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Steve Rosenberg has done a couple of 3-minute-ish Youtube "Reading Russia" pieces on the the Russia newspapers reporting of the Syrian rebellion for 9th and 10th Dec
Yup, it’s difficult to be optimistic when the dominant rebel faction is designated terrorist by the United States government and Israel has already both invaded and bombed Syria since the collapse of the Assad regime.
It's difficult to be optimistic when the UN's Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons supposedly destroyed all of Syria's chemical weapons in 2013 and yet Syria continued to use chemical weapons, including Sarin, for several years afterwards on over 100 occasions. Perhaps the al-Assad regime fibbed because production of Sarin was banned in 1997
Israel's actions have hopefully put an awful chemical agent out of reach of the various factions that might want it
Occupation of the Golan Heights has been contentious, even in the Knesset, for years. Member of the Knesset, Ahmad Tibi tweeted in 2021, “It doesn’t matter how many cabinet meetings are held on the Golan, it is occupied Syrian territory.”
Trump Heights was officially named by Israel in 2019 following his recognition of the Golan Heights as being Israeli-controlled. Any bets on the DMZ remaining a DMZ?
Syria continued to use chemical weapons, including Sarin, for several years afterwards on over 100 occasions. Perhaps the al-Assad regime fibbed because production of Sarin was banned in 1997
Or maybe the rebels fibbed, is that possible?
Or maybe the rebels fibbed, is that possible?
Dude, there are a lot of reports from external observers that have documented the alleged attacks. I'm sure both (all/multiple) sides of this conflict have been liberal with the truth and the application of the rules of war, but there does seem to be quite a bit of independent consensus that both side lobbed some spicy smoke bombs about, the Syrian regime a little more than the others.
there does seem to be quite a bit of independent consensus that both side lobbed some spicy smoke bombs about
That's the point, whilst UN weapons inspectors did regularly carry out detailed forensic examinations on the ground and sometimes concluded that chemical weapons were used they were usually not prepared to say which side used them. Certainly there were occasions when it looked highly suspect that the rebels were responsible.
To dismiss the possibility of Al-Qaeda affiliated rebels being in anyway responsible would be strange imo. Indeed Israel uses that possibility to justify some of the hundreds of air strikes it has carried out against Syria since the fall of Assad.
I maintain that it is hard to be optimistic when you look at the situation and you see parallels with Libya only on a much larger scale and with far more regional consequences. I heard claims yesterday that Israeli troops were 12 miles from Damascus, I have no idea how reliable that claim is but it is clear that the peace and stability are not around the corner.
Israel’s actions have hopefully put an awful chemical agent out of reach of the various factions that might want it
Without straying into other forums territory, I have no doubt this action was motivated by self-interest. They're not interested in the people of Syria, just it not falling into the hands of a Shia/Iranian aligned group.
Tbh I would take Israel's claims that they have targeted chemical weapons sites with a pinch of salt. It sounds like a good justification for carrying out air strikes against Syria but firstly they are unlikely to know where any alleged chemical weapons are kept (why wouldn't they have targeted them when Assad was in power?)
And secondly Israel is openly boasting that they have allegedly destroyed the Syrian naval fleet. Israel is simply attacking Syria (as well as invading and annexing chunks of it) the chemical weapons stuff is just the usual red herring by Israel to cover up what they are really doing.
That sort of stuff plays well to Western audiences.
Ive n0 doubt that Israel will do whatever they want with minimal regard for civilians, Im not sure that blowing up chemical weapons is the best idea either, certainly not for people nearby.
Or maybe the rebels fibbed, is that possible?
But Syria absolutely has been using chemical weapons despite Syrian (& Russia's ) denials
The reports from Syrian civillians are pretty harrowing and they now want those that carried out the attacks brought to justice
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4xyd1yx0go
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/04/syria-year-chemical-weapons-attacks-persist
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2020/04/21/the-open-source-hunt-for-syrias-favourite-sarin-bomb/
who knows how big the Syrian chemical weapons programme was?
