I have a master's degree in Asian Studies/Chinese. I learned Mandarin Chinese, lived with Chinese people, was certified by the U.S. Army as a Foreign Area Officer (FAO) for China, served as a military attaché, and traveled to China several times. In other words, I know a thing or two about China and the Chinese. At the moment, China may be supporting Russia in its war on Ukraine, but make no mistake about Beijing's long-term intentions: If Russia collapses and dissolves (which is not impossible to imagine), the Chinese will very quickly seek to re-acquire the territories the Qing dynasty was forced to surrender to Tsarist Russia. You can absolutely count on that happening. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, in the days of Stalin, Krushchev, and Mao Zedong, the Soviet Union was far more powerful than agrarian China. Back then, Soviets were clearly the "outer spoon" in that "bromance." But today? The tables have turned; China is an economic and industrial powerhouse, and it is Russia that has become backward and weakened. Every Chinese school child is taught about the "Century of Humiliation" and the period of "Unequal Treaties." Unlike Americans and many Westerners, most of whom think about the future in terms of fiscal quarters, the Chinese think in terms of years and decades. Believe me when I tell you: The Russians KNOW all this. And it scares the 💩 out of them.

The Ukrainian military is attempting to turn the Crimean Peninsula into the "island" of Crimea, and this is extremely important for the entire war. How did we get here? The Crimean Peninsula is connected to the mainland via two routes: the first is Crimea-Kherson (Ukraine) in the north of the peninsula, where three bridges serve this purpose: Chongar, Henichesk, and Armiansk. The second is Crimea-Krasnodar (Russia), via the Kerch Bridge. Crimea was essential to the 2022 invasion because attacks on Ukraine’s southern front were launched from there. The invasion toward Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and later toward Mykolaiv and Odesa originated in Crimea. The stabilized fronts in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were maintained in the first months of the invasion solely because of Crimea, through which the supply lines ran, where the military bases were located, and from where some of the Russian airstrikes on this flank were launched. In 2022, the Kerch Bridge was targeted by the Ukrainians. That strike knocked down a section of the bridge, destroyed the railway lines, and damaged its structure. To this day, the Kerch Bridge has not been used as a serious military logistics route. Fast-forward to 2026, and we arrive in May of this year when Ukraine began targeting the logistics lines connecting Russia and Crimea via the "land bridge" of Mariupol-Berdiansk-Melitopol. These lines sustain and keep the southern front alive. What is happening now? For more than a year, Crimea has been the target of Ukrainian “mid-strike” attacks that are part of a shaping, modeling, and groundwork operation. Russian bases, radars, air defense systems, and naval bases have all been simply obliterated during this period. The two operations—the one against the Mariupol-Crimea lines and the one against Crimea itself—have led to a dire situation on the peninsula. The population is on fuel rationing. Military bases are no longer defended. The naval fleet was forced as early as 2023 to flee to Novorossiysk. It must be understood that if Crimea becomes militarily (and civilian) unsustainable, the Russian southern front faces a danger unlike any seen before in this war. Crimea REMAINS essential to this front. So the Ukrainians have gotten to work and: This week they struck multiple times at the three access routes from the mainland to the peninsula: the Chongar, Henichesk, and Armiansk bridges. Crimea is close to complete isolation (it will never be entirely so). The only operational military route is the one in Armiansk, because the bridge crosses the old canal that used to bring water from the Kahovka reservoir (destroyed by the Russians in 2023) to Crimea. Crimea is on the verge of becoming a new disaster for the “second army of the world.” This year, the Ukrainians will certainly do everything in their power to isolate the Russian army there, weaken the southern front, and thus try to turn the tide of the war (because yes, Crimea could be one of the keys to an unexpectedly favorable outcome for Ukraine). What might follow? These operations will continue and intensify during these summer months, because Ukraine has the necessary resources: equipment (FP-2 attack drones and Behemoth—we’ll be hearing a lot about this new “Shahed-type” drone, but Ukrainian-made, with a dual payload), identification technology, acquisition, AI-guided strikes, and the necessary financial resources. In Crimea, this year, the fate of this war MAY be “decided,” at least in part. To give you an idea, the isolation and blockade of Crimea could open the possibility (in a best-case scenario) of liberating the Kherson region (on the left bank of the Dnieper) and liberating Melitopol, the collapse of the Zaporizhzhia front, the liberation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the liberation of Berdiansk, and forcing the Russians to redeploy units from the eastern front, opening up opportunities for Ukraine there as well. Slava Ukraini!

