Category: Russia

In the villages, nothing goes to waste. When it is mushroom season, they scour the hills for mushrooms, strawberry season is the same, so on and so on. So why would it be different with the shutting down of a fish lake?

It is not and once the lake people got what they wanted, they cleaned up, locked the doors and waved goodbye until next year. Then out from the woods came the scavengers… 😉

No not foxes, bears and wild dogs. But villagers from the surrounding villages. They bring nets of various sizes. Thus, some of them get bigger fish and some just want the tiny little fish. There is enough for all and all have to work hard to get what there is left over. So, of course I took some pictures as they tramped through the sandy mud of the lake…

At one point about twenty villagers from somewhere were scooping the left over fish. When they would get a big one, you could hear the whooping and hollering all around. Boza and I walked the empty lake edge and we saw a guy with a huge bag of small fry fish and he was high-tailing it across the lake and going home. He had a big smile on his face, for momma was going to fix fish tonight… 🙂

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

How involved is the US national security machinery in Ukraine? The answer to that question is contained in a sampling of information available from the US embassy in Ukraine and the Pentagon’s contract awards announcements. Other publications (links provided below) have also been consulted.

Vietnam 2.0 is in the making in Ukraine. The US civil-military establishment, Republicans and Democrats alike, want a shooting war with Russia, even though it was the US that caused the carnage in Ukraine, not the Russians. Yet, that inconvenient reality has been nullified by the US propaganda campaign which, of course, the Russians have responded to with their own.

Surreptitious escalation of US military involvement in Ukraine is the order of the day. Consider this comment from US Senator Jack Reid (Democrat): “One step that should be explored, he said, is taking Ukrainian forces outside the country and training them on the provided weapon systems, “so they’re ready.” “Second is the possibility of transferring some of these systems from other countries into Ukraine, which doesn’t raise quite the visibility of the transfer,” he said. “And then there’s the possibility of taking some of our systems and beginning to…deploy them to training areas particularly so that they can train on them and have them ready to move into areas of conflict,” he said… He also said Ukraine has an extensive military industrial base that could be used to produce the weapons, but that would take time and financing.”

It’s becoming apparent that the US Army, US Air Force and US Navy want, respectively, the 21^st Century versions of the Battle of Prokhorovka, Hiroshima/Nagasaki, and the Battle of Midway. Maybe the plan is to make proxy wars so hot that world war will follow with Russia (and China). It’s doubtful that the US Marines want another Iwo Jima or that US special operations warfighters want to be dropped into no-win situations (they are smarter than that).

No matter, Americans shoot up war like a junkie shoots up heroin. Destroying Syria and Iraq as functioning states did not provide the high, nor did the War on Terror, or the War on Drugs, or Afghanistan (10,000 US soldiers remain there). The next score needs to be higher-dose, longer lasting, “real man, you know what I’m saying.”

California-Ukraine (US Embassy website)

So California is Ukraine’s buddy? Just great.

California–Ukraine State Partnership Program: SPP Mission is to promote democracy, free market economies and military reform, by establishing long-term institutional affiliations and personal relationships at the state and local level. The California – Ukraine partnership directly supports both the goals of the US Ambassador to Ukraine and Commander, U.S. European Command. As part of the Governor’s Cabinet, the Adjutant General of the California National Guard facilitates partnerships throughout the state and local governments in California as well as the private sector. Recently, a tuberculosis clinic in Odessa was renovated with funds provided by this office

Defense Cooperation between US and Ukraine (US Embassy website)

Joint Contact Team Program-Ukraine (JCTP). The mission of the Joint Contact Team Program (JCTP) is to deploy US military teams to Ukraine to acquaint the Ukrainian military with various aspects of western militaries. The program was developed in 1992 to assist the armed forces of Ukraine, as the military of one of the emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe.