With 1000s of ISIS members being held in camps in NE turkey by US backed Kurdish rebels, that are currently being attacked by the Turkish backed rebels..... getting rid of Syria chemical weapons stockpile should be a priority, but the UN should be doing it on the ground rather than israel by air
(why wouldn’t they have targeted them when Assad was in power?)
Well, because they wouldn't care if Assad was using them. Assad was unlikely to use them against Israel, some factions within the rebels not so much.
To me (far from an expert!) it looks fairly straightforward: mostly it's actually as Israel is saying for once - they don't want the rebels to have the military stuff, chemical or otherwise. Maybe chemical's a red herring, maybe not, guaranteed if they do know where any is then they're targetting it. Also it's a good opportunity, from their point of view an unfriendly neighbouring country without a military is a Good Thing, whoever's in charge. Of course as a bonus they get to grab more of the Golan.
Hopefully from the Israeli side of things this is where it'll stop for a while, the last thing we need is this flaring up further. I daresay Syrian civilians would agree with this.
Hopefully from the Israeli side of things this is where it’ll stop for a while
im hoping for more hair and a bigger dick. I’m not sure which of us is more delusional.
im hoping for more hair and a bigger dick. I’m not sure which of us is more delusional.
"Hopefully" is not the same as "I think this is what's going to happen" *rolleyes emoji*
I don't like Israel's policies any more than you but also don't think posting "evil Israel is trying to take over the world and kill all civilians!!!" at every opportunity is the best attitude.
the UN should be doing it on the ground
Yes, they should, but why don't they? (And also, why didn't the U.N. step in and destroy all the chemical weapons stocks when Assad first started using them against civilians?)
don’t think posting “evil Israel is trying to take over the world and kill all civilians!!!” at every opportunity is the best attitude.
Which I guess is why no one does that. What is reasonable, honest, and important, though, is to point out that Israel kills civilians, including women and children, by the tens of thousands. And that Israel relentless takes over land which it isn't entitled to and in gross violation of international law.
Which I guess is why no one does that.
I was exaggerating slightly for effect, as I think is pretty obvious.
What is reasonable, honest, and important, though, is to point out that Israel kills civilians, including women and children, by the tens of thousands. And that Israel relentless takes over land which it isn’t entitled to and in gross violation of international law.
Yes agreed. I think it's fair to say that the 2 posters most outspoken against Israel on this forum are you and DrJ, but while you seem to have some depth of knowledge about the subject and write interesting posts with relevant facts and opinions, DrJ just seems to write short snippets filled with hatred and not much beyond "Israel are murderers!" (exaggeration/simplification again). True or not, it's exhausting, predictable and reduces the impact of the message.
Yes, it needs to be known. It doesn't need to be hammered over our heads when anything slightly relevant is mentioned.
That's of course only my personal opinion and perception.
but while you seem to have some depth of knowledge about the subject and write interesting posts with relevant facts and opinions, DrJ just seems to write short snippets filled with hatred and not much beyond “Israel are murderers!”
Thanks for the patronising commentary. I’ll be sure to file it in the appropriate place.
why wouldn’t they have targeted them when Assad was in power?
I would suggest two main reasons.
Firstly he was rather unlikely to attack Israel with them vs some of the groups who might acquire them now.
Secondly the air defence (both ground and aircraft) has vanished.
So the risk reward is far more in Israel favour now.
but while you seem to have some depth of knowledge about the subject and write interesting posts with relevant facts and opinions, DrJ just seems to write short snippets filled with hatred and not much beyond “Israel are murderers!”
I don't know any details but I suspect that the difference which you perceive in attitude between me and DrJ is probably based on DrJ having a direct and personal connection with events in Palestine which is something that I don't personally have.
As a consequence it is undoubtedly easier for me to suppress my anger and revulsion and sense of hopelessness of the situation than it is for DrJ
I am active on several local WhatsApp groups in support of Palestine which are very much dominated by the Muslim community, including many actual Palestinians (diaspora). They do unfortunately but not surprisingly dwell on the most harrowing aspects of the truly desperate situation. DrJ's posts are very similar in attitude to many of theirs, which apart from also a few snippets of information makes me feel fairly confident that he has a personal connection with the situation.
