southfront--2020-08-20--The Saker: “Will Belarus Become the Next Banderastan?”

Written by The Saker ; Originally appeared at The Unz Review The situation in Belarus is evolving very rapidly , and not for the better , to say the least .
A lot has been going on , but here is a summary of what are the most crucial developments in my opinion : • Last Sunday was a major success for the Belarusian opposition : huge crowds took to the streets of several Belarusian cities and , in most cases , the demonstrations were peaceful .
• Belarus now has its own “ Juan Guaido ” in the person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ qualification ” to lead the opposition is that is that her husband is in jail .
Tikhanovskaia has already declared herself the “ national leader ” of Belarus .
• The Belarusian opposition formed a coordinating committee which is staffed by well-known and long-time rabid russophobes .
• The program of the opposition ( they call it “ Reanimation package of reforms for Belarus ” ) is simple : new “ fair ” elections followed by the following goals : Belarus must withdrawn from all the collective agreements she has with Russia ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , etc. )
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Instead , the national goal ought to be , what else , to join NATO and the EU .
All the Russian military forces in Belarus must be expelled .
The Belarusian language must be reimposed , Ukie-style , on the Belarusian society ( including , apparently , the military – good luck with that ! )
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Russian organizations will be banned in Belarus , and Russian TV channels forbidden .
The border with Russia must be closed .
Next , a new , independent “ Belarusian Orthodox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Belarusian economy will “ reformed ” – meaning that whatever can be sold will be sold , then the country will be deindustrialized ( like the Ukraine or the Baltic states ) .
• At this point , it is pretty clear that the Western-controlled “ opposition ” has successfully taken over the control of what initially was a legitimate local popular opposition .
This mechanism ( the hijacking of a truly popular and legitimate opposition by western controlled agents of influence ) is exactly what happened in the Ukraine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( I would eve argue that this is what is happening to the USA right now ) .
Some Belarusian ambassadors ( Slovakia , Switzerland , Sweden ) have now sided with the opposition just like what happened with Venezuela , Syria and other countries .
To be honest , there are more similarities between the recent events in Venezuela and what is now taking place in Belarus , it ’ s not just Tikhanovskaia as the Belarusian Guaido .
For example , Lukashenko made at least , if not more , crucial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hell to pay for it .
Now let ’ s look at Lukashenko ’ s actions : • Now Lukashenko is fuming against the West again , to the degree that he actually moved the most capable Belarusian military unit ( the 103rd Special Mobile Guards Airborne Brigade from Vitebsk ) to the western border , and the rest of the military forces have been put on high alert .
Lukashenko explained that by saying that there is a real risk of western military intervention ( which is utter nonsense , NATO does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia , which is present in Belarus , and survive ) .
• Lukashenko and at least two of his ministers did go out to talk to the protesters , which is a courageous act which should not be overlooked ( as in : Lukashenko , for all his very real faults , is no Ianukovich , and neither are many of his ministers ) .
The meetings did not go well , especially for the two ministers who both clearly lack the undeniable personal charisma of Lukashenko .
• Lukashenko has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Belarusian special forces against some demonstrations .
He gave no further details , but that admission is interesting as it shows two things : a ) since special forces had to be used , it means that other police forces were either unable or unwilling to control the situation and b ) elite Belarusian forces are still backing Lukashenko • Lukashenko has also called Putin several times and he is now declaring that the current threat is not only a threat to Belarus , but also a threat to Russia .
Clearly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Lukashenko has publicly declared “ unless you remove me there will be no other elections ” adding that the opposition would have to kill him before it will get to destroy Belarus ( again – the dude is no Ianukovich ) .
Now let ’ s also note what Lukashenko has NOT done : • He has not fired his ministers of foreign affairs and the head of the Belarusian KGB ( according to a pro opposition Telegram channel the Minister of Foreign Affairs did resign , but Lukashenko has rejected his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many rumors about Belarus inundating Telegram right now ) • He has NOT declared that his so-called “ multi-vector policy ” ( i.e .
courting the West ) was a mistake or that it has now been changed or abandoned .
Clearly , and in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary , Lukashenko still hopes that he can somehow sit between the two chairs of submission to the Empire or reunification with Russia .
• He has not apologized to Putin and/or Russia for all the false accusations he was hurling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• Paradoxically , following the numerous cases of wanton violence which the Belarusian cops used initially , now the streets are almost entirely free from any police forces .
On one hand this is good , the violence used initially did A LOT of damage to the government and it got people very angry .
Furthermore , the amount of violence by the opposition did dramatically decrease too , which is also good .
But the problem is that there are now very clearly special organized groups , not necessarily formed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seize power illegally and by violence .
It is vital that the Belarusian KGB now locate and arrest these people .
My fear is that the Belarusian KGB has been infiltrated by pro-western elements who will be hard to neutralize .
Now let ’ s look at what the “ collective West ” has done : • The West has clearly taken a consolidated , common , position towards this crisis .
The West does not recognize the outcome of the elections and the West has now thrown its full weight behind the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders have called Putin , apparently to demand that Russia not intervene in Belarus .
Putin apparently told them that what is taking place is Belarus is none of their business , thank you .
• It is now clear that the West will accept nothing short of what we could call a “ Ukronazi outcome ” and that the Empire will use all its resources to try to seize control of Belarus .
Next , let ’ s look at what Belarus ’ neighbors are doing : • Very predictably , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restore something which is know by the evocative ( to some.. ) concept of “ ” in Polish and which roughly translates as “ Polish Commonwealth ” ( see here for a quick primer ) .
In this context , it is very important to understand that modern Poland is an ideological heir to the infamous Józef Piłsudski ( here for details ) .
This means that Poland ’ s ultimate goal is to break up Russia , restore the Polish Commonwealth , and become a willing prostitute to the western power , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as easy for the current Polish pseudo-patriots to prostitute their nation to the USA as it was for Piłsudski to prostitute himself before Hitler ) .
If some of you bump into the concepts of “ Prometheism ” or “ Intermarium ” then click on these words for more details .
It is hardly surprising that the nation Winston Churchill called the “ the hyena of Europe ” would pounce on Belarus : the Poles always , always , attack when either think that a ) there is some big guy behind them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weak .
I fully expect the Pope to publicly “ pray for peace in Belarus ” and express his “ distress ” at the violence .
Truly – this has been the same gang for almost 1000 years ( see here and here ) and they are still at it .
There is really nothing new under the sun… • The clueless Balts also want to join the for a very simple reasons : they are terrified that the West will eventually dump them and they know that by themselves they will never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Poles like to hide behind the USA , the Balts like to hide behind Poland .
Finally , these countries probably realize that even Belarus alone could prevail militarily over them , nevermind Russia , so the figure that united and protected by Uncle Shmuel they will seize Russia like they seized the Ukraine and finally ( ! )
become the ( collective ? )
“ Prometheus ” they think they are , but which history never allowed them to become .
• As for the EU gerontocrats , they are just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : try to impersonate some kind of ( moral ? )
“ authority ” which gets to decide which elections are fair , which are not , which regimes get to beat up demonstrators ( Macron anybody ? )
and which ones must immediately yield to the demands of a carefully controlled “ opposition ” .
It is especially touching to see Merkel who clearly does not realize the utter contempt the Russians feel for her and for what she stands for .
Lastly , let ’ s look at what Putin and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Xi have both recognized the outcome of the elections .
Frankly , I don ’ t know of any halfway serious source which would dispute the fact that Lukashenko beat Tikhanovskaia by a wide margin .
Yes , I also seriously doubt the frankly silly 80 % vs 10 % figures , but I doubt those who say that Lukashenko lost even more .
Neither Putin nor Xi will “ unrecongnize ” these elections .
Which means that neither Putin nor Xi will ever accept the western narrative about what happened or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s reaction to Lukashenko ’ s phone calls appears to be a special kind of “ restrained goodwill ” or “ polite benevolence ” .
Clearly , nobody in Russia has forgotten what just happened and I notice a very clear trend on Russian talkshows , news reports and articles : while most Russians sincerely see Belarusians as fellow Russian brothers , the level of frustration and even disgust with Lukashenko is hard not to notice , and it is only growing .
Even very pro-Kremlin commentators are losing their cool with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no less angry at what Lukashenko is not doing ) , I think of Igor Korotchenko , the head of the Public Council under the Ministry of defense of the Russian Federation , a typical Kremlin-insider , who has now declared that the Belarusian Foreign Minister is a “ foreign agent of influence ” ( which I don ’ t doubt ) and that Russia ought to demand that he be fired .
I can only agree with him .
• Crucially , in the official summary transcript of the telephone conversation between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the integration between Russia and Belarus must continue .
Here is how the Kremlin put it : “ The Russian side reaffirmed its readiness to render the necessary assistance to resolve the challenges facing Belarus based on the principles of the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State , as well as through the Collective Security Treaty Organization , if necessary “ .
In other words , Putin is laying down the legal framework under which Russia might intervene in some manner , especially if such an intervention is officially requested by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is really taking place , I will also do that in the form of a bullet-point list : • There is no doubt that many Belarusians are fed up with Lukashenko • There is no doubt that many Belarusians still support Lukashenko ( if only as a guarantor against a Ukraine-like collapse ) .
• There is no doubt that the legitimate Belarusian opposition was quickly and effortlessly co-opted by western and , let ’ s call them “ Promethean ” , special services .
• Lukashenko was so sure of himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign , to talk and plead with his own people .
He entered this election cocky sure of himself , only to find out that what is immediate entourage of yes-man ( they stand when they report to him ) either was lying or was clueless .
• Next , it is also clear that Lukashenko was sure that between his KGB and the Belarusian riot police , he could easily clear the streets .
And while this seemed to work for 24 hours , the last couple of days are proof that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streets and/or is clueless as to what to do next .
Furthermore , while you can use riot police to disperse demonstrators , you can not use this riot police to force anybody to work : there are many consistent reports of strikes in major Belarusian plans and corporation .
How will Lukashenko force these people to work ?
He can not .
In fact , he specifically said so when he declared that strikes will destroy Belarus .
There are now even reports that the company Belaruskalii , one of the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potassium fertilizer ) has now stopped working ( this just in : the workers of Belaruskallii have agreed to resume work ) .
• , Lukashenko began calling Putin and he even said “ ” during a public meeting .
Right now I know of no respectable analyst in Russia who would believe that Putin owes Lukashenko anything .
• The blame for what just happened can not be placed solely on Lukashenko ’ s infinite arrogance , the infiltration of the Belarusian KGB or on Ukronazi provocations : it is possible that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this instance , in spite of the fact that what happened was easy to predict ( and many did predict this ) .
Had it not been for the superb work of the FSB , it is quite possible that by now some Russian citizens would be sitting in Ukronazi jails .
The Russian Foreign Ministry also appears to have been caught off guard .
I don ’ t necessarily feel that “ heads should roll ” at the SVR/GRU , but at the very least there ought to be a full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caught the Kremlin off-guard and some “ organizational conclusions ” ought to be drawn .
By the way , there is also the possibility that the SVR/GRU and Ministry of Foreign Affairs *did* provide timely and substantive ( actionable ) warnings .
In this case , the problem is with the heads of these services , the Russian government and the President .
It is sometimes said that the process of intelligence involves three phases referred to as the “ three As ” : acquisition ( data collection ) , analysis ( data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convincing the political decision makers ) .
I do , obviously , not know at what level this failure happened , but I see it as a clear sign of a major problem .
Now lets look at the core of the “ Russian problem in Belarus ” : it is simple , really : Belarusians are Russians , even more so than the Ukrainians .
Not only that , but judging from the footage from Belarus ( on all changes and from all sources ) , while the ( supposed ) “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” are all rabid russophobes , the vast majority of those who protested against Lukashenko are not .
The problem here is that it is impossible to get truly reliable numbers .
Official Belarusian polls are a joke , but “ opposition ” polls , or western run polls , are probably even MORE unreliable .
Then there is the fact that Minsk is somewhat of a special case amongst Belarusian cities .
Furthermore , there is a difference between urban and rural Belarus .
And , finally , the opposition itself is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somebody is asked whether he supports Lukashenko or not , there are many possible reasons why somebody might reply “ no ” ( heck , many Russians in Russia do not support Lukashenko either ) .
So we have to accept that until some kind of normalcy return to Belarus and truly free elections are held , nobody will know for sure what percentage of Belarusian think about this crisis or Lukashenko .
Then there is the fact that , just as in Syria or the Ukraine , the initial protest were legitimate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ valid reasons to protest and in terms of being truly local , not controlled from abroad .
But then , just as in Syria and in the Ukraine , these protests were infiltrated and co-opted by foreign agents .
Ideally , Russia would want to support the original/real demonstrators as much as possible within reason and counter-act the infiltrated subversives .
But how can the Russian separate them unless they themselves make it happen ?
One idea circulated here and there is that Russia should intervene very openly , in the context of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , even more so , under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty Organization .
Putin did mention this organization already , so this is definitely an option for Russia .
But would that be a good option ?
To be honest , I am not even sure that there are ANY good options left for Russia .
I mentioned several times that I personally came to conclusion that the only possibly way for the Belarusian people to remain free is to join Russia .
I still think that .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is even really possible right now , if only because the only interlocutor of Moscow in Belarus appears to be losing control of his own government and because there is no easy way to make progress on this issue while Belarus is at the very real risk of complete collapse .
The root cause of it all ?
It is often said that the Ukrainian leaders since 1991 were terrible , and that is true : every one of them seemed to be acting in some kind of toxic freak show .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ feared the cops and the KGB a lot more than the did in the Ukraine .
But that does not necessarily mean that Belarus was less corrupt .
All this means , is that in Belarus the government did a great job running a semi-feudal system of protection which only guaranteed that only officials and their “ business partners ” got to make good money .
And this is not a Belarus or Ukrainian problem only .
The exact same thing took place in Russia in the 90s .
It is not even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ class problem , in the Marxist sense of the word .
We need to remember that the CPSU and its was a fantastically corrupt organization , not necessarily at the member level , but as a whole .
I would summarize the “ integrity ” of these people as so : • First they betrayed Stalin and the ideals of Marxism-Leninism ( Khrushchev years ) • Then they betrayed their own USSR and CPSU ( Brezhnev & Gorbachev years ) • Then they disguised themselves as patriots ( or even nationalists , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
• Next , they deeply penetrated the West to seek protection , hide their real revenues and obtain the right to rule .
• Next , they sucked their countries dry of all their wealth while their personal worth skyrocketed .
• Finally , they all volunteered to prostitute themselves and their people before the West .
These guys have no more morals than am amoeba and they are as ruthless as any psychopath .
They used to prostitute themselves before their Party bosses , and now they do the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the question : how could Russia remove this ruling class without a ) major bloodshed and b ) making it look like what Russia is really doing is trying to save Lukashenko ?
What Russia really needs now is for the West to do something as terminally stupid as when the US tried to overthrow Erdogan .
But that would only be sufficient to bring Lukashenko to heel and get rid of some of the most dangerous elements in his entourage .
The bigger problem is how could Russia help the Belarusian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Belarusian regime makes no sense and does not work .
Been there , done that .
Using military force is possible ( I don ’ t expect anybody in the Belarusian military , at least key commanders and units , to object to this ) .
But that is very tricky and outright politically dangerous .
It might also not be correctly understood by Belarusians and by many Russians too .
The first conclusion I personally am coming to is that Russia must not do anything which could be credibly construed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no “ saving ” .
Belarus does .
Second , while in military terms securing Belarus would not be a problem for the Russian military , in political terms it would be a major crisis as the West would , no doubt , pounce on that to not only impose more sanctions ( that is not really a problem ) but also to create a New Cold War in which mentally sane and patriotic Europeans would be “ shouted down ” by hysterical mantras about “ the Russians are coming !
the Russians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also concerned about the recent military moves by Belarus .
To forward deploy high readiness forces near the Polish border is a very bad idea : considering the historical record the Russians should *never* assume that any Polish leader won ’ t do something fantastically stupid which will end up as fantastically tragic .
I don ’ t believe for one second that NATO has plans to invade Belarus .
If anything , Lukashenko and Russia ought to leave what is called a “ tripwire force ” in the West while preparing their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NO need to go and provoke the Poles , the Balts or anybody else in NATO .
If given a choice , Putin would probably want for Lukashenko and the so-called ‘ opposition ’ to go ( this reminds me of the Argentinian “ ” or the Lebanese both of which can be roughly translated as “ they all have to go ” and “ all means all ” – including both Tikhanovskaia AND Lukashenko .
At the time of writing this ( Aug. 19th ) it appears that Lukashenko will now have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and “ Putin ’ s bloody Mordor ” .
Truly , he really has no option other than to choose Moscow , but that does not at all mean that Moscow thinks that there is anything salvageable from Lukashenko ’ s regime .
His latest “ zag !
” back to being a “ Russian brother ” is way too little and way too late .
And if his foreign minister and his head of KGB are still in the next government , all this talk will also become irrelevant and meaningless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to remain in power he has only one option – beg for Putin ’ s mercy , not publicly , of course , be most emphatically and as sincerely as he can pretend to be .
Then he needs to purge his government from every single name Putin ( or the Russian special services ) will hand to him .
Yes , that means that he has to truly and really relinquish control .
As for Putin , he needs to address both the Russian and the Belarusian people to explain whatever decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet again , a situation where Putin ’ s biggest weapon might be his very high popular support ( not only in Russia , but also , by all accounts , in Belarus ) .
Right now it appears that the West seriously fears a Russian intervention : they probably ( correctly ) realize how easy it would be for Russia and how there is absolutely nothing anybody , including NATO or , even less so , the EU could do about it .
Trump personally has much bigger fish to fry and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But his narcissistic Secretary of State probably feels like he can turn Belarus into another US-run Banderastan .
So what can happen next ?
I think that it is crucial that Russia reach out to the non-US-controlled opposition in Belarus , publicly , and try to establish some kind of dialog .
Russia also has to publicly warn the people of Belarus that if they allow the current US-controlled “ opposition leaders ” to come to power , Belarus will collapse just like the Ukraine did .
This might be the strongest argument @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : as bad as Lukashenko was , if he is overthrown in some kind of Maidan-like coup , then Belarus will become the next Banderastan .
This will be a major headache for Russia , but Russia can easily survive this .
Belarus can not .
But simply keeping Lukashenko in power is no solution either : whether he did or did not win the latest elections is not even the real issue anymore – the real issue is that he did lose his credibility with pretty much everybody involved .
For this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Next , some kind of government of national unity which would include the main political forces in Belarus except the ones controlled by the West should probably be formed .
Finally , whoever is in power in Minsk needs to set a course on a full reintegration of Belarus into Russia .
That remains the only viable long-term solution for the people of Belarus .

