Ukraine President Zelensky Says The Spring Counteroffensive Is Coming, With Or Without Western Warplanes
Newsweek: Ukraine Won't Delay Counteroffensive Despite Lack of F-16s: Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said despite a lack of F-16 fighter jets from the West, his country will still launch its planned counteroffensive in its ongoing war with Russia.
"There will be a counterattack, and I think it will succeed. I will not give details. Have we had enough armaments for that? I would say that we are on the way to the fact that we are," Zelensky said on Saturday while speaking to Scandinavian media.
Zelensky has made repeated calls for Western allies to provide fighter jets in order for his military to establish air superiority over the Russian military. Poland was the first nation to offer the Eastern European country jets, with Germany earlier this month approving Poland's request to re-export five German MiG-29s to Ukraine. So far, eight MiG-29s have been provided to the war-torn nation from Poland, The Kyiv Independent reported.
Read more ....
Update: Zelenskyy: We will launch counteroffensive before we get F-16 jets, there will be no delay (Ukrayinska Pravda)
WNU Editor: The Western media narrative is changing. That the longer Kyiv waits, the better its chances seem to get .... Ukraine's counteroffensive: Goals, opportunities, risks (DW).
Only 56 Percent of F-35 Stealth Fighters Are Ready for Battle
FILE PHOTO: A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin
19FortyFive: Problem: Only 56 Percent of F-35 Stealth Fighters Are Ready for Battle
If you are an F-35 fan for its all-around, go-anywhere fighting ability, you will be concerned about this.
F-35 Can't Fight?
According to a defense official at a joint program office, American F-35s across the service branches are only 56 percent ready for battle.
The Department of Defense wants to get this number up to at least an average of 64 percent rate of combat readiness within the next year, but that is a glaring shortcoming for the program's future.
If there is to be conflict with China in a fight over Taiwan, America needs every F-35 it can muster to dominate the skies.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: The Pentagon is still buying more F-35s .... Pentagon awards $7.8 billion F-35 contract to Lockheed Martin (Reuters).
Fitch Credit Agency Downgrades France To AA-
Fitch agency cuts France’s debt rating to 'AA-', revises up outlook to stable © Miguel Medina, AFP
France 24: Fitch agency cuts France’s debt rating to 'AA-', revises up outlook to stable
Fitch on Friday cut France's sovereign credit rating by one notch to 'AA-', citing a potential political deadlock and social movements that are posing risks to President Emmanuel Macron's reform agenda.
"Social and political pressures illustrated by the protests against the pension reform will complicate fiscal consolidation," the global credit ratings agency said.
Fitch, which also revised up the country's outlook to stable from negative, said the French economy will expand by 0.8% this year, in line with the euro zone average but below the agency's 1.1% growth forecast in its last review in November.
The economy trudged up slightly in the first quarter despite a series of strikes against the government's pension reform bill, but inflation remained stubbornly high.
Read more ....
Update #1: Fitch cuts France's rating to 'AA-', revises up outlook to stable (Reuters)
Update #2: Fitch Downgrades France To AA-, Cites Civil Unrest As Major Risk (Zero Hedge)
WNU Editor: The Fitch report is here .... Fitch Downgrades France to 'AA-'; Outlook Stable (Fitch Ratings).
Russia - Ukraine War: Military Summary And Analysis For 4.30.2023 (Video)
WNU Editor: A lot of updates on the Russia - Ukraine war from the Military Summary channel (see above). Alexander Mercouris gives his updates on the war below.
Tweets On The Russia - Ukraine War
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 30 April 2023.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 30, 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/SIvHuzvKuo
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/n6EiQpwtpM
Russia has replaced one of its deputy ministers who was involved in the siege of Mariupol.https://t.co/FCz2tg9y0Y
— DW News (@dwnews) April 30, 2023
Here are today's control-of-terrain maps of #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine from @TheStudyofWar and @criticalthreats.
— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) April 30, 2023
Interactive map, updated daily: https://t.co/hwgxTnU2Tr
Archive of time-lapse maps, updated monthly: https://t.co/IT6FiqwgGO pic.twitter.com/PQDrfZ38mq
According to Local Sources, every Tu-95M Strategic Bomber at Engels Air Force Base in Central Russia has been launched heading West, this constitute at least 10 Tu-95s and doesn’t even include the roughly 10-12 Tu-95Ms launched from Olenya Air Base earlier. pic.twitter.com/CSaWASxYIH
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 30, 2023
Pope Francis says that a secret peace “mission” in Russia’s war in Ukraine is under way, though he gave no details, and that the Vatican is willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war. https://t.co/JaZtIkPdqI
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 1, 2023
Ukrainian forces remain in control of a key supply route into the shattered city of Bakhmut, a military spokesperson said, as the commander of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group criticized Moscow and demanded more ammunition https://t.co/Pd7PZb6OPA pic.twitter.com/9LT3NALaj9
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 30, 2023
1/3
— ДражаМ (@DrazaM33) April 30, 2023
Report from the underground armory near Soledar
The scale of the Ukrainian military facility is impressive. Five kilometers long, 28 galleries with ammunition and weapons, an autonomous repair base. And all this at a depth of 150 meters.
Part 1 pic.twitter.com/t3oIzf56Nn
Tweets Of The Day
Two weeks of fighting has turned Sudan's capital into a war zone.
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 30, 2023
International mediators — including African and Arab nations, the U.N. and the U.S. — are intensifying their pressure on the rival generals to enter talks on resolving the crisis. https://t.co/J8oPPv2x0M pic.twitter.com/ZT5US7IyTx
#UPDATE Rival Sudanese forces have announced the extension of a truce they have largely violated, as warplanes roared overhead and fighting continued on the ground in Sudan's capital. https://t.co/nKgY12RwGI pic.twitter.com/9l3nmQCnpU
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 30, 2023
A Chinese coast guard ship recently blocked a Philippine patrol vessel in the South China Sea, causing a near-collision in the strategic waterway. @AP and other journalists were invited to join the patrol by the Philippine coast guard. https://t.co/xYzFpmZGW9
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 30, 2023
#UPDATE Paraguayans elect a president from the rightwing Colorado Party, in power for nearly eight decades, rejecting a center-left challenger who had railed against corruption.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 1, 2023
Santiago Pena, 44, won the election with more than 42% of votes cast, with 90% of ballots counted pic.twitter.com/vo4eNFw7ot
Voters in Uzebekistan are casting ballots in a referendum on a revised constitution that promises human rights reforms. But the reforms being voted on also would allow the country’s president to stay in office until 2040. https://t.co/WfWhwJK56K
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 30, 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main opponent have staged massive rival rallies, setting the stage for a bruising battle in the final two weeks of the country's election campaign.https://t.co/MdmCfrsoME by @dmitryzaksAFP
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 30, 2023
Citizens Financial Group, PNC Financial Services Group and JPMorgan Chase are among the bidders vying for First Republic in an auction being run by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp https://t.co/1PCnnjEmHF pic.twitter.com/167rQalyng
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 30, 2023
Thirty years ago, the Internet was made available to the public for the very first time.https://t.co/3BkHrFls2L
— DW News (@dwnews) April 30, 2023
Ukraine Ramps Up Attacks On Russian Border Towns
CNN: Ukrainian shelling kills four in Russian village, local governor says
Ukrainian shelling has killed four civilians in the Russian border region of Bryansk, the local governor says.
Alexander Bogomaz said the strikes hit residential buildings in the village of Suzemka, in Syzemsky district.
Unverified video posted on Bogomaz’s Telegram channel shows people emerging from a damaged building at night.
A person can be heard on the video saying, “They pulled a woman out. They’re still checking for a kid. Not sure. Horrible.”
The Bryansk region shares a border to its south with Ukraine and to its west with Belarus.
Read more ....
Update #1: Ukrainian shelling of Russian village kills four, governor says (Al Jazeera)
Update #2: Death Toll Rises As Ukraine Ramps Up Attacks On Russian Border Towns (Zero Hedge)
WNU editor: These Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilians is nothing new. What is new is someone in the West (in this case CNN) is finally reporting on it.
U.S. Deploys A-10s With Bunker Busting Bombs To The Middle East In A Message To Iran
An A-10 Thunderbolt II takes off at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, on April 19, 2023, to test a software patch that allowing the plane to carry 16 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. U.S. Air Force / William R. Lewis
Defense One: A-10s Return to Middle East with a New Mission, and a New Weapon
Tensions with Iran, Russia have CENTCOM calling upon the venerable Warthog once again.