International Military Education and Training (IMET): The IMET Program provides training in the United States to selected foreign military and related civilian personnel. The overarching security cooperation objective is to promote stability, democratization, military professionalism, and closer relationships with NATO.

Foreign Military Sales/Foreign Military Financing: The FMF program assists the Ukrainian military in conducting defense reform by providing funds for Ukraine to purchase US military equipment and services.

Defense Contracts for Ukraine (Pentagon Website)

September 2015: Aerovironment Inc., Monrovia, California, was awarded a $9,049,306 firm-fixed-price foreign military sales contract (Ukraine) for the small UAV RQ-11B Raven analogy system. Work will be performed in Monrovia, California, with an estimated completion date of May 11, 2016. One bid was solicited with one received. Fiscal 2010 other procurement funds in the amount of $9,049,306 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Natick, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (W911QY-15-C-0102).

September 2015: Harris Corp., Rochester, New York, was awarded a $65,669,054 firm-fixed-price, incrementally funded foreign military sales contract (Ukraine, Lithuania, Lebanon, Chad, Niger, Mauritania, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Ethiopia) with options for Harris Radio Systems, (multiband (AN/PRC-152A: AN/PRC-117G), high frequency (HF) and dismount), antennas, BMS software, data terminals, touch tablets, field service representatives, and training for installation, operation and maintenance. Work will be performed in Rochester, New York, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2016. One bid was solicited with one received. Fiscal 2015 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $38,950,534 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-15-C-5029).

July 2015: AM General, South Bend, Indiana was awarded a $372,936,476 firm-fixed-price multi-year foreign military sales contract (Afghanistan, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Ukraine, Tunisia) with options for 2,082 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) and contractor unique spare parts. Work will be performed in Mishawaka, Indiana with an estimated completion date of April 29, 2016. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Fiscal 2015 other procurement funds in the amount of $372,936,476 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity (W56HZV-15-C-0155).

Training the Ukrainian Military

July 2015 (from Defense Industry Daily): Ukraine will receive external link an additional $500 million from the US government to finance the training of Ukrainian military personnel. The Obama administration modestly increased US training to include Defense Ministry forces in June external link, after US personnel were first deployed to train Interior Ministry troops in April. The announcement comes several days after a report external link published by the Center for New American Security identified several strategic deficiencies with US policy on defense assistance.

Propaganda Generates Profits: Bellicose Neighbor=Joint Procurement

The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are discussing external link the possibility of collaborative defense procurement. The NATO states border an increasingly belligerent Russia and may also seek to join the development activities of the Nordic Defence Cooperation’s external link (NORDEFCO) Military Cooperation Areas in a bid to maximize rising defense investment. Estonia already meets NATO’s target defense spend of 2% GDP, with Latvia and Lithuania planning to meet this target by 2020. Lower per-unit costs through larger equipment buys are likely to drive joint investment, with air defense systems specifically mentioned. The US and Poland have been keen to develop the Baltics’ air defense systems, with Sweden also planning a revamp of its capabilities.

John Stanton is a Virginia based writer. Reach him at captainkong22@gmail.com

Having established a base on the Syrian coast, Vladimir Putin last week began air strikes on ISIS and other rebel forces seeking to overthrow Bashar Assad.

A longtime ally of Syria, Russia wants to preserve its toehold on the Mediterranean, help Assad repel the threat, and keep the Islamic terrorists out of Damascus.

Russia is also fearful that the fall of Assad would free up the Chechen terrorists in Syria to return to Russia.

In intervening to save Assad, Putin is doing exactly what we are doing to save our imperiled allies in Baghdad and Kabul.

Yet Putin’s intervention has ignited an almost berserk reaction.

John McCain has called for sending the Free Syrian Army surface-to-air missiles to bring down Russian planes. Not only could this lead to a U.S.-Russia clash, but U.S.-backed Syrian rebels have a record of transferring weapons to the al-Qaida affiliate.

