al-qaida chief ayman al-zawahiri the coordinator 2015 part 19-122-caliphate-al-zawahiri-10-34-russia

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Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2015 Part 19-122-Caliphate-al-Zawahiri-10-34-Russia

ISIS threatens to attack Russia very soon vowing: 'Blood will spill like an ocean', Nov 30.

In a documentary focused on “the new world order,” aired on Dec. 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin explicitly intoned that, despite what he described as the West’s unfriendly policies, Russia will not become introverted and is keen as ever to engage with everyone for a good cause. Addressing Europe, Putin said: “We’re ready for cooperation; we’re open and we’re not going to pout over the sanctions.”

Russia will use more advanced military force against terror groups in Syria "if necessary," President Vladimir Putin said

Putin focused on his own military's performance in Syria. "We see how effectively our pilots and intelligence officers work in Syria and how effectively they coordinate their efforts," Putin said at a Kremlin event honoring security service employees, according to the Sputnik state-run news agency. "At that, they are diversified, and the army, navy and aviation use the most modern weapons," Putin said.He added: "I would like to note that these are by far not all of our capabilities. We have, by far, not used everything of what we already have. We have additional capabilities. If necessary, we will use them, too."

“When on November 24 the Turkish fighter jet treacherously fired a rocket at our Su-24, the Turkish General Staff was perfectly aware about when and where our two bombers would be carrying out their mission,” ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told journalists on Wednesday.The statement recently made by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus in which he provides information on Russian sorties in Syria, “can be regarded as official acknowledgment by Turkey that the operation to destroy the Russian jet in Syria and kill Russian soldiers was a planned step,” he said.

Mutual investment between Russia and India could increase five-fold over the next decade, according to India’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. “Mutual investments currently average around $11 billion and we want to increase them up to $30-50 billion by 2025,” Jaishankar said on Tuesday. He also talked about plans to increase Russian-Indian trade. “Last year trade between our countries was less than $10 billion. We hope it will increase to $30 billion over ten years. It’s our priority,” he said.

New Delhi is interested in energy cooperation with Moscow, particularly in oil and gas, according to the minister. The issue will be discussed at the Russia-India summit in Moscow on December 24, along with defense and nuclear power. Moscow has already

The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.–Winston Churchill

CdW Intelligence to Rent of 9 01/05/2023

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reached an agreement with New Delhi to construct 12 nuclear power plants in India. (C and the West thinks that sanctions will work)

In sum, has 2015 really been a lost year in relations between Russia and the West? Anton Fedyashin, assistant professor and executive director of American University's Initiative for Russian Culture, provided his assessment of 2015 for Troika Report, counting the feathers in Russia’s cap against the black eyes.

“I do agree with the formula ‘One step forward, two steps back.’ U.S.-Russia relations have hit rock bottom in 2015, and the best part of the story is that there is nowhere to go but up. We are beginning to see this with the compromise on Syria and John Kerry’s latest visit to Moscow. Economically, the relationship will remain highly handicapped, and here the changes will be the slowest.”

“I think the positive step is the developments around Syria: That is the UN resolution and the talks on the future of Syria involving all the parties and starting as early as January 2016. As for the ‘two steps back,’ this is economic relations, which have gone nowhere – the European Union has just extended the sanctions; the other element is very little progress on Ukraine.”

Dec 22, 2015 Super Sub: Russia’s Next 'Boomer' to Keep Whole World Covered

TEHRAN (FNA)- The keel of Russia's new Borei class nuclear-powered missile submarine, dubbed Emperor Alexander III, was laid at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk on Friday, Russian media wrote on Monday.The Alexander III, already the seventh nuclear sub laid down in Severodvinsk as part of the upgraded Borei-A project, is 170 meters long, 13.5 meters wide and displaces 24,000 tons of water, Sputnik reported.Each such submarine carries 16 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles. Eight submarines of this class are to be built by 2020; three of them have already been delivered to the Navy.The first submarine of the project is the Prince Vladimir, laid down in 2012. In 2014, two submarines — the Prince Oleg and the Generalissimo Suvorov were laid down. The eighth and final missile submarine in the series is slated for construction in 2016.The idea to name the new submarine after Emperor Alexander III was proposed in 2014 by President Vladimir Putin after Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky handed him a restored St. Andrew’s flag





from the Russian Imperial Fleet’s battleship of the same name that took part in the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War.The Borei class submarines will form the basis of the Russian navy’s strategic nuclear forces in the coming decades.

