Ukraine... increasing volatility as Putin ramps up war...

[TOM4CWB]

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/putin-parades-missile-nightmare-latest-182410020.html

just when some hope Russia is bluffing...

"The Daily Beast
Putin Parades New Missile Nightmare in Latest Warning to West
Shannon Vavra
Tue, November 1, 2022, 12:24 PM

Russia has deployed missiles to Belarus in what is likely a desperate attempt to intimidate the West while its forces flounder in Ukraine, according to a new intelligence report.

Satellite images shared by British intelligence show what are likely two MiG-31K FOXHOUND interceptor jets stationed at Belarus’ Machulishchi Airfield on Oct. 17, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense. Located near the jets is a large canister, which the Ministry of Defense assesses is likely for the AS-24 KILLJOY air-launched ballistic missile.

The KILLJOY missiles are launched from a high-speed aircraft to go after their targets. Russia claims that the missiles, also known as Kinzhal or “dagger” missiles, can carry conventional or nuclear warheads and are hypersonic, since they are reported to travel at over five times the speed of sound.

Ukraine’s current air defenses can’t detect and destroy them, according to Hromadske, which could raise alarm about whether Russia intends to use Belarus as a staging ground for an assault on Ukraine, in a repeat of a tactic Russia used early in the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has leaned on Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko since the early days of the invasion this year to prepare for attacks on Ukraine, including the failed offensive on Kyiv.

But Russia might be conducting the deployment to send a signal to the West and pull Belarus further into the war, rather than preparing an actual plot to unleash an attack on Ukraine, according to British intelligence.


Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 1 November 2022

Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/ohQH7fYyqM

🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/Q9WxS4UKza

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 1, 2022

“It has likely carried out the deployment mainly to message to the West and to portray Belarus as increasingly complicit in the war,” the Ministry of Defense said. “Basing KILLJOY in Belarus gives Russia little added advantage in terms of striking additional targets within Ukraine.”

If the move was all for show, it would fit a pattern for Belarus. The deployment comes weeks after Russia and Belarus embarked on a joint “grouping” and deployment of troops in Belarus in what could appear to be preparation for mobilization against Ukraine or other nations. But some U.S. officials and diplomats have said that the grouping is likely a ploy to dupe Ukrainian forces into diverting resources to defend against a possible incursion from the north, rather than focus on the south where Ukraine is making gains against Russian forces."...

January 24, 2022... we found it [Putin] was no bluff...

Fool me once?

[TOM4CWB]

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/officials-saudis-tell-us-iran-222623174.html

More than just the Ukraine...

Associated PressAssociated Press
Officials: Saudis tell US that Iran may attack the kingdom

Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
AAMER MADHANI, MATTHEW LEE and LOLITA C. BALDOR
Tue, November 1, 2022, 4:26 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with American officials that suggests Iran could be preparing for an imminent attack on the kingdom, three U.S. officials said Tuesday.

The heightened concerns about a potential attack on Saudi Arabia come as the Biden administration is criticizing Tehran for its crackdown on widespread protests and condemning it for sending hundreds of drones — as well as technical support — to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.

“We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis,” the National Security Council said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to act in the defense of our interests and partners in the region.”

Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Nor did Iran's mission to the United Nations.

One of the officials who confirmed the intelligence sharing described it as a credible threat of an attack “soon or within 48 hours.” No U.S. embassy or consulate in the region has issued alerts or guidance to Americans in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Middle East based on the intelligence. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Asked about reports of the intelligence shared by the Saudis, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said U.S. military officials “are concerned about the threat situation in the region."

"We’re in regular contact with our Saudi partners, in terms of what information they may have to provide on that front,” Ryder said. “But what we’ve said before, and I’ll repeat it, is that we will reserve the right to protect and defend ourselves no matter where our forces are serving, whether in Iraq or elsewhere.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said America was “concerned about the threat picture,” without elaborating.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the Saudis sharing the intelligence earlier on Tuesday. Iran has alleged without providing evidence that Saudi Arabia and other rivals are fomenting the dissent on its streets by ordinary Iranians.

Of particular ire is protest coverage by Iran International, a London-based, Farsi-language satellite news channel once majority-owned by a Saudi national.

The U.S. and Saudis blamed Iran in 2019 of being behind a major attack in eastern Saudi Arabia, which halved the oil-rich kingdom’s production and caused energy prices to spike. The Iranians denied they were behind the attack, but the same triangle-shaped, bomb-carrying drones used in that attack are now being deployed by Russian forces in their war on Ukraine.

The Saudis have also been hit repeatedly in recent years by drones, missiles and mortars launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to battle the Houthis in 2015 and has been internationally criticized for its airstrikes in the war, which have killed scores of civilians.

In recent weeks, the Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Iranian officials for the brutal crackdown on demonstrators after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September after her arrest by Iran's morality police. The administration has also hit Iran with sanctions for supplying drones to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.

At least 288 people have been killed and 14,160 arrested during the protests, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. Demonstrations have continued, even as the feared paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has warned young Iranians to stop."...

As North Korea shoots Ballistic Missiles...

The pattern is disturbing and coordinated...

[TOM4CWB]

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-war-putin-becoming-desperate-164101767.html

Evening Standard
Ukraine war: Putin is becoming 'desperate and may be unwell'
Tue, November 1, 2022, 10:41 AM
Ukraine war: Putin is becoming 'desperate and may be unwell'

[TOM4CWB]

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/putin-smirks-hes-asked-sending-104843731.html

The Independent
Putin smirks as he's asked about 'sending everyone to heaven' in nuclear war
Sat, October 29, 2022, 4:48 AM
Vladimir Putin was asked to reassure an audience at the Valdai Discussion Club that the world is not on the verge of nuclear annihilation – and chose to respond with a long pause. When host Fyodor Lukyanov pointed out that his silence was 'alarming', a smirking Putin responded: "I did it on purpose to make you worry a little. Mission accomplished". Source: Reuters"

[TOM4CWB]

North and South Korea fire missiles near disputed sea border
Published
4 hours ago
North and South Korea have both fired missiles landing in waters off each other's coasts for the first time.
Seoul responded three hours after Pyongyang launched a missile that landed less than 60km (37miles) off the South's city of Sokcho.
The South's military said this was an "unacceptable" breach of its territory.
It fired three air-to-ground missiles in response, which officials said landed a similar distance past the Northern Limit Line (NLL).
The demarcation line marks the rough midway-point in the sea between North and South Korea, but the North has never accepted the boundary.
On Tuesday North Korea warned that South Korea and the US would pay "the most horrible price in history" if they continued joint military drills, seen as a veiled threat to use nuclear weapons.
The North is expected to resume nuclear weapons testing soon after a five-year break, with US and South Korean intelligence saying Pyongyang has completed all the necessary preparations.
Why is Kim Jong-un upping the pressure?
The tit-for-tat missile launches come during a period of national mourning in South Korea, following the crowd crush in Seoul at the weekend which killed more than 150 people."

[Landdownunder]

Varying opinions here from Russian citizens no conspiracy stuff