Fuses and Flashpoints

Feeling the escalation (again)?

We are yet again sitting on a 24th day of the month - the first of 2024. I expect this may become a monthly look but that remains to be seen. Early days yet, but so far we have these indicators for us to consider.

Yesterday this was looking like a run of the mill meme. Let's see how that assessment holds up.

⚠️NEW: Doomsday Clock Set at 90 Seconds to Midnight - Amid 'Unprecedented Level of Risk'

Humanity continues to be in the most danger it has ever been in 2024, experts have said.

#TheBidenEffect @RiseGS 🔸

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Then we get to today's news (all before lunch):

🚨🇺🇦🇳🇪 Is Zelensky Going to start a Nuclear war?

Sensational allegations: Ukraine secretly buys weapons-grade uranium in Niger

Amidst the echoes of an impending Russian victory, a startling revelation emerges, painting a picture of desperation so profound, it flirts with the catastrophic. Ukraine, losing and outmaneuvered, now whispers of a last, desperate gambit - seeking nuclear salvation from the sands of Niger. This isn't just a strategic pivot; it's a frantic grasp at the unthinkable, the creation of a nuclear-armed, Fascist, terrorist state, in the heart of Europe.

This dramatic turn reeks not of strength, but of the last throes of a cornered regime, willing to risk global annihilation in a futile attempt to counter Russia's relentless advance.

👉 Click here to read this explosive report by Gerry Nolan

🎙Subscribe to The Islander 🔸

🔸Sources in Niger have confirmed the acquisition via the French Areva of quite large quantities of uranium by Ukraine.
The same sources emphasize that it is the British and the French who help the Kyiv regime in its military nuclear program. Strategika51 🔸

🔸Intel: the Ukrainian nuclear option is seen by Washington as the final and only means to definitively prevent Russia from winning the war in Ukraine. Strategika51 🔸

🔸🇧🇪 🇺🇦 🇷🇺 Belgium will be the first in Europe to transfer income from Russian assets to Ukraine

Kyiv will get €611 million. The information was confirmed by the head of the Belgian Ministry of Defense, Ludivine Dedonder, Belga News Agency reports. @cbctvaz 🔸

💢 The so called secret plan
- Rohit

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12964575/Germany-preparing-Putin-attack-against-NATO-2025-Leaked-secret-plans-reveal-step-step-Russia-escalate-conflict-war-18-months.html 🔸

The Arab plan to break the Houthi blockade of Yemen and ensure supplies to Israel... Strategika51 🔸

🐦‍⬛️ The Il-76 military transport plane crashed in the Belgorod region.

There were 63 people on the plane. According to preliminary information, they all died.

The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported on the incident in the Koročany district. The operational services are now verifying the information about the plane crash.

According to unofficial reports, the plane could have been Ukrainian prisoners of war who were being taken for exchange.

There is no official information yet. t.me/istocni_front 🔸

🐦‍⬛️🇷🇺 Official announcement of the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

The Il-76 crashed around 11:00 a.m. Moscow time in the Belgorod region.

In the downed Il-76 there were 65 captured members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who were transported to the Belgorod region for exchange.

6 crew members and 3 accompanying persons.

A little earlier, Ukraine announced that the plane was shot down by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

t.me/istocni_front 🔸

❗️Ukrainian media delete reports about Kiev's responsibility for the Il-76 crash

The outlet called "Ukrainska pravda" earlier reported that the AFU claimed responsibility for the crash. The media has now deleted the news following reports of captured Ukrainians onboard. Sputnik Africa | TikTok | Twitter 🔸

🐦‍⬛️ 🇷🇺🇺🇦🔹 The downing of the Il-76 was carried out by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Liptsi area, Kharkiv region, with the help of an anti-aircraft missile system, the Ministry of Defense of Russia announced.

🔹 The radar equipment of the Russian Aerospace Forces detected the launch of two Ukrainian rockets, the Ministry notes.

⭕️ The crew of the IL-76 was able to report an "external impact," said Viktor Bondarev, chairman of the Defense Committee of the Federation Council.

⭕️ Photo: List of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the downed Il-76.

🔹 According to the agreement reached earlier, the exchange of prisoners was supposed to take place in the afternoon at the Kolotilovka checkpoint on the Russian-Ukrainian border, the Ministry of Defense announced.

🚀 t.me/istocni_front 🔸

🐦‍⬛️🇷🇺 Trace in the sky, in place where the engine of the Il-76 military transport plane caught fire and which collapsed.

For now, there are two versions of the crash of the Il-76 near Belgorod, or the shooting down or technical failure.

Given that two IRIS-T air defense systems were attacked near Suja yesterday, which Ukrainian formations dragged to the border, it is hard to believe in a technical failure. Since the beginning of the year, the armed forces of Ukraine have started bringing air defense systems to the border areas.

There were 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on the plane, who were prepared for exchange as part of the planned exchange with the Ukrainian side.

The exchange dragged on for a long time and was sabotaged by the Ukrainian side. A total of 192 people were to be exchanged.

t.me/istocni_front 🔸

🐦‍⬛️🇷🇺 Head of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee Andrei Kartapolov said that the Il-76 plane was shot down by three Patriot or Iris-T missiles.

Another Il-76, carrying 80 more Ukrainian prisoners of war, turned around after the military plane crashed in the Belgorod region. This was also announced by Kartapolov.

The exchange of prisoners according to the formula 192 for 192 was supposed to take place today at the border of the Belgorod region. The Ukrainian armed forces thwarted this by shooting down the Il-76.

Andrey Kartapolov said that Kiev was informed about the upcoming exchange and the flight route of the plane with the prisoners.

The Cabinet of the President of Ukraine knew about the upcoming exchange and the flight route of the plane with the prisoners.

According to the President of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Volodin, the deputies will prepare an appeal to the United States and Germany regarding the downing of the Il-76.

All these statements indirectly confirm that the plane was shot down by the American Patriot or the German IRIS-T.

t.me/istocni_front 🔸

🍏🍎🍐🍊

🐦‍⬛️ 🇷🇺 ⚔️🇺🇸🇩🇪 President of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav Volodin ordered to prepare an address to the US Congress and the German Bundestag regarding the crash of the Il-76 plane in the Belgorod region

"They killed their soldiers in the air, their own." Mothers, wives, children were waiting for them there. They killed our helpless pilots who were performing a humanitarian mission," said Volodin.

He also proposed to determine what kind of rockets could have shot down the plane.

"There is a proposal to determine which rockets and launch systems were used." Let's prepare an address to the US Congress and the German Bundestag so that the lawmakers will finally open their eyes and see who they are funding, who they are helping. It is the Nazi regime nurtured by Biden, Macron, Scholz and other politicians. They should become aware of their responsibility, and the deputies in the parliaments should initiate impeachment against them," said Volodin.

🚀 t.me/istocni_front 🔸

🔸🍏🍎🍐🍊

🐦‍⬛️ 🇷🇺 The most important information about the crash of the Il-76 in the Belgorod region:

⭕️ The plane crashed around 11:00 a.m. during the planned flight. It was carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers who were transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, as well as six crew members and three escorts.

⭕️ Il-76 crashed five or six kilometers from the village of Jablonovo in the Koročan district.

⭕️ Residents of the Belgorod village of Jablonovo reported that they heard two explosions about a minute apart.

⭕️ The causes of the disaster have not been officially announced.

⭕️ Emergency services, firefighters and police, as well as rescue teams, arrived at the crash site. The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, also came to the scene of the accident.

⭕️ A commission of the Russian Aerospace Forces was sent to the region to determine the causes of the accident.

⭕️ All those on the plane died (74 people), Gladkov announced.

⭕️ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could not comment on the news about the plane's crash for the time being.

⭕️ The President of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav Volodin proposed to prepare an address to the US Congress and the German Bundestag regarding the accident.

⭕️ 🇺🇦The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine refused to admit responsibility for the crash of the Russian Il-76 in the Belgorod region - the department is "still clarifying information."