The end result of McCain’s initiative, sending Stingers to Syria, could be airliners blown out of the sky across the Middle East.

Hillary Clinton wants the U.S. to create a no-fly zone. And Friday’s Wall Street Journal endorsed the idea:

“Mr. Obama could make Mr. Putin pay a price. … In Syria the U.S. could set up a no-fly zone to create a safe haven for refugees against … Mr. Assad’s barrel bombs. He could say U.S. planes will fly wherever they want, and if one is attacked the U.S. will respond in kind.”

U.S.-Russian dogfights over Syria are just fine with the Journal.

Saturday’s Washington Post seconded the motion, admonishing Obama: “Carve out safe zones. Destroy the helicopter fleet Mr. Assad uses for his war crimes.” Has the War Party thought this through?

Establishing a no-fly zone over Syria, which means shooting down Syrian fighter-bombers and helicopters, is an act of war. But when did Congress authorize the president to go to war with Syria?

When last Obama requested such authority — in 2013, when chemical weapons were used — the American people arose as one to say no to U.S. intervention. Congress backed away without even voting.

Unprovoked air strikes on Syrian government forces would represent an unauthorized and unconstitutional American war. Does the Party of the Constitution no longer care about the Constitution?

Is a Republican Congress really willing to give Barack Obama a blank check to take us to war with Syria, should he choose to do so?

Is this what America voted for in 2014?

A no-fly zone means U.S. warplanes downing Syrian planes and helicopters and bombing antiaircraft defenses at Syrian airfields.

To Damascus this would mean the Americans have committed to the defeat of their armed forces and downfall of their regime.

The Syrians would fight — and not only the Syrian army. For Russia, Hezbollah and Iran are all allied to the Damascus regime, as all believe they have a vital interest in its survival.

How would Russia, Iran and Hezbollah respond to U.S. air strikes on their ally? Would they pack it in and leave? Is that our experience with these folks?

Today, the U.S. is conducting strikes on ISIS, and the al-Qaida affiliate. But if we begin to attack the Syrian army or air force, we will be in a new war where the entire Shiite Crescent of Iran, Baghdad, Damascus and Hezbollah, backed by Russia, will be on the other side.

We will have taken the Sunni side in the Sunni-Shiite sectarian long war. How long such a war would last, and how it would end, no one knows.

Whatever one thinks of Putin’s policy in Syria, at least it makes sense. He is supporting an ally, the Assad regime, against its enemies, who seek to overthrow that regime.

It is U.S. policy in Syria that makes no sense. We train rebels at immense cost to fight Assad, who cannot or will not fight. We attack ISIS, which also seeks to bring down the Assad regime. And we, too, want to bring down Assad.

Who do we think will rise if Assad falls?

Do we have a “government in a box” that we think we can fly to Damascus and put into power if the Syrian army collapses, the regime falls and ISIS approaches the capital?

Have we forgotten the lesson of “Animal Farm”? When the animals revolt and take over the farm, the pigs wind up in charge.

For months, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia has called on Congress to debate and decide before we launch any new war in the Middle East. One wishes him well. For it is obvious that the same blockheads who told us that if the Taliban and Saddam and Gadhafi fell, liberal democracy would arise and flourish, are now clamoring for another American war in Syria to bring down Assad.

And who says stay out? Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, both of whom also opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq. There is something to be said for outsiders.

Share Pat’s Columns!