A squadron of A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets, specially modified to nearly triple their bomb loads, has been dispatched to the Middle East to boost U.S. airpower in the region amid increased tensions with Iran-backed forces in Syria.
The Warthogs will get software updates enabling them to carry up to 16 Small Diameter Bombs within weeks, said Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who leads Air Forces Central Command.
“They're really here as a message to both assure our partners…but also as…a true capability that can work against some of the threats that we face with respect to Iran,” Grynkewich said in an interview Thursday.
With each plane carrying four SDB bomb racks, a flight of four A-10s could bomb up to 64 ground targets, a nearly three-fold increase. Each plane can also carry laser-guided rockets along with its famed 30mm tankbusting gun.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: I think this is also a message to Russia in Syria, and to the Gulf states who are seeking better ties with Iran AND China.
U.S. Deploys A-10s With Bunker Busting Bombs To The Middle East In A Message To Iran
U.S. Arms Warplanes With 'Bunker Busting' Bombs in Message to Iran -- WSJ
Air Force squadron in Middle East arms up with 'bunker busting' bombs to counter Iran -- FOX News
A-10 attack plane Air Force wants to retire gets new mission, more bombs -- Business Insider
US sends warplanes with bunker-busting bombs to Mideast in message to Iran — report -- Times of Israel
Ukraine President Zelensky Says He Carries A Gun
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky takes selfie with servicemen after meeting them in a warehouse and handing out awards, near Bakhmut. (File/AFP)
NDTV/Reuters: "Being Taken Captive By Russia Would Be A Disgrace": Volodymyr Zelensky
In the first days after the February24, 2022 invasion, Ukrainian officials said Russian intelligence units tried to break into Kyiv but were defeated.
Lviv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky carries a pistol and would have fought to the death with his inner circle had the Russians attacked his Kyiv headquarters at the start of the war, he said in an interview shown on Saturday.
"I know how to shoot. Could you imagine (a headline like) 'The President of Ukraine is taken captive by Russians?' This is a disgrace. I believe this would be a disgrace," he told the 1 1 television channel.
In the first days after the February 24, 2022 invasion, Ukrainian officials said Russian intelligence units tried to break into Kyiv but were defeated and failed to reach Bankova Street in the centre, home to the presidential offices.
Other Russian units launched an attack on the outskirts of Kyiv, but were unable to advance. Officials also reported several unsuccessful sabotage attempts inside the city.
"I think if they had gone inside, into the administration, we would not be here," Zelensky said. It was not clear which Russian units he was referring to.
Read more ....
Update #1: Zelensky explains why he carries a gun (RT)
Update #2: Zelensky says he carries gun on him, practices shooting (TASS)
WNU Editor: I have seen a lot of pictures and videos of Zelensky in the past year. There is no indication that he carries a gun, but it would not surprise me if he does carry one.
Ukraine's Top General Meets NATO's Top Commander In Europe To Discusses ‘Possible Scenarios’ For The War
The telephone communication took place between General Valerii Zaluzhnyi and General Christopher Cavoli, a translated screenshot/ Source: Telegram channel, @CinCAFU
Euromaidan Press: General Zaluzhnyi discusses defense matters with NATO Commander Europe
Today, 29 March, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), spoke with General Christopher Cavoli, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and Commander of US European Command, as reported from the official Telegram channel of the Commander-in-Chief.
“We addressed important defense issues. We discussed the supply of weapons, equipment, and ammunition,” stated General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.
In addition, General Zaluzhnyi also expressed gratitude to his partners for training the Ukrainian military and providing other crucial assistance.
“We agreed to continue active cooperation. Ukraine requires a victory,” added General Zaluzhniy.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: The West is putting a lot of pressure on Ukraine to launch a counteroffensive as soon as possible. My gut tells me that this meeting was to determine when will be the best time to launch it.
