forcon
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Post by forcon on Apr 1, 2018 18:12:13 GMT
April 14th:
Following the sudden repulse of an attempted government offensive into the province of Idlib, where Assad’s forces had previously been scoring a series of victories against the U.S.-backed rebels, the Syrian Arab Air Force launched a massive bombing campaign targeted at the rebel province, with Russian attack aircraft soon joining the bombing. During this bombardment, Su-24 attack aircraft of the Syrian Air Force dropped several canisters of Sarin nerve gas on two outlying towns in Idlib, which had become rebel strongholds. The nerve gas quickly took effect, and soon the reports emerged that Assad had, once again, used chemical weapons.
Medical staff were overwhelmed by the sheer number of casualties, themselves affected by the gas, which was unstoppable unless one possessed modern chemical protective equipment. By the end of the day, over four hundred fatalities had been reported, and this was only worsened when Russian Su-25s bombed an aid convoy by mistake, preventing supplies from getting through to those who critically needed them.
The U.S. President, joined by the French President and the British Prime Minister viciously condemned the atrocity, and vowed to retaliate with “all necessary force” should it be proven that Assad be responsible, of which there was already little doubt. United Nations officials were already in the process of confirming the responsibility of the Assad regime.
April 17th:
Despite a series of denials made by Assad and his supporters in Moscow and Tehran, the U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency had all but confirmed that it had been Assad’s forces that were responsible for the chemical weapons attack on Idlib. That day, President Donald Trump began discussing retaliatory options with his cabinet and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
On the night of April 17th, one-hundred-fifty-three Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from the destroyers USS Truxton, USS Winston S. Churchill and USS Oscar Austin, with the objective of taking out Assad’s air force on the ground. Conversely to what they had done during previous attacks on the Assad regime, Russian anti-aircraft batteries engaged the incoming American missiles, downing thirteen of them. However, the vast majority of the missiles struck their targets, causing immense damage to Assad’s Air Force, and destroying over two dozen Syrian aircraft on the ground. However, unbeknownst to U.S. Military Intelligence, one of the airfields that was targeted had been housing Russian special operations troops. Thirty-six of them were killed and twenty-two more were wounded when a Tomahawk missile slammed into their barracks as they slept.
April 18th:
As dawn broke and the news of the Russian deaths became clear, President Putin’s response was effectively already underway. He gave an impassioned speech from the Kremlin, harshly condemning the United States for its actions. In addition, he announced that U.S. forces in Syria would now be considered hostile, and stated that Russian forces had been ordered to fire on Coalition aircraft or warships if they even hinted that they were dangerous to Russian troops.
Despite the U.S. apology, Putin knew he had to act to restore Russia’s hurt national pride. On the Ukrainian border, several thousand troops held massive snap exercises, whilst transport aircraft began arriving at Russian airfields in Syria, carrying additional troops, weapons and munitions, and a rather more dangerous cargo that had yet to be revealed.
April 23rd:
In Eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian rebels, backed by several thousand Russian troops (though the Kremlin did not admit this) began a major offensive in the southern region, striking westwards towards Maruipol and smashing aside determined Ukrainian opposition. Though Moscow failed to admit that a significant number of Russian troops were involved, the uniforms of the famed “little green men” were confirmed to be those of Russian soldiers, whilst Russian attack aircraft were spotted flying several sorties against the defenders, whose lack of air cover left them almost powerless.
That evening, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister made an impassioned plea for western support, asking for arms, advisors and diplomatic pressure, stating that the very survival of his country depended on it.
April 26th:
As Russia’s offensive into Maruipol effectively achieved its goal of creating a land-bridge to Crimea, President Trump authorised a massive shipment of weaponry to Ukraine. Armoured vehicles, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, small-arms and ammunition were all included in the multi-million dollar package, for which the Ukrainians would be allowed to pay less than a third of the normal price. United States Air Force C-17s were ordered to ship the equipment to Romania, where it could safely be moved into Ukraine and used against any further Russian advances.
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James G
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Post by James G on Apr 1, 2018 18:18:23 GMT
It is absolutely crazy that US and Russian forces are both active inside Syria on opposite sides. The whole thing is asking for trouble! And so we have an accident to kick it all off, which I find very plausible. Interesting choice with the retaliation being using proxies too. 'Unexplained' explosions in Romania where aircraft are?