Source: War Party Targets Putin and Assad

Three cans of paint is what I think will get it done. I have small rollers and a paint pan, thus, when I go to town tomorrow, I will get three cans of white enamel and get the south side done…

Sveta told me that I had to cut the tails off the left window and since Sveta wanted it, I did it this morning. Then I reset the window trim and strung the modem cable and nailed a bunch of boards tight. Now it is ready to finish painting and I am hoping to have it done by this weekend coming up…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Ran out of paint! The wood is just sucking it up like a sponge. Thus, when I go to town again, I will buy a couple more cans, that is 4 litres per can. That runs about 300 rubles per can…

It is starting to look good though and when I get the back done, I will paint it the same way. That will make this home last longer…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

I drink a lot of hot tea now and this morning I decided to try starting off with tea. Just a strong black tea with milk and while it was great, it just did not cure the morning blues, like a good cup of coffee. Tea to me is sweet tasting, whereas coffee has that bitter bite that is akin to the first puff of a cigarette in the morning. Smokers know what I mean and I realized this morning that I do not want to give up that coffee bite, first thing in the morning. I gave up the cigarettes years ago…

I drink one or two cups of coffee and then tea or chicory the rest of the day. Tea has been winning over chicory and with it cold like it is outside, I grab a tea bag, hot water and a cup and in a few minutes I am back outside sipping a hot tea and getting back to work. It is perfect for that quick pick me up and like I said, black tea tastes sweet compared to coffee…

So the experiment told me what I needed to know and coffee will stay number one in the early morning times. Then tea becomes the daily drink…

* * * * * * * * * *

This morning the guys were still at the fish pond and still pulling in fish. It looks like maybe another three days at this pace. There is still a lot of fish in the pond and I see two shifts of twelve hours each for the men working. This is a gruelling job and it got down to -2 last night. They send the big fish to the sellers trucks and they take the smaller fish to the Para Lake trucks. Thus, every fish is hand sorted and that is why it takes so long. They put the smallest ones in the big permanent lakes and sell the rest. Big operation…

* * * * * * * * * *

Right above my head flew an eagle this morning. I was not ready (never am,) thus the image is poor focus, as the auto focus did not move fast enough. I resized it to fit the screen better, but it is uncut. No zoom or anything, just a snap of the eagle as I fell backwards trying to follow it. Boza was jumping in the air trying to catch it and I caught it as it went right over my head. Boza leaped over me as I hit the ground and he ran chasing the eagle for a 100 meters or so… (Looks like a Steppes Eagle or Golden Eagle!)

What a perfect start to a morning… 🙂

* * * * * * * * * *

Going to be a wonderful day and I am going to paint. I am sore from cutting wood and my hands hurt from hammering and digging, so I will paint today…

Have a nice day…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

I finally found it and it only took all summer to do it. Boza and I found the eagle nest…

I was walking through the pine forest and all of a sudden I realized that we were in a maple forest. Then I happened to look up in awe of all the maples and there was this huge pine tree amongst them all. Then I saw it and out of it flew an eagle, when I started to whoop and holler…

I know that was stupid of me, but then what can I say…

From pines to maples, but then after the eagle nest, I found a birch forest and a oak forest…

What a wonderful walk, Boza and I had…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Why are we (USA) training and/or creating terrorists in Syria and many other parts of the world?

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

I was not sure what else to do, so I improvised. The window was broken and no one cared. Anyone who could care are gone and since it rains everyday, I decided to care. I do that many times and I hope no one gets upset by my caring? For I have to trespass, but I know that trespassing in Russia is a whole different situation than in America. I just have American blood in me and have been trained improperly by my past. Thus, I did not trespass, I saved a home from the ravages of winter…

Therefore, this morning after a long walk at 5 a.m., Boza and I gathered the stuff needed and walked back down the hill and fixed the window, or I should say, covered the broken parts with plastic and stapled that plastic down. I also nailed the window to the house, so that it will not fall out again…

* * * * * * * * * *

Get it done in the next few days! Gonna go below zero and winter has woke up, officially. I saw myself, personally, how autumn never showed up, summer left early and spring is scared to death of all of the above. Old Man Winter rules the roost in Russia and his nap is over and he has decided to give us eight months of winter this year…

Nice guy, huh?