Ukraine's Top General Meets NATO's Top Commander In Europe To Discusses ‘Possible Scenarios’ For The War
Zaluzhnyi meets NATO commander in Europe, discusses war's ‘possible scenarios’ -- Kyiv Independent
Ukraine's top general meets with commander of U.S. forces in Europe -- Ukrinform
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief meets NATO's Europe Commander to discuss future scenarios -- Ukrayinska Pravda
Ukraine President Zelenskyy Orders Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi To Send Military Commanders Who Are In The Rear To The Front Lines
Ukraine President Zelensky And Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi
Ukrainska Pravda: Zelenskyy asks Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi to send military commanders from rear to contact line
The military commanders from military staffing centres will be sent to the contact line, and they will be replaced by injured soldiers. "The President of Ukraine [Volodymyr Zelenskyy – ed.] gave Valerii Zaluzhnyi [Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - ed.] a simple but serious recommendation to send the majority of military commanders, who currently have office jobs in staffing centres, to the contact line as soldiers.
They can be replaced with injured soldiers who are also competent in conducting mobilisation activities."
Read more ....
WNU Editor: In the past few weeks I have been reading a lot of reports from Ukrainian sources that Ukrainian soldiers are disobeying orders to be deployed to the front lines in the Donbas. That why should they go to the front lines when commanders stay in the rear. The front-lines that many do not want to go to are at Bakhmut, Vuhledar, and Avdivka.
This Ukrainska Pravda report tells me that there may be some truth to these reports, and to improve morale it looks like some commanders are going to be deployed to the front-lines.
On a side note. I recall at the beginning of the war many Western military leaders and the media were criticizing Russia's military doctrine of having senior Russian officers near the front lines. That this is not how an army should operate, and that the Western model adopted by the Ukraine military to keep senior military leaders away from the conflict zone is the best way forward. Hmmmm .... it looks like Ukraine President Zelensky is having second thoughts if this is the best way forward.
Speculators Are Now Placing Bets That The US Government Will Default On Its Debts
Bloomberg: Bets Offering 2,400% Payout on US Default Lure Growing Crowd
In what is a traditionally moribund corner of Wall Street, speculators are piling into a bet that once seemed unthinkable: that the US government will default on its debts.
With the Treasury Department inching ever closer to running out of cash — most estimates give it another few months — trading in the derivatives, known as credit-default swaps, is growing. The amount of money tied to the contracts, which will reward investors if the US misses any payments, has increased roughly eight-fold since the start of the year.
This isn’t the first time that a mini-mania around this trade has erupted. There were episodes back in 2011, 2013, and to a lesser extent 2021. But this time, it all feels a bit different. For one, there’s a greater chance of a lapse in payments. The polarization in Washington is now so extreme that there’s no guarantee Republicans and Democrats can broker a deal to lift the debt ceiling in time to avert a crisis.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: The US government will not default on its debt obligations. But if current trends continue, I can see a scenario where the US government will make the decision to accelerate inflation thereby lowering the value of its debt, even if it means causing global harm to those countries who are dependent on trade in US dollars, and to Americans who save and/or are vulnerable to inflation shocks.
The US Dollar’s Status As A Global Reserve Currency Is Accelerating
Photo Credit: The Cradle
The Cradle: De-dollarization kicks into high gear
The US dollar is essential to US global power projection. But in 2022, the dollar share of reserve currencies slid 10 times faster than the average in the past two decades.
It is now established that the US dollar’s status as a global reserve currency is eroding. When corporate western media begins to attack the multipolar world’s de-dollarization narrative in earnest, you know the panic in Washington has fully set in.
The numbers: the dollar share of global reserves was 73 percent in 2001, 55 percent in 2021, and 47 percent in 2022. The key takeaway is that last year, the dollar share slid 10 times faster than the average in the past two decades.
Now it is no longer far-fetched to project a global dollar share of only 30 percent by the end of 2024, coinciding with the next US presidential election.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Before the Russia - Ukraine war I was predicting the demise of the US dollar as the world's reserve currency would only start to happen in two or three decades (or even more). I cannot say that now. The race to abandon the US dollar is accelerating, and I for one would not be surprised if the US dollar as the world's global reserve currency will be replaced by a basket of currencies (predominantly the Yuan and Euro) by the end of this decade.