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Written by The Saker; Originally appeared at The Unz Review
The situation in Belarus is evolving very rapidly, and not for the better, to say the least. A lot has been going on, but here is a summary of what are the most crucial developments in my opinion:
Last Sunday was a major success for the Belarusian opposition: huge crowds took to the streets of several Belarusian cities and, in most cases, the demonstrations were peaceful.
Belarus now has its own “Juan Guaido” in the person of Svetlana Tikhanovskaia – whose only “qualification” to lead the opposition is that is that her husband is in jail. Tikhanovskaia has already declared herself the “national leader” of Belarus.
The Belarusian opposition formed a coordinating committee which is staffed by well-known and long-time rabid russophobes.
The program of the opposition (they call it “Reanimation package of reforms for Belarus”) is simple: new “fair” elections followed by the following goals: Belarus must withdrawn from all the collective agreements she has with Russia (including the union state, the SCO, etc.). Instead, the national goal ought to be, what else, to join NATO and the EU. All the Russian military forces in Belarus must be expelled. The Belarusian language must be reimposed, Ukie-style, on the Belarusian society (including, apparently, the military – good luck with that!). Russian organizations will be banned in Belarus, and Russian TV channels forbidden. The border with Russia must be closed. Next, a new, independent “Belarusian Orthodox Church” must be created. Finally, the Belarusian economy will “reformed” – meaning that whatever can be sold will be sold, then the country will be deindustrialized (like the Ukraine or the Baltic states).
At this point, it is pretty clear that the Western-controlled “opposition” has successfully taken over the control of what initially was a legitimate local popular opposition. This mechanism (the hijacking of a truly popular and legitimate opposition by western controlled agents of influence) is exactly what happened in the Ukraine, in Syria and in many other places (I would eve argue that this is what is happening to the USA right now). Some Belarusian ambassadors (Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden) have now sided with the opposition just like what happened with Venezuela, Syria and other countries.
To be honest, there are more similarities between the recent events in Venezuela and what is now taking place in Belarus, it’s not just Tikhanovskaia as the Belarusian Guaido. For example, Lukashenko made at least, if not more, crucial mistakes than Maduro and now there is hell to pay for it.
Now let’s look at Lukashenko’s actions:
Now Lukashenko is fuming against the West again, to the degree that he actually moved the most capable Belarusian military unit (the 103rd Special Mobile Guards Airborne Brigade from Vitebsk) to the western border, and the rest of the military forces have been put on high alert. Lukashenko explained that by saying that there is a real risk of western military intervention (which is utter nonsense, NATO does not have what it takes to attack Russia, which is present in Belarus, and survive).
Lukashenko and at least two of his ministers did go out to talk to the protesters, which is a courageous act which should not be overlooked (as in: Lukashenko, for all his very real faults, is no Ianukovich, and neither are many of his ministers). The meetings did not go well, especially for the two ministers who both clearly lack the undeniable personal charisma of Lukashenko.
Lukashenko has also publicly admitted that he has to engage Belarusian special forces against some demonstrations. He gave no further details, but that admission is interesting as it shows two things: a) since special forces had to be used, it means that other police forces were either unable or unwilling to control the situation and b) elite Belarusian forces are still backing Lukashenko
Lukashenko has also called Putin several times and he is now declaring that the current threat is not only a threat to Belarus, but also a threat to Russia. Clearly, Lukashenko is begging for Russian help.
Lukashenko has publicly declared “unless you remove me there will be no other elections” adding that the opposition would have to kill him before it will get to destroy Belarus (again – the dude is no Ianukovich).
Now let’s also note what Lukashenko has NOT done:
He has not fired his ministers of foreign affairs and the head of the Belarusian KGB (according to a pro opposition Telegram channel the Minister of Foreign Affairs did resign, but Lukashenko has rejected his resignation; this is one of the many rumors about Belarus inundating Telegram right now)
He has NOT declared that his so-called “multi-vector policy” (i.e. courting the West) was a mistake or that it has now been changed or abandoned. Clearly, and in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Lukashenko still hopes that he can somehow sit between the two chairs of submission to the Empire or reunification with Russia.
He has not apologized to Putin and/or Russia for all the false accusations he was hurling at them just a few days ago.
Paradoxically, following the numerous cases of wanton violence which the Belarusian cops used initially, now the streets are almost entirely free from any police forces. On one hand this is good, the violence used initially did A LOT of damage to the government and it got people very angry. Furthermore, the amount of violence by the opposition did dramatically decrease too, which is also good. But the problem is that there are now very clearly special organized groups, not necessarily formed by locals, who are now trying to seize power illegally and by violence. It is vital that the Belarusian KGB now locate and arrest these people. My fear is that the Belarusian KGB has been infiltrated by pro-western elements who will be hard to neutralize.
Now let’s look at what the “collective West” has done:
The West has clearly taken a consolidated, common, position towards this crisis. The West does not recognize the outcome of the elections and the West has now thrown its full weight behind the so-called “opposition”.
Western leaders have called Putin, apparently to demand that Russia not intervene in Belarus. Putin apparently told them that what is taking place is Belarus is none of their business, thank you.
It is now clear that the West will accept nothing short of what we could call a “Ukronazi outcome” and that the Empire will use all its resources short of military action to try to seize control of Belarus.
Next, let’s look at what Belarus’ neighbors are doing:
Very predictably, the Poles are clearly thinking that they will restore something which is know by the evocative (to some..) concept of “Rzeczpospolita” in Polish and which roughly translates as “Polish Commonwealth” (see here for a quick primer). In this context, it is very important to understand that modern Poland is an ideological heir to the infamous Józef Piłsudski (here for details). This means that Poland’s ultimate goal is to break up Russia, restore the Polish Commonwealth, and become a willing prostitute to the western power, especially the USA (it is just as easy for the current Polish pseudo-patriots to prostitute their nation to the USA as it was for Piłsudski to prostitute himself before Hitler). If some of you bump into the concepts of “Prometheism” or “Intermarium” then click on these words for more details. It is hardly surprising that the nation Winston Churchill called the “the hyena of Europe” would pounce on Belarus: the Poles always, always, attack when either think that a) there is some big guy behind them and b) that their victim is weak. I fully expect the Pope to publicly “pray for peace in Belarus” and express his “distress” at the violence. Truly – this has been the same gang for almost 1000 years (see here and here) and they are still at it. There is really nothing new under the sun…
The clueless Balts also want to join the Rzeczpospolita for a very simple reasons: they are terrified that the West will eventually dump them and they know that by themselves they will never achieve anything. So as much as the Poles like to hide behind the USA, the Balts like to hide behind Poland. Finally, these countries probably realize that even Belarus alone could prevail militarily over them, nevermind Russia, so the figure that united and protected by Uncle Shmuel they will seize Russia like they seized the Ukraine and finally (!) become the (collective?) “Prometheus” they think they are, but which history never allowed them to become.
As for the EU gerontocrats, they are just doing what they know how to do: try to impersonate some kind of (moral?) “authority” which gets to decide which elections are fair, which are not, which regimes get to beat up demonstrators (Macron anybody?) and which ones must immediately yield to the demands of a carefully controlled “opposition”. It is especially touching to see Merkel who clearly does not realize the utter contempt the Russians feel for her and for what she stands for.
Lastly, let’s look at what Putin and other Russians are saying:
Putin and Xi have both recognized the outcome of the elections. Frankly, I don’t know of any halfway serious source which would dispute the fact that Lukashenko beat Tikhanovskaia by a wide margin. Yes, I also seriously doubt the frankly silly 80% vs 10% figures, but I doubt those who say that Lukashenko lost even more. Neither Putin nor Xi will “unrecongnize” these elections. Which means that neither Putin nor Xi will ever accept the western narrative about what happened or what is happening now.
Putin’s reaction to Lukashenko’s phone calls appears to be a special kind of “restrained goodwill” or “polite benevolence”. Clearly, nobody in Russia has forgotten what just happened and I notice a very clear trend on Russian talkshows, news reports and articles: while most Russians sincerely see Belarusians as fellow Russian brothers, the level of frustration and even disgust with Lukashenko is hard not to notice, and it is only growing. Even very pro-Kremlin commentators are losing their cool with what Lukashenko is doing (they are no less angry at what Lukashenko is not doing), I think of Igor Korotchenko, the head of the Public Council under the Ministry of defense of the Russian Federation, a typical Kremlin-insider, who has now declared that the Belarusian Foreign Minister is a “foreign agent of influence” (which I don’t doubt) and that Russia ought to demand that he be fired. I can only agree with him.
Crucially, in the official summary transcript of the telephone conversation between Lukashenko and Putin the latter repeated that the integration between Russia and Belarus must continue. Here is how the Kremlin put it: “The Russian side reaffirmed its readiness to render the necessary assistance to resolve the challenges facing Belarus based on the principles of the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State, as well as through the Collective Security Treaty Organization, if necessary“. In other words, Putin is laying down the legal framework under which Russia might intervene in some manner, especially if such an intervention is officially requested by Minsk.
Now let’s summarize what is really taking place, I will also do that in the form of a bullet-point list:
There is no doubt that many Belarusians are fed up with Lukashenko
There is no doubt that many Belarusians still support Lukashenko (if only as a guarantor against a Ukraine-like collapse).
There is no doubt that the legitimate Belarusian opposition was quickly and effortlessly co-opted by western and, let’s call them “Promethean”, special services.
Lukashenko was so sure of himself, that he never bothered to really campaign, to talk and plead with his own people. He entered this election cocky sure of himself, only to find out that what is immediate entourage of yes-man (they stand when they report to him) either was lying or was clueless.
