/UK wholeheartedly supported the Zionist occupation of Israel to put a cat among the pigeons in the Middle East, to keep the oil-producing nations off balance. Their cat, unfortunately, turned into a top predator, cowering them and the rest of the collective West.
About Epstein, to see the interconnectedness of the CIA, Mossad, the Mafia, and the MIC, a very well-documented, fascinating read, is Whitney Webb's Vol 1 & 2 (particularly Vol 2) "One Nation Under Blackmail". Epstein and Maxwell's operation was definitely a Mossad set-up to gather blackmail information against the US/UK rich and powerful.
Yes - we were hit by the weather quite badly. The electric went off around 7.30 am and came back on in the evening. So I had quite a rest. We have fences down front and back and neither of us could walk against the wind with the hound. Did it affect you?
Yes, only for about 30 minutes though this time. My mate is in Northern Ireland and it was bad so it was probably worse where you are. The whole village was out but it happens quite a bit here so we are kinda prepared for it with rechargeable table lamps, stove, gas heater etc. I was thinking of getting a domestic generator to access the internet for when i work from home and the electricity goes.
Rechargeable table lamps? We are using gas lamps atm but how long do these battery lamps last? We could get some. We are having some Haggis tonight and will remember some of Rabbie's verse while forgetting his faults.
Tibby Dunbar is a great little ditty. Hope you had a couple of whiskies and read Tam O' Shanter- it brings it to life!
Its a big evening in Russia. For some reason they are mad on Burns.
They lights will last at least a night probably two. So keep a couple spare if its a prolonged outage. They have some designed for the house or you can get the outdoors types aswell. Jeff Bezos will give you some advice.
Why have the Swiss sanctioned the Russians? I thought the Swiss were neutral. Jacques Baud's views are always worthwhile. Does anyone know if Emmanuel Todd's new book is likely to be published in English. I recommended it to my German partner who told her father who has bought it in German; says it a great read but you can't get it in English!
Baud is knowledgeable and a very good analyst. Todd rings a bell - I watched a YouTube vid of his recently and may have reported on it. He is saying what is crystal clear to anyone who is paying attention: the Empire is collapsing in slow motion. The more you watch it, the slower it becomes.
Memories of the siege of Leningrad is in Putin's DNA, having had his maternal grandmother killed, a two-year old brother starve to death, and his mother hospitalised with malnutrition. His father was seriously wounded at that time, and two maternal uncles disappeared (KIA?) on the eastern front. With Germany in full support of the Ukraine war, it must bring to his mind German enmity. Not of the people, but of the leadership. The starvation of the Gazans would also have gone over like a lead balloon.
Putin never moves unless all his ducks are in a row, and the Zionist presence in Moscow must be handled carefully, though he did call for Russian Israelis to return to Russia, indicating a dire future for Israel. The strengthening of ties with Iran, and his providing safe harbour for the Assads, indicates that Putin's focus is shifting to West Asia.
With Indonesia a full member of BRICS+, more than half of the world's PPP (purchasing power) is now in the hands of BRICS+ nations. With Nigeria just made a partner, and Venezuela eager to join, if Saudi Arabia gets off the BRICS/US fence, most of the world's oil production will be in the hands of BRICS+ nations. Powerful ducks.
Europe, Israel, and the US need to understand that when it comes to world wars, RUSSIA BATS LAST.
Thanks for that Joy - didn't know about Putin's connection to Leningrad.
And lets not forget the Finns played an integral part in the siege and the "neutral Swedes" provided the Germans with much war needed iron ore throughout the war.
The poor German people are not so poor, in fact the live quite well, as they recieve Bürgergeld. For a Family with four chlidren they recieve nearly 3000€, plus free health Care plus House Rent plus heating, which amounts to more than 1000€ extra.
For this a normal Family has to earn 6000€ brutto or more.
Now it was revealed, that the German civil servants have less net income than Bürgergeld Receiver, so the state has to add 150.000.000€ to make it even.
As all Ukrainan Refugees also recieve Bürgergeld, the State has to look for additional 10.000.000.000€+ €.
No wonder that less and less people like to work. Especially as there are no sanctions when they do not look for a job.
As for Dr. Alice Weidel, she got a 1.0 degree, worked in China, speaks fluently Mandarin and earned her own money until she went into politics. Which is rare for German politicians, who often have neither finished University nor learned any trade. She seems a serious person to me but gets smeared from some weirdos for being a "Banker".
And she has some Idea of money and economy, which our present Government clearly does not have.
Thanks for that Johannes.
Yes it is very convenient for the MSM to follow the Globalist Narrative and label anyone who objects to the Ukraine war, and mass immigration as "extreme right". The current leadership is so far under he US boot heel that they are doing badly by their people, and as far as I can see the AfD is a better choice.
