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The UK says that a Soviet-developed Novichok nerve agent was used against Sergei Skripal, his daughter, and bystanders, and has given Russia "until midnight tonight" to explain how it came to be used:
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Tuesday that Russia has "until midnight tonight" to explain how a lethal Novichok nerve agent that was developed in Russia came to be used on U.K. soil. Johnson said Britain is preparing to take "commensurate but robust" action.
Reiterating British Prime Minister Theresa May's statement that it was "highly likely" Russia was to blame for the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, Johnson said, "the use of this nerve agent would represent the first use of nerve agents on the continent of Europe since the Second World War."
Meanwhile, police are probing the death of a Russian exile living in London:
Nikolai Glushkov, a Russian exile who was a close friend of a noted critic of President Vladimir Putin, has died from an "unexplained" cause in London, police say. The Metropolitan Police says that its counter-terrorism unit is handling the case "because of associations that the man is believed to have had."
Glushkov, 68, was a close friend of former Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a prominent critic of the Kremlin who was found dead in 2013. At the time, an inquiry found he had hanged himself — but Glushkov publicly disputed the idea that his friend and former business ally would have killed himself.
As British media began reporting Glushkov's death, the police issued a statement saying, "An investigation is underway following the death of a man in his 60s in Kingston borough."
Previously: Former Russian Spy Exposed to "Unknown Substance" in Salisbury, England
Use of Nerve Agent Confirmed in Skripal Assassination Attempt
(Score: 2) by TheRaven on Wednesday March 14 2018, @09:49AM (3 children)
sudo mod me up
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 14 2018, @10:01AM
That's just crazy talk Raven. You stop that right now! No one would ever do something so stupid!
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday March 14 2018, @10:58AM (1 child)
I remember that a SAM is less expensive than a carrier and Russians are quite capable of downing such flying objects even from mobile stations (see MH17).
On the medium term, I think the attacker (with a corporatist MIC to feed) will get to pay more than the attacked, with little effect on the later.
Besides, the same resources were available in Afghanistan, didn't make much of a difference.
Other things to add to the borscht - remember Sakharov? - the EPFCG [wikipedia.org] are his invention - imagine how one of those 100MJ/256MA will play with a densely wired population area so dependent on electronics and communications. Even better if that population remain alive, an extra pressure on the number of mouths to feed with communications and health care system down (if NHS was stopped by a virus, imagine how it would work when all computers are smouldering). Perhaps is an advantage to be a second class economy and have a high geo dispersion in such times as a war?
Mother Of All Bombs? Meet the Father Of All Bombs [wikipedia.org] - lighter than MOAB, twice the punch punch.
Seems like US abandoned the development of anti-satellite laser weapons, but Russian may already have them [news.com.au]. Ooops.
My point? It is dangerous to play the "my father beats your father" games with Russia as one of the fathers, even in conventional wars.
This even assuming the Chinese don't get pissed off (by tariffs and annoyances in South China Sea) enough to join the brawl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday March 15 2018, @07:13PM
Yeah, it's maybe difficult to see where China would stand: neutral if possible? Join with Russia?
May be with who starts it all.
If Russia starts it, do they stay off? Join the 'allies' of NATO/EU?
NATO starts it, they join Russia?
Could be interesting...but scary as feck!
Computer says 'no'!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---