Thursday, September 29, 2022

Who Is Responsible For Attacking Nord Stream 1 And Nord Stream 2?

WNU Editor: There are two narratives that are underway right now when it comes to who is responsible for this attack. 

On one side fingers are pointing at the U.S. .... Whodunnit? - Facts Related to The Sabotage Attack On The Nord Stream Pipelines (Moon of Alabama). 

On the other side fingers are pointing at Russia .... Nord Stream pipelines were sabotaged, and the best suspect is the nation that sabotaged them before (Daily Kos). 

I personally say it is best to wait before making any judgements. We only know that these pipelines have been attacked/sabotaged. There is still a lot that we do not know.  

Update: Most of my friends and contacts in Europe believe the U.S. was responsible for this attack. 

Opinion in Ukraine is interesting. While the government narrative is that this was a Russian attack, my Ukrainian friends, family members, and contacts are convinced that this was an attack green-lighted by the US and then handled by them or through a third party.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

German Engineers Fear Nord Stream 1 Pipeline Is Beyond Repair. Nord Stream 2 Will Take Months

A road sign directs traffic towards the Nord Stream 2 gas line landfall facility entrance in Lubmin, north eastern Germany, on September 7, 2020. (AFP)  

Reuters: German security agencies fear Nord Stream 1 may be unusable forever: Report 

German security agencies fear that Nord Stream 1 will become unusable forever after major leaks from both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 into the Baltic Sea, German daily Tagesspiegel reported, citing government sources. 

If leaks in the two lines of Nord Stream 1 are not repaired quickly, large volumes of salt water will flow into the pipelines and cause corrosion, the paper cited the sources as saying.  

Read more ....  

Update: Nord Stream Repair No Easy Matter (Energu Intelligence)  

WNU Editor: There are firms coming forward offering to repair the pipelines .... Nord Stream 1 pipeline may use repair equipment pool (Reuters). The problem is that many are saying that these repairs must commence immediately to save the pipelines from salt corrosion, a prospect that I doubt will happen in view of the current environment of sanctions and hostilities. I know in Russia the media narrative this morning is that Nord Stream 2 is going to be a staggering $10 billion write-off for Gazprom.

U.S. Intelligence Steps-Up Monitoring Operations Against Russia

Flight-tracking websites have spotted US spy planes flying around the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Senior Airman Greg Davis/U.S. Air Force/Reuters  

Business Insider: US spy planes appear to be monitoring a Russian enclave in Europe, possibly looking for signs of nuclear weapons activity 

* In recent weeks, flight-tracking sites have spotted US surveillance flights near Kaliningrad. 

* Kaliningrad is a Russian territory on the Baltic sea, separated from mainland Russia by Lithuania. 

* In 2018, Russia conducted a "major renovation" of a nuclear weapons site there, an expert said. 

The US military appears to be stepping up aerial surveillance of a Russian territory in Europe, potentially signalling concern that the Kremlin could decide to deploy or even use nuclear weapons in Ukraine as Russian leaders have warned. 

On Wednesday, a US electronic surveillance plane, the Boeing RC-135, departed from a base in the United Kingdom and circled around Kaliningrad, a Russian territory along the Baltic Sea — sharing no land border with the mainland — that was annexed after World War II, according to a flight tracking website. It was at least the third such flight in the past week.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I am sure Russia is also monitoring the U.S. very closely.

South Korean Intelligence Says North Korea May Be Weeks Away From Conducting A Nuclear Test

 

Reuters: South Korea Sees Oct.16-Nov.7 Window for N.Korea Nuclear Test 

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has completed preparations for a nuclear test and a possible window for carrying it out could be between Oct. 16 and Nov. 7, South Korean lawmakers briefed by its spy agency said on Wednesday. 

Preparations for a possible nuclear test by North Korea, which would be the first since 2017, had been completed at the Punggye-ri test tunnel, where the reclusive state conducted six underground tests from 2006 onward, two legislators told reporters after a briefing by the National Intelligence Service (NIS). 

The timing of the test could be determined by events like the party congress in China, North Korea's main ally, and the midterm elections in the United States, its chief rival, they said. 

Also it would depend on whether Pyongyang can bring an outbreak of COVID-19 under control, they said.  

Read more ....

South Korean Intelligence Says North Korea May Be Weeks Away From Conducting A Nuclear Test  

North Korea may conduct nuclear test between Oct.16 to Nov.7: NIS -- Korea Herald

N. Korea may conduct 7th nuclear test between Oct. 16 and Nov. 7: spy agency -- Yonhap News Agency  

North Korea launches 2 ballistic missiles as Seoul says nuclear test is imminent -- ABC News 

North Korea likely to conduct nuclear test after October 16, says South Korean spy agency -- Republic World  

South Korean Spy Agency Says Nuclear Test By North Is Weeks Away -- Zero Hedge

Russia - Ukraine War: Military Summary And Analysis For 28.09.2022

 

WNU Editor: Another must watch analysis on the fighting in Ukraine.

Russia - Ukraine War Maps -- September 28, 2022 (Click on Images to Enlarge)

Tweets On The Russia - Ukraine War

Tweets Of The Day

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Named Saudi Arabia’s New Prime Minister

 

BBC: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman named prime minister 

Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been appointed prime minister - a post that is traditionally held by the king. The 37-year-old son of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, 86, is already seen the de facto ruler of the oil-rich Gulf state. A royal decree announcing his promotion from deputy PM and defence minister cited an exception to the Basic Law. An official told Reuters news agency the move was in line with the king's previous delegation of duties to him.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Another sign that he is the de facto ruler of the oil-rich Gulf state. 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Named Saudi Arabia’s New Prime Minister  

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman named prime minister of Saudi Arabia -- CBS 

Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared Saudi Arabia Prime Minister as U.S. civil lawsuit looms -- UPI  

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman named PM -- Al Jazeera

Bowing To US Pressure, Turkey's Banks Abandon Russia'a MIR Payment System

EPA/ANATOLY MALTSEV / EPA / TASS  

Moscow Times: All Turkish Banks Halt Russia’s Mir Payment System – Reports 

Three Turkish state banks plan to exit Russia’s Mir payments system over U.S. warnings of sanctions, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing an unnamed senior Turkish official. 

On Wednesday, Turkish broadcaster NTV reported there were no banks left in Turkey that accept Mir, which translates as "World" from Russian. Turkiye Halk BankasΔ±, TC Ziraat BankasΔ± and Turkiye VakΔ±flar Bankasi, Bloomberg reports, plan to stop processing payments using Mir following similar decisions by two of Turkey’s major private banks last week.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Turkish banks were given the warning that if they continue to do business with Russia, they would be cut-off from the US financial system. 

Bowing To US Pressure, Turkey's Banks Abandon Russia'a MIR Payment System  

Turkiye banks abandon Russian MIR payment system, bowing to US pressure -- Middle East Monitor  

Turkish state banks halt use of Russian payment system -- Financial Times  

Turkish Banks Cut Russia Banking Ties Under US Pressure -- VOA