Next, it is also clear that Lukashenko was sure that between his KGB and the Belarusian riot police, he could easily clear the streets. And while this seemed to work for 24 hours, the last couple of days are proof that the regime has lost control of the streets and/or is clueless as to what to do next. Furthermore, while you can use riot police to disperse demonstrators, you cannot use this riot police to force anybody to work: there are many consistent reports of strikes in major Belarusian plans and corporation. How will Lukashenko force these people to work? He cannot. In fact, he specifically said so when he declared that strikes will destroy Belarus. There are now even reports that the company Belaruskalii, one of the most profitable companies in Belarus (it produces potassium fertilizer) has now stopped working (this just in: the workers of Belaruskallii have agreed to resume work).
In extremis, Lukashenko began calling Putin and he even said “we, Russians” during a public meeting. Right now I know of no respectable analyst in Russia who would believe that Putin owes Lukashenko anything.
The blame for what just happened cannot be placed solely on Lukashenko’s infinite arrogance, the infiltration of the Belarusian KGB or on Ukronazi provocations: it is possible that the SVR and GRU dropped the ball in this instance, in spite of the fact that what happened was easy to predict (and many did predict this). Had it not been for the superb work of the FSB, it is quite possible that by now some Russian citizens would be sitting in Ukronazi jails. The Russian Foreign Ministry also appears to have been caught off guard. I don’t necessarily feel that “heads should roll” at the SVR/GRU, but at the very least there ought to be a full internal investigation on why this crisis apparently caught the Kremlin off-guard and some “organizational conclusions” ought to be drawn. By the way, there is also the possibility that the SVR/GRU and Ministry of Foreign Affairs *did* provide timely and substantive (actionable) warnings. In this case, the problem is with the heads of these services, the Russian government and the President. It is sometimes said that the process of intelligence involves three phases referred to as the “three As”: acquisition (data collection), analysis (data management and interpretation) and acceptance (convincing the political decision makers). I do, obviously, not know at what level this failure happened, but I see it as a clear sign of a major problem.
Now lets look at the core of the “Russian problem in Belarus”: it is simple, really: Belarusians are Russians, even more so than the Ukrainians. Not only that, but judging from the footage from Belarus (on all changes and from all sources), while the (supposed) “leaders” of the so-called “opposition” are all rabid russophobes, the vast majority of those who protested against Lukashenko are not.
The problem here is that it is impossible to get truly reliable numbers. Official Belarusian polls are a joke, but “opposition” polls, or western run polls, are probably even MORE unreliable. Then there is the fact that Minsk is somewhat of a special case amongst Belarusian cities. Furthermore, there is a difference between urban and rural Belarus. And, finally, the opposition itself is not monolithic at all, and when somebody is asked whether he supports Lukashenko or not, there are many possible reasons why somebody might reply “no” (heck, many Russians in Russia do not support Lukashenko either). So we have to accept that until some kind of normalcy return to Belarus and truly free elections are held, nobody will know for sure what percentage of Belarusian think about this crisis or Lukashenko.
Then there is the fact that, just as in Syria or the Ukraine, the initial protest were legitimate, both in terms of having many valid reasons to protest and in terms of being truly local, not controlled from abroad. But then, just as in Syria and in the Ukraine, these protests were infiltrated and co-opted by foreign agents. Ideally, Russia would want to support the original/real demonstrators as much as possible within reason and counter-act the infiltrated subversives. But how can the Russian separate them unless they themselves make it happen?
One idea circulated here and there is that Russia should intervene very openly, in the context of the Union State between Russia and Belarus and, even more so, under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Putin did mention this organization already, so this is definitely an option for Russia. But would that be a good option?
To be honest, I am not even sure that there are ANY good options left for Russia. I mentioned several times that I personally came to conclusion that the only possibly way for the Belarusian people to remain free is to join Russia. I still think that. However, I am not at all sure that this is even really possible right now, if only because the only interlocutor of Moscow in Belarus appears to be losing control of his own government and because there is no easy way to make progress on this issue while Belarus is at the very real risk of complete collapse.
The root cause of it all?
Corruption. As always.
It is often said that the Ukrainian leaders since 1991 were terrible, and that is true: every one of them seemed to be acting in some kind of toxic freak show. And yes, in Belarus, people feared the cops and the KGB a lot more than the did in the Ukraine. But that does not necessarily mean that Belarus was less corrupt. All this means, is that in Belarus the government did a great job running a semi-feudal system of protection which only guaranteed that only officials and their “business partners” got to make good money.
And this is not a Belarus or Ukrainian problem only. The exact same thing took place in Russia in the 90s. It is not even a personality problem, it is a class problem, in the Marxist sense of the word.
We need to remember that the CPSU and its Nomenklatura was a fantastically corrupt organization, not necessarily at the member level, but as a whole. I would summarize the “integrity” of these people as so:
First they betrayed Stalin and the ideals of Marxism-Leninism (Khrushchev years)
Then they betrayed their own USSR and CPSU (Brezhnev & Gorbachev years)
Then they disguised themselves as patriots (or even nationalists, like that hardcore communist ideologue Kravchuk did!).
Next, they deeply penetrated the West to seek protection, hide their real revenues and obtain the right to rule.
Next, they sucked their countries dry of all their wealth while their personal worth skyrocketed.
Finally, they all volunteered to prostitute themselves and their people before the West.
These guys have no more morals than am amoeba and they are as ruthless as any psychopath. They used to prostitute themselves before their Party bosses, and now they do the same to their AngloZionist ones.
So here is the question: how could Russia remove this ruling class without a) major bloodshed and b) making it look like what Russia is really doing is trying to save Lukashenko?
What Russia really needs now is for the West to do something as terminally stupid as when the US tried to overthrow Erdogan. But that would only be sufficient to bring Lukashenko to heel and get rid of some of the most dangerous elements in his entourage. The bigger problem is how could Russia help the Belarusian people?
Just tossing more money at the Belarusian regime makes no sense and does not work. Been there, done that.
Using military force is possible (I don’t expect anybody in the Belarusian military, at least key commanders and units, to object to this). But that is very tricky and outright politically dangerous. It might also not be correctly understood by Belarusians and by many Russians too.
The first conclusion I personally am coming to is that Russia must not do anything which could be credibly construed as “saving Lukashenko”. Lukashenko needs no “saving”. Belarus does.
Second, while in military terms securing Belarus would not be a problem for the Russian military, in political terms it would be a major crisis as the West would, no doubt, pounce on that to not only impose more sanctions (that is not really a problem) but also to create a New Cold War in which mentally sane and patriotic Europeans would be “shouted down” by hysterical mantras about “the Russians are coming! the Russians are coming!”.
I am also concerned about the recent military moves by Belarus. To forward deploy high readiness forces near the Polish border is a very bad idea: considering the historical record the Russians should *never* assume that any Polish leader won’t do something fantastically stupid which will end up as fantastically tragic. I don’t believe for one second that NATO has plans to invade Belarus. If anything, Lukashenko and Russia ought to leave what is called a “tripwire force” in the West while preparing their strategic defenses in depth. There is NO need to go and provoke the Poles, the Balts or anybody else in NATO.
If given a choice, Putin would probably want for both Lukashenko and the so-called ‘opposition’ to go (this reminds me of the Argentinian “que se vayan todos” or the Lebanese كلهم يعني كلهم both of which can be roughly translated as “they all have to go”and “all means all” – including both Tikhanovskaia AND Lukashenko.
At the time of writing this (Aug. 19th) it appears that Lukashenko will now have to chose between the “civilized West” and “Putin’s bloody Mordor”. Truly, he really has no option other than to choose Moscow, but that does not at all mean that Moscow thinks that there is anything salvageable from Lukashenko’s regime. His latest “zag!” back to being a “Russian brother” is way too little and way too late. And if his foreign minister and his head of KGB are still in the next government, all this talk will also become irrelevant and meaningless.
Simply put: if Lukashenko wants to remain in power he has only one option – beg for Putin’s mercy, not publicly, of course, be most emphatically and as sincerely as he can pretend to be. Then he needs to purge his government from every single name Putin (or the Russian special services) will hand to him. Yes, that means that he has to truly and really relinquish control. As for Putin, he needs to address both the Russian and the Belarusian people to explain whatever decision he comes to. This is, yet again, a situation where Putin’s biggest weapon might be his very high popular support (not only in Russia, but also, by all accounts, in Belarus).
Right now it appears that the West seriously fears a Russian intervention: they probably (correctly) realize how easy it would be for Russia and how there is absolutely nothing anybody, including NATO or, even less so, the EU could do about it. Trump personally has much bigger fish to fry and I doubt if he cares much. But his narcissistic Secretary of State probably feels like he can turn Belarus into another US-run Banderastan.
So what can happen next?
I think that it is crucial that Russia reach out to the non-US-controlled opposition in Belarus, publicly, and try to establish some kind of dialog. Russia also has to publicly warn the people of Belarus that if they allow the current US-controlled “opposition leaders” to come to power, Belarus will collapse just like the Ukraine did.
This might be the strongest argument Russia could repeat over and over again: as bad as Lukashenko was, if he is overthrown in some kind of Maidan-like coup, then Belarus will become the next Banderastan. This will be a major headache for Russia, but Russia can easily survive this. Belarus cannot.
But simply keeping Lukashenko in power is no solution either: whether he did or did not win the latest elections is not even the real issue anymore – the real issue is that he did lose his credibility with pretty much everybody involved. For this reason alone – Lukashenko has to go. Next, some kind of government of national unity which would include the main political forces in Belarus except the ones controlled by the West should probably be formed. Finally, whoever is in power in Minsk needs to set a course on a full reintegration of Belarus into Russia. That remains the only viable long-term solution for the people of Belarus.
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southfront--2020-08-20--Growing Resistance To Attemtps To Destroy Canonic Orthodox Church In Montenegro

Attempts of Euro-Atlantic structures to destroy the canonic Orthodox Christianity in Europe through the promotion of the neo-liberal agenda and creation of pseudo-church structures supporting have triggered an expected resistance of local conservative societies .
Maritime Cross Procession Held In Defense Of Church In Montenegro ( orthochristian.com ) : While the Orthodox faithful in Montenegro held cross processions twice a week for several months at the beginning of the year in defense of the rights of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro , they have been limited for several months now due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic .
Nevertheless , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their support for their Church and its sacred sites and treasures , against the background of the law passed in December that essentially grants the state the right to confiscate Serbian Orthodox Church properties .
Thus , on August 15 , a maritime cross procession was held in Montenegro , reports Pravoslavie.ru .
The procession involved more than 70 boats of various types , which at one point formed into the shape of a cross , and was attended by former mayor and current candidate for mayor of Budva , Bato Tsarevich .
@ @ @ @ @

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Attempts of Euro-Atlantic structures to destroy the canonic Orthodox Christianity in Europe through the promotion of the neo-liberal agenda and creation of pseudo-church structures supporting have triggered an expected resistance of local conservative societies.
Maritime Cross Procession Held In Defense Of Church In Montenegro (orthochristian.com):
While the Orthodox faithful in Montenegro held cross processions twice a week for several months at the beginning of the year in defense of the rights of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, they have been limited for several months now due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Nevertheless, the faithful take every opportunity to express their support for their Church and its sacred sites and treasures, against the background of the law passed in December that essentially grants the state the right to confiscate Serbian Orthodox Church properties.
Thus, on August 15, a maritime cross procession was held in Montenegro, reports Pravoslavie.ru.
The procession involved more than 70 boats of various types, which at one point formed into the shape of a cross, and was attended by former mayor and current candidate for mayor of Budva, Bato Tsarevich.
Watch a video from the procession:
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southfront--2020-08-20--Military Situation In Palestine On August 20, 2020 (Map Update)