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 1, 2018 18:23:25 GMT
As Russia’s offensive into Maruipol effectively achieved its goal of creating a land-bridge to Crimea, President Trump authorised a massive shipment of weaponry to Ukraine. Armoured vehicles, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, small-arms and ammunition were all included in the multi-million dollar package, for which the Ukrainians would be allowed to pay less than a third of the normal price. United States Air Force C-17s were ordered to ship the equipment to Romania, where it could safely be moved into Ukraine and used against any further Russian advances. Good choice, i doubt Turkey would like it very much due their on and off relations with Russia.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Apr 2, 2018 11:48:01 GMT
As Russia’s offensive into Maruipol effectively achieved its goal of creating a land-bridge to Crimea, President Trump authorised a massive shipment of weaponry to Ukraine. Armoured vehicles, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, small-arms and ammunition were all included in the multi-million dollar package, for which the Ukrainians would be allowed to pay less than a third of the normal price. United States Air Force C-17s were ordered to ship the equipment to Romania, where it could safely be moved into Ukraine and used against any further Russian advances. Good choice, i doubt Turkey would like it very much due their on and off relations with Russia. Definitely agree as the crisis in Syria is basically because the US is supporting the local Kurds, who are being targeted now by Assad and the Russians because IS is largely out of the war. However a few of the wiser ones will be concerned at the increased Russian expansionism.
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James G
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Post by James G on Apr 6, 2018 16:19:49 GMT
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 6, 2018 16:20:36 GMT
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Apr 6, 2018 18:54:14 GMT
Next update coming later today guys, sorry for the delay - just figuring out how to reply to comments on this forum
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 6, 2018 18:57:30 GMT
Next update coming later today guys, sorry for the delay - just figuring out how to reply to comments on this forum Wait what, its not so different then on AH.com and if there are, well i try to fix it with my tools.
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Apr 6, 2018 18:58:26 GMT
It is absolutely crazy that US and Russian forces are both active inside Syria on opposite sides. The whole thing is asking for trouble! And so we have an accident to kick it all off, which I find very plausible. Interesting choice with the retaliation being using proxies too. 'Unexplained' explosions in Romania where aircraft are? Not quite as extreme a response as blowing up targets in Romania, but the next best thing. I agree that it's almost a miracle there hasn't already been some level of escalation in Syria already.
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Apr 6, 2018 18:59:17 GMT
As Russia’s offensive into Maruipol effectively achieved its goal of creating a land-bridge to Crimea, President Trump authorised a massive shipment of weaponry to Ukraine. Armoured vehicles, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, small-arms and ammunition were all included in the multi-million dollar package, for which the Ukrainians would be allowed to pay less than a third of the normal price. United States Air Force C-17s were ordered to ship the equipment to Romania, where it could safely be moved into Ukraine and used against any further Russian advances. Good choice, i doubt Turkey would like it very much due their on and off relations with Russia. Turkey is going to be one of many complicating factors. Especially given that Turkey is now confirmed to be purchasing S-400s from Russia.
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Apr 6, 2018 19:00:08 GMT
Good choice, i doubt Turkey would like it very much due their on and off relations with Russia. Definitely agree as the crisis in Syria is basically because the US is supporting the local Kurds, who are being targeted now by Assad and the Russians because IS is largely out of the war. However a few of the wiser ones will be concerned at the increased Russian expansionism. I have my doubts that Erdogan is particularly wise. Turkey has good reason to be worried though.
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Apr 6, 2018 19:02:14 GMT
April 28th:
After reports made by U.S. and Israeli intelligence confirmed the matter, it was realised by the United States government that Russia had moved a number of tactical nuclear weapons to Syria, to be fitted on its nuclear-capable Iskander missiles or on bombs and missiles fired from a multitude of strike aircraft. The Pentagon announced the news to the press, whom typically reacted as though it were the Cuban Missile Crisis revisited.
President Putin confirmed that he had ordered the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in response to the “heinous atrocity” carried out earlier in the month against Russian troops by U.S. forces in the region. Putin failed to respond to diplomatic efforts and maintained that as long as the Coalition maintained a threatening posture to Russian forces, they would remain in place to guarantee the safety of Russian troops.