Oh, I base what I know on reading “Woolly Worms!” The woolly worms are huge and pure black, no other color and I have seen hundreds of them in the last few days. Not a single stripe of brown even, just pure black, fat and sassy Woolly Worms…

Russia has warned Europe and especially Ukraine, It is going to be a long hard winter and Ukraine is far and away from having the gaz (gas) fuel needed to care for herself, much less transporting any gaz to Europe. I have been noticing that Europe has been stockpiling gaz like crazy, for they know that Ukraine is a psycho sick-o and winter is coming fast…

Boza and I are ready… 😉

* * * * * * * * * *

Sveta wants to go to a far away land and swim in the warm oceans. I am fine with that, so I will be going to Moscow in a week or so and get ready for a trip. Then I will come back to the village and settle in for the winter. I need to get a few things done to the car, such as new front tires and replace some radiator hoses. Then I will stock the car up with bulk foods in Moscow and Boza and I will start our winter blogging…

* * * * * * * * * *

The days are short and getting shorter; Boza has a different pattern now that we walk in the dark more. Boza now walks near me almost at all times. He lost me the other night, he took off chasing a cat and I kept walking, after a few minutes, I heard a whimper, then I heard a whine and then I heard several scared noises. I then felt sorry for him and called him. He heard my voice come around the village home and he ran to the opposite side of the house. He had lost me and could not find me. He started to panic…

I let him contemplate the issue for a few more minutes and then sneaked around quietly to surprise him. When he finally found me, he acted like I had been gone for years and he was so happy. Then I explained the situation to him and since then, he won’t let me go too far when it is dark. Daytime is different, he can see me a long ways off, but at night, I see better than he does and if he loses my scent,then I am gone…

Boza did not like me to be gone and Boza likes the comfort of the village home at night…

* * * * * * * * * *

I have to say one thing; I never thought that America would be run by such a moronic group of people as we now have elected to run America. We actually admit with no remorse or feelings, that we really trained terrorists and classify them into different levels of terrorists. Now America is going bat %^$# crazy and telling the world by her spoon fed media…

(WSJ) The U.S. and its allies were angry at the Russians on many scores: that they are supporting Mr. Assad; that they aren’t coordinating their actions with the existing, U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition; that they provided terse notice only an hour before their operations; that they demanded the U.S. coalition stay out of Syrian airspace; and that they struck in areas where anti-Assad rebels—not Islamic State—operate.

“It does appear that they were in areas where there probably were not ISIL forces, and that is precisely one of the problems with this whole approach,” said Mr. Carter, the U.S. defense chief.

And this below is the icing on the cake…

U.S. Sen. John McCain said Thursday that some Russian airstrikes in Syria were aimed at CIA-backed groups fighting the Assad regime, echoing claims from activists…

Thank you McCain for being so honest only because you are mad at the world, but; It means for you people who do not want to think…

Russia is killing all terrorists in Syria, even if they were trained by America or not. Russia knows that there is no such thing as a moderate terrorist and all will die. America is having a heart attack that their planted CIA trained terrorists (and most likely a few (or maybe a lot) of actual real agents) are being slaughtered as you read this…

Yes America, we have many people infiltrated in other countries, playing games; “Oh My!” you say…

* * * * * * * * * *

Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!
For only America can say!
If you are a terrorists today!
Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!

Have a nice day, I have work to do…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

It is all happening at once. The small lake is being harvested, the big lake is being harvested, the Ravens are going nuts and Jr. Eagle is doing some contemplating about life. He is just standing around like he does not have a care in the world and watching the Ravens. Then the Ravens started to come over to say, “Hi!” and he flew up and came down fast at the group of Ravens. They left with a, “Caw – Caw” and Jr. sat around another 10 minutes and gawked at the guys harvesting the pond…

The last I saw of Jr., he had a huge fish in his claws and flew home to eat a meal…

I just took pictures like crazy, it is very cloudy and very cold. The wind is blowing like crazy and I froze. Gonna stay inside now and get warm, got my images and am a happy bear…

Boza says, “Hi!”

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…