You missed the best part , we told Hamas leaders in Gaza that if it doesn ’ t stop their @ @ @ @ @ : //www.israelhayom.com/2020/08/19/report-security-escalation-may-prompt-israel-to-resume-targeted-assassinations-of-hamas-officials/

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A brief overview of the recent developments in Palestine:
Incendiary balloons attack was reported near the Eshkol area;
Incendiary balloons attack was reported near the Takuma area;
Incendiary balloons attack was reported near the Kissufim area;
Incendiary balloons attack was reported near the Sderot area;
Incendiary balloons attack was reported near the Erez area;
Israel military aircraft targeted an observation post in Bureij 4 times.
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southfront--2020-08-20--ISIS Claimed Responsibility For Recent Attack On Russian Troops In Syria’s Deir Ezzor

On August 20 , ISIS claimed responsibility for the recent attack on Russian troops in the eastern Syrian governorate of Deir Ezzor .
The attack , which took place on August 18 , killed Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Gladkih and injured two other Russian service members .
In a statement released by its news agency , Amaq , ISIS claimed that a number of improvised explosive devices ( IEDs ) , which had been planted by its terrorists east of the town of al-Sukhnah in eastern Homs , had struck a Russian patrol that was combing the region .
The Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken place near the al-Taim oil field , which is indeed located to the east of al-Sukhnah , in the western Deir Ezzor countryside .
ISIS claimed that other IEDs planted in the same area had struck a vehicle carrying Mohamad al-Daher , the commander of the Syrian National Defense Forces in Deir Ezzor .
Al-Daher was killed along with a number of his bodyguards .
Hundreds of ISIS terrorists are hiding in the Homs desert , which lays between western Deir Ezzor and eastern Homs .
The August 18 attack on Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growing presence in central Syria .
The Syrian military and its allies are yet to take decisive actions against the group .
This could soon lead to dangerous consequences .
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On August 20, ISIS claimed responsibility for the recent attack on Russian troops in the eastern Syrian governorate of Deir Ezzor.
The attack, which took place on August 18, killed Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Gladkih and injured two other Russian service members.
In a statement released by its news agency, Amaq, ISIS claimed that a number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which had been planted by its terrorists east of the town of al-Sukhnah in eastern Homs, had struck a Russian patrol that was combing the region.
The Russian military said previously that the attack had taken place near the al-Taim oil field, which is indeed located to the east of al-Sukhnah, in the western Deir Ezzor countryside.
ISIS claimed that other IEDs planted in the same area had struck a vehicle carrying Mohamad al-Daher, the commander of the Syrian National Defense Forces in Deir Ezzor. Al-Daher was killed along with a number of his bodyguards.
Hundreds of ISIS terrorists are hiding in the Homs desert, which lays between western Deir Ezzor and eastern Homs.
The August 18 attack on Russian troops is a testimony to ISIS’ growing presence in central Syria. The Syrian military and its allies are yet to take decisive actions against the group. This could soon lead to dangerous consequences.
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southfront--2020-08-20--Iran Seized UAE-Registered Ship In Persian Gulf

Iran announced on August 20 that its border guards had seized a United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) -registered ship that violated its territorial waters in the Persian Gulf .
The Islamic country ’ s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official statement that the incident had taken place on August 17 .
On the same day , UAE coast guards opened fire at Iranian fishermen in the Persian Gulf , killing at least two of them and seizing their boat .
Iran summoned the UAE ’ s chargé d ’ affaires in Tehran to protest over the incident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ministry of Foreign Affairs .
The ministry said that the UAE had expressed regret for the incident and in a letter , on August 19 , it announced its readiness to pay compensation .
Abu Dhabi released the seized fishing boat and its crew .
The legal procedure for delivering the bodies is underway .
The two incidents in the Persian Gulf came a few days after a historical peace agreement between the UAE and Israel .
Iran condemned the agreement , with President Hassan Rouhani calling it a “ big mistake.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To Re-Evaluate Relations With UAE Following Normalization With Israel

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Iran announced on August 20 that its border guards had seized a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-registered ship that violated its territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.
The Islamic country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official statement that the incident had taken place on August 17.
“On Monday, an Emirati ship was seized by the border guards of Iran and its crew were detained due to illegal traffic in our country’s waters,” a state-run TV quoted the ministry’s statement as saying, according to Reuters.
On the same day, UAE coast guards opened fire at Iranian fishermen in the Persian Gulf, killing at least two of them and seizing their boat.
Iran summoned the UAE’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran to protest over the incident, according to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry said that the UAE had expressed regret for the incident and in a letter, on August 19, it announced its readiness to pay compensation. Abu Dhabi released the seized fishing boat and its crew. The legal procedure for delivering the bodies is underway.
The two incidents in the Persian Gulf came a few days after a historical peace agreement between the UAE and Israel. Iran condemned the agreement, with President Hassan Rouhani calling it a “big mistake.”
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southfront--2020-08-20--Military Situation In Iraq On August 20, 2020 (Map Update)

Click to see the full-size image A brief overview of the recent developments in Iraq : • Protesters blocked the @ @ @ @ @ Turkish trucks from entering Kurdistan Region at Ibrahim Khalil border crossing near the town of @ @ @ @ @ attacked the shrine of Sheikh Ibrahim in Dujail district ; • The PMF warehouse exploded @ @ @ @ @ of Baghdad .
No casualties were reported ; • The PMU 15th Brigade takes responsibility @ @ @ @ @ the Dibis area ; • Turkish surveillance drone was reportedly shot down by the PKK @ @ @ @ @ in Duhok province .
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A brief overview of the recent developments in Iraq:
Protesters blocked the main route to prevent the Turkish trucks from entering Kurdistan Region at Ibrahim Khalil border crossing near the town of Zakho;
ISIS members attacked the shrine of Sheikh Ibrahim in Dujail district;
The PMF warehouse exploded near the city Mahmoudiyah south of Baghdad. No casualties were reported;
The PMU 15th Brigade takes responsibility for ensuring the security in the Dibis area;
Unknown gunmen assassinated a woman, Dr. Reham Yaqoub, in Basra;
Turkish surveillance drone was reportedly shot down by the PKK near the town of Shiladze in Duhok province.
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southfront--2020-08-20--Sign Up For SouthFront Newsletter Now

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The aggressive censorship and propaganda campaign against SouthFront by corporations and mainstream media outlets continues .
In these conditions , @ @ @ @ @ option of communications and content delivery – a daily newsletter You can subscribe to this @ @ @ @ @ Analysis & Intelligence using the link below .
This will include daily and weekly essences @ @ @ @ @ agenda .
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southfront--2020-08-20--Syrian Army Rocket Strike Killed Two Jihadists In Greater Idlib

On August 20 , two jihadists were killed as a result of rocket strikes by the Syrian Arab Army ( SAA ) on the northwestern region of Greater Idlib .
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , the rocket strike targeted the town of Fatterah in the southern Idlib countryside .
Before this strike , the SAA artillery pounded the nearby town of al-Bara and other areas in the al-Zawiya mount .
The rocket strike was likely a response to an earlier shelling by the militants on the town of Hantoteen in southern Idlib .
The shelling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Greater Idlib is slowly spinning out of control .
A day earlier , the SAA shelled the region with long-range rockets in response to provocations by the militants .
Last March , Russia and Turkey reached an agreement to de-escalate tension in Greater Idlib .
A ceasefire was imposed .
Nevertheless , the militants are violating the ceasefire on a regular basis .
Ankara , which maintains a fairly large force in the region , is doing nothing to hold the militants accountable .
This situation could soon force the SAA and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Idlib .
According to recent reports , the army is already preparing for such possibility .
The militants are also taking defensive measures .
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On August 20, two jihadists were killed as a result of rocket strikes by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) on the northwestern region of Greater Idlib.
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the rocket strike targeted the town of Fatterah in the southern Idlib countryside. Before this strike, the SAA artillery pounded the nearby town of al-Bara and other areas in the al-Zawiya mount.
The rocket strike was likely a response to an earlier shelling by the militants on the town of Hantoteen in southern Idlib. The shelling resulted in no losses.
The situation in Greater Idlib is slowly spinning out of control. A day earlier, the SAA shelled the region with long-range rockets in response to provocations by the militants.
Last March, Russia and Turkey reached an agreement to de-escalate tension in Greater Idlib. A ceasefire was imposed. Nevertheless, the militants are violating the ceasefire on a regular basis. Ankara, which maintains a fairly large force in the region, is doing nothing to hold the militants accountable.
This situation could soon force the SAA and its allies to resume operations in Greater Idlib. According to recent reports, the army is already preparing for such possibility. The militants are also taking defensive measures.
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southfront--2020-08-20--Iran Unveiled New Missiles Named After Qassim Soleimani, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis (Videos)

