“Over the past three decades, at least 13 people with known or alleged links to Russian mobsters or oligarchs have owned, lived in, and even run criminal activities out of Trump Tower and other Trump properties. Many used his apartments and casinos to launder untold millions in dirty money. Some ran a worldwide high-stakes gambling ring out of Trump Tower—in a unit directly below one owned by Trump. Others provided Trump with lucrative branding deals that required no investment on his part. Taken together, the flow of money from Russia provided Trump with a crucial infusion of financing that helped rescue his empire from ruin, burnish his image, and launch his career in television and politics.
Consider for a moment the national security implications of the above. The Russian Mafia, as I have written, is an arm of Russian intelligence. And their home away home, a haven for their leaders, has been in a luxury condo building that is the crown jewel of the president of the United States.
Does that not constitute an astounding breach of national security?”
Mission Impossible has nothing on Ukraine. Hollywood could not have crafted a more intricate, spectacular plot. We'll never know the suspenseful moments leading up to the payoff, but it appears to have gone off without a hitch. Incredible.
I am looking forward to the movie & documentary on this attack. Hopefully, Americans do not make it because they will most likely take the credit for Zelenski’s Operation Spiderweb as they tend to did in the movies Argo & U-570. American involvement was limited (rescue of 6 American diplomats in Iran) to nonexistent (capturing the enigma machine).
Yeah. Sad to say, I have to agree. It will be a long, long time before anyone should trust us with their secrets. 80+ years of foreign policy destroyed so quickly SMH
Trump and his whole maladministration make me think of the WWII slogan "Loose lips sink ships".
Trump is such a braggart that he can't be trusted not to leak stuff trying to show off like he did to the Aussie at Mar a Lago. Plus he has no clue about the significance of any of the details if he paid any attention in the first place. And that doesn't even take into account his "special" relationship with Putin!
It is a sad state of affairs when the world is safer if the US is left out of the loop!
It was just safer not to. He may have trusted Biden personally, but could not afford to take the chance that some spy was listening. He did what he had to to protect the operation, and I'm sure Biden would have understood.
Yeah, that was a thought/question I had too given how long they had been planning the operation. While it is obvious to everyone why they wouldn't tell Trump and I believe the Biden admin could have been trusted to keep a lid on it, the risks and implications of it being discovered were enormous.
I wouldn't be surprised if no one outside of the Ukrainian military/intel agencies knew, including not just the US but also the rest of Europe/NATO.
Again, not a risk he could afford to take. Look what just happened in Poland - allies can turn to adversaries and security risks practically overnight. The only way to be sure was to tell NO ONE who did not need to know, period. That's why it never leaked - even people involved in the mission didn't know anything outside their part of it. Those Russian drivers did not know what they were hauling. The people building the drones I'm sure had no idea when or where they would be deployed, or exactly how. And so on. It's the only way you keep something like this quiet. Very much like how D-Day was planned, only a few people had the whole picture.
I'm also willing to bet those weren't the only drones put in place. I wonder what else has been tucked away at strategic locations, to be used when necessary. THAT's going to rattle some cages, not knowing when or where the next strike will come, so they have little chance of stopping it.
You actually think that once he is out of power everything will magically shift back to how it was before?
We elected this idiot twice. Why would our former allies not be concerned we’ll elect someone as bad or worse again? Why would they trust us not to?
Not to mention it could take generations to undo the the damage internally
It is much easier to smash things to bits than it is to restore it
We waited him out last time, to our detriment. If this drags on that long, they will be thoroughly entrenched
The big ugly bill of his makes it legal for him to cancel or postpone elections, it strips power away from the judiciary, it bans any regs on AI for 10 years, and so much more. It essentially turns Project 2025 into law.
Just want to point out one thing: there is nothing in the BUB that says anything about banning elections. This keeps popping up, yet no one has yet been able to find just where this is in the bill, and it's not for lack of looking. I agree that we will have one hell of a mess to clean up, and some of the damage is likely to be permanent. But nope, the claim that the bill makes it possible for Trump to cancel or postpone elections is not in there.
To be honest they would have probably been smart to keep it a secret from the Biden administration as well. An operation this complex should have as few people know about it as possible, not just to avoid deliberate leaks but also inadvertent slips that could wreck the plan.
Zelenskyy has made Putin look bad. Someone must take the blame. Expect anyone who didn’t prevent this debacle to lose their job and possibly their life. The Putin targets know who they are. They can take it or turn on Putin himself and take him out first. As for Trump, his judgment has been revealed as mistaken, if not moronic and his reliance on Vance misplaced. Trump’s admiration for Putin makes him look stupid, so don’t be surprised if he turns on Putin rather than be associated with someone Zelenskyy has turned into a laughingstock. Interesting and dangerous days for many lie ahead.
I haven't had time to look into Russian reaction to all this. Russian military bloggers tend to be pro-Putin, so they always blame other people for disasters. But Putin now owns the destruction of a third of their strategic bomber fleet. Like the U.S., the Russian military prides itself on being apolitical, but I can't imagine that Russian military leaders are singing his praises right now.
