China’s Balloon
The notion China had “a weather balloon” that was blown off course over the United States is so ridiculous it’s laughable according to military experts.
Both the U.S. and China spy on one another, and this balloon appears to have been a sophisticated SIGINT (signals intelligence) platform, the length of 3 buses, collecting info over American military bases which could have included recording sensitive communications intercepts.
President Biden was criticized by Republicans for allowing the intrusion of U.S. airspace by the Chinese, despite the fact three such balloons over flew the U.S. when Trump was President.
Biden ordered the balloon, flying at 12 miles above ground, shot down after it was no longer a danger to civilian areas. It was brought down by a missile fired by an F-22 fighter jet this weekend, in about 50 ft of water near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
This latest balloon entered U.S. airspace on Jan 31 and was tracked over the Aleutian Island, Canada, and then again over sensitive missile sites over Montana.
The American’s will recover the debris with divers and get a good haul of Chinese electronic equipment that was aboard, or at least pieces of whats left.
The Chinese are furious, although why would they be if it was truly a weather balloon?
Oh and a second Chinese spy balloon had been spotted - this time over Latin America with reported sightings over Costa Rica and Venezuela.
Colombia's Air Force says an identified object was detected on 3 February in the country's airspace at above 55,000ft.
China says it may respond to the U.S. shoot down, so more to come on the balloon saga, but it you fly a device over a sovereign country, expect it to go bang!
Russia - Ukraine
Russia appears to be launching a new offensive in Ukraine, with President Zelensky announcing the situation was getting tougher.
Russia, he said, was “throwing more and more of its forces at breaking down our defence. It is very difficult now in Bakhmut, Vugledar, Lyman and other areas”.
There appears to be several hundred thousand new troops from Russia poised to press Ukraine’s defensive lines, as the anniversary date of Putin’s Feb 24 invasion approaches, and Western allies are rushing new arms to help Ukraine, including German made Leopard tanks.
While President Putin has tried to draw parallels with Germany’s WW2 attack on Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced no German Leopards are to be used to attack Russia, only to defend Ukrainian territory.
And the fact is Putin attacked Ukraine, which posed no threat to Russia.
My Russian friends told me on a January visit to Moscow they noticed no significant shortages of goods in Moscow, despite International sanctions which may be creating difficulties for Russia’s military.
But Russian women complained they can’t get cosmetics like they used to.
War is hell.
Other News…
-Pervez Musharraf, the four-star general who ruled Pakistan for nearly a decade after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999, has died in Dubai. He was 79 and had suffered a long illness say reports.
-Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv Saturday for the fifth consecutive week against controversial legal reforms touted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government.
Have a good Sunday everyone. I was travelling last week so I chose not to write. But I am back with you this week as news develops.
Dana Lewis