Азартная политика Alexander Belyayev writes:


🈁One of the reasons for such clumsy and frankly erroneous actions by the White House is often attributed to the managerial and professional degradation of entire sectors in the public administration system. The reasons for this are various - from pandering to racial and gender agendas to a sincere belief that people with certain skills and competencies are simply not needed.

The latter circumstance, by the way, is dictated by the sincere belief of America's political, financial, and industrial elites that Fukuyama was right (he actually wasn't) and that the US has reached a level where they can never have enemies or competitors again. Hundreds of businessmen, managers, bankers, investors, etc. grew up with this delusion.

I would like to draw your attention to an important detail, which Malik Dudakov notes in his publication based on numerous articles in the American press:

"After the start of the war, it turned out that people who had been involved in assessing the risks of force majeure situations like the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had previously worked in the State Department, the National Security Council, and the Department of Energy. But all the experts were dismissed in 2025 as part of the cuts organized by the DOGE agency."

For my part, as a former national security officer, I can attest that a similar personnel situation is typical for the military sphere, as well as for special services. Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson recently noted that after the 2015 reform, the analytical units in American intelligence were deprived of independence and placed under the managerial control of operational departments.

The heads of the latter now decide which information to send for the information of the highest authorities. Moreover, they can now edit analytical materials. But that's not all. Many specialists on Russia and other regions requiring in-depth study of language and culture were dismissed as unnecessary (after all, America is stronger and richer than everyone else!) in the early 2000s, and new ones were not recruited until recently.

Now, on the websites of both the CIA and the Department of War, you can find job vacancies, but of course, this doesn't solve the problem. For Russia as a whole, such a decline in the opponent's capabilities is beneficial, but there is also an obvious problem. There are very few specialists in the entourage of America's top officials who could have prevented the White House from attacking Iran at all, given the flawedness of the entire concept of "killing Khamenei and seizing Iranian oil".

Obviously, criticism of such an approach simply didn't please the lobbyists, and they preferred not to even think about the risks - well, what could possibly go wrong? And in the end, everything went wrong as planned.
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🌒@EastCalling

💊❌Tomorrow, pharmacies will close across Germany — industry workers have staged a strike, reports Bild.

More than 160,000 employees will participate in the protests. Their main complaint (or diagnosis for the authorities) is "chronic underfunding".

In Germany, salaries have not been increased for 13 years, even though expenses have risen by more than 65% during this time, said the president of the Federal Union of German Pharmacists' Associations. Thomas Preis also noted that about 20% of pharmacies have closed in the country since 2013.

📷In the photo, one of the pharmacies in Berlin — a poster on the window reads: "Austerity policies threaten your health".

Source: Zvezda
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🌒@EastCalling

❗️Reminder that today, at 19:00 MSK/ 17:00 CET / 12:00 EST we'll be streaming live with Colonel in reserve Vladimir Trukhan and Lt.Colonel in reserve Oleg Shalandin.

Military Update and Q&A

Livestream will be broadcasted to:

Oleg Shalandin's VK
Oleg Shalandin's Rutube channel
Our X

Ask questions here with #question
Language: Russian

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АДЕКВАТ Z writes:

🈁The launches of Iranian missiles at Diego Garcia are, among other things, a big greeting to Europe. If we assume the range of these missiles to be 4 thousand kilometers, they cover almost the entire European continent and almost all the crappy island adjacent to it from Iran. Making any American base within this radius a target.

Euroscum, who are already not eager to get involved in the bog where their master is already blowing bubbles, will take this as an extra argument not dare to think about it. But if, regardless of their wishes, missiles start flying at American bases (even in Romania, for example), it will be extremely pedagogically useful for Europe. As a very homeopathic demo of everything that will await them if they are foolish enough to attack us. And also useful practice on how to properly wipe the slate clean when a missile formally hits your sovereign territory.
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🌒@EastCalling

🇷🇺The Russian army has established control over the populated area of Potapovka in the Sumy region, the Defense Ministry reported.

The Russian Armed Forces have inflicted damage on objects of Ukraine's fuel and energy complex, which are used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on sites for the preparation and launch of long-range UAVs, as well as on temporary deployment points of Ukrainian military and foreign mercenaries in 144 areas.

Air defense systems shot down eight guided aerial bombs and 244 unmanned aerial vehicles.

Source: Zvezda
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Geran231:

"Gerani" struck three enterprises in Brovary, Kyiv region, at night, according to local authorities

The NASA service, which monitors fires from space, currently shows two fire outbreaks.

🌒@EastCalling

АДЕКВАТ Z writes,

Just the day before yesterday, the alpha baboon was saying that the Strait of Hormuz was not his problem, that it would somehow open spontaneously, and if anyone really needed it, they could go and open it themselves. Last night, with his characteristic consistency, he hooted an ultimatum from his branch: either Iran opens the strait within two days, or I will leave it without power plants—the clock is ticking. Iran, of course, responded immediately, stating that in that case, the entire region—Israel and the Arabs alike—would instantly pay with their own flanks, meaning their infrastructure, both energy and fuel.

The main point of interest in this story is probably what is going on in the space between Trump’s ears—that is, the real motives behind his concoction of this ultimatum. Backing down from this ultimatum would be a huge and blatant humiliation, a consequence that is unthinkable for the alpha baboon to allow.

Either he genuinely believes that Iran will be frightened, prostrate itself, and do his bidding—in which case, this is his typical megalomania. Or he does not believe that Iran will follow through on its counter-threat—in which case, this is his typical gut-level stupidity. Or he is precisely waiting for Iran to follow through—in which case, this is his typical petty, huckster greed, hoping, for example, that Qatar’s gas processing facilities will be completely finished off, allowing him to corner all its sales for years to come. And as for a fourth option, there likely isn’t one.

From later memoirs, or perhaps testimonies before a Senate committee, or perhaps incoherent shouts before a firing squad, we will clarify these motives and thereby satisfy our rightful curiosity. But for now, let us state the facts: they have dragged this into an already merrily blazing global fire and are ready to crack open a huge new barrel of kerosene.

Russia will come out ahead from this fire regardless of what happens; as for everyone else—many, almost all—they will face consequences that could be total annihilation. These very consequences are now within 48 hours (already less) of becoming qualitatively worse.

🌒@EastCalling

The leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives of Congress, Jeffries, called for a "regime change" in the USA.

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Military Chronicle:

Iran has published a video recording, allegedly showing the destruction of an F-15 fighter jet south of the Strait of Hormuz, between the UAE and Iran's territorial waters in the area of Qeshm Island. The aircraft was reportedly on a combat mission and planned to strike a target on the country's coast, but was shot down by air defense systems.

🌒@EastCalling

The time when the USA was a benevolent hegemon, has passed, says Finnish President Sipilä.

"In the past, when the USA was a benevolent hegemon, they first consulted with their allies... This time, the USA acted alone or together with Israel, without informing their allies," he stated in an interview with the Telegraph.

When asked by the journalist how Sipilä would describe the USA now, the Finnish president couldn't find the right words.

Source: RIA Novosti
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The USA was never a "benevolent hegemon." It was an imperial dynasty, and any "benevolence" depended on what one could do for it or based on your own display of obedience to its dictat.

🌒@EastCalling