The German political scene has form. Its a kept a mystery in the West but the Berlin blockade and Wall were down to western political maneuvers. If i recollect the Soviets decided to blockade Berlin when the Western powers unilaterally decided to reintroduce a post Nazi DM which create economic turmoil by divergence with the east ie the Soviet zone. The wall is less convoluted- As i understand it the West German government banned the German Communist Party; sought the release of Hitlers's officer corps from prison for war crimes and refused Soviet overtures to unify Germany as a unitary neutral state in favour of joining that beacon of light: NATO.
I was checking the development of the AK47. It really looks like the StG 44. Sturmgewehr. Apparently, the AK47 isn't based on the StG44 design but i just discovered the designer of the StG, Hugo Schmeisser, was actually handed over to the Russians and was sent to the factory where they designed and built the AK47. That seems far too coincidental for there not to be an overlap on the design. When i was a kid my granny bought me a Schmeisser toy machine gun (amazing you could actually buy them in the late 1970s toys shops in the UK). But the gun named after him had nothing to do with him apart from the magazine.
Interesting stuff.
Thanks for the excellent update Rob. I find it bizarre that Zelensky can pose as the great strategic genius and lecture others as to what they should do. He has destroyed his country and this destruction is ongoing , with the mighty Z wanting to ramp up the speed. What a fool. I will be surprised if he is alive by the end of 2025. If he is alive he won't be in Ukraine.
Sounds like the UK is heading back to the third world, take care.
I imagine the once great Z will avoid reality for a while, being better served by delusion and white powder to get him through. If he started to reflect on what he has done he will find it hard to live with himself. He sold his soul to the devil and the devil failed to deliver.
Great write up, Rob.
It’s not clear why leaders, including trump, are so dead-set on supporting Ukraine. Either they are completely incompetent as not to understand the current state of the war or they are so corrupt that they are simply lying to their people. Either warrants removal from office, or worse.
Hard to watch trump make an absolute ass of himself with his seeming approach to Russia wrt Ukraine. What a colossal misstep.
Yes Trump is coming up with some BS which suggests he doesn't know how things work.
Thanks for the timely update Rob. Some great stuff here.
The war in Ukraine seems to be rolling along to its eventual finish.
Just how desperate will the Western neocon and Euro warmongers be to enable the banderists to throw a spanner in the works to continue the war?
I think it was defnce commissioner Kubilus that came out with something like 'we need to extend the war in Ukraine to allow Europe to build up for war with Russia'
The results could be calamitous.
I saw that Scholz had blocked Ukrainian funding from the budget but apparently he would be quite happy if it was funded from borrowing instead.
Thanks Anthony. Yes, most European leaders appear to believe - or pretend to believe - that Russia will attack them which is absolute nonsense.
Great image sejection for the Macron section. I think that Iran pipeline will deliver a tad more gas than that.
I love that image: used it once before.
Now you have finished Stalingrad you should have a read of the memoirs of Sgt Bourgogne re the Napoleonic invasion of Russia.
OK I've ordered it from ebay. One thing that resonates reading 199 Days is the political geography: some of the places being fought over are now suffering Ukrainian drone attacks.
That's the thing i keep noticing that the names of towns etc aren't completely unknown because i have read about them from a previous episode in Ukrainian/Russian history. For eg Cherkassy is now getting mentioned as the Russians advance.
Poltava was HQ for the Germans moving east in operation Blau. Now the Russians are headed in that direction after they bypass Pokrovsk.
Trump is focusing on his top priorities, and that is taking care of the US. The stuff he has done already is incredible, an example of DEI. Just the difference in his inauguration portrait tells you how much he has matured. The high tech Barrons that attended his inauguration is another huge change. As well as his focus on Censorship. We will see what Trump does agains overseas censorship that is impact US companies.
https://nypost.com/2025/01/16/us-news/trump-vance-official-portraits-released-ahead-of-inauguration-day/
UK and the EU, Trump does not see as a priority. It would be funny if the Labor People sent to help the election against Trump got charged with Fara violations. I am sure this is part of the reason Starmer was not invited to the inauguration. Trump is focused on what he can make significant changes on, such as Energy. Trump is definitely doing an America First Policy. And I am sure, Trump remembers where the Steele Dossier came from, and what intelligence service backed it. I expect a lot more to come out about the entire Russiagate Political Hit Job. Supposedly lots of stuff was supposed to be declassified at the end of his term, but he was bushwacked and it did not happen. There is a worry the release may impact the "Special Relationship".
Ukraine is just a mess, and Russia is in the driver's seat. Ukraine has little to offer the United States legally, illegally it money bombed Washington DC that bought a huge amount of influence. And Trump remembers that Ukraine aided and abetted one of the impeachments against him. There is not much the US can do, and Trump needs to be careful with the Russian collusion / control BS. It was used very effectely against him, resulting in him even getting impeached, in his first term.
