Heading towards World War III?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seemingly shut the door on the prospect of having any peace talks with Vladimir Putin — but not with Russia under a different leadership.

Zelensky signed a decree on Tuesday formally declaring negotiations with the Kremlin autocrat to be “impossible.”

The decree formalized comments made by Zelensky on Friday after Putin proclaimed four partially occupied regions of Ukraine to be a part of Russia “forever,” in what Kyiv and the West dismissed as an illegitimate farce.

“He does not know what dignity and honesty are. Therefore, we are ready for a dialog with Russia, but with another president of Russia,” Zelensky said on Friday.

The Kremlin responded to Zelensky’s move by saying that Russia will not end its “special military operation” if Kyiv rules out talks, adding that it “takes two sides to negotiate”.

nypost.com/2022/10/04/zelensky-signs-law-declaring-talks-with-putin-impossible

The Kharkov / Kharkiv Region is a very important area for Russia and despite losing control of most of the Region last month the battles for control rage on and Russia continues to hammer Ukrainian forces there with heavy artillery in an attempt to regain control of the area. In this report We show you the whole process of Russian forces( Artillery brigade, 1st Tank Army) firing the 152mm Self-propelled howitzer, 2S5 Giatsint-S, at Ukrainian forces in the Kharkov Region of Ukraine. Putin Declares Martial Law the 4 regions that had Russia-backed Referendums last month but its not as intense as it seems. Martial Law has been in place since 2014 in the Donetsk and Lugansk Peoples's Republics so Putin's announcement means nothing for the people that live there and this is confirmed by the acting heads of the republics Wagner mercenary group leader , said Wednesday that the private military contractor was “forming a people's militia” in Russia’s Belgorod region on the Ukrainian border to help protect Russia. Ukrainians told to 'charge everything' 30% of Ukraine's power grid destroyed by Russia as Putin to step up power plant attacks amid blackout fears.
The Russian-placed leadership of the Kherson are evacuating civilians as battle looms. About 50,000 to 60,000 people Have been moved, said Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed chief of Kherson.

The Pentagon disclosed on Thursday in its long-awaited National Defense Strategy (NDS) report that given –what it called – the growing security threats posed against the US and its allies, Washington must leave the door open to such options as a nuclear first strike. It also has allowed for the use atomic weapons to prevent conventional attacks.

That conclusion was approved by the White House after the Pentagon’s thorough review of “no first use” and “sole purpose” nuclear policies, and fliwes in the face of campaign promises by President Joe Biden.

“Those approaches would result in an unacceptable level of risk, in light of the range of non-nuclear capabilities being developed and fielded by competitors that could inflict strategic-level damage to the United States and its allies and partners,” the NDS said. “Some allies and partners are particularly vulnerable to attacks with non-nuclear means that could produce devastating effects.”

Biden pledged while running for president in 2020 that he would work to narrow the potential uses of America’s nuclear weaponry. “The sole purpose of the US nuclear arsenal should be deterring — and if necessary, retaliating against — a nuclear attack. As president, I will work to put that belief into practice, in consultation with our allies and military.”

The decision to instead reject limits on the use of nuclear weapons comes amid rising tensions with Russia and China. Beijing is investing heavily in expansion and modernization of its nuclear capabilities, the Pentagon said. “By the 2030s, the United States will, for the first time in its history, face two major nuclear powers as strategic competitors and potential adversaries.”

www.rt.com/news/565489-pentagon-nuclear-limits-risk

Russia has announced it is suspending its involvement in the internationally-brokered deal that allows Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports.

It comes after Russia accused Ukraine of a "massive" drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea.

Ukraine has not admitted the attack and President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian move "rather predictable".

Without providing evidence, Russia also accused British troops of being involved in Saturday's attack.

It also accused the UK of blowing up gas pipelines last month.

In its response, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Russia was "peddling false claims of an epic scale".

Russia's defence ministry says drones used in Saturday's attack targeted ships involved in the grain deal. It said one vessel had received minor damage.

Hours later, a statement by the foreign ministry in Moscow said: "The Russian side cannot guarantee the safety of civilian dry cargo ships participating in the 'Black Sea Initiative', and suspends its implementation from today for an indefinite period."

It said the move was "in connection with the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces, which were led by British specialists" and that these actions "were directed... against Russian ships that ensured the functioning of the said humanitarian corridor".

Moscow claimed 16 aerial and maritime drones were destroyed, and that only a minesweeper had sustained damage.

It is not yet clear whether that is indeed the case, with reports suggesting that the flagship frigate was also hit. Claims and counterclaims have become part of this war.

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63439760

The unsuccessful Ukrainian attack on the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea early on Saturday involved nine aerial and seven naval drones, Russia’s defense ministry has said.

The “terrorist attack,” which targeted the vessels of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and civilian ships docked in the city began around 4.20am local time, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

It added that the Russian Navy ships had been involved in providing security for the “grain corridor,” which was set up to allow exports of Ukrainian food products from the Black Sea ports in line with a deal reached between Moscow and Kiev with UN and Turkish mediation in the summer.