India seeks Russia's 'crown jewels' in biggest arms deal of the decadePublished time: 23 Dec, 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Moscow on Wednesday following the approval of the biggest arms deal with Russia since 2001. India’s Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) last week agreed the purchase of five S-400 air defense systems from Russia. "Russia and India have a very strong partnership that the US can only aspire to," said Grevatt. "Sales from America may ebb and flow, but the sales from Russia will remain strong because there are so many ongoing programs between the two countries." S-400 is the latest upgrade of its renowned predecessor, S-300 air defense system. It can hit multiple-range air targets, including fighter jets, bombers, drones, ballistic and cruise missiles at ranges of about 400 kilometers. The S-400’s digital target acquisition system and radars allow detecting and hitting several different targets at one go, which makes the system a game-changer in modern warfare. The cost of the deal was not disclosed but according to estimates the air defense systems could cost India $4.5-$6 billion. It will become the biggest defense deal between the two countries since 2001 when India agreed to buy 140 Sukhoi Su-30MK fighter jets.

Dec 24, 2015 Russia’s Su-27/30 Fighters Among World's Top 3 Most Sold Combat Aircraft

TEHRAN (FNA)- Russia’s Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 warplanes are among the world’s most sold fighting aircraft, according to a report published by an authoritative UK-based analytical center Flight International.

According to the report, there are 943 fighter jets of the Su-27/Su-30 families, which accounts for 6 percent of the total number of combat aircraft in the world, Sputnik reported.These fighter jets are the third most popular combat aircraft in the world.The US-made US F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet was ranked first, with 2,264 aircraft of this type making up 16 percent of worldwide use. It is followed by the F-18 Hornet/Super Hornet aircraft, which are also made in the US.There are 1,047 F-18 fighter jets in the world or seven percent of the total number of military aircraft operational globally.With as many as 858 aircraft, US made F-15 Eagle fighters rank fourth making up six per cent.Among the rest of the top ten combat aircraft ranked, the Mikoyan MiG-29 ranked fifth with 819 aircraft, the Mig-21 ranked sixth with 551 operational aircraft followed by the Su-25 with 503 fighters at seventh, the Chinese made F-5 with 482 aircraft, F-7 with 459 aircraft and J-7 fighter jet with 418 aircraft are ranked eighth, ninth and 10th positions.As many as 6,208 aircraft of other types are operational with air forces





of other countries, which makes up 43 percent of the total number of combat aircraft in the world.There are 14,552 combat aircraft currently operational in armed forces across the globe, the report said.

Participants in the exercises will practice reconnaissance and ambush techniques using special equipment, including mountain skis and mountain climbing equipment.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia's Central Military District is holding military reconnaissance exercises in the country's southern Sayan Mountains, the press service of the district said in a statement Wednesday. "Reconnaissance personnel will practice airborne landings from helicopters in mountainous areas, negotiating cliffs, [mountain] slopes and glaciers," according to the statement.It was added in the statement that participants in the exercises would practice reconnaissance and ambush techniques using special equipment, including mountain skis and mountain climbing equipment.The three-day exercises, which are underway in Russia's Ergaki National Park, are due to wind up on December 25.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The contract on free deliveries of Russian S-300 air defense systems to Kazakhstan is fulfilled, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday. "We have completed the project on free of charge S-300 air defense system deliveries to Kazakhstan," Shoigu said at a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Imangali Tasmagambetov.

Russia and Armenia have signed a collective security deal on a united regional air defense system in the Caucasus. Moscow is currently working on a similar system with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The air defense agreement between Russia and Armenia has been signed by the heads of defense of the two countries, Sergey Shoigu and Seyran Ohanyan. In 2013 Moscow signed a deal on a joint regional air defense system with Kazakhstan. Russian and Belarusian systems have already been unified.At the same time, Russia has handed over an S-300 air defense system to Kazakhstan. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, “this is a great - if not the key - contribution to the unified air defense system that has already been put in place.”