It is difficult to lecture someone who has been a victim of islamophobia, or has been brought up in a refugee camp, or has had family or friends slaughtered by the IDF, to be more tolerant and less angry. Or to discuss new developments in a totally objective manner, so I have discovered.
The only way I can get away with it is to remind them that I am 100% on their side, and TBF I do walk the walk. If I was doing it from a neutral position, and obviously even more so from a hostile position, it would be a whole different ballgame.
You might well say "I don’t like Israel’s policies any more than you" to DrJ but he is not going to believe you. It is obvious that you like Israel's policies a lot more than he does.
Firstly he was rather unlikely to attack Israel with them vs some of the groups who might acquire them now.
Except that much of the military hardware and weapons in the hands of the rebels has for a long time been captured from the Syrian army. If Israel isn't safe from these chemical weapons now it wasn't previously. I also wasn't aware that anyone doubted that pre the fall of Damascus the rebels already had access to chemical weapons.
As I said previously I think the claim that they are targeting chemical weapons in Syria is simply another IDF lie to sway Western public opinion in favour of their hundreds of attacks inside Syria. It seems that it might have swayed the opinions of a couple of punters on here.
"We need to attack/start wars because the bad guys have WMDs" always goes down reasonably well with Western audiences. And it's also a useful smokescreen when you are quietly robbing more land from your neighbours.
This short clip of a Gen Wesley Clark interview back when he was making a bid to be Democrat presidential candidate might be old but I do think that it is still quite relevant to the situation today, despite everything that has occurred since.
I don’t like Israel’s policies any more than you but also don’t think posting “evil Israel is trying to take over the world and kill all civilians!!!”
Are you sure ? Their history post Egypt is littered by them committing genocide. All under the pretext of "God gifted us this land"
As a consequence it is undoubtedly easier for me to suppress my anger and revulsion and sense of hopelessness of the situation than it is for DrJ
For whatever reason, this is an issue close to my heart, and it's been a hard 14 months (and counting) watching the smirking murderers filling our TV screens. If that meant that I lashed out at the well-meaning folk of STW, I apologise - you were most likely not the intended target. FWIW I', still sure that we (on this forum) have enormously more in common than that which divides us, so please see my "contribution" in that context.
it’s been a hard 14 months (and counting) watching the smirking murderers filling our TV screens
On the TV? Anything on the telly is very tame imo compared to the horrific stuff, videos and all sorts of gruesome details, that get posted on my local WhatsApp groups. I categorically refuse to watch or read gruesome stuff, especially when it involves children.
I really don't know why it is posted on pro Palestine WhatsApp groups when it is very obvious that no one needs convincing, and it clearly causes some serious depression and mental health issues for a lot of people. And then they provide links to Palestine focused counselling services....."has the situation in Palestine affected you" etc etc ffs.
I personally know some Palestinian women, including with young children, who end up genuinely struggling as the result of seeing gruesome reports and videos day after day. I have tactfully suggested that they don't look at stuff like that and point out that I don't myself but it is dismissed out of hand. There appears to be this belief that they have a moral obligation to be totally aware of every horror that is occurring in Palestine. Dunno if it's some sort of diaspora connected guilt because they are not suffering the same as Palestinians in Palestine.
So far right types in the West are unsurprisingly saying that Syrians should no longer be granted asylum/ have it revoked and the large number of Syrian refugees be encouraged/ deported back
The new syrian PM has also said they should come back
Im sure many would like to go back, but what they return to is still up in the air, if HTS go full ISIS or Iranian morality police then it wont be a place many want to return to.
In fact a lot of countries (including the UK ) are suspending examination of new asylum claims until the situation is clearer
The worry is that it might look good to start with but end up in another civil war
I did actually think after posting that perhaps there was a personal connection. Anyway, I apologise if I went too far and I certainly don't mean to make light of anything.
I try to stay impartial in general when first hearing anything, am certainly no fan of Israel's actions, but admit that there's probably some unconscious bias in my circumstances and I am not exposed to the details or anything like what Ernie describes.