The US Dollar’s Status As A Global Reserve Currency Is Accelerating
De-dollarization explained by top currency economist Stephen Jen -- Business Insider
Dominant US dollar faces challenge from emerging currencies -- AFP
Dollar dominance could give way to 'tripolar' system with yuan and euro -- Markets Insider
Visualizing The De-dollarization Of The Global Economy -- OilPrice.com
In defense of the dollar -- Jay Newman and Meyrick Chapman (Politico.eu)
Still More Fairy Tales of US Dollar Demise That Didn't Happen -- Mish Talk
What Could Replace the US Dollar as World Reserve Currency? -- Merlin Rothfeld, Barchart
Russia Vows A Harsh Response After Polish 'Seizure' Of Embassy School In Warsaw
Politico: Russia promises ‘harsh’ response after Poland seizes Warsaw building
Polish authorities seized the building near Moscow’s embassy in Warsaw Saturday morning.
Moscow on Saturday said there would be a “harsh” reaction and consequences for Poland’s interests in Russia, after Polish authorities seized a building near Moscow’s embassy in Warsaw — a step Russia labeled “illegal.”
The building, used as a high school for the children of diplomats, belongs to the Warsaw city hall, Polish foreign ministry spokesman Łukasz Jasina told AFP, adding that authorities had acted on a bailiff’s order.
But Russia’s foreign ministry slammed the move as a “hostile” act in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and as an encroachment against Russian diplomatic property in Poland.
Read more ....
Update #1: Russia vows retaliation after Poland seizes embassy school (CNN)
Update #2: Russia pledges harsh response after Polish 'seizure' of embassy school in Warsaw (Reuters)
WNU Editor: Major countries, after their embassies and consulates, usually operate other buildings that provide housing, schools, extra office space, etc., to accommodate their staff and families. These other buildings are considered as under "diplomatic" protection.
In the case of this school and another building in Warsaw, the decision has been made that even though these buildings have been operated by Russia for years, their diplomatic immunity no longer applies.
Here is an easy prediction. This action by the Polish government is going to open a Pandoras Box on what will now be treated as being under diplomatic protection or not.
US Installs Radiation Detectors Across Ukraine To Detect The Use Of Nuclear Or Dirty Bombs
A geiger counter measures a radiation level at a site of fire burning in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, outside the village of Rahivka, Ukraine April 5, 2020. Picture taken April 5, 2020. (photo credit: YAROSLAV YEMELIANENKO/REUTERS)
New York Times: U.S. Wires Ukraine With Radiation Sensors to Detect Nuclear Blasts
The United States is wiring Ukraine with sensors that can detect bursts of radiation from a nuclear weapon or a dirty bomb and can confirm the identity of the attacker.
In part, the goal is to make sure that if Russia detonates a radioactive weapon on Ukrainian soil, its atomic signature and Moscow’s culpability could be verified.
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine 14 months ago, experts have worried about whether President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia would use nuclear arms in combat for the first time since the American bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The preparations, mentioned last month in a House hearing and detailed Wednesday by the National Nuclear Security Administration, a federal agency that is part of the Energy Department, seem to constitute the hardest evidence to date that Washington is taking concrete steps to prepare for the worst possible outcomes of the invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s second largest nation.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: The Kremlin is saying that the US is deliberately escalating the crisis .... Russia is moving closer to NUCLEAR conflict with the US due to Washington's support for Ukraine, Moscow warns (Daily Mail).
US Installs Radiation Detectors Across Ukraine To Detect The Use Of Nuclear Or Dirty Bombs
US Installing ‘Atomic Sensors’ Across Ukraine To Detect Use Of Nuclear Or Dirty Bombs By Russian Military (EurAsian Times)
Ukraine armed with radioactive detectors as US fears over Russian nuclear strike soar (Express)
US supplies Ukraine with radiation sensors in light of nuclear bomb threats - report (Jerusalem Post)
US gives Ukraine equipment to deal with nuclear attacks, NYT says (Euromaidan Press)
Ukraine Gears Up For A Spring Offensive
New York Times: Life in Ukraine’s Trenches: Gearing Up for a Spring Offensive
In a thicket of trees between two vast farm fields, a plywood trapdoor built into the forest floor opened to reveal stairs leading underground.
Inside was a subterranean bunker, cut into the black earth, where Ukrainian troops from a mortar unit awaited coordinates for their next target. The men squeezed past one another down a shoulder-width dirt corridor lit with LED strips, staring at tablet computers showing a live drone feed of the terrain outside. Blast waves from artillery shells and rockets shook the bunker, and a radio crackled with a warning of incoming Russian helicopters.