The United States Central Command, European Command and the Sixth Fleet were ordered to raise their alert level from a state of normal peacetime readiness to DEFCON 4, whilst additional retaliatory measures were discusses and planned in the Pentagon. American strategists and diplomats worried that the news would cause the Coalition to fracture as countries did not want to play a part in what could potentially escalate into a nuclear confrontation.
May 1st:
In response to the recent, shocking revelation that Russia had deployed tactical nuclear weapons to two of its naval and air facilities in Syria, the United States Air Force deployed a squadron of B-52H strategic bombers to Al Udeid Air Base. Coming with the bombers were several AGM-86 cruise missiles, and, though it was not confirmed by the Pentagon, a number of low-yield nuclear warheads for the missiles.
Moscow’s response was loud and vociferous, with the Russian President broadly condemning the American move as “reckless and immature”, to which the White House responded by coldly stating that it did not seek conflict, and that further confrontation would have “incalculable consequences for all mankind.”
May 4th:
Tension exploded once again, this time in the Baltic Sea, after a sudden collision between the USS Gravely and the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich caused by mistakes on the part of both warships crew’s and a sudden bout of foul weather in the area. Whilst the American destroyer withdrew unscathed, the Russian frigate lost seventeen of her crewmen in the freezing sea.
Even after the United States offered to assist in rescue and recovery operations, President Putin publicly and loudly condemned the United States Navy for what he called “provocative action that can only lead to further confrontation.”
May 6th:
Following the collision between the USS Gravely and the Admiral Grigorovich, over 160,000 Russian troops held a series of massive snap exercises along the Estonian and Latvian borders, as well as in northern Belarus, having been deployed faster than NATO planners could even have begun to imagine. The sheer scale of the exercises had Western planners in a panic and calling for reinforcements. Hastily-calculated estimates showed the Russians seizing the Baltic States within seventy-two hours with NATO forces in their current posture.
The American and British ambassadors both spoke to the Russian Foreign Minister, who coldly informed them that the exercises were none of their concern and were taking place solely on Russian soil. He also went on to issue a harsh reprimand to the United States over the incident in the Baltic Sea.
May 7th:
Whilst fighting continued in Syria, several flights of Russian Tu-95 bomber aircraft entered U.S. airspace off of Alaska, and again off of California, both times having to be escorted out by armed U.S. Air Force fighters before they agreed to leave. Similar confrontations took place over Romania, Denmark and Turkey, leaving citizens and politicians alike confused at exactly what the Russians were trying to achieve through such provocative actions.
The Secret Intelligence Service informed the British government that Russian officials had been meeting in secret with the military high command throughout the past few days, and that subtle but potent orders had been issued to the Russian armed forces to prepare for a major mobilisation order to be issued.
An effort was made by several western politicians to hold a summit with the Russians in Geneva or another neutral location in an effort to calm the rising tension before it was too late, but to no avail. They were simply told that Russian officials were “politically unavailable” to take part in such action for the foreseeable future. The British government promised to reinforce its commitment to the NATO Response Force in the near future, and plans were also rapidly made to increase the UK’s defence budget significantly in order to allow the UK to stand up to Russia, if necessary without the total backing of the United States or NATO, although it looked that for now, the Alliance was proving itself to be able to stick together in th
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 6, 2018 19:08:12 GMT
whom typically reacted as though it were the Cuban Missile Crisis revisited. Syrian Missile Crisis does have a nice ring to it. Tension exploded once again, this time in the Baltic Sea, after a sudden collision between the USS Gravely and the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich caused by mistakes on the part of both warships crew’s and a sudden bout of foul weather in the area. Whilst the American destroyer withdrew unscathed, the Russian frigate lost seventeen of her crewmen in the freezing sea. You think that after two collisions the US Navy would have toughed its captains to avoid collisions.