With the Israel Gaza ceasefire Trump actually did Israel a favor by getting them mostly out of that quagmire, and allows himself to be a scapegoat for internal Israeli politics - the delusion "if we only had more time, we would have won". With Syria, Israel destroyed another government next to it, but now they share a border with Turkey, whose leader wants the Ottoman Empire reborn.
Trump, as always, in a mixed bag. America First, but Trump before America. The IDF were losing too many bods in Gaza, but Trump is not forgetting the prime beachfront real estate opportunities there, that the Israelis have salivating over for years. The 'ceasefire' has already been breached, with IDF snipers targeting children. And Trump immediately green-lighted the burning of Palestinian houses, cars, and businesses, and killing of Palestinians in the West Bank, where, coincidentally, Kushner's family has a housing construction business. The Jenin refugee camp already looks like Gaza.
Barron Trump is the wildcard in the pack. He's a lot smarter than Trump, and has his ear. Could make a difference this time around.
It will be interesting to see if Trump goes after the Biden crime family. Pass the popcorn.
Israel’s Lobby, AIPAC, in the US Congress is very powerful. Each Congress person has an assigned minder, with a few exceptions (Massie and ?). Trump with his other priorities is not going to pick a direct fight with them. Indirect such as pushing the Gaza “truce”, yes.
The argument is Israel a good investment and a US friend. My view it’s a one sided relationship that mostly benefits Israel. I’m in awe of their influence and spying operations. And all the legal and dirty tricks used to support it. Epstein seems to have had relations with Israeli intelligence. Disagree with Israel and you are labeled anti semitic. The Holocaust has become a religion, that none may question in any way, less your personal and professional life is destroyed.
Trumps near death experience seems to have made him much more focused and he feels he was saved for a reason. His EO’s are well written and very targeted.
Kushner’s influence this administration seems to be diminished.
About Trump putting himself first. I disagree. Trump would be a lot richer if he had not run for President. I’m amazed with all the dirty tricks done to him, he’s still standing.
The US/UK wholeheartedly supported the Zionist occupation of Israel to put a cat among the pigeons in the Middle East, to keep the oil-producing nations off balance. Their cat, unfortunately, turned into a top predator, cowering them and the rest of the collective West.
About Epstein, to see the interconnectedness of the CIA, Mossad, the Mafia, and the MIC, a very well-documented, fascinating read, is Whitney Webb's Vol 1 & 2 (particularly Vol 2) "One Nation Under Blackmail". Epstein and Maxwell's operation was definitely a Mossad set-up to gather blackmail information against the US/UK rich and powerful.
"The two leaders agreed that Russia will build a gas pipeline to Iran which will provide 300 cubic metres of gas per day."
That is much too small - could that actually be 300 Million cubic meters?
Either myself or the person who wrote the article I quoted from have left out the 'millions'. I'll alter it - thank you.
Weird i think my Celtic esp kicked in there.
Not sure what you mean there? I had almost a whole day off yesterday so finished the Stalingrad book.
Hi sorry, i was posting on last week's blog wondering if you had been hit by the weather at the same time as you were posting this weeks blog.
Yes - we were hit by the weather quite badly. The electric went off around 7.30 am and came back on in the evening. So I had quite a rest. We have fences down front and back and neither of us could walk against the wind with the hound. Did it affect you?
Yes, only for about 30 minutes though this time. My mate is in Northern Ireland and it was bad so it was probably worse where you are. The whole village was out but it happens quite a bit here so we are kinda prepared for it with rechargeable table lamps, stove, gas heater etc. I was thinking of getting a domestic generator to access the internet for when i work from home and the electricity goes.
Rechargeable table lamps? We are using gas lamps atm but how long do these battery lamps last? We could get some. We are having some Haggis tonight and will remember some of Rabbie's verse while forgetting his faults.
Tibby Dunbar is a great little ditty. Hope you had a couple of whiskies and read Tam O' Shanter- it brings it to life!
Its a big evening in Russia. For some reason they are mad on Burns.
They lights will last at least a night probably two. So keep a couple spare if its a prolonged outage. They have some designed for the house or you can get the outdoors types aswell. Jeff Bezos will give you some advice.
Great piece again.
Why have the Swiss sanctioned the Russians? I thought the Swiss were neutral. Jacques Baud's views are always worthwhile. Does anyone know if Emmanuel Todd's new book is likely to be published in English. I recommended it to my German partner who told her father who has bought it in German; says it a great read but you can't get it in English!
Baud is knowledgeable and a very good analyst. Todd rings a bell - I watched a YouTube vid of his recently and may have reported on it. He is saying what is crystal clear to anyone who is paying attention: the Empire is collapsing in slow motion. The more you watch it, the slower it becomes.