Russia will start construction of two new generation small missile ships Dec 24Military & Defense December 23, MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The Pella shipyard in St. Petersburg in northwest Russia will lay down two new Project 22800 small missile ships for the Russian Navy on December 24, Navy Deputy Commander-in-Chief for Armament, Vice-Admiral Viktor Bursuk said on Wednesday."The ships will be codenamed Uragan and Taifun and will enter service in the Navy in 2017 and 2018 after their construction and trials are over," he said.In the near term, various Russian shipyards will build over a dozen ships of this new Project developed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau, he said.According to the admiral, the ships have a displacement of about 800 tons and are capable of developing a speed of over 30 knots and accomplishing missions at a distance of around 3,000 nautical miles from their bases.The ships will be armed with a set of high-precision missile weapons and modern artillery systems and will also receive domestic engines.





"These ships’ advantages include their high maneuverability, increased sea-going performance, and also the architecture of superstructures and the hull based on the stealth technology," the admiral said.The Russian Navy’s plans to order ocean-class small corvettes were announced in spring by Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov. In summer, Navy Commander-in-Chief Viktor Chirkov said the first new Project ship would be laid down by the end of the year and the Navy would get a total of 18 such corvettes.According to Chirkov, the armament of the new Project ships will match the weapons suite of Buyan-M-class missile ships armed with Kalibr missile systems. At the same time, the new corvettes will differ "by ocean-and sea-going characteristics," he said.

Putin: Russia Will Develop, Not Use, Nuclear Weapons, Dec 21. MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin says Russia will continue to develop nuclear weapons but doesn't intend to use them. The Russian leader made the comment in a documentary called "World Order" that was aired on state television Sunday night. "Russia as a leading nuclear country will be improving this weapon as a containment factor; the nuclear triad is the basis of our nuclear security polices," he said, referring to the three main delivery systems for nuclear warheads -- bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ICBMs."We have never brandished or will brandish this nuclear club, but our military doctrine allocates it a place and role," he said, according to excerpts reported by the state news agency Tass.

Poll: majority would favour granting military facilities to Russia Almost three out of four Cypriots would welcome the provision of military facilities to Russia by Cyprus, according to a poll conducted for Simerini newspaper and published on Sunday.Over half of those polled islandwide on December 16 and 17, said the government should seek closer ties with Moscow.The issue of offering military facilities to Russia came up earlier this month when the Russian ambassador said the matter was being discussed by Nicosia and Moscow but this was later denied by the foreign ministries of both countries. Russia is to be offered humanitarian and refuelling facilities such as those already given to France and Germany.According to the Simerini poll, carried out by the University of Nicosia, 42 per cent said that Cyprus should have equally close relations with the US and with Russia.Seven out of ten Cypriots were open to offering military facilities to Russian forces fighting against terrorism, with 37 per cent going as far as saying Cyprus should give them a base. Three out of five said they would feel safer if there was a Russian military presence on the island. Two out of five said they feel less safe in recent months since Britain began bombing the Islamic State in Syria from its RAF base in Cyprus.Socialist EDEK, which has been pushing the government, along with the Citizens Alliance to grant Russia military facilities, said on Sunday the poll had vindicated its position on the issue. “In the fight against terrorism and the illegal Islamic state of ISIS we must offer the same military facilities as an ally of France and of Russia,” the party said.





Regards Cees***In late October, we noted that for the second time this year, Russia overtook Saudi Arabia as the biggest exporter of crude to China.Russia also took the top spot in May, marking the first time in history that Moscow beat out Riyadh when it comes to crude exports to Beijing. “Moscow is wrestling with crippling Western economic sanctions and building closer ties with Beijing is key to mitigating the pain,” we said in October, on the way to explaining that closer ties between Russia and China as it relates to energy are part and parcel of a burgeoning relationship between the two countries who have voted together on the Security Council on matters of geopolitical significance. Here’s a look at the longer-term trend:You may also recall that Gazprom Neft (which is the number three oil producer in Russia) began settling all sales to China in yuan starting in January. This, we said, is yet another sign of the petrodollar’s imminent demise.On Monday, we learn that for the third time in 2015, Russia has once again bested the Saudis for the top spot on China’s crude suppliers list. “Russia overtook Saudi Arabia for the third time this year in November as China’s largest crude oil supplier,” Reuters writes, adding that “China brought in about 949,925 barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude in November, compared with 886,950 bpd from Saudi Arabia.”This is an annoyance for Riyadh. China was the world’s second-largest oil consumer in 2014 and closer ties between Moscow and Beijing not only represent a threat in terms of crude revenue, but also in terms of geopolitics as the last thing the Saudis need is for Xi to begin poking around militarily in the Arabian Peninsula on behalf of Moscow and Tehran.

