Analysis and images of the parades is all over the internet and in the last megathread; for the China-India stuff I recommend this article, as well as the Tricontinental in general.
Image is from @xiaohongshu@hexbear.net's comment in the last megathread.
Last week was the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 2, and on such an occasion, China put on quite an impressive military parade, especially in comparison to the rather drab and corporate parade that the USA recently had. In attendance were many world leaders, including Putin, Kim Jong Un, and a very happy-looking Lukashenko.
This took place shortly after the SCO summit in Tianjin, in which Modi was notably in attendance. That one of the world's most powerful fascists was in attendance in China near the anniversary of the World Antifascist War is obviously pretty ironic. Regardless, the mood was still relatively positive; for example, Xi announced the acceleration of the creation of the SCO development bank, and Indian-Chinese relations are once again in the thaw cycle of their long-term cyclical pattern, with direct flights resumed and links expanded. The fact that there is this much projected optimism from China about a Global South which is being increasingly tariffed, infiltrated, starved, looted, bombed, invaded, and massacred in the hundreds of thousands by rabid imperialist dogs is perhaps a little tone-deaf, but buoying up the SCO is better than doing nothing at all, I suppose.
Any astute Geopolitics Understander can tell you that this is certainly not India joining the side of the Global South, but instead a move somewhat forced upon them as they seek to balance both sides for their own gain. As Trump amps up pressure on India via tariffs, it is natural that India would seek leverage, and there is much that India gains: industrial development, increased intra-regional trade, and scientific knowledge from a China which has, in numerous fields, now pulled ahead of the USA. India is also facing numerous internal crises, ranging from run-of-the-mill capitalist incompetence and corruption, to worsening conditions for farmers, to the ravaging impacts of climate change, and increasing their links with China is a way to vent off a little of that pressure and protect Modi's regime.
Last week's thread is here.
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Israel's Genocide of Palestine
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against the temporary Zionist entity. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on Israel's destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
F-35B Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) capable 5th generation stealth fighters have been froward deployed to Puerto Rico this weekend, as expected according to previous reports. This is notable as the F-35B can operate off of the USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault ship deployed to the south Carribean near Venezuela as if it's a mini aircraft carrier, if needed. The F-35A and F-35C cannot. The Iwo Jima is currently operating with AV-8B Harrier II Plus aircraft.
Flight tracking data for mid air refueling and support (transport/cargo) flights from Marine Corps Airfield Yuma, to Puerto Rico over the past few days
Pictures were captured over the continental USA of the mid air refueling. Note the drogue attachment on the boom, ruling out the F-35A model, and the smaller wings of the F-35s, ruling out the F-35C model.
Missed this: The F-35Bs were videoed and photographed on arrival to Puerto Rico.
Why deploy F-35s? To guarantee air superiority and air cover for the US Naval and amphibious Marine forces. Venezuela's 2-3 operational F-16s pose no threat to US forces. They lack radar guided missiles, only have short range infrared guided air to air missiles, and their anti surface weaponry consists of unguided gravity bombs. The Harriers with active radar guided air to air missiles (AIM-120C AMRAAM), and the AEGIS equipped destroyers have those covered relatively easily. However, Venezuela's Su-30s could pose a much larger threat. These aircraft have active radar guided R-77-1, and semi active R-27ET air to air missiles, with a range of up to 130km. Along with their Kh-31 supersonic anti ship missiles, the estimated dozen operational Su-30s could pose more of a threat, depending on their state of readiness and operational capability (interviews with Venezuelan pilots are not positive in this regard). Hence the deployment of F-35Bs. On ground based air defence, Venezuela's old Soviet era SAMs and MANPADs would pose little threat to high flying Harriers if airstrikes are to be conducted on Venezuelan soil. However, the S-300VM/SA-23 air defence system poses a serious threat to these aircraft if not destroyed beforehand. F-35Bs could be used to work around this, carrying out airstikes on Venezuelan soil using their stealth capabilities, without the need to destroy the system.
I can't believe they're really about to do this
It's gonna be Bay of pigs 2.0. Hopefully Trump won't drop a nuke, but that may well happen, especially as the US eats shit
Maybe he just threatens to, triggering UN sanctions. There is hope!
It'd also just so mind-blowing to me that they are legit gonna fuck up another country out in imperial-fall-lashing out.
Part of me genuinely wonders if this isn't a diversion though, and they are about to bomb Mexico or something. It seems too obvious right now to go for Venezuela. They're not geniuses but there are at least some majors that would tell Trump to be more tactful. Or maybe they're gonna do some pager-like bullshit and then the diversion is less necessary. How many gusano venezuelans could they deploy?
Depends on what exactly. Some sort of limited strikes in Venezuela "against the cartels" are possible and likely. A full blown air campaign, or amphibious assault is possible, but less likely.
Maybe they'll bomb a few warehouses and claim it was to strike "cocaine producing centres" and call it a day, all while showing they can strike whoever they want while the "international community" jerks off... just like they did with that boat.
Side note but I'm really surprised the Harrier is still being used? Even the UK dropped rhe Harrier off years ago (i remember making a roblox post about it)
Jesus christ, Empire. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck oooooooooffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff.