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Image is sourced from this article depicting the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, which took place at the same time as the 47th ASEAN Summit.


Last week concluded the 47th summit of ASEAN in Malaysia as well as a swathe of concurrent summits surrounding ASEAN. For those unfamiliar, formally, China is not a member of ASEAN, but is part of the ASEAN Plus Three (as part of the "Three", alongside Japan and Occupied Southern Korea). And while not really ASEAN, there is also a yet wider organization, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which tacks on Australia and New Zealand to the group of countries that are currently in ASEAN (which is the single largest trade bloc on the planet). At the summit, Timor-Leste was officially introduced into ASEAN, making it the 11th country to do and the first since Cambodia in 1999.

Many important figures throughout Asia, as well as Trump, Ramaphosa, and Lula, attended the event. As you can imagine, Trump's appearance was not exactly positive - signing four rather coerced bilateral deals there, including with Malaysia, which forced those countries to buy American goods in exchange for certain exemptions from Trump's high tariff regime. The US is currently in a bit of a panic due to China restricting access to rare earths, a critical component of many weapons technologies (and electronics in general) and is looking around for countries to help supply them. After the summit, the US and China signed a deal related to tariffs and rare earths, but it seems very unlikely that this is the end of the saga; the US politically, economically, and militarily cannot tolerate China's existence as a sovereign actor and will try to overcome them until the American Empire topples.

Meanwhile, China did as they ordinarily do, and urged higher regional integration and trade without high tariffs, as well as adherence to the Global Governance Initiative (which, as we here never tire of noting, is an interesting thing to try and encourage while the US only more feverishly violates the sovereignty of nations everywhere). One hopes they're supplying a bit more than just speeches to Venezuela, Cuba, and beyond, as the US prepares to start bombing.


Last week's thread is here.
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Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
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Sources:

Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.

Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.

Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:

Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.

https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.

Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:

Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.


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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 81 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Seems like some Ukranian Special Forces using a Black Hawk helicopter, attempted to break the encirclement in Pokrovsk and they were all killed a few minutes later by Russian Drones.

[–] FALGSConaut@hexbear.net 66 points 1 month ago

Shoulda listened to the no helicopter rule brace-watching

[–] companero@hexbear.net 54 points 1 month ago (3 children)

There are some weird circumstances surrounding the operation. Ukrainian channels claim Russia was tipped off somehow. Russian FPV drones spotted the helicopters on the way, but didn't strike them for some reason.

Alexander Mercouris thinks that it was an attempt to extract some VIPs from the encirclement, and that the helicopters may have been piloted by US soldiers, who Russia decided not to attack. Not sure if I believe it fully, but it's an interesting theory.

[–] cfgaussian@lemmygrad.ml 60 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah i don't buy that theory either.

I think this post has hit on the more likely explanation:

There are many out there saying that the two efforts in Pokrovsk was some heroic rescue mission to rescue some high ranking general or indeed two very important CIA operatives and indeed because the real reason may be utterly unfathomable to normal human beings, this may well be a narrative that Ukraine ultimately, put out to justify these two hairbrained missions.

The truth is far more chilling and far more disturbing than most people can possibly fathom, it is also one that no one in the west ultimately wants to admit to or have you realise, indeed, you may still not be able to accept the uncomfortable truth and may opt for a wild conspiracy theory as a comfort blanket. So the facts of the two failures are very straight forward.

Ukrainian sources claim the operation was to disrupt enemy positions, clear strongpoints, and restore supply lines, this is nonsense and shows that the reason for the operations is even something they wish to conceal.

The first mission, which was launched the night of 28 October, dropped 11 GUR commandos in an open field northwest of Pokrovsk’s industrial zone. The video showed troops disembarking and fanning out rapidly. Insertion was at night/low visibility to minimize detection, but Russian reconnaissance drones spotted the low-flying helicopter and destroyed the 11 commandos.

The subsequent mission, which was launched on the night of 30 October using two Blackhawk helicopters, inserted two groups (total ~20–24 troops) in the same general area and they suffered the same fate as the first group.

That is the bare bones of the mission. Now lets deal with the nonsense of high ranking generals.

Not a chance. When front line hardened troops and mercenaries were being pulled out of Pokrovosk a week before and raw recruits on suicidal drives were being thrown in to the cauldron, if you think for one moment, some general was left behind, think again.