Are you sure ? Their history post Egypt is littered by them committing genocide. All under the pretext of “God gifted us this land”
We're talking about the modern Israeli government here...
Anyway, the rabbit hole this is starting to go down should probably best be confined to the Gaza thread if anywhere. Let's keep this one Syria focussed, so as not to annoy Drac & Co. too much 😉
Im sure many would like to go back, but what they return to is still up in the air, if HTS go full ISIS or Iranian morality police then it wont be a place many want to return to.
What kind of an alliance is "the rebels" anyway? Mainly HTS people with them in charge of everything? 150 small splinter groups with HTS nominally in charge?
I have read that HTS is trying to get away from the "islamist extremist" image and trying to become more moderate especially as they transition from fighting a war to actually running a country, but no idea how accurate or optimistic this is.
I have read that HTS is trying to get away from the “islamist extremist” image and trying to become more moderate especially as they transition from fighting a war to actually running a country, but no idea how accurate or optimistic this is.
Yeah I read that too about the Taliban when they returned to power in Kabul, how did that turn out?
The latest news I got was that Taliban2 are now slightly more extreme than Taliban1
Well I guess that they definitely don't need to worry about a foreign military attack anymore. The only threat now will be internally, so they can focus on consolidating their grip on power
Edit: 5 days ago :
I am fairly confident that men won't be allowed to get involved in the medical examination of women so I am guessing that women will have to forgo previous medical care.
I can't remember Taliban1 being quite that extreme.
Also wonder what will happen to Syrias lucrative amphetamine trade? destroyed or used as a money making machine and leverage by HTS as Assad did?
https://bsky.app/profile/nedalalamari.bsky.social/post/3lczj5kzza22x
already videos of Captagon storage facilities, the trade was run by the military and overseen by Assads brother (and Hezbollah in Lebanon) has spread across lareg parts of middle east and used by all sides in civil war, ISIS weresaid to use it a lot too
Stock response is “but bacon!”.
I had beers last week with a friend who's been working overseas for the last 15 years, first in the Middle-east, now in Asia. He said that when he went to the M.E., he didn't think that not being able to eat pork would be a big deal, but then when he left and could sit down and have a beer and a burger with bacon or some roast pork, he realized just how delicious it is. I get that some people don't eat meat for perfectly good reasons but, for anyone who likes roast pork or bacon, it really is difficult to comprehend how someone could not like something that delicious. It's like people who say they don't like chocolate, it just doesn't make sense to anyone who likes chocolate.
So to sum up Syria is ****ed unless the people can have a beer and a burger?
I'm not sure that the jihadists would approve.
Missed the editing window by no more than a minute!
I’m not sure that the jihadists would approve.
Jihadists or Vegans, dear god that's end of times stuff.
Did anyone see the Channel four report tonight about the mass graves that have been found? The scale of it is staggering. An estimated 150,000 thousand bodies in one location alone. Interviews with the drivers who delivered the corpses in refrigerated lorries, the digger drivers who were made to bury them in layer upon layer.
Grim details of the torture methods used on some, including children before they were killed. I hope there is a huge international forensic effort to document, quantify, and identify the victims. And that at some stage, Assad and his subordinates face justice, and the Russians and Iranians who watched or enabled it. I am aware of similar atrocitites that have happened elsewhere historically or in the present, to head off any temptation to say "what about...".
Looks like Russia may be pulling out of Syria, partially or wholly.
Russia moving equipment at Syrian bases
There was a video of US forces moving in to a Russian patrol base earlier in the week. Good site exploitation opportunity I'd imagine.
Good site exploitation opportunity I’d imagine.
Early on in the offensive there was some photos of a fully intact modern radar system captured by the rebels. Something that apparently whilst the Ukrainians have destroyed some they havent got their hands on any.
I expect some US "diplomat" would have been sent to offer to take it off the rebels hands along with anything else unusual.
a lot of equipment and troops likely heading back to Russia, not good for Ukraine i suspect
a lot of equipment and troops likely heading back to Russia, not good for Ukraine i suspect
We'll have to see what happens with their Syrian bases.