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James G
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Post by James G on Apr 6, 2018 19:50:35 GMT
Next update coming later today guys, sorry for the delay - just figuring out how to reply to comments on this forum Wait what, its not so different then on AH.com and if there are, well i try to fix it with my tools. What I assume Forcon means is the ability to multi-quote. I have done it here by quoting the first message the after the screen changes to the quote screen, going down and selecting quote besides the individual messages which I want to quote. I'm sure that isn't how it goes on ah.com. If there is a different way, I don't know. April 28th:After reports made by U.S. and Israeli intelligence confirmed the matter, it was realised by the United States government that Russia had moved a number of tactical nuclear weapons to Syria, to be fitted on its nuclear-capable Iskander missiles or on bombs and missiles fired from a multitude of strike aircraft. The Pentagon announced the news to the press, whom typically reacted as though it were the Cuban Missile Crisis revisited. President Putin confirmed that he had ordered the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in response to the “heinous atrocity” carried out earlier in the month against Russian troops by U.S. forces in the region. Putin failed to respond to diplomatic efforts and maintained that as long as the Coalition maintained a threatening posture to Russian forces, they would remain in place to guarantee the safety of Russian troops. The United States Central Command, European Command and the Sixth Fleet were ordered to raise their alert level from a state of normal peacetime readiness to DEFCON 4, whilst additional retaliatory measures were discusses and planned in the Pentagon. American strategists and diplomats worried that the news would cause the Coalition to fracture as countries did not want to play a part in what could potentially escalate into a nuclear confrontation. May 1st:In response to the recent, shocking revelation that Russia had deployed tactical nuclear weapons to two of its naval and air facilities in Syria, the United States Air Force deployed a squadron of B-52H strategic bombers to Al Udeid Air Base. Coming with the bombers were several AGM-86 cruise missiles, and, though it was not confirmed by the Pentagon, a number of low-yield nuclear warheads for the missiles. Moscow’s response was loud and vociferous, with the Russian President broadly condemning the American move as “reckless and immature”, to which the White House responded by coldly stating that it did not seek conflict, and that further confrontation would have “incalculable consequences for all mankind.” May 4th:Tension exploded once again, this time in the Baltic Sea, after a sudden collision between the USS Gravely and the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich caused by mistakes on the part of both warships crew’s and a sudden bout of foul weather in the area. Whilst the American destroyer withdrew unscathed, the Russian frigate lost seventeen of her crewmen in the freezing sea. Even after the United States offered to assist in rescue and recovery operations, President Putin publicly and loudly condemned the United States Navy for what he called “provocative action that can only lead to further confrontation.” May 6th:Following the collision between the USS Gravely and the Admiral Grigorovich, over 160,000 Russian troops held a series of massive snap exercises along the Estonian and Latvian borders, as well as in northern Belarus, having been deployed faster than NATO planners could even have begun to imagine. The sheer scale of the exercises had Western planners in a panic and calling for reinforcements. Hastily-calculated estimates showed the Russians seizing the Baltic States within seventy-two hours with NATO forces in their current posture. The American and British ambassadors both spoke to the Russian Foreign Minister, who coldly informed them that the exercises were none of their concern and were taking place solely on Russian soil. He also went on to issue a harsh reprimand to the United States over the incident in the Baltic Sea. May 7th:Whilst fighting continued in Syria, several flights of Russian Tu-95 bomber aircraft entered U.S. airspace off of Alaska, and again off of California, both times having to be escorted out by armed U.S. Air Force fighters before they agreed to leave. Similar confrontations took place over Romania, Denmark and Turkey, leaving citizens and politicians alike confused at exactly what the Russians were trying to achieve through such provocative actions. The Secret Intelligence Service informed the British government that Russian officials had been meeting in secret with the military high command throughout the past few days, and that subtle but potent orders had been issued to the Russian armed forces to prepare for a major mobilisation order to be issued. An effort was made by several western politicians to hold a summit with the Russians in Geneva or another neutral location in an effort to calm the rising tension before it was too late, but to no avail. They were simply told that Russian officials were “politically unavailable” to take part in such action for the foreseeable future. The British government promised to reinforce its commitment to the NATO Response Force in the near future, and plans were also rapidly made to increase the UK’s defence budget significantly in order to allow the UK to stand up to Russia, if necessary without the total backing of the United States or NATO, although it looked that for now, the Alliance was proving itself to be able to stick together in th Escalation and escalation indeed. With the flights, NATO is looking at that from what they would be trying to achieve if they were doing such a thing. But the Russians will have their own reasons that make sense to them.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 6, 2018 19:53:31 GMT
