Craig Maefs

"Many oligarchs are also suffering serious financial losses because they own refineries and plants that Ukrainians are very successfully hitting almost every day." Keep this up, Ukraine! Keep depriving Putin's oligarchs of their sources of income, and Putin's days will be numbered for sure. That's how it works in the mafia, isn't it? And what is Russia, if not a mob-owned gas station?

@InfoAgeStrategy @SociologenHD So true. I worked with the German police in Afghanistan and in the late 80’s was in a Combat Corps Heavy Engineer battalion that had the mission and target folders for the Fulda gap. I agree with you 100% Fred

I worked in West Berlin as an Army intelligence officer when the Berlin wall fell. I worked at the US embassy in Berlin between 2004 and 2011, as a military attaché. I worked with the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan in 2003-2004. So, I know a thing or two about the Germans, and about the German military. What you say makes sense. I watched successive German governments shortchange the Bundeswehr budget -- not for years, but for DECADES. This is why the Bundeswehr is in the shape it is in today. After World War II, Western powers (led by the U.S.) were determined to prevent the repeat of Nazism. We worked with Federal Republic of Germany leaders to stamp out militarism, nationalism, and even patriotism...and we succeeded. Germany now needs to not only reply to the military threat posed by Putin's Russia, yet do so in a way that unites and motivates Germans but without scaring the crap out of Germany's neighbors. Tough to do, but absolutely necessary.

Germany did not merely misread Russia. It created an entire school of thought around the misreading. Ostpolitik made sense during the Cold War. And on a practical level, it improved life for lots of Germans caught on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain. But after the Cold War, much of this was translated into a quasi-religious belief by the German political elite, often clad in highly intellectual-sounding language: - that trade would civilise geopolitics, - dependence would create moderation, - and economic integration would dissolve power politics. Things that sound too good to be true typically are. But critics were dismissed as primitive Cold Warriors. Eastern Europeans were patronised and Americans treated as vulgar hawks. We’ve all seen the embarrassing pictures from the UN General Assembly, where German civil servants were laughing with tears in their eyes because Donald Trump was speaking the truth. And meanwhile Germany built Nord Stream, deepened its energy dependence on Russia, and — in one of the most consequential strategic mistakes in modern European history — shut down nuclear power without any credible geopolitical fallback. What was presented as moral sophistication often turned out to be strategic infantilism, and the result was certainly not peace. It was strategic dependency — and, to put it bluntly, weakness — disguised as sophistication. One of the central themes of The Lost Peace.

George Washington Carver sliding down the shipway after launching, Yard No. 1, Kaiser Richmond Shipyards, Richmond, California, United States, 7 May 1943. At the peak of production, American shipyards were cranking out Liberty ships so fast that the average build time dropped from about 230 days at the start of the program to just 42 days by 1943. But the truly insane stunt happened at the Permanente Metals shipyard in Richmond, California, in November 1942: they built the SS Robert E. Peary from keel-laying to launch in 4 days, 15 hours, and 29 minutes, as a publicity stunt to show what was possible. The ship was then fully fitted out and delivered just three days later, and it actually went on to serve in the war. Over the course of WWII, the U.S. built 2,710 Liberty ships, roughly three ships every single day for years. Henry Kaiser's shipyards revolutionized the process by welding hull sections together (instead of riveting) and prefabricating huge modules off-site, basically applying Detroit-style assembly-line logic to 14,000-ton cargo ships.

🚨 UPDATE on the NYT front-page “Gaza starvation” photo from last year: Photographer Saher Alghorra just won the 2026 Pulitzer for Breaking News Photography. For that hoax. The NYT later admitted the child had pre-existing muscular and neurological issues. His brother appeared healthy and well-fed. Didn’t matter. The image served the narrative. So it was rewarded. That’s journalism now. Not truth. Just agenda in disguise. Disgraceful.

As the world celebrates Victory in Europe Day, let us not forget how World War II began — with a deal. In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. This agreement set the stage for the joint destruction of Europe. Hitler invaded Poland from the west, and Stalin followed from the east. The USSR then attacked Finland, annexed the Baltics, and seized territory from Romania. Between 1939 and 1941, the Soviets supplied Nazi Germany with oil, grain, and raw materials — fueling its conquest of Europe. Stalin was not Hitler’s victim. He was his partner in crime. Together, they ignited a war that would claim over 70 million lives. Truth matters more than propaganda.