Even the Ukrainian radio chatter confirmed this.

Likewise the very silly idea that two high ranking CIA operatives were inside and had not made it out, while some mercenary soldiers from France were pulled out weeks earlier. It is simply not the case and covers the real reason for the botched missions and that was to plant a flag.

I will say that again it was to plant a Ukrainian flag on the steelworks.

Bullshit right ?

Ok, there have been attempts at flying helicopters in before, remember the suicide mission to the Azovstal steel works?

Everyone, including yours truly, thinking some high ranking officer must be in there, turned out there was no one of any real importance in there, the men who died trying to get in were carrying a large Ukraine flag found among the wreckage.

The Ukrainians have form on this before, sending a suicidal dinghy crew to plant a flag in areas already secured by the Russians. In fact, there have been at least three instances of this before.

There is also the fact that they were dropped in the area of the steel works. Remember the PR battle is vitally important to Ukraine and those in the west.

Look at how we are holding out bravely against the Russian hordes.

It is not just a flag, it's a $10 billion dollar flag, look at this, if only we had more money, more weapons, look our guys will not quit, when 99% have headed for the hills already. In a vastly unpopular war you have to sell, sell, sell when your narrative does not fit the facts, you have to convince your backers it is worth it. But it is not just money the flag represents, it's an article of faith, of the overwhelming belief in the cause.

Unless you are a fanatic or have seen them in action your mind cannot fathom the simplicity or the madness of these people.

https://xcancel.com/ThorntonWa47373/status/1985489790092095703

[–] theturtlemoves@hexbear.net 12 points 1 month ago

Sorry, this doesn't make any sense. Why couldn't they take the photo weeks in advance and release it now? If your marks are dumb enough to think that a single flag in a lost city means anything, they're also dumb enough not to ask for timestamps.

[–] carpoftruth@hexbear.net 46 points 1 month ago

Alexander Mercouris thinks that it was an attempt to extract some VIPs from the encirclement, and that the helicopters may have been piloted by US soldiers, who Russia decided not to attack. Not sure if I believe it fully, but it's an interesting theory.

this is ridiculous. there's no possible way a "VIP" was left in pokrovsk. this encirclement hasn't been some trap rapidly swinging shut. any 'VIP' caught in the front lines in this salient is definitely not actually valuable or important, evidenced by them getting caught holding their dicks with a bunch of AFU placeholders

[–] 420lenin69@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

They killed a lot of frenchies and captured a British general (colonel?) so why wouldn’t they waste a pilot?

Attack helicopter in an active combat zone, sorry for your loss.

[–] la_tasalana_intissari_mata@hexbear.net 41 points 1 month ago (1 children)

the hell was the plan? Somali fighters were able to destroy a blackhawk with an RPG???? the fuck you mean????????????????????????????

[–] cfgaussian@lemmygrad.ml 46 points 1 month ago (1 children)

PR operation. They were looking to get a photo and a headline showing to their Western sponsors that they are "still in the fight". It's how they keep the money tap flowing.

[–] coolusername@hexbear.net 11 points 1 month ago

wow. why didn't they just photoshop it. wtf?

[–] CyborgMarx@hexbear.net 34 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Wtf was the point of that operation, a squad or two was going to break an encirclement that involves tens of thousands on both sides?

More likely they were trying to extract a western VIP, probably a CIA Operations Officer

[–] cfgaussian@lemmygrad.ml 34 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

an encirclement that involves tens of thousands on both sides

That's probably an overstatement. I doubt there are more than a couple thousand soldiers from each side in the actual cities there, maybe less, with perhaps another couple thousand in the outskirts. The troop density on any given front in this conflict tends to be fairly low, even if the overall numbers are high.

And remember that the Sudzha pipeline operation that completely threw the final Ukrainian lines in Kursk into disarray and triggered a panicked retreat also didn't involve more than a few dozen Russian soldiers popping up behind enemy lines initially.

[–] darkcalling@hexbear.net 30 points 1 month ago

I feel they were there to reinforce the morale of Ukrainian troops and to not so subtlety ensure they didn't surrender (because they'd kill them if they tried).

[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You know it's going great when Ukraine is resorting to suicide missions straight out of Call Of Duty Black Ops.