You have to be a complete idiot to believe that these two cultures can coexist.

The two massive Russian industrial facilities currently burning around 1000km from Ukraine were both built over 60 years ago. Tolyatti in 1950's and Nizhnekamskneftekhim in 1960's. Decades of producing revenue for the Mad Czars of Moscow to wage war, now all coming to an end.

Today Ronald Reagan would say, “Mr Putin, get the hell out of Ukraine.” He set the example for a strong “Peace through Strength” policy guided by strong values.

This needs to be said loud and clear. Israel is not attacking Lebanon. They are targeting Hezbollah. An Iranian funded terror proxy that has struck Israel 2,000 times since the April ceasefire. Israel has every right to defend itself. Don’t fall for the Iranian regime’s distraction.

The Iranian regime can't take yes for an answer. President Trump has given them ample opportunities to accede to our demands, but they remain determined to retain their position as the region's most destabilizing force. That status quo is unacceptable.

The other day, I was interviewed by Philip Ward and Mike Ruzzi of Erie News Now on the subject of negotiations with Iran. erienewsnow.com/watch/video/…

Yes, Russia has a lot to be proud of. But invading Ukraine and terrorizing Ukrainian citizens with ballistic missiles and drone strikes certainly does not number among Russia's "achievements." Remember: Germany had been the land of Goethe, Schiller, Beethoven...and then came the Nazis. It you are truly proud of Russia, and want Russia to be respected again in the world, do what you can to restore Russia's reputation and status. Of course, that may be a wee bit difficult to do in a repressive autocracy that does not tolerate any dissent.

Be in it to win it. Nothing else enables you to achieve your objectives.

US just smashed a major Iranian Revolutionary Guard command center near Tehran with 49 Tomahawk missiles. One of their “strongest” hubs… gone in minutes 😂 The “invincible” regime looks very fragile. Talk is cheap.

Here's the kind of "deal" the Trump administration needs to offer Iran: The Allies agreed that Nazi Germany and Japan had to surrender unconditionally. This must also be the terms of the "deal" for Iran. When treating cancer, it must be ELIMINATED for the treatment to be considered a success.

🇷🇺🇨🇦 Russia has threatened Canada with an “appropriate response” for supporting Ukraine Moscow accused Ottawa of being a “warmonger” for continuing to provide military assistance to Kyiv and vowed to add Canadian defense-related facilities to its military planning. It's always fascinating to hear lectures about peace from a country that launched the largest war in Europe since World War II. In the Kremlin's worldview, invading your neighbor is normal. Helping the victim defend itself is the real provocation.

The Trump administration would be wise to heed Dr. Nazarian's words: The fanatical mullahs now ruling Iran must be thoroughly and completely defeated. Compromise with them is pointless, for all the reasons she mentions, and the results of a compromise will not last beyond this administration.

Russia purposely claims World War II began in 1941 so they can cover up how they were Hitler's ally in 1939 when Poland was invaded

Iran's regime is fractured and tired - but they're betting they can outlast us. We need to prove them wrong. The American people, the Iranian people, and the world are depending on us.

Despite having hundreds of mosques in New York, mass street “prayers” are becoming a staple of life in the Big Apple. And it’s not prayers, my friends, but assertion. They are claiming turf, like hyenas pissing to mark territory.

We can’t be neutral when it comes to Russia and Ukraine. This is an evil vs good war, and we should stand with the democracy, the victim of an invasion and not the invader. People say they’re pro-Ukraine, but actions speak louder than words.

Sure, white women in Russia are safe -- until they go down to the Kremlin and hold up a blank piece of paper (to protest the war in Ukraine), in which case the police immediately appear and arrest them.

Interesting, if true.

The war ends when someone in Russia decides they've had enough of Vladimir Putin -- and not before.