JUST NOW: "There is no, again no, indications of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns." - White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (2) Beginning in June President Biden has been receiving daily briefings specifically on "unidentified aerial phenomena" (UAP). - NSC Spokesperson John Kirby.

I have no clue what is going on now...
The NOTAM over Lake Michigan... just... disappeared. (2) This was a screen shot of the NOTAM and restricted airspace I took less than 15 minutes prior.

UPDATE 🧵: Contrary to what the White House and Pentagon had said, there almost certainly was some ulterior political motives behind yesterday’s shoot down of an “unidentified aerial object.”
Certain because, at roughly 2:30pm EST when NSC spokesperson John Kirby made the first (2) announcement of the shoot down, he said that it had been downed roughly an hour prior.
@PentagonPresSec reiterated that point when he spoke later at around 4pm EST.

UPDATE: I woke up to a message saying the WDU-17/B warhead on the AIM-9X sidewinder may have detonated when it made impact with the “unidentified airborne object” shot down near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska yesterday. (2) Consider this unconfirmed since I can’t follow up on that message at the moment.
But if true, it would suggest the object had enough mass to trigger the missile’s IR proximity or contact fuze.

My hot take speculation, based on low information, about today's shoot down of an unidentified object:

It was a small hybrid aerostat monitoring emissions related to the U.S.'s ICBM test last night out of Vandenberg. Something about it being purely a spy balloon doesn't match up.
The DoD detected it over US territorial waters yesterday and then shot it down today over US territorial waters? What are we talking from detection to shoot down? 12 hours? 18 hours?

UPDATE BY DoD: "We have no further details on the object, its origin, or capabilities. It was the size of a small car." - Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder (2) The object was taken down by an F-22, using an AIM-9x AAM.

Multiple aircraft are currently involved in recovery of the object.

Was originally detected by ground based air defense.

BREAKING: A US Intel Official confirmed to me that the U.S. shot down an "unidentified aerial object" over Alaska late Thursday night.
The Pentagon is expected to hold a live press briefing within the next 30 mins.
More to come.... Looks like the NYT’s and I may have similar friends.

nytimes.com/2023/02/10/us/…

Wow! This is a really surprising conclusion. 😳
nytimes.com/2022/10/05/us/… Interesting timing for this IC leak. Suggests to me that Ukraine may have had some assassinations in the works and this was released as a warning/defensive move to head them off by the U.S.

🧵RUSSIA'S NEWLY FORMED ARMY CORPS DIDN'T EVEN SURVIVE A WEEK IN COMBAT.

In June, Russia formed a new mechanized and armored ground force, with a planned strength of 4 divisions, called the 3rd Army Corps. It's sole purpose was to aid in Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine (2) In late August, Russia began a hasty piecemeal deployment of 3rd Army Corps, along nearly the entire front line of contact. Instead of a Corps sized force, the 3rd Army Corps was roughly the size of a single division (10k troops).

UPDATE: In case you didn't think things could get any weirder...
Russia's FSB claims that car bomb that killed Daria Dugina, daughter of Russian nationalist Alexander Dugin, was planted by a Ukrainian SBU agent named Natalya Vovk and her 12-year-old daughter. 😐 (2) FSB claims Vovk moved into an apartment near Dugina's home in July and began following her around in a Mini Cooper displaying Kazakh, Ukrainian, and Donestsk People's Republic Plates. 😐

Vovk and her 12-year-old daughter, supposedly followed Dugina to the

BREAKING: In a video uploaded to YouTube, a group calling itself the Russian “National Republication Army” claims responsibility for the car bombing that killed the daughter of Russian ultra-nationalist Alexander Dugin.

(2) In the hour long video, the group also claims responsibility for several over recent attacks in Russia, saying their goal is to “depose and and destroy” Vladimir Putin, whom they call a “warmonger” and “usurper” that is destroying Russia and its neighbors.

UPDATE: Darya Dugina, daughter of prominent Russian ultra-nationalist and close Putin ally Alexander Dugin, was killed last night in a car bombing.

Earlier in the evening, Dugina and her father attended an event near Moscow and it is highly likely that Alexander Dugin, (2) described by some as “Putin’s brain” was the intended target of attack.

Reportedly, Dugin was supposed to be traveling with his daughter but changed plans at the last minute.

UPDATE 🧵: Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) recently provided a 7-page report to several federal ministries, that conclude a number of Russian right-wing extremist and neo-Nazis are currently serving in the ranks of Russian forces involved in the war in Ukraine. (2) News of the BND intelligence document was first reported by the German media outlet Der Spiegel.
spiegel.de/politik/deutsc…

As Putin prepares for his big May 9th Victory Day celebration on Monday, now is a good time to remember the rest of the free world celebrates V-E Day or the defeat of Nazi Germany on May 8th. (2) The German Instrument of Surrender was signed at 21:20 on May 8, 1945, with hostilities set to end at 23:01 (Berlin) on the same night.

In light of the fact that any fighting was going on in the Central European Time Zone, because it is an hour ahead, the fighting

UPDATE 🧵: In their morning briefing the Ukrainian General Staff said Russian forces had blown-up 3 bridges in the Tsyrkuny area, northeast of Kharkiv.

This suggests Ukrainian counterattacks along the Kharkiv axis have progressed faster than Russian forces can successfully (2) defend.

Russia will have to decide whether to send additional reinforcements intended for eastern Donbas to support defensive positions on the outskirts of Kharkiv or risk being pushed out of artillery range of Kharkiv within the coming days.

UPDATE: The Russian MoD shared a video purportedly showing the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Admiral Nikolay Evmenov and the command of the Black Sea Fleet held a meeting with the surviving crew of the Moskva in Sevastopol.

A couple of observations: (2) The surviving crew is purposefully shown at varying angles that make it difficult to tell how many sailors are on the parade field.

Some OSINT folks have used geolocation to estimate the size of the group to be roughly ~240 officers and enlisted sailors.

THREAD: In this week’s “Things That Can Get You Arrested and Sent to Jail in Russia.” 1. Criticizing Putin, but according to the official Russian police report, “behaving inadequately at the sight of police officers, changing the trajectory of movement.” JAIL!

svoboda.org/amp/izmenil-tr…

UPDATE THREAD: I have no doubts that the Russian flag ship “Moskva” was taken out by #Ukraine. I do, however, have questions as it being taken down by Neptune anti-ship missiles.

The “Moskva” is supposed to have considerable counter-missile systems and we have not seen any (2) indications (up to possibly now) that Ukraine’s Neptune missiles are operational.

Now, I will redirect you to something I reported 3 days ago, that Ukrainian troops were on their way back home after training with in the US with Navy SEALS.

BREAKING: Head of the Odesa Regional Defense and Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych confirm the flag ship of the Russian Black Sea fleet, the missile cruiser “Moskva” was hit and on fire following 2 Neptune missile strikes. (2) The Project 1164 Atlant class guided missile cruiser, “Moskva” is the Russian ship from the legendary Snake Island, “Russian Warship go Fuck Yourself” incident.

BREAKING: Ukraine’s Security Service has captured Putin’s best friend, also known as “Ukraine’s Prince of Darkness,” Viktor Medvedchuk. He had been on the run since Feb. 28. (2) For more context:

independent.co.uk/news/world/eur…

UPDATE: Ukrainians in Russian occupied cities continue to engage in near daily civil protest.

Today, large protests are going on in Nova Kakhovka and Kherson. (2) This kind of civil disobedience both saps away at moral and diverts troops and resources from other areas of advance.