There are various reports circulating suggesting a variety of outcomes:
Russia has until the end of January to get out (they're certainly acting like that)
Russia makes a deal with one rebel group to stay, but another local group might take exception
There are no deals
etc.
Two things are certain. The Syrian bases are set up against air attacks, rather than artillery and Russia will be madly spinning diplomatic plates
There is a loss of credibility in the the Middle-East/Mediterranean/African regions, which are all key to Russian operations
Short term they'll stage in Iran to refuel, etc, but my money's on infrastructure being built in Libya to service their Mediterranean naval fleet, which they only rebuilt 10 years ago after the collapse of the USSR. I think that the materiel will head in that direction
Article detailing Tartus defences http://www.hisutton.com/Russian-Navy-Base-in-Tartus-Syria.html
Well, that's a shame. The Russian ship going to Syria to evacuate equipment seems to have mysteriously sunk.
https://news.az/news/russian-cargo-ship-sinks-off-spains-coast
She was stationary yesterday, believed to be broken down. That ship is a big loss, the two heavy cranes will be essential to move heavy kit for transport.
Sparta, the Russian ship that went to her aid, doesn't appear to have that ability https://mind.ua/en/publications/20276323-how-the-ursa-major-navigates-european-waters-to-carry-military-cargo-for-russia
PS Sparta III was a previous name for the missing ship, so it gets confusing
Well, that’s a shame. The Russian ship going to Syria to evacuate equipment seems to have mysteriously sunk.
There's still a bit of confusion but it looks like the ship that sank was the Ursa Major, which was heading to Vladivostok via Suez with heavy cranes for the port there. Explosion in the engine room apparently.
The Ursa Major's a huge ship, one of the biggest in Russia's cargo fleet so it's a major loss by any measure and those cranes will have been very helpful for unloading ships with kit coming from China or North Korea.
The Sparta was the one heading to Syria to evacuate the bases, it looks like that broke down off Portugal but is now back under way.
The Ursa Major used to be called the Sparta III, which is why it's understandably confusing.
With the Dardenelles closed to Russian military traffic the ship will have to go all round Europe to get home. If I was Ukraine, then finding a way to ensure the Sparta, with all that tasty kit on board, never makes it back to St Petersburg would be very tempting indeed.
whats to stop them getting a yacht with a jetski bay out in the atlantic?
The Sparta was the one heading to Syria to evacuate the bases, it looks like that broke down off Portugal but is now back under way.
This is where the confusion comes in 🙂
There were four Spartas; Sparta, S2, S3 and S4. Sparta III was renamed Ursa Major, which is why some Ukrainian sources refer to it (confusingly) as "Sparta"
Ursa Major/Sparta III has two fitted deck cranes and was carrying two further tracked cranes for use on land
The real Sparta broke down last week, but off the coast of Brittany (17th Dec). The two cargo ships were in a similar area when Ursa Major (UM) broke down on Monday off Portugal (according to Ukrainian sources, who referred to it as "Sparta"). It then drifted south towards Spain where it sank and Sparta, along with Russian and Spanish ships headed towards it.
The Spartas and UM have been moving equipment from Tartus, Syria for at least 18 months via the Dardanelles and Bosphorus to Novorossiysk (100 miles from Crimea). They aren't classed as warships so move freely, but are usually escorted by a warship.
After this level of prolonged transport operations you can understand why HTS felt that Russia was unlikely to be a threat to their actions in Syria
UM has a sister ship, Sparta IV.