The future of point defense is here. With FAA & Pentagon approval, AV’s LOCUST Laser is ready to protect our critical infrastructure. This high-precision, low-cost kinetic alternative is a game-changer for national security. Proud to see U.S. tech leading the way. tectonicdefense.com/exclusive-avs-…

The Sabena Flight 571 Hijacking, 1972: On May 8, 1972, four Muslim "Palestinian" terrorists hijacked a plane traveling from Vienna to Tel Aviv. The terrorists separated the Jews from non-Jews, and threatened to blow up the plane if Israel did not meet their demand: the release of over 300 Arab terrorists. British flight captain Reginald Levy sent distress signals to Israel, which allowed the Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan, to plan accordingly. Dayan ordered the elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal, to orchestrate a rescue mission. When the plane landed in Israel during the night, Captain Reginald Levy – under the guise of a Muslim "Palestinian" sympathizer – talked with the terrorists throughout the night, distracting them from the Israeli commandos who disabled the plane and were preparing to board. The commando force, led by Ehud Barak and including Benjamin Netanyahu, dressed as airplane technicians and swiftly boarded the plane. The commandos killed the two male terrorists and captured the two female terrorists, securing the plane within minutes. Along with Operation Entebbe, the rescue of Sabena Flight 571 remains one of the most daring and successful rescue missions ever to be carried out by Sayaret Matkal. Pictured: Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated by former Israeli President Zalman Shazar during a ceremony honoring commandos who rescued Sabena Flight 571.

On the night of May 5, 1944, the USS Buckley, a destroyer escort barely a year old, was prowling the mid-Atlantic west of the Cape Verde Islands when her radar pinged something on the surface 20,000 yards out. It was U-66. A German submarine that had been terrorizing Allied shipping for two and a half years, sinking 33 ships across two oceans. She was the deadliest U-boat still at sea. What followed is the most unhinged naval engagement of WWII. The Buckley closed in under a moonless sky. U-66's captain, exhausted and low on fuel, mistook her silhouette for the German supply sub he'd been desperately waiting to meet. He flashed a recognition signal. The Buckley flashed a random one back. It worked just long enough. At 600 yards, the Buckley opened fire. The U-boat answered with her 37mm flak gun, shells screaming past the bridge. Tracers lit up the ocean. The Buckley's captain, Lt. Cdr. Brent Abel, made a decision that wasn't in any manual. He rammed her. The Buckley's bow rode up onto U-66's forward deck and stuck there, pinning the two ships together in the middle of the Atlantic. And that's when the Germans did something no one expected. They tried to board the American destroyer. U-boat crewmen, some in pajamas, some barefoot, some clutching pistols, leapt from their sinking submarine up onto the Buckley's deck like 18th-century pirates. What followed was something out of Hornblower, not 1944. The Buckley's crew, caught at point-blank range with deck guns that couldn't depress low enough, fought back with whatever they could grab: empty shell casings hurled like bricks coffee mugs from the galley fists and boots a Thompson submachine gun swung as a club after it jammed one sailor reportedly threw a full can of coffee that knocked a German cold Gunner's Mate Jim Brown emptied a .45 into the boarders. Officers fired sidearms from the bridge wing. A German officer climbing aboard was shot in the chest and tumbled back into the sea. Another surrendered with his hands up, mid-leap. The two ships ground against each other for several minutes. Steel screaming, men screaming, the Atlantic black around them. Finally the Buckley reversed engines and tore free. Then, because the U-boat was still afloat and still dangerous, Abel turned around and rammed her a second time, crushing her conning tower and rolling her onto her side. U-66 went down at 03:39. The Buckley fished 36 surviving Germans out of the water, including the men who, twenty minutes earlier, had been trying to beat her crew to death on her own deck. American casualties: a few cuts, bruises, and one sailor with a sprained wrist from punching a Nazi in the face. They made fresh coffee and sailed home.

‼️🇸🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺🇷🇺 NATO’s next nightmare for Russia may be the Swedish Gripen. Sweden says preparations for sending Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine are rapidly advancing, with funding plans already in place and a deal potentially just months away. If finalized, Kyiv could soon receive one of Europe’s deadliest modern fighters to challenge Russian air power. Source: Swedish Defense Ministry / Ukrainian Defense Ministry

Azov says it has returned to Mariupol with strike and reconnaissance drones from the 1st Corps patrolling roads in the city and outskirts, hitting occupier logistics. About 160 km from the line of battle, the corps says strike depth will grow.

