Opinion
Ken Timmerman’s Threat Watch www.kentimmerman.com, 9-1-23
| Chapter 17. That’s how it feels, seventeen months into this insane war that easily could have been avoided. The big event this week – and it truly was a BIG event – was the Ukrainian drone attack on the Pskov airbase in Western Russia, just 38 miles from the Estonian border. In other words, NATO. The Ukes destroyed two Russian Air Force IL-76 – their equivalent of our C-5 military cargo planes – and damaged two more. Videos of the damage were posted by the local Russian mayor, so there is no doubt that the attacks occurred or of their effectiveness. The Ukrainian defense ministry claimed they used an Australian built “cardboard” drone – a new term of art – and posted photos and specs of these small GPS drones with “redundant” navigation systems capable of carrying between 6-11 pounds of explosives. The idea of using drones built of waxed cardboard and rubber bands was to defeat Russian 3D radar, and apparently it worked. The only problem: the Aussie drones have a maximum effective range of 75 miles, and the Pskov air base is 500 miles from the Ukraine border. Zelenskiy says Ukrainian forces infiltrated the drones into Russia and used anti-Putin Russian allies to launch them. That is not as far-fetched as it sounds. The Russians have arrested a number of anti-Putin activists in recent months, accusing them of aiding and abetting (if not actually carrying out) Ukrainian military strikes inside Russia. So what’s the point of these attacks? For the Ukrainians, most importantly, they bring the war to the Russians, and they demonstrate to the Russian population 1) this war is not some vague foreign adventure but one that will hit them at home, and 2) that Putin can’t protect them. The risk, as has been the case from the beginning, is that this attack could spark a Russian attack on NATO, and thus, a wider war — a world war. Just coincidentally, Putin announced this week that his long-planned Sarmat ICBMs were now operational. Dubbed in the West the “Satan-2,” they will replace the SS-18 Satan missiles, each with 10 MIRV (independently targeted re-entry vehicle = warheads), currently pointed at the US. I say just coincidentally, because Putin announced his intent – and his $650 billion budget – to modernize the Russian strategic military forces more than a decade ago. Oh. I guess maybe our generals are starting to wake up. That might be a good thing. I discuss this, as well as China’s new “national map” and the unbelievable trial balloon floated by Iraq’s government that the West should help them to become a nuclear power, on this week’s Prophecy Today Weekend. Listen live at 1PM on Saturday on Jacksonville’s Way Radio, 104.9 FM and 550 AM, or via the Way Radio app. (Psst: my answer to the Iraqis: Not in 100 years!). Yours in freedom, Ken |
| Ken Timmerman’s 12th book of non-fiction, AND THE REST IS HISTORY: Tales of Hostages, Arms Dealers, Dirty Tricks, and Spies, is now available from PostHill Press. AND THE REST IS HISTORY can be ordered directly from Amazon by clicking here or by viewing my author’s page, here. – Republican nominee for Congress, Maryland District 8 (2012) – National Security and Foreign Policy Advisory Board, Trump for President 2016 – President & CEO, Foundation for Democracy in Iran, www.iran.org – Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2006 Cell: 301-675-7922 Follow me on Twitter @kentimmerman #TheElectionHeist Facebook: ken timmerman Reply to: [email protected] Website: kentimmerman.com |
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