This Sept 2023 article explains that she can load and carry T90 tanks (not many of them left) with her 55T deck cranes. UM should have similar capability https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/greyzone-lawfare-russia-and-voyages-sparta-iv
The article also outlines S4's missions through 2022 and 2023 (5 mins read)
A couple of encouraging articles in the media
DAMASCUS, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa reached an agreement on Tuesday with former rebel faction chiefs to dissolve all groups and consolidate them under the defence ministry, according to a statement from the new administration. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrias-al-sharaa-agrees-with-ex-rebel-factions-merge-under-defence-ministry-2024-12-24/
There will be teething troubles, I'm sure, but after a period of decisive actions like this it'll be good to see a representative democracy emerge in the New Year
DAMASCUS, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Syrian Christians attended Christmas Eve services on Tuesday for the first time since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in early December, in an early test of the new Islamist rulers' pledges to protect the rights of the country's religious minorities. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrian-christians-attend-christmas-mass-first-time-since-fall-assad-2024-12-24/
There have been incidents between religious groups, including burning a Christmas Tree near to Hama, but Islamist HTS militia provided security around the Christian Lady of Damascus Church
Seasons Greetings to you all
Islamist HTS militia provided security around the Christian Lady of Damascus Church
Stuff like this gives me a smidgeon of hope that HTS are at least going to make an honest go of bringing long term peace to Syria.
Still a massive task of course.
Thanks @timba good articles. Still don't know what to think about HTS, situation's all a bit unclear.
A Russian cargo ship that sank on Tuesday in the Mediterranean Sea was the target of an “act of terrorism”, according to the vessel’s owner.
The Ursa Major sank while it was sailing through international waters between Spain and Algeria, leaving two crew members missing,
Its owner, Oboronlogistika – a company affiliated with the Russian defence ministry – said on Wednesday that three explosions on the starboard side of the ship caused the sinking.
Slight change to the Guardian's link ^^ because STW is changing the formatting; it should be a two hyphens (en-dashes) between "ship" and "ursa", not an em--dash
The only people alleging this are those charged with the ship's maintenance; Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported the initial breakdown on 23rd Dec as being due to "A fuel pipe of the main engine failed"
I'm struggling to come up with a reason for a stationary ship to explode in the engine room of its own accord. More so to the extent that would cause it to sink.
Several news outlets have reported it. Regardless, there's not much in an engine room that can explode (the engine can if the crankcase overheats but that would only result in a broken ship and casualties if anyone was nearby) and nothing I can think of that would sink the ship. That would require multiple compartment breaches.
Have a look at "Russian Cargo Ship Ursa Major Sinks in the Mediterranean. Fifth Russian Commercial Vessel Lost: What is Going on With Shipping?" on YouTube, by Sal Mercogliano, adjunct professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
No conclusions, but interesting nonetheless
Starting Air bottles can explode with fairly catastrophic results but... You'd need to be awfully unlucky for that to sink a vessel.
I'm talking from actual experience here rather than just speculating. I've worked as an engineer on ships, there is nothing that would sink a ship in an engine room.
Starting Air bottles can explode with fairly catastrophic results but… You’d need to be awfully unlucky for that to sink a vessel.
Indeed. You would need a lot of failures lining up (not impossible I suppose) but even if it all went wrong the air vessel shouldn't take the hull out and the entire ship with it.
I was watching an interview with the acting captain of HMS Endurance. It suffered a chain of events that led to a valve letting the sea into the engine room, flooding it in 30 minutes. It got very close to capsizing or running aground.
I'm not doubting squirrelking's opinion, the 2 incidents were very different, I'm just noting that strange things sometimes happen (like someone deciding to work on a valve connected under pressure to the sea without telling the engineering officer or captain).
I’ve worked as an engineer on ships, there is nothing that would sink a ship in an engine room.
Glands and intakes. Things fail, and especially large ships need to take in a tremendous amount of water for cooling, air conditioning, even freshwater purification for crew etc.
Bilge pumps can only handle so much/per hour, and if the water coming in is at a faster rate than the pumps can get it out the ship goes down and that is that. After so much water theres electrical problems, which would affect the pumps operation.
...I was a sea going engineer for 42 yrs with a Class one FG CoC . All you need is a sticky air start valve and a poor maintenance schedule for your air bottle to go bang. As I said you'd need to be awfully unlucky for it to happen but it has happened before.
Glands and intakes.
Glands where? The prop shaft? Thats an oil filled labyrinth seal.
Things fail, and especially large ships need to take in a tremendous amount of water for cooling
Via the sea chests which, even if the seal failed the pumps can handle. The way the anti-flood works is the suction is connected to the common manifold and the various pumps (multiple bilge, cooler water, ballast and fire) can all dump the water. Even if the sea chest had an implausible total failure the pumps would just draw from the breach.