On August 20 , Iran unveiled two brand new , advanced long-range missiles on occasion of National Defense Industry Day .
The new missiles were named after Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis , Deputy-Commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units .
The two commanders were killed earlier this year near the Iraqi capital , Baghdad , in a U.S. drone strike .
The missiles were unveiled in a virtual ceremony due to coronavirus protective measures .
The ceremony was attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani .
The first missile “ Martyr Hajj Qassem Soleimani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to 1,400 km .
The missile reportedly has the capability to penetrate anti-missile systems .
The second , dubbed second “ Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis , ” is a cruise missile with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers .
The missile can also penetrate anti-missile systems by flying on low-altitudes .
Iran is currently under immense pressure by the U.S. which is demanding the country to limit its missile development program .
The U.S. pressure coupled with threats from Israel pushed Iran to boost the development of several weapon systems .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iranian military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over the last year .
MORE ON THIS TOPIC : • Iran Paid Taliban Bounties To Target US Soldiers In Afghanistan : CNN

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On August 20, Iran unveiled two brand new, advanced long-range missiles on occasion of National Defense Industry Day.
The new missiles were named after Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy-Commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units. The two commanders were killed earlier this year near the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in a U.S. drone strike.
The missiles were unveiled in a virtual ceremony due to coronavirus protective measures. The ceremony was attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
The first missile “Martyr Hajj Qassem Soleimani” is ballistic with a range of up to 1,400 km. The missile reportedly has the capability to penetrate anti-missile systems.
The second, dubbed second “Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis,” is a cruise missile with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers. The missile can also penetrate anti-missile systems by flying on low-altitudes.
Iran is currently under immense pressure by the U.S. which is demanding the country to limit its missile development program.
The U.S. pressure coupled with threats from Israel pushed Iran to boost the development of several weapon systems. Many advanced systems entered service with the Iranian military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over the last year.
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southfront--2020-08-20--Stand With SouthFront Against Globalist Censorship!

SouthFront is facing an increasing agressive censorship and pressure campaign from Euro-Atlantic structures and global corporations .
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( LINK , LINK ) Just recently , the US Department of State released an official report calling SouthFront a “ pillar ” of “ Russia ’ s disinformation and propaganda ” simultaneously asking millions of dollars to fight SouthFront .
The requested FY 2021 budget of the US Department of Satate ’ s Global Engagement Center , tasked with preparing fairy tales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is $ 138 million .
This is $ 11,500,000 per month .
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While Euro-Atlantic structures remain scared by mighty SouthFront , our team continues its struggle to keep SouthFront alive and continue its work and further .
11 DAYS LEFT UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST Since August 1 , we ’ ve collected $ 1,967 .
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DEAR FRIENDS,
SouthFront is facing an increasing agressive censorship and pressure campaign from Euro-Atlantic structures and global corporations.
Over the past months, YouTube and Facebook have contributed extensive efforts to suppress SouthFront work on these platforms. (LINK, LINK) Just recently, the US Department of State released an official report calling SouthFront a “pillar” of “Russia’s disinformation and propaganda” simultaneously asking millions of dollars to fight SouthFront. The requested FY 2021 budget of the US Department of Satate’s Global Engagement Center, tasked with preparing fairy tales and justifying the censorship of SouthFront, is $138 million. This is $11,500,000 per month. At the same time, SouthFront’s monthly donation budget needed to continue our work is merely $5,000.
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southfront--2020-08-20--Former Rebel Commander Assassinated In Al-Quneitra, Hezbollah & Syrian Intelligence Blamed

An attack with an improvised explosive device ( IED ) had claimed the life of Issa Al-Janati , a former rebel commander in al-Quneitra , Enab Baladi reported on August 19 .
A source close to al-Janati told the pro-opposition outlet that the IED attack had taken place near the commander ’ s house in the town of al-Zubaidah in al-Quneitra countryside on August 17 .
Al-Janati died of his serious wounds , while his wife was slightly injured .
Al-Janati , who is known by his nom de guerre “ Abu Wassim , ” was a senior commander in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he joined the reconciliation process .
Nevertheless , he refused to enlist in the Syrian Arab Army or any pro-government faction .
According to Enab Baladi , local sources in al-Quneitra believe that Hezbollah and Branch 220 of the Military Intelligence Directorate were behind the assassination of al-Janati .
This was the first assassination of a former rebel commander in al-Quneitra .
Such assassinations are taking place on a regular basis in the neighboring governorate of Daraa .
In the most recent attack , that took place on August 18 , Hassan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Tribes Army , was killed in eastern Daraa .
Opposition activists believe that Hezbollah and the Syrian intelligence were behind many of the recent assassinations .
However , there is no evidence to back these accusations .
MORE ON THIS TOPIC : • Several Civilians Killed , Injured In New Explosion In Turkish-Occupied Areas In Northern Raqqa

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An attack with an improvised explosive device (IED) had claimed the life of Issa Al-Janati, a former rebel commander in al-Quneitra, Enab Baladi reported on August 19.
A source close to al-Janati told the pro-opposition outlet that the IED attack had taken place near the commander’s house in the town of al-Zubaidah in al-Quneitra countryside on August 17. Al-Janati died of his serious wounds, while his wife was slightly injured.
Al-Janati, who is known by his nom de guerre “Abu Wassim,” was a senior commander in the Free Syrian Army. In 2018, he joined the reconciliation process. Nevertheless, he refused to enlist in the Syrian Arab Army or any pro-government faction.
According to Enab Baladi, local sources in al-Quneitra believe that Hezbollah and Branch 220 of the Military Intelligence Directorate were behind the assassination of al-Janati.
This was the first assassination of a former rebel commander in al-Quneitra. Such assassinations are taking place on a regular basis in the neighboring governorate of Daraa. In the most recent attack, that took place on August 18, Hassan Mansour al-Roudan, a former commander of the Tribes Army, was killed in eastern Daraa.
Opposition activists believe that Hezbollah and the Syrian intelligence were behind many of the recent assassinations. However, there is no evidence to back these accusations.
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southfront--2020-08-20--Sacred Sacrifice: Russian Opposition Figure Alexei Navalny In Coma After Being ‘Poisoned’