Next update coming later today guys, sorry for the delay - just figuring out how to reply to comments on this forum Wait what, its not so different then on AH.com and if there are, well i try to fix it with my tools. What I assume Forcon means is the ability to multi-quote. I have done it here by quoting the first message the after the screen changes to the quote screen, going down and selecting quote besides the individual messages which I want to quote. I'm sure that isn't how it goes on ah.com. If there is a different way, I don't know. April 28th:After reports made by U.S. and Israeli intelligence confirmed the matter, it was realised by the United States government that Russia had moved a number of tactical nuclear weapons to Syria, to be fitted on its nuclear-capable Iskander missiles or on bombs and missiles fired from a multitude of strike aircraft. The Pentagon announced the news to the press, whom typically reacted as though it were the Cuban Missile Crisis revisited. President Putin confirmed that he had ordered the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in response to the “heinous atrocity” carried out earlier in the month against Russian troops by U.S. forces in the region. Putin failed to respond to diplomatic efforts and maintained that as long as the Coalition maintained a threatening posture to Russian forces, they would remain in place to guarantee the safety of Russian troops. The United States Central Command, European Command and the Sixth Fleet were ordered to raise their alert level from a state of normal peacetime readiness to DEFCON 4, whilst additional retaliatory measures were discusses and planned in the Pentagon. American strategists and diplomats worried that the news would cause the Coalition to fracture as countries did not want to play a part in what could potentially escalate into a nuclear confrontation. May 1st:In response to the recent, shocking revelation that Russia had deployed tactical nuclear weapons to two of its naval and air facilities in Syria, the United States Air Force deployed a squadron of B-52H strategic bombers to Al Udeid Air Base. Coming with the bombers were several AGM-86 cruise missiles, and, though it was not confirmed by the Pentagon, a number of low-yield nuclear warheads for the missiles. Moscow’s response was loud and vociferous, with the Russian President broadly condemning the American move as “reckless and immature”, to which the White House responded by coldly stating that it did not seek conflict, and that further confrontation would have “incalculable consequences for all mankind.” May 4th:Tension exploded once again, this time in the Baltic Sea, after a sudden collision between the USS Gravely and the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich caused by mistakes on the part of both warships crew’s and a sudden bout of foul weather in the area. Whilst the American destroyer withdrew unscathed, the Russian frigate lost seventeen of her crewmen in the freezing sea. Even after the United States offered to assist in rescue and recovery operations, President Putin publicly and loudly condemned the United States Navy for what he called “provocative action that can only lead to further confrontation.” May 6th:Following the collision between the USS Gravely and the Admiral Grigorovich, over 160,000 Russian troops held a series of massive snap exercises along the Estonian and Latvian borders, as well as in northern Belarus, having been deployed faster than NATO planners could even have begun to imagine. The sheer scale of the exercises had Western planners in a panic and calling for reinforcements. Hastily-calculated estimates showed the Russians seizing the Baltic States within seventy-two hours with NATO forces in their current posture. The American and British ambassadors both spoke to the Russian Foreign Minister, who coldly informed them that the exercises were none of their concern and were taking place solely on Russian soil. He also went on to issue a harsh reprimand to the United States over the incident in the Baltic Sea. May 7th:Whilst fighting continued in Syria, several flights of Russian Tu-95 bomber aircraft entered U.S. airspace off of Alaska, and again off of California, both times having to be escorted out by armed U.S. Air Force fighters before they agreed to leave. Similar confrontations took place over Romania, Denmark and Turkey, leaving citizens and politicians alike confused at exactly what the Russians were trying to achieve through such provocative actions. The Secret Intelligence Service informed the British government that Russian officials had been meeting in secret with the military high command throughout the past few days, and that subtle but potent orders had been issued to the Russian armed forces to prepare for a major mobilisation order to be issued. An effort was made by several western politicians to hold a summit with the Russians in Geneva or another neutral location in an effort to calm the rising tension before it was too late, but to no avail. They were simply told that Russian officials were “politically unavailable” to take part in such action for the foreseeable future. The British government promised to reinforce its commitment to the NATO Response Force in the near future, and plans were also rapidly made to increase the UK’s defence budget significantly in order to allow the UK to stand up to Russia, if necessary without the total backing of the United States or NATO, although it looked that for now, the Alliance was proving itself to be able to stick together in th Escalation and escalation indeed. With the flights, NATO is looking at that from what they would be trying to achieve if they were doing such a thing. But the Russians will have their own reasons that make sense to them. Well James, i will look into multi-quote on this forum, forcon keep up the posting.
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