Russian Telegram channels are hailing their alliance with North Korea and whitewashing North Korea's totalitarian system
Some of the more interesting reactions here /1
Fascist philosopher Alexander Dugin says that Russia has 3 allies in the world
They are Belarus, Iran and North Korea. Dugin has long championed closer ties with Iran and North Korea, and castigated "liberal intellectuals" in Russia who oppose it t.me/Agdchan/11930
Russian MP Andrei Gurulyov expresses regret for Gorbachev and Yeltsin's decision to ignore North Korea, while North Koreans always remembered the Soviet role in liberating Korea
He is pleased that Putin has restored the alliance with North Korea t.me/agurulev/3933
Rossiya-1 defence commentator Igor Korotchenko frames Russia-China-North Korea collaboration as a bulwark against AUKUS
Deterrence and balancing forces in the Into-Pacific against the US is also part of Russia's North Korea courtship t.me/igor_korotchen…
Russian MP Andrei Gurulyov builds on this deterrence logic citing the risk of a crisis over Taiwan (an implied but unstated Chinese invasion) and Russia being dragged into it
The Russia-North Korea alliance serves a purpose in the Taiwan war scenario t.me/agurulev/3831
Vostok Battalion commander Alexander Khodakovsky in Donbas has a more fantastical vision
He thinks North Korean ammunition will help Russian forces and indirectly expedite his vision of the end of the Ukraine War: a Polish invasion of western Ukraine t.me/aleksandr_skif…
In terms of military technology, Tsargrad speculates North Korea will give Russia MLRS KN-25s
These have a 400km radius and can carry conventional or nuclear weapons. A longer-range weapon than Ukraine's ATACMS (which is unstated) t.me/tsargradtv/578…
Russia's sanctions evasion tactics are also revealed
The Khasan facility could have 11 rapid assembly plants operated by Russia/DPRK for 155mm ammunition missiles for MLRS and howitzer
There is silence there and camouflaged trucks move across the border t.me/razumrussia/61…
Ultranationalist politician Dmitry Rogozin says that South Koreans are actually trying to escape to North Korea and this needs to be blocked
Rogozin claims to have heard this on his 2002 trip, which would have been shortly after the historic famine t.me/rogozin_do/4858
Rossiya-1 anchor Olga Skabeeva highlights Internet access in North Korea
Her broadcast on North Korea tried to frame Pyongyang as a normal metropolis and downplay the scale of the Kim Jong-Un personality cult until she was blocked from filming civilians t.me/skabeeva/22855
Overall, Russia's partnership with North Korea has gone from an embarrassment to a point of pride
Russia had $230 million in trade with North Korea before sanctions were imposed and it is doing all it can to revive that. Agriculture and weapons will lead the way /END
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Russian Telegram channels reacted strongly to Ukraine's ATACM strikes
Some of the more interesting reactions, which reflected a shift from panic to false confidence /1
Boris Rozhin contends that ATACMS were in Ukraine's hands for some time and they waited for the right moment to strike
Rozhin acknowledges that Russia needs to take more steps to safeguard its airfields but expresses relief at minimal personnel casualties t.me/boris_rozhin/1…
Rossiya-1 defence commentator Igor Korotchenko was more nervous about ATACM deliveries
He predicted that even more powerful long-range missiles will arrive next in Ukraine's hands and was doubtful of Russia's ability to deal with this threat t.me/igor_korotchen…
Former Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych released a blistering critique of Ukraine's counter-offensive and calls for elections in Ukraine
A breakdown of his key points /1
Arestovych claimed that Ukraine expended valuable resources in the eastern axis of its counter-offensive to try to retake Bakhmut
Focusing on the southern axis exclusively could have dealt Russia a return to Feb 24, 2022 borders and a devastating defeat for Putin /2
Arestovych also assailed the Ukrainian army for not constructing Surovikin line fortifications
This would have inflicted more casualties. Ukrainian fortifications have rendered Russia's current offensive in Avdiivka difficult so this is a questionable claim /3
Qatar is taking the lead in potential prisoner swap negotiations between Israel and Hamas
It faces an uphill struggle by its own admission
But it accords with a long history of Qatari diplomacy around Hamas and Gaza. Some more details /1
After the 2009 Israel-Gaza War, Qatar tried to act as a humanitarian bridge between Israel and the Gaza Strip
It proposed to create an Israeli trade office to allow Qatari aid to flow to Gaza. Israel rejected this proposal so it died /2
The new 2017 Hamas charter was also unveiled in Doha
Khaled Meshaal appear to have a limited acceptance of a Palestinian state in 1967 borders and vowed that Hamas would not intervene in other countries (especially Egypt) /3
Russian Telegram channels are reacting with frustration to Ukraine's attack on Black Sea Fleet headquarters
Some of the more interesting reactions here /1
Former Kremlin advisor Sergei Markov admits that Russian air defences have serious vulnerabilities after Ukraine struck the fleet HQ with Storm Shadows
A clear repudiation of Russian Defence Ministry efforts to show the fallibility of Storm Shadows t.me/logikamarkova/…
RT chief Margarita Simonyan predicts continued escalation from Ukraine's NATO partners unless Russia calls all of the West as responsible and holds them all to account. Basically, a call for Russia to declare war on NATO t.me/margaritasimon…
Estonia's outgoing spy chief estimates that the Russian military would be able to attack a neighbouring country in 4 years if a ceasefire in Ukraine took hold now
Sanctions would smooth peace-time army recruitment and Putin's 500 tank a year plan would create 2,000 tanks
The Estonian spy chief also notes that F-16s are not necessarily a game-changer for Ukraine, as Russia has 9 months to prepare them
ATACMS aren't a game-changer either
Russia adapted to HIMARS after the Marinka attack and could adapt again to other NATO technologies
Estonia accurately assessed the 2014 annexation of Crimea
On the February 2022 invasion, it noticed buildups but was more skeptical, as Russia only had 1/3 of the required force. Estonia underestimated Russia's capacity for reckless poorly planned aggression