Czech developers are building compact radio-frequency drone detectors utilizing a Raspberry Pi 5. Inspired by Ukraine’s “Chuyka” and “Tsukorik” systems, the intent is to give soldiers and drone operators immediate vibration alerts via Garmin watches when hostile FPVs are nearby.

🚨 EXPOSED: NATO MEMBER TRAINING HAMAS TERRORISTS According to Kan 11, Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, are training in Turkish shooting ranges and drone schools to prepare for future conflicts with Israel. Turkey, yes, the NATO member. The report says Hamas trains under civilian cover, receives drone pilot licenses, and are expected to be deployed to Lebanon, Jordan, and Judea and Samaria. So the question must be asked: @SecRubio, will the US go to war against Israel if Israel acts to defend itself? Will we all stand by, continue to support and fund NATO activities in Turkey as it uses its resources to fill the Iranian vacuum? This is the time for pressure. De-escalation.

MORE: Russia is issuing increasingly dramatic threats of escalation against Ukraine in the lead-up to the unilaterally-declared Victory Day ceasefire. The Kremlin is likely attempting to establish that it can depopulate Kyiv City and control the decision-making of Ukraine’s partners with threats of escalating the war, even as Putin likely seeks to disguise the weakness that Ukrainian deep-rear strikes against Russia have exposed. ISW continues to assess that Russia’s threat to retaliate against Ukraine for allegedly planning strikes against Moscow for Victory Day celebrations reflects Putin’s recognition that he cannot reliably defend his capital or other deep-rear areas from Ukrainian strikes. The Kremlin’s escalating threats leading up to the May 9 Victory Day are likely intended to obfuscate this weakness by threatening or demonstrating a show of force against Ukraine and its allies, including with the Duma deputies’ invocation of the Oreshnik. The Kremlin has periodically launched or otherwise invoked the threat of its Oreshnik IRBMs in order to unsuccessfully compel Ukraine to capitulate at key points in the war and has also used the deployments of Oreshniks to Belarus to threaten Europe. Russia has conducted failed efforts to compel Ukrainians to leave Kyiv City through cognitive warfare efforts falsely portraying Russian forces as able to make a rapid drive on Kyiv City and through intense drone and missile strikes against Ukrainian energy facilities in Winter 2025-2026. Russia is likely attempting to continue its cognitive warfare effort in part by issuing escalating threats against Ukraine and its partners. Russian milbloggers criticized Russian threats to strike central Kyiv City and questioned the Kremlin’s willingness to carry out such a strike at all. Russian milbloggers criticized the MFA’s threats, claiming that Russian forces should have struck Ukrainian decision-making centers earlier in the war if they have the capability to do so.

BREAKING: Islamic Terrorist Regime IS DUMPING OIL INTO THE SEA! 🚨 As we warned: the regime has run out of storage capacity. For days now, they’ve been faking tanker transfers while pouring massive amounts of extracted oil straight into the ocean. Deliberate. Criminal. Environmental catastrophe. They are literally poisoning the sea. This is ecocide in real time. #KingRezaPahlavi‌ForIran

Womp-womp-WOMP 🎺🎶 Chinese Temu military equipment

Ukrainian-Polish company Postup Solutions has introduced the autonomous “Scan Horizon” anti-drone turret, designed for short-range detection and interception of small UAV threats. #Ukraine #Poland #CounterDrone #UAV #Defense #MilitaryTech #EW

Once upon a time in the land of the Kremlin, a billionaire farmer-king named Vadim Moshkovich built a vast agricultural empire—Ros Agro Plc—while sitting comfortably as a senator in Russia's upper house. But empires crumble. Now, a Moscow court waved its wand and ordered the full nationalization of his stake. Prosecutors say he used his senatorial seat like a golden key to unlock forbidden riches for himself, his wife, and his family. Anti-corruption lawsuit filed. Assets seized. The tycoon's castle now belongs to the state. Just another chapter in the Russian fairy tale where the boyars rise... and the Tsar reclaims what’s his.

❗️🇩🇪German company ARX Robotics will supply 🇺🇦Ukraine with hundreds of ground robotic complexes (GRC) GEREON.

The United States just hit Bandar Abbas, Iran It’s back on!! [Reuters, see thread for article]

Exclusive: Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have lifted restrictions on the U.S. military’s use of their bases and airspace imposed after the start of the American operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on.wsj.com/4tnvmRR