If you suspect that Vladimir Putin’s decision-making process is above the creed of superstition and mythical creatures, you should know that there are psychologists, intelligence agency analysts and a jailed Yakutsk wizard out there who would beg to differ.

“Putin and his entourage take the spirit world very seriously,” says a Kremlin official who requested anonymity to ensure his security, navigating what some insiders maintain is the Russian president’s Twilight Zone. “It’s not a big leap of faith for a Russian to think Putin will do what’s necessary to destroy anyone looking to exorcize the imaginary demons who they believe give him power.”

The question is, do you believe that primal evil spirits, concocted to panic delusory serfs, have entranced the 70-year-old Putin into slaughtering Ukrainians and threatening nuclear war against the West?

Anna Moroz, who’s spent a decade counseling Russian emigres mystified about how to accustom themselves to the West’s secular ways, is about as certain of it as any clinical psychologist can be under the circumstances.

“Legendary stories play a formidable role in our national psychology and are without doubt animating Putin’s actions in Ukraine,” the Russian-born Moroz explains, speaking to The Daily Beast under an assumed name for fear of reprisals. “The technical term is paradoxical thinking, but I certainly don’t believe reports that the man-snake Koschei Bessmertny is advising Putin from a grotto beneath the Kremlin.”

Read more at: www.yahoo.com

Not since the pre-Glasnost days, when mutually assured nuclear destruction between the Soviet Union and the United States was the only logical way a shooting war between the two superpowers would end, has the world teetered so close to the brink of atomic conflict.

In the early days of the Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin put his nuclear forces on high alert — seldom a good sign. It was even worse when U.S. President Joe Biden began talking about “Armageddon.”

“We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis,” Biden told a Democratic Party fundraiser last month.

Needless to say, that tends to put a fellow on edge. And, when a missile lands in Polish territory — Poland being a NATO ally — things start to get hairy. That’s especially true when early reports seemed to indicate it was a Russian missile.

We’re now almost certain it wasn’t. The missile in question is only operated by the Ukrainians, which means it was likely an accident that occurred while fending off a Russian attack. The Ukrainians aren’t admitting responsibility, however.

Read more at www.westernjournal.com

Iran’s Sobh-e-Sadegh newspaper published a threat in Hebrew on its front page on Monday, warning that a new Iranian hypersonic missile could reach Israel in 400 seconds.

“400 seconds: General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force, said that Iran has obtained technology for hypersonic missiles,” wrote the newspaper, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Pariyab also referenced a letter sent by Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, the “father” of Iran’s missile program, to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which referenced the acquisition of a “quick response super-fast missile.”

Read more at: m.jpost.com

Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping is ordering China’s military to comprehensively strengthen its preparations for war, even as the regime reveals its latest hypersonic weapon.

Xi said that the Party’s military branch must train for any war and be prepared for unforeseen conflicts.

He said the military must devote all its energy toward combat readiness and work to “enhance its capability to fight and win,” according to Chinese state-owned media outlet Xinhua.

Read more at: www.theepochtimes.com

WASHINGTON — Four key Republicans on Capitol Hill are questioning the Air Force’s decision to replace two permanent F-15C Eagle fighter squadrons in Okinawa with rotational forces.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the lawmakers expressed concern about the plan and asked for a briefing on the decision to remove permanent forces from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

Read more at: www.federaltimes.com

It feels like I’m watching a scene from a James Bond film.

Somewhere near Moscow, Russia’s president is up on stage being quizzed
about the Apocalypse. The moderator reminds Putin he had once predicted
that, after a nuclear war, Russians would go to heaven.

“We’re in no rush to get there, are we?” the moderator enquires hopefully.

There’s a long, uncomfortable pause. Seven seconds of silence.

“Your silence is worrying me,” the moderator says.

“It was meant to,” replies Putin with a chuckle.

Read more at: www.bbc.com

Communist China has been using headhunters in South Africa to recruit ex-British military pilots to train pilots in China’s People’s Liberation Army, which has left Western officials scrambling to put an end to the practice.

Officials have said China has lured away dozens, potentially around 30 ex-military pilots, from the U.K. by paying them salaries of around $270,000 per year.

The New York Times reported that the U.K. is now working with allied nations to put an end to Beijing snatching away ex-military personnel due to the national security risks that it poses to the nations.

While none of the ex-military pilots appeared to be breaking criminal laws by helping the Chinese, British officials were determined to “tighten the controls on retired service members” to protect against them helping foreign adversaries in activities that could violate espionage laws, The Times said.

Read more at: www.dailywire.com

Hundreds of veterans have taken lucrative foreign jobs that U.S. officials approved — but fought to keep secret

More than 500 retired U.S. military personnel — including scores of generals and admirals — have taken lucrative jobs since 2015 working for foreign governments, mostly in countries known for human rights abuses and political repression, according to a Washington Post investigation.

In Saudi Arabia, for example, 15 retired U.S. generals and admirals have worked as paid consultants for the Defense Ministry since 2016. The ministry is led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, who U.S. intelligence agencies say approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Post contributing columnist, as part of a brutal crackdown on dissent.

Saudi Arabia’s paid advisers have included retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones, a national security adviser to President Barack Obama, and retired Army Gen. Keith Alexander, who led the National Security Agency under Obama and President George W. Bush, according to documents obtained by The Post under Freedom of Information Act lawsuits.

Others who have worked as consultants for the Saudis since Khashoggi’s murder include a retired four-star Air Force general and a former commanding general of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Read more at: www.washingtonpost.com

A Russian fighter jet recently released a missile “in the vicinity” of a Royal Air Force reconnaissance plane conducting a patrol mission in Eastern Europe, UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace said Thursday.

The unarmed RC-135W Rivet Joint was in the middle of a routine patrol over the Black Sea on September 29 when two armed Russian Su-27 fighter jets “interacted” with the surveillance aircraft, Wallace told lawmakers in London while delivering an update on the war in Ukraine.

“It is not unusual for aircraft to be shadowed, and this day was no different. During that interaction, however, it transpired that one of the Su-27 aircraft released a missile in the vicinity of the RAF Rivet Joint beyond visual range,” Wallace said, adding that the interaction lasted about 90 minutes.

The RAF Rivet Joint returned to its base once the patrol finished, Wallace said, and he’s since communicated his concerns with his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, “in light of this potentially dangerous engagement.”

Read more at: www.businessinsider.com