Read more ....
Update #1: Ukraine could launch its offensive against Russia any moment. Here's what's waiting (CNN)
Update #2: Ukraine signals counteroffensive is near: What to know about the coming fight (The Hill)
WNU Editor: The West is getting impatient. It looks like they are pushing Ukraine to start their counteroffensive sooner rather than later .... Ukraine has received 98% of promised combat vehicles: NATO chief (Al Jazeera).
SEAL Team 6 Operator Rob O'Neill Explains The Full Mission That Led To Osama bin Laden's Death
WNU Editor: Wow!!!!
Iran’s Khamenei Tells Iraq's President That ‘Even One American In Iraq Is Too Many’
Reuters: Even one American in Iraq is too many, Iran leader tells Iraqi president
DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States is an unreliable friend, and Iraq should not allow any U.S. troops on its territory, Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told visiting Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on Saturday.
Iran, which has strong ties with Iraq, opposes the U.S. military presence on its borders in Iraq and the Gulf, saying Western military intervention is the root of insecurity in the region. "Americans are not friends of Iraq. Americans are not friends with anyone and are not even loyal to their European friends," state media quoted Khamenei as saying.
Read more ....
Update #1: ‘Even one American in Iraq is too many’, Iran’s Khamenei says (Al Jazeera)
Update #2: ‘Even one American in Iraq is too much,’ Iran’s leader tells Iraqi president (CNN)
WNU Editor: I am no friend of Khamanei, but I concede his anti-US message is resonating with many in the Middle East.
US Central Command Says Russian Pilots Tried To ‘Dogfight’ US Jets Over Syria
Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, 9th Air Force (Air Forces Central) commander, prepares for flight at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, April 4. During the mission, the general flew over airspace in Syria. (Staff Sgt. Micah Coate/Air Force)
CNN: Russian pilots tried to ‘dogfight’ US jets over Syria, US Central Command says
Russian pilots tried to “dogfight” US jets over Syria, according to a spokesman for US Central Command, part of a recent pattern of more aggressive behavior.
The attempts have happened in several of the most recent instances of aggressive behavior from Russian pilots, Col. Joe Buccino said.
The Russian pilots do not appear to be trying to shoot down American jets, a US official told CNN, but they may be trying to “provoke” the US and “draw us into an international incident.”
In military aviation, dogfighting is engaging in aerial combat, often at relatively close ranges.
A video released by US Central Command from April 2 shows a Russian SU-35 fighter jet conducting an “unsafe and unprofessional” intercept of a US F-16 fighter jet.
Read more ....
Update #1: Russians seem to be baiting US jets to dogfight in Syria, general says (Air Force Times)
Update #2: Russian Warplanes Are ‘Trying to Dogfight’ US Jets Over Syria, General Says (Defense One)
WNU Editor: Russia has also been saying the same thing about the US .... Russia protests over ‘provocative actions’ by US forces in Syria (Al Jazeera).
Fighting In Sudan Enters Third Week
France 24: Fighting in Sudan enters third week with air raids, heavy fire despite new truce
Warplanes on bombing raids drew heavy anti-aircraft fire over Khartoum on Saturday as fierce fighting between Sudan's army and paramilitaries entered a third week, despite a renewed truce.
Sudan has plunged into chaos and lawlessness since the fighting erupted on April 15 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his number two Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Burhan and Daglo have agreed to multiple truces since the start of the conflict, but none has effectively taken hold, with each side blaming the other for breaching them.
Read more ....
More News On The Sudan Civil War
Sudan updates: War would be 'nightmare' for world — ex-PM -- DW
Sudan conflict updates: Battles continuing despite ceasefire -- Al Jazeera
As battle for Sudan rages on, civilian deaths top 500 -- CBS/AP
Sudan fighting: No talks until bombing stops, Hemedti tells BBC -- BBC
Hundreds evacuated from Sudan as fighting enters third week -- Al Jazeera
Over 400 civilians dead as rival forces continue to fight over control of Sudan -- France 24
‘A deadly trip’: Sudanese refugees find little welcome at Egyptian border -- The Guardian
Sudan former PM warns of civil war that would be ‘nightmare for the world’ -- The Guardian/AFP
US, partners scurry to contain fighting in Sudan -- The Hill
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