Yesterday I received the following message from a friend in the United States.
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This from a good military observer from US
The UA mounted a concerted offensive against Crimea and Sevastopol by cruise, anti ship missiles and water drones. In each case Reaper, Global Hawk drones and in one instance a manned French ISR platform.
UA used 5 Su-24 bombers to launch cruise and anti-ship missiles on Sept. 13. We seem to be pushing the Russians into dramatic offensive action.
It looked like a significant UA strike, at least in resources used. Plus we’re launching the largest military exercise in Russia doorstep in several months. Full on stupid. I think DC may be pushing the Russians too far. Putin has exercised great restraint to this point, but his advisors, generals and public want him to deliver a crushing blow. Now, if the Germans provide Taurus Missiles, he may finally pull the trigger and settle the matter on the battlefield.
Are they saying this on TV, etc.?
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Indeed, Western media are filled with stories written in Kiev on how they have fired missiles at Russian military installations on Crimea these past days and used surface drones to attack Black Sea vessels of the Russian navy.
I responded as follows:
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The Sixty Minutes show, all 5 hours of it in the daily afternoon and evening editions, has been filled with two topics: 1) the Western reactions to the visit of Kim to Russia (terror in the hearts of the Western infidels) and 2) Russia’s devastating blows against the attacking Ukrainians across the front Coverage of the Ukrainian missile attacks has been minimal. We also see that the Russians are FINALLY devoting serious resources to destroying the Ukrainian fortified areas just outside the city of Donetsk, which is where the daily shelling of the city has come from. This leads me to take seriously the accusations that the Kremlin has allowed this to go on for the purpose of consolidating Russian public opinion.
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Put another way, each side has selected from the day’s developments material that will distract viewers from what it would rather they not hear, while highlighting developments that show its own activities to best advantage.
That said, there is one topic in the news that both Western major media and Russian major media can enjoy setting out and explaining to their audiences: the scandals of judicial persecution being pressed by Democrats and Republicans in the United States against the likely candidate from the other party in the 2024 presidential race.
In remarks to the Plenary Session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok last week, Vladimir Putin spoke directly about this issue, saying it demonstrated the rottenness of American political life and sweeps away all possible claims of the United States to give lessons to others about democracy. Meanwhile, day after day both the Vesti news programs of Russian state television and the Sixty Minutes weekday programs to which I allude above give prime time to photo montages of Hunter Biden and Joe while discussing the charges of corruption and pay-offs to both father and son from Chinese and Ukrainian officials during Biden’s service as Vice President. Though the Kremlin has no particular liking for Donald Trump and Putin reminds his people that sanctions against the country rose vertiginously during the Trump years, the legal proceedings against the former president are presented as further proof that America is a failed democracy.
For its part, American mainstream is also wallowing in the breaking news over the first time ever indictment of the son of a sitting president for federal crimes. I watched a half hour of last night’s CNN reporting that weighed the likelihood of the investigation into the Bidens moving on from the son’s lying over his drug addiction when purchasing firearms to the substantive issues that lie behind the charges of tax evasion.
The Russian media have been speculating for some weeks on whether the judicial persecution of the candidates will cross what ‘red lines’ still exist in America as a First World country and progress to assassination of Trump, say. They have been speculating on whether their own favorite American journalist Tucker Carlson can survive his revelations about the gay life of Barack Obama.
If there is anything in contemporary American political life that amuses Russians, it is the prevailing gerontocracy in Washington. Having had their fill of old and feeble leaders during the last years of Leonid Brezhnev and the during the short reigns of his immediate successors, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, the Russians are delighted to have a relative youngster in the person of Vladimir Putin, even if he is 70, and to poke fun at the foibles on stage in full view of the cameras of the demented American president.
©Gilbert Doctorow, 2023
Gilbert Doctorow 
As always thank you for your review and summary of the news on Russian TV. Trying to keep up with all that is being said in the U.S., read what I can on news here does not leave one like me who is not fully fluent in Russian enough time to digest the news as it is presented in Russia. Especially since I am a single father of two kids! Your posts really help.
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I think it can’t be denied that the strikes on Crimea are significant. Naval vessels don’t grow on trees, and neither do S400s. My best guess as to the purpose of the strikes are either 1) a diversion from the failed counter offensive, creating a narrative so to speak, 2) a warning to Putin that the Nato block still has plenty of space to escalate and he better negotiate on terms reasonably favorable to Ukraine, or 3) an attempt to goad the Russians into striking back and deplete their missile stocks, as it seems the Russians are currently saving up missiles and Geran drones for *something*. Of the 3 choices, I have no idea which one it is.
The strikes do teach us that even good AD will lose almost every time against large waves of standoff missile attacks, some missiles will always get through and destroy the targets they want to destroy. It makes me think that if nato wants, the Kerch bridge is toast, but they are saving that move for later.
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It could also be the butt hurt reaction of the Brits for the two Challenger-2 tanks destroyed on the Zaporojye front…
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If that is the British revenge for the challengers then they got it. 2 tanks versus a ship, submarine and (I think?) S400 AD system is a very very good trade. The problem is nato can strike Russia with impunity now, as long as the final finger pressing the button is a Ukrainian finger, and say “hey it’s not us, it’s the Ukrainians!”, while Russia can only strike Ukraine. It’s like if you get bad service from a giant corporation and can only take it out on the lowly cashier or customer service rep.
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One S300 launcher was destroyed (not an S400), the submarine was slightly damaged, the landing ship more so but not irretrievably lost. Shooting down 7 of 10 cruise missiles (and they are the very best NATO has, not even speaking of their guidance by satellites, drones and planes) isn’t that bad, although the Russians will want to improve on it and they clearly ARE fast learners. They learned to destroy modern systems like the HIMARS and quite new ones like the naval drones – otherwise said, all the ingenuity of British and North american engineers coming to nothing.
The Challengers are still another matter because they were taunted as being invincible – ah, the so superior West and most superior of all, the UK of course…Now that’s a blow!
It has (too) often been discussed on the internet why Russia is so restrained. Well, maybe because they know the art of patience and the value of a well-timed blow. And then this: someday, sometime, the whole world will know about the hundreds of thousands Ukrainian soldiers slaughtered on the altar of Western greed. This war too may last for five years, like the last one in which Nazi tanks rolled towards Russia, but for ethical as well as economic reasons, Western governments will only know defeat. That clock is ticking.
If you can, buy a house in the beautiful Far East, where chances of prosperity and survival may become highest…
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