If the crisis in Belarus is not enough , there is another ‘ breaking news ’ development in Russia .
On August 20th , the lead of the Russian ‘ non-system ’ opposition ( the hardcore pro-Western , neo-liberal part of the opposition ) , Alexei Navalny , was urgently hospitalized in Omsk , Russia .
He is unconscious in intensive care and is connected to a ventilator .
Navalny was on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow , when he suddenly became “ ill ” .
Due to that , the airplane made an emergency landing in Omsk , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation ( FBK ) , said .
In an ambulance , Navalny was taken to the emergency hospital No .
1 in Omsk .
The Ministry of Health of the Omsk region confirmed that Navalny is in intensive care .
According to reports , the politician was put into a state of artificial coma in order to be connected to a ventilator .
The politician ’ s personal doctor Anastasia Vasilieva has left for Omsk .
According to Yarmysh his condition is serious .
People on the flight said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t come out for a long while , after that they heard him call for assistance .
The video makes it seem like he is obviously under the influence of some sort of drugs or medication .
However , Navalny supporters say that he was ‘ poisoned ’ .
Sodium oxybate is a central nervous system depressant .
It is used to treat cataplexy ( sudden loss of muscle strength ) and reduce daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy .
Sodium oxybate is also known as GHB , a known street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential for abuse and serious side effects , sodium oxybate is available only from a certified pharmacy under a special program .
Your doctor must be registered in the program in order to prescribe sodium oxybate for you .
( link ) Reports of overdose in medical literature are generally from abuse , and often involve other drugs as well .
Symptoms include vomiting , excessive sweating , periods of stopped breathing , seizures , agitation , loss of psychomotor skills , and coma .
Overdose can lead to death due to respiratory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from asphyxiation from their own vomit .
People that have overdosed or suspected of overdosing may need to be made to vomit , be intubated , or/and put on a ventilator .
( link ) According to Yarmysh , Navalny was poisoned with something mixed in his tea .
The politician did not eat or drink anything on the plane , S7 Airlines reported .
The Ministry of Health said that they are considering different versions of what happened .
Poisoning with sodium oxybutyrate has been unofficially reported .
The regional Ministry of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profiles ” were involved in the treatment of Navalny , they are working with different diagnoses , “ which are being confirmed or excluded.
” Anatoly Kalinichenko , deputy chief physician of the hospital , said that “ there is no certainty that the cause of the condition is poisoning.
” Kalinichenko also said that “ doctors are now engaged in saving his life.
” Navalny drank black tea in a coffee shop at Tomsk airport , where they conduct an internal check .
The owner of the coffee shop told Interfax that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and study the recordings from the CCTV cameras .
The transport police of Tomsk began an investigation .
Representatives of the Tomsk airport said they were ready to provide observation records .
The coffee shop was temporarily closed after the start of the inspection .
Police were called to the Omsk hospital where Navalny is located , Yarmysh said .
Representatives of the Investigative Committee also arrived there .
One of the policemen said that nothing suspicious was found during the inspection of the politician ’ s belongings .
FBK lawyer Vyacheslav Gimadi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee to open a criminal case under the article on encroachment on the life of a public figure .
According to TASS , law enforcement agencies are not yet considering the version of Navalny ’ s deliberate poisoning .
Also , Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov proposed to assist the evacuation of Navalny to a foreign hospital if it ’ s needed .
The Navalny-led opposition already requested help in this .
There are little doubts that if the leader of the Russian neo-liberal opposition leaves Russia to some ‘ European hospital ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be found that he was ‘ highly likely poisoned by Putin agents ’ .
A year ago , Alexei Navalny was taken to the hospital from a special detention center in Moscow , where he was serving an administrative arrest .
He was taken to the hospital with a diagnosis of “ acute allergic reaction ” , then the diagnosis was changed to “ contact dermatitis ” .
Then , the opposition was also speculating that he was poisoned .
Navalny ’ s personal doctor , Anastasia Vasilyeva , who has monitored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said that his malaise could have been “ the result of the damaging effects of unspecified chemicals.
” It seems that Putin ’ s agents , whom the opposition blamed for the both cases , work not very well .
At the same time , the new ‘ poisoning scandal ’ ( regardless the real cause of the incident , let ’ s hope Navalny will survive and be well ) went pretty on time .
The Russian neo-liberal opposition actively participates in the developing crisis in Belarus on the side of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regime of President Alexander Lukashenko .
Mainstream media , Western states and the pro-Western Belarusian opposition have been increasingly creating a hysteria about the bloody Kremlin that seeks to suppress the ‘ democratic effort ’ of the ‘ Belarusian population ’ .
Therefore , after the inability to triggering a civil conflict in Belarus through street provocations , pro-Western forces may have opted to create a sacred sacrifice to destabilize the situation in Belarus and fuel anti-Russian propaganda even further .
This also may be an attempt to destabilize the situation in Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to distract Moscow from the Western-led regime change attempts in Minsk to the internal political matter .
In any case , Alexei Navalny just became a pawn in a political game of more influential forces .
This is the logical fate of any political figure that links his career and life with Western sponsors .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • A Closer Look At Anti-Government Activism In Russia ’ s Yekaterininburg

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If the crisis in Belarus is not enough, there is another ‘breaking news’ development in Russia.
On August 20th, the lead of the Russian ‘non-system’ opposition (the hardcore pro-Western, neo-liberal part of the opposition), Alexei Navalny, was urgently hospitalized in Omsk, Russia. He is unconscious in intensive care and is connected to a ventilator.
Navalny was on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow, when he suddenly became “ill”. Due to that, the airplane made an emergency landing in Omsk, Kira Yarmysh, press secretary of the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), said.
In an ambulance, Navalny was taken to the emergency hospital No. 1 in Omsk. The Ministry of Health of the Omsk region confirmed that Navalny is in intensive care.
According to reports, the politician was put into a state of artificial coma in order to be connected to a ventilator.
The politician’s personal doctor Anastasia Vasilieva has left for Omsk. According to Yarmysh his condition is serious.
People on the flight said that Navalny went to the toilet and didn’t come out for a long while, after that they heard him call for assistance.
Пассажиры рассказывают, что Навальный во время полёта ушёл в туалет и не вернулся. Они услышали его крик с просьбой о помощи. pic.twitter.com/l0cAtroPwy — lifenews_ru (@lifenews_ru) August 20, 2020
The video makes it seem like he is obviously under the influence of some sort of drugs or medication. However, Navalny supporters say that he was ‘poisoned’.
HINT: Sodium oxybate is a central nervous system depressant. It is used to treat cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle strength) and reduce daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy. Sodium oxybate is also known as GHB, a known street drug of abuse. Because of the potential for abuse and serious side effects, sodium oxybate is available only from a certified pharmacy under a special program. Your doctor must be registered in the program in order to prescribe sodium oxybate for you. (link) … Reports of overdose in medical literature are generally from abuse, and often involve other drugs as well. Symptoms include vomiting, excessive sweating, periods of stopped breathing, seizures, agitation, loss of psychomotor skills, and coma. Overdose can lead to death due to respiratory depression. People who overdose may die from asphyxiation from their own vomit. People that have overdosed or suspected of overdosing may need to be made to vomit, be intubated, or/and put on a ventilator. (link)
According to Yarmysh, Navalny was poisoned with something mixed in his tea.
“We assume that Alexei was poisoned with something mixed into the tea. It was the only thing that he drank in the morning. Doctors say the toxin was absorbed faster through the hot liquid,” she tweeted.
Navalny’s spokeswoman on who might have poisoned Russian opposition leader: “It is Putin. Whether he gave the order or not, it is on him”. https://t.co/gOqo1QzmJU — Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) August 20, 2020
The politician did not eat or drink anything on the plane, S7 Airlines reported.
The Ministry of Health said that they are considering different versions of what happened.
Poisoning with sodium oxybutyrate has been unofficially reported.
The regional Ministry of Health says that “specialists of all profiles” were involved in the treatment of Navalny, they are working with different diagnoses, “which are being confirmed or excluded.”
Anatoly Kalinichenko, deputy chief physician of the hospital, said that “there is no certainty that the cause of the condition is poisoning.”
“Naturally, poisoning is seen as one of the possible causes of the worsening of the condition, but in addition there may be a number of conditions that have arisen acutely and led to the same clinic,” said a spokesman for the hospital.
Kalinichenko also said that “doctors are now engaged in saving his life.”
Navalny drank black tea in a coffee shop at Tomsk airport, where they conduct an internal check.
The owner of the coffee shop told Interfax that he would find out all the circumstances and study the recordings from the CCTV cameras. The transport police of Tomsk began an investigation.
Representatives of the Tomsk airport said they were ready to provide observation records. The coffee shop was temporarily closed after the start of the inspection.
Это только маленькая часть полицейских в коридоре реанимации pic.twitter.com/EE4xfu79Xq — Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) August 20, 2020
Police were called to the Omsk hospital where Navalny is located, Yarmysh said. Representatives of the Investigative Committee also arrived there.
According to NGS-Omsk, the hospital is being patrolled by police, and FSB officers are also on the spot. Yarmysh says that “the intensive care unit is full of policemen.”
One of the policemen said that nothing suspicious was found during the inspection of the politician’s belongings.
FBK lawyer Vyacheslav Gimadi said that he would ask the Investigative Committee to open a criminal case under the article on encroachment on the life of a public figure.
According to TASS, law enforcement agencies are not yet considering the version of Navalny’s deliberate poisoning.
“It is possible that he drank something or took something himself yesterday,” said a source in the law enforcement agencies.
Also, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov proposed to assist the evacuation of Navalny to a foreign hospital if it’s needed. The Navalny-led opposition already requested help in this. There are little doubts that if the leader of the Russian neo-liberal opposition leaves Russia to some ‘European hospital’, there are high chances that it will be found that he was ‘highly likely poisoned by Putin agents’.
A year ago, Alexei Navalny was taken to the hospital from a special detention center in Moscow, where he was serving an administrative arrest. He was taken to the hospital with a diagnosis of “acute allergic reaction”, then the diagnosis was changed to “contact dermatitis”.
Then, the opposition was also speculating that he was poisoned. Navalny’s personal doctor, Anastasia Vasilyeva, who has monitored the oppositionist’s health since 2017, said that his malaise could have been “the result of the damaging effects of unspecified chemicals.”
It seems that Putin’s agents, whom the opposition blamed for the both cases, work not very well. At the same time, the new ‘poisoning scandal’ (regardless the real cause of the incident, let’s hope Navalny will survive and be well) went pretty on time. The Russian neo-liberal opposition actively participates in the developing crisis in Belarus on the side of forces that seek to overthrow the political regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. Mainstream media, Western states and the pro-Western Belarusian opposition have been increasingly creating a hysteria about the bloody Kremlin that seeks to suppress the ‘democratic effort’ of the ‘Belarusian population’. Therefore, after the inability to triggering a civil conflict in Belarus through street provocations, pro-Western forces may have opted to create a sacred sacrifice to destabilize the situation in Belarus and fuel anti-Russian propaganda even further. This also may be an attempt to destabilize the situation in Russia amid the crisis in Belarus in order to distract Moscow from the Western-led regime change attempts in Minsk to the internal political matter. In any case, Alexei Navalny just became a pawn in a political game of more influential forces. This is the logical fate of any political figure that links his career and life with Western sponsors.
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southfront--2020-08-21--Video Shows Moment Of IED Explosion That Killed Russian Major-General In Deir Ezzor

On August 18 , an explosion of improvised explosive device killed Russian Major-General Vyacheslav Gladkih and injured 2 Russian service members in the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor .
The incident took place near the al-Taim oil field , east of the town of Sukhna , in the desert part of Syria .
The video shows the convoy of Syrian and Russian forces staying on the road .
The explosion occured at the moment when the Russian major-general had a conversation with a local commander of the National Defense Forces .
On the same day , the pro-Turkish armed group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Deir Ezzor ” released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack and threatening Syrian , Russian , Iranian and Kurdish forces in the province with more attacks .
The group pretends to be a part of Turkey ’ s Syrian National Army ( SNA ) , but the SNA itself denied this .
Later , on August 20 , ISIS also claimed responsibility for the attack .
Recently , the terrorist group conducted a series of IED attacks and raids against the Syrian Army in the desert .
Therefore , ISIS remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-Turkish forces .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Idlib Is Burning .
New Proxy War In Deir Ezzor