As we documented in “Saudis Poke The Russian Bear, Start Oil War In Eastern Europe,” Riyadh has begun to encroach on Moscow’s markets in Poland. Here’s what Bloomberg





wrote back in October: “Poland has long been a client of Russian oil companies. Last year, about three-quarters of its fuel imports came from Russia, with the rest from Kazakhstan and European countries. Poland, however, is at the center of efforts to reduce the European Union’s dependence on Russian energy.“A new and reliable supplier is a godsend. As for the Saudis, they need to expand outside Asia where demand is falling.“This could turn into a more active shoving match between the world’s two biggest oil exporters, which already are at odds over the Syrian conflict.Indeed, one could plausibly argue that one of the reasons the Saudis moved to artificially suppress prices last year was to sqeeze Putin and ultimately force The Kremlin to give up its support for Assad. As The New York Times put it, a dramatic decline in crude prices has certain “ancillary diplomatic benefits.”Unfortunately for Riyadh, the strategy hasn’t worked. In fact, it’s backfired in more ways than one.First, Saudi Arabia is facing a fiscal crisis as Riyadh’s budget deficit balloons to 20% of GDP, forcing the kingdom to tap the debt market in order to offset the SAMA burn.Second, Putin not only refused to give up his support for the government in Damascus, he actually doubled down by sending the Russian air force to Latakia. Meanwhile, Russia continued to pump even more oil, and as Bloomberg reports, Moscow is now producing at “the fastest pace since the collapse of the Soviet Union.”

“Russia’s unexpected oil bounty this year is the result not of a new Kremlin campaign but of dozens of modest productivity improvements across the sprawling sector. Even pressured by plunging prices, as well as U.S. and European Union sanctions that cut access to much foreign financing and technology, Russian companies have managed to squeeze more crude out of some of the country’s oldest fields,” Bloomberg writes, before noting that “Bashneft and other Russian companies working fields in the Volga River basin — some of the first to be discovered in Russia early in the last century — are benefiting from Soviet inefficiency as [the old motto was]: ‘whatever we don’t produce will be left for our children.’”For analysts, Russia’s resiliency has come as a surprise. “I know of no one who had predicted that Russian production would rise in 2015, let alone to new record levels,” Edward Morse, Citigroup’s global head of commodities research said.





As for what it would take to curtail production, Mikhail Stavskiy, head of upstream at Bashneft PJSC which has been “the biggest single contributor to increased crude output this year,” says he doesn’t know. “I don’t know what the oil price would have to fall to for things to change dramatically. We’ve been through $9 a barrel and production continued, so if something like that happens, we know what to do.”Indeed, thanks to the low cost of extracting crude from Russia’s oil fields in West Siberia and the devaluation of the ruble, production costs are rock bottom:

But not everyone agrees that this is sustainable. Some say efforts to improve efficiency have run their course and with financing for exploration scarce, further gains may be hard to come by. Interestingly, Bloomberg also notes that because Moscow takes “nearly everything above $30-$40 a barrel” on exports, producers won’t feel the impact of low prices until crude falls substantially below those levels.“Russia will maintain its current oil production levels within the bandwidth of 525 million to 533 million tons next year, as the federal government’s budget is set on such production levels,” Stratfor’s Lauren Goodrich says, presaging more of the same in 2016.The takeaway here is that the Saudi gambit failed to wrench market share away from the Russians and between the conflict in Syria, Moscow’s closer ties with Beijing, and Riyadh’s move to antagonize The Kremlin by encroaching on Russia’s eastern European market share, one shouldn’t expect Putin to back down any time soon. In short, if John Kerry and Riyadh did in fact plan to bankrupt the Russians by tanking crude prices, the effort was a miserable failure that resulted not only in a 20% fiscal deficit for the Saudis, but also in the destruction of American jobs in the oil patch.We close with a bit of humor from Deputy Energy Minister Kirill Molodtsov:





“I will tell you when Russian companies are for sure going to decrease production — when oil costs $0.” The original source of this article is Zero Hedge




al-qaida chief ayman al-zawahiri the coordinator 2015 part 19-122-caliphate-al-zawahiri-10-34-russia

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