All of the incoming drones were shot down by Russian warships and naval aviation in the bay of Sevastopol, the ministry said.

According to the statement, the attack resulted in minor damage to the trawler vessel ‘Ivan Golubets’ and to the net boom barrier in the bay.

“The preparation of this terrorist act and training of the military personnel of the Ukrainian 73rd Special Center for Maritime Operations had been carried out under the supervision of the British experts, based in the city of Ochakov in Ukraine’s Nikolaev Region,” the ministry said.

Information obtained by the Russian military suggests that the same unit of the Royal Navy took part in planning, supplying and carrying out the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea on September 26, the statement read.

www.rt.com/russia/565581-ukrainian-drone-uk-crimea

Those behind a major drone attack on the Russian naval base in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol made active use of a UN-brokered Black Sea grain corridor, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement after studying the wreckage of the unmanned combat vehicles.

The ministry’s specialists retrieved the navigational modules of the drones destroyed by the Russian warships and naval aviation, the statement said, adding that the Canadian-made devices stored data on the vehicles’ path to their target.

Most of them were launched from the Ukrainian Black Sea coast, not far from the port city of Odessa, the Russian military said. “The naval drones were then moving within the security zone of the grain corridor before changing course and heading towards the Russian naval base in Sevastopol,” the statement said.

Navigational data from at least one naval drone shows that it was launched from a sea location within the grain corridor security zone, the ministry added. According to Russian specialists, it might have been launched from a civilian vessel chartered by Ukraine or its “western backers” to transport Ukrainian agricultural produce.

Saturday’s assault, which involved nine aerial and seven naval drones, targeted vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet docked in Sevastopol. It was repelled, with just one ship suffering minor damage, according to the ministry.

According to Moscow, the Russian ships that were targeted by the Ukrainian drones had been involved in providing security for the “grain corridor,” which was set up to allow exports of Ukrainian food products through the Black Sea as part of a deal negotiated in Istanbul between Moscow and Kiev with UN and Turkish mediation this summer.

The attack prompted Russia to indefinitely suspend its participation in the deal, a move that has sparked an angry reaction from the US. Russia blamed Kiev for the attack, which it claimed was “carried out under the supervision of British experts.”

Kiev has been reluctant to claim responsibility for the assault. Andrey Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s office, took to Telegram to accuse Russia of “making up terrorist acts at its facilities.” On Sunday, the New York Times reported that it was Ukrainian forces that launched Saturday’s attack, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official.

www.rt.com/russia/565623-crimea-drone-attack-grain-corridor

Ukrainian military officials say they have discovered a Ukrainian-made part inside an “Iranian drone” that was shot down near the Black Sea port of Odessa. Ukraine has been accusing Moscow of using Iranian UAVs to attack Kiev and other cities.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces reported the findings on their official channel Military TV UA on Wednesday. They said they took apart an Iranian Mohajer-6 surveillance and combat drone that had made an emergency landing after being hit by the country’s air defenses.

“Three quarters of the components are US-made. There are also components from Japan, China, Sweden, and Austria,” a spokesman for the Defense Ministry’s Defense Intelligence (GUR) said.

“And there is a component which was made in Ukraine. A single one, but it is there. We are now determining how it could have gotten there.”

www.rt.com/russia/565595-ukrainian-made-part-drone

NATO could establish permanent bases or deploy nuclear weapons in Finland once the country joins the bloc, Prime Minister Sanna Marin has warned, although she added that the latter scenario is unlikely.

“I’ve considered it very important that we don’t set these kinds of pre-conditions, or limit our own room for maneuvering, when it comes to permanent bases or nuclear weapons,” Marin said on Finland’s Yle TV1 channel on Saturday.

She promptly qualified her statement by adding that such a development was not necessarily on the cards.

Earlier this week, Helsinki-based newspaper Iltalehti claimed that the bill on Finland’s NATO membership does not contain any opt-outs in relation to nuclear weapons. The government is set to present the legislation to parliament for consideration.

The paper, citing anonymous defense sources, wrote that in July Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen promised the military alliance’s officials that Helsinki would not impose any “restrictions or national reservations,” if its candidacy were approved.

This, Iltalehti suggested, means that NATO’s nuclear weapons could transit through or be deployed on Finnish soil, much like its permanent military bases.

When asked about the prospect of Finland actually joining NATO any time soon, Marin expressed hope that Hungary and Türkiye would “swiftly” give the green light to its accession bid to NATO, which the Nordic nation, along with Sweden, officially lodged on May 18.

The consent of all 30 member states is needed for the two countries to be accepted into the military alliance.

Helsinki and Stockholm, which had both maintained neutrality for decades, cited Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine as the reason for their landmark decision.

Commenting on Finland’s and Sweden’s potential accession to NATO, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned in June that the move would further escalate tensions between Moscow and the West.

Finland and Russia have a 1,340km land border.

www.rt.com/news/565591-finnish-pm-nato-nukes-bases