🚀 t.me/istocni_front 🔸

🍏🍎🍐🍊

🐦‍⬛️ 🇷🇺⚔️🇺🇦 Moscow's first reaction to the downing of the Il-76 plane

Kiev committed an act of insane barbarism, shooting down the Il-76 and calling into question the possibility of any agreements, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

Based on the inactions that Kiev is making, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is running out of epithets and allegories.

🚀 t.me/istocni_front 🔸

🐦‍⬛️🇺🇦 The Cabinet of the President of Ukraine has not yet commented on the crash of the Il-76 with Ukrainian prisoners.

Comments will come a little later. It takes time to clarify all the data - said Mihail Podoljak in comment for Reuters.

Ukrainian channels remove all announcements from their pages which suggest that the crash of the Il-76 near Belgorod was the work of the Ukrainian armed forces.

t.me/istocni_front🔸

🐦‍⬛️🇺🇸🇺🇦 The USA is considering the option of moving the capital of Ukraine from Kyiv to Lviv in case of defeat of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

That's what former Pentagon official Stephen Bryan said.

In recent months he has been noticing a new policy towards Ukraine. This policy is designed to address the new reality that Ukraine will lose the war and that the Ukrainian government may have to evacuate Kiev. Probably to Lviv. - says Bryan.

According to Bryan, the US now has three urgent tasks that Washington will try to implement at any cost.

The first and foremost thing is to not let the fight die down. It is difficult, but doable.

Another, no less important task is to ensure that the Kiev regime led by Zelensky continues to function even in the case of evacuation from Kiev.

Zelenski's government must survive politically.

And the third task is to not let Russia into Europe and not to allow it to conduct any negotiations with European countries.

Russia can install a government loyal to itself in Kiev, and Europe will accept that to stop the conflict.

That to the United States does not match.

t.me/istocni_front 🔸

🔸🇷🇺🇺🇦 The Russian side of the Il-76 was targeted by an anti-aircraft guided missile launched from Kharkov, at a distance of 130 km.
#Belgorod #Russia #Ukraine
@rybar
Original msg 🔸

🔸 From @wingsofwar
If it is indeed the case, then the enemy forces shooting down a Russian military aircraft over the territory of the Belgorod region indicates control over the airspace of the Russian region bordering the front. This is, to put it mildly, very troubling news.

I would like you to remember the words of our president, which may someday come true:
“If the shelling of Russian territories continues, Russia will have to consider creating a "sanitary zone" in Ukraine,” President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with military officers in June 2023.

Thumbs up @wingsofwar Original msg 🔸

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We’ll round this out with a neat little trick in Serbia. Escalation is apparently escaping all previous bounds. And on every front. The kiddie rodeo may be replaced with the PBR soon. With more clowns than bulls.

🔸🤔🇷🇸 The National Bank of Serbia reacted to the regulation of the so-called Central Bank of Kosovo that from February 1, the only currency in Kosovo will be the euro.

"The announced measures, which are contrary not only to elementary international standards in the field of finance and banking, but also to the agreements established so far and the way in which dinar cash flows have been going on for years, are aimed exclusively at denying the basic income that the population and business entities earn in dinars in Kosovo and Metohija", they state in the NBS.

Therefore, they add, these measures affect the prevention of elementary conditions for the survival, above all, of the Serbian population.

"The announced measures completely arbitrarily, arbitrarily and discriminately regulate the field of cash payments and change the way in which the transport of dinars functioned years ago, and practically prevent cash payments in dinars," they add.

"The National Bank of Serbia, in cooperation with the competent institutions of the Republic of Serbia, undertakes all the necessary measures within its jurisdiction in order to prevent the application of the aforementioned Regulation and protect the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. The NBS believes that it is necessary to immediately repeal the discriminatory and outrageous measures introduced by the Temporary Institutions in Prishtina in order to enable the smooth transport and distribution of dinars through financial and other institutions that make their payments through their counters and ATMs, and to prevent the denial of basic conditions for life of the Serbian population in Kosovo and Metohija."

Full announcement 👉 https://www.nbs.rs/sr_RS/scripts/showcontent/index.html?id=19478 🔸

Don't touch that dial. 🎟📺🍿