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On August 18, an explosion of improvised explosive device killed Russian Major-General Vyacheslav Gladkih and injured 2 Russian service members in the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor. The incident took place near the al-Taim oil field, east of the town of Sukhna, in the desert part of Syria.
The video shows the convoy of Syrian and Russian forces staying on the road. The explosion occured at the moment when the Russian major-general had a conversation with a local commander of the National Defense Forces.
On the same day, the pro-Turkish armed group “Gathering of Rebels in the Land of Deir Ezzor” released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack and threatening Syrian, Russian, Iranian and Kurdish forces in the province with more attacks. The group pretends to be a part of Turkey’s Syrian National Army (SNA), but the SNA itself denied this.
Later, on August 20, ISIS also claimed responsibility for the attack. Recently, the terrorist group conducted a series of IED attacks and raids against the Syrian Army in the desert. Therefore, ISIS remains the main suspect despite the claims by pro-Turkish forces.
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southfront--2020-08-21--Satellite Image Shows Chinese Submarine Entering ‘Top Secret Cave’

The first-known and publicly released satellite photo of a Chinese submarine entering Yulin Naval Base in Hainan Island , one of the most important South China Sea military bases , was captured by Planet Labs and released on social media by Radio Free Asia .
Radio Free Asia , a U.S. government-funded broadcasting company , published the image Thursday of what appears to be a Shang-class nuclear-powered attack submarine entering “ a not-so-secret , subterranean base at China ’ s southern Hainan island .
Yulin Naval Base is home to subs of China ’ s South Sea Fleet and provides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Not much is known about the interior of the underground military base .
The Drive raises an important question : Where are all the Chinese submarines ?
They say the “ docks are completely empty .
This also seems exceedingly rare based on our monitoring experience.
” We can only speculate and say the subs are either hiding out in the underground base or on patrol following a surge in tensions between the U.S. As for where all the other submarines are , we have no clue .
Tensions are exceedingly high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massively upped its presence there .
Meanwhile , Taiwan has gone on elevated alert as China executes war games nearby .
While some of those drills could and likely do involve submarines based at Yalin , it ’ s also possible that others have moved inside the mountain , as well .
Why exactly remains unclear .
– The Drive China is preparing itself for South China Sea domination

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Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
The first-known and publicly released satellite photo of a Chinese submarine entering Yulin Naval Base in Hainan Island, one of the most important South China Sea military bases, was captured by Planet Labs and released on social media by Radio Free Asia.
Radio Free Asia, a U.S. government-funded broadcasting company, published the image Thursday of what appears to be a Shang-class nuclear-powered attack submarine entering “a not-so-secret, subterranean base at China’s southern Hainan island. Yulin Naval Base is home to subs of China’s South Sea Fleet and provides convenient access to the South China Sea.”
Not much is known about the interior of the underground military base. The Drive raises an important question: Where are all the Chinese submarines? They say the “docks are completely empty. This also seems exceedingly rare based on our monitoring experience.”
We can only speculate and say the subs are either hiding out in the underground base or on patrol following a surge in tensions between the U.S.
As for where all the other submarines are, we have no clue. Tensions are exceedingly high in the region and the U.S. has massively upped its presence there. Meanwhile, Taiwan has gone on elevated alert as China executes war games nearby. While some of those drills could and likely do involve submarines based at Yalin, it’s also possible that others have moved inside the mountain, as well. Why exactly remains unclear. – The Drive
China is preparing itself for South China Sea domination (see: “Are China’s Naval Ambitions A Global Threat?”).
The question remains: Where are China’s nuclear attack subs?
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southfront--2020-08-21--Turkish-Backed Militants Clashed With Each Other In Ras Al-Ain Over Border Crossing

Late on August 20 , heavy clashes broke out between Turkish-backed militants in the occupied town of Ras al-Ain in the northern countryside of Syria ’ s al-Hasakah .
Militants from the local al-Hasakah Shield faction attacked tribal fighters from the al-Mualli tribe , which is allied to the Hamza Division .
A disagreement on the management of Ras al-Ain ’ s border crossing with Turkey was behind the new conflict .
Earlier this week , Turkish authorities appointed Ahmad Bulat , the brother of Saif Abu Baker top leader of the Hamaz Division , as the manager of Ras @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a backlash from the local council of Ras al-Ain .
The council suspended its work to protest against the appointment of Bulat , a militant from the northern Aleppo countryside , in the place of a local civilian .
The situation in Ras al-Ain is calm now .
However , a new military confrontation could erupt at any moment as the issue of the crossing is yet to be resolved .
Turkey is working to assert its dominance over the areas occupied by its forces in northern and northeastern Syria .
Contrary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be planning for a permanent military presence in Syria .
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Late on August 20, heavy clashes broke out between Turkish-backed militants in the occupied town of Ras al-Ain in the northern countryside of Syria’s al-Hasakah.
Militants from the local al-Hasakah Shield faction attacked tribal fighters from the al-Mualli tribe, which is allied to the Hamza Division. A disagreement on the management of Ras al-Ain’s border crossing with Turkey was behind the new conflict.
Earlier this week, Turkish authorities appointed Ahmad Bulat, the brother of Saif Abu Baker top leader of the Hamaz Division, as the manager of Ras al-Ain border crossing.
The decision led to a backlash from the local council of Ras al-Ain. The council suspended its work to protest against the appointment of Bulat, a militant from the northern Aleppo countryside, in the place of a local civilian.
“Three were killed and five were injured from both sides [in Ras al-Ain clashes],” the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a report.
The situation in Ras al-Ain is calm now. However, a new military confrontation could erupt at any moment as the issue of the crossing is yet to be resolved.
Turkey is working to assert its dominance over the areas occupied by its forces in northern and northeastern Syria. Contrary to its public statements, Ankara appears to be planning for a permanent military presence in Syria.
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southfront--2020-08-21--Russian T-90 Main Battle Tank In Action (Video, Infographics)

The T-90 is a Russian third generation main battle tank ( MBT ) created as the developed and modern variant @ @ @ @ @ and became widely known around the world thanks to its tough look including “ red @ @ @ @ @ infrared ATGM jamming system .
The T-90 employs a 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun @ @ @ @ @ , an upgraded engine , and a therman sight for the gunner .
Additionally to @ @ @ @ @ system , the MBT is protected by a blend of steel and composite armour and @ @ @ @ @ In 2015 , Russia delivered a batch of T-90 MBTs the Syrian military in order @ @ @ @ @ across the country led by the Syrian Arab Army .
In coming months , T-90 @ @ @ @ @ an important factor at the Syrian battlefield .
Let ’ s take a closer look @ @ @ @ @ .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Idlib Is Burning .
New Proxy War In @ @

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The T-90 is a Russian third generation main battle tank (MBT) created as the developed and modern variant of the T-72B MB, and became widely known around the world thanks to its tough look including “red eyes” of the Shtora infrared ATGM jamming system. The T-90 employs a 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an upgraded engine, and a therman sight for the gunner. Additionally to the Shtora infrared ATGM jamming system, the MBT is protected by a blend of steel and composite armour and the Kontakt-5 explosive-reactive armour.
In 2015, Russia delivered a batch of T-90 MBTs the Syrian military in order to contribute to anti-terrorist operations across the country led by the Syrian Arab Army. In coming months, T-90 MBTs have showed themselves as an important factor at the Syrian battlefield. Let’s take a closer look at the Russian-made T-90 MBT.
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southfront--2020-08-21--Russian Warplanes Rained Hell On ISIS Terrorists In Central Syria

On August 21 , warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces ( VKS ) carried out a series of airstrikes on ISIS hideouts in central Syria .
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , the intense Russian airstrikes targeted the terrorist group ’ s hideouts in the Homs desert as well as in the al-Suwayda desert , to the south .
The VKS ’ fierce airstrikes on ISIS in central Syria appear to be a response to the terrorist group ’ s recent attack on Russian troops .
The attack , which took place on August 18 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two other Russian service members .
ISIS confirmed its responsibility for the attack in a statement released by its news agency , Amaq , on August 20 .
The terrorist group said a Russian patrol operating between Homs and Deir Ezzor was hit by improvised explosive devices previously planted by its fighters .
The intense Russian airstrikes may help deter ISIS remnants in central Syria for the short term .
Nevertheless , the group ’ s threat won ’ t end without more serious efforts on the ground .
MORE ON THIS TOPIC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Each Other In Government-Held Daraa

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On August 21, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) carried out a series of airstrikes on ISIS hideouts in central Syria.
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the intense Russian airstrikes targeted the terrorist group’s hideouts in the Homs desert as well as in the al-Suwayda desert, to the south.
“Seven warplanes took part in the bombing campaign,” the monitoring group said in its report.
The VKS’ fierce airstrikes on ISIS in central Syria appear to be a response to the terrorist group’s recent attack on Russian troops.
The attack, which took place on August 18, killed Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Gladkih and injured two other Russian service members.
ISIS confirmed its responsibility for the attack in a statement released by its news agency, Amaq, on August 20. The terrorist group said a Russian patrol operating between Homs and Deir Ezzor was hit by improvised explosive devices previously planted by its fighters.
The intense Russian airstrikes may help deter ISIS remnants in central Syria for the short term. Nevertheless, the group’s threat won’t end without more serious efforts on the ground.
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