, air conditioning,
Air handling is done above decks for what I thought would be very obvious reasons. The cooling is done using closed circuit regrigerators like any other AC unit.
even freshwater purification for crew etc.
Which is, again, drawn from the sea chest.
Again, none of this should sink the ship because of compartmentalisation. A properly designed and maintained ship should withstand multiple compartment failures never mind just one. And it was in the med so even if it sank to its freeboard it should still be fine.
This thread is starting to look like the comment section of a Facebook welding video…
This is a Russian ship we’re talking about, not a well crewed and put together western ship! The for all we know, the engine room has the captains personal stash of weapons he plans to sell on the black market 😉
Some on here are probably actual professionals. We all have lives off the bike
A properly designed and maintained ship should withstand multiple compartment failures never mind just one
I think that this is key, as suggested^^
Oboronlogistika OOO and several of its ships, including the Sparta, S2, S3/Ursa Major (UM) and S4 have been sanctioned since 2022 https://www.state.gov/state-department-actions-to-promote-accountability-and-impose-costs-on-the-russian-government-for-putins-aggression-against-ukraine/
They only dock in "friendly" ports where they aren't subject to Port Inspections. UM last had an inspection recorded in Germany in 2022 where several issues were identified. War tends to make maintenance slip, Sparta broke down off Brittany only the week before
They don't seem to communicate unless pressed, e.g. Sparta was spotted by French authorities as having problems off Brittany but didn't immediately respond to radio contact https://www.rfi.fr/fr/europe/20241220-la-m%C3%A9saventure-du-cargo-russe-sparta-au-large-de-la-bretagne-france
It's clear that UM had been having problems for a while and was maintaining a course at 1kt before eventually drifting. I'm not an expert, but if someone had blown three holes in my hull then I'd be sparking the radio up hours before they did.
She was also passed by other shipping while having technical difficulty, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that emergency signals could have been sent in the event of a radio failure.
See the Sal Mercogliano youtube video ^^ for more detail
Weekend update from Phillips P O'Brien https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/i/153747943/syria-and-the-russian-ukrainian-conflict
Ukraine is supplying grain to Syria so that they are less dependent on Russia and more likely to have freedom of choice on who to do business with
New Syrian government's school curriculum changes spark concern
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1ln12056ppo
Other proposed changes include Evolution and the Big Bang theory being dropped from science teaching.
Well science teaching won't be involved in teaching science then.
Well science teaching won’t be involved in teaching science then.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Texas.
New Syrian government’s school curriculum changes spark concern
I think that it's important to note that they are mostly proposals,
In a statement, al-Qadri said the only instructions he had issued were related to the removal of content that he described as glorifying the "defunct Assad regime" and the instatement of the Syrian revolutionary flag in all textbooks.
The minister also said that "inaccuracies" in the Islamic education curriculum had been corrected.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1ln12056ppo
/blockquote>
Changes made in the Islamic education curriculum:The changes, published in a list of amendments on the education ministry’s official Facebook page, include changing the phrases “path of goodness” to “Islamic path,” and “those who have are damned and have gone astray” to “Jews and Christians” – which pertains to an ultra-conservative interpretation of a verse in Islam’s holy book, the Quran.
The modifications also redefine the word “martyr,” from someone who died for the homeland to someone who sacrificed themselves “for the sake of God.” https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/02/middleeast/changes-to-syrias-school-curriculum-spark-online-outrage/index.htmlLet's see
A Russian Telegram channel has claimed that Bashar al Assad may have been poisoned, sparking online speculation about the fate of the Syrian dictator after he fled to Moscow following his downfall.
The claim was made by General SVR, which says it is run by former and current members of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, although it does not offer any evidence of these ties.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-syria-assad-poisoned-assassination-2008576
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to meet Syria's de facto new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus today https://www.reuters.com/world/germanys-foreign-minister-heads-damascus-one-day-trip-2025-01-03/
There's going to be a lot of competition for influence in Syria amongst world leaders