I will honestly be surprised if there isn't an assassination before much longer. Putin doesn't let anyone get close enough for the trendy novichok poisoning, so they'll have to get clever. And then, we will need to hope his successor isn't even more of a hardliner.
Incredible! Zelensky, sitting in the Oval Office listening to braying jackals Trump and Vance telling him he had no cards to play and why wasn't he wearing a suit, all the while knowing he had this audacious and strategically genius plan up his sleeve, reminds me of President Obama slicing and dicing Trump over The Apprentice even as our special ops were preparing to take out Osama bin Laden. Slava Ukraini! 👏👏🙌🇺🇦
They are fully immersed in protecting their people and their Country, they have people DYING in War. ... What is the Excuse in the USA ? No leaders, no Heroes, No Strategists, No LEADER . ZERO.
Keeping this a secret, especially from the current US administration, was key to its success. And now, I’m betting that some Russian military man is going to be falling out of a window!
Slava Ukraine!
Heroyam Slava!!✌🏽🇺🇦
Amazing reporting and writing! Thank you!
“Over the past three decades, at least 13 people with known or alleged links to Russian mobsters or oligarchs have owned, lived in, and even run criminal activities out of Trump Tower and other Trump properties. Many used his apartments and casinos to launder untold millions in dirty money. Some ran a worldwide high-stakes gambling ring out of Trump Tower—in a unit directly below one owned by Trump. Others provided Trump with lucrative branding deals that required no investment on his part. Taken together, the flow of money from Russia provided Trump with a crucial infusion of financing that helped rescue his empire from ruin, burnish his image, and launch his career in television and politics.
Consider for a moment the national security implications of the above. The Russian Mafia, as I have written, is an arm of Russian intelligence. And their home away home, a haven for their leaders, has been in a luxury condo building that is the crown jewel of the president of the United States.
Does that not constitute an astounding breach of national security?”
~ Craig Unger
https://open.substack.com/pub/craigunger/p/the-late-1990s-a-gangsters-paradise
This was common knowledge in NYC as far back as the 90s, but "The Apprentice" and Fox News drowned it out.
Miami is LOADED WITH THEM!
Agreed! I really appreciate the detailed breakdown of how Ukraine pulled this off and the wider context.
I have been following Martin Belderson's Substack, Ukraine: The Under Reported War for this sort of coverage. I recommend it to everyone.
https://underreported.substack.com/
Martin has made me aware of the actions of Ukraine each week. I love the way Jay's story compliments Martin's reporting, with the details.
Craig Unger has written several books. Olga Lautmen has helped him with one of his books.
Ditto.
Mission Impossible has nothing on Ukraine. Hollywood could not have crafted a more intricate, spectacular plot. We'll never know the suspenseful moments leading up to the payoff, but it appears to have gone off without a hitch. Incredible.
I am looking forward to the movie & documentary on this attack. Hopefully, Americans do not make it because they will most likely take the credit for Zelenski’s Operation Spiderweb as they tend to did in the movies Argo & U-570. American involvement was limited (rescue of 6 American diplomats in Iran) to nonexistent (capturing the enigma machine).
Hang on - you mean it WASN'T Tiny Tom Cruise riding on one of those drones?
I guess will find out in the Americanized version of the incident.
Oh you know Tom is salivating over this story
Me too!!!
Excellent strategy and kudos for keeping the operation quiet and cloaked from the US!
Yeah. Sad to say, I have to agree. It will be a long, long time before anyone should trust us with their secrets. 80+ years of foreign policy destroyed so quickly SMH
Trump and his whole maladministration make me think of the WWII slogan "Loose lips sink ships".
Trump is such a braggart that he can't be trusted not to leak stuff trying to show off like he did to the Aussie at Mar a Lago. Plus he has no clue about the significance of any of the details if he paid any attention in the first place. And that doesn't even take into account his "special" relationship with Putin!
It is a sad state of affairs when the world is safer if the US is left out of the loop!
Odds are, it wasn't shared with the Biden administration either, due to fears of hidden Trumpers in it.
It was just safer not to. He may have trusted Biden personally, but could not afford to take the chance that some spy was listening. He did what he had to to protect the operation, and I'm sure Biden would have understood.
I'm sure he does. But I'll also bet he knew all about it.
Yes, me too.
And the possibility that 45 could become 47. Wouldn’t want it anywhere in the US records
BINGO
Yeah, that was a thought/question I had too given how long they had been planning the operation. While it is obvious to everyone why they wouldn't tell Trump and I believe the Biden admin could have been trusted to keep a lid on it, the risks and implications of it being discovered were enormous.
I wouldn't be surprised if no one outside of the Ukrainian military/intel agencies knew, including not just the US but also the rest of Europe/NATO.
Again, not a risk he could afford to take. Look what just happened in Poland - allies can turn to adversaries and security risks practically overnight. The only way to be sure was to tell NO ONE who did not need to know, period. That's why it never leaked - even people involved in the mission didn't know anything outside their part of it. Those Russian drivers did not know what they were hauling. The people building the drones I'm sure had no idea when or where they would be deployed, or exactly how. And so on. It's the only way you keep something like this quiet. Very much like how D-Day was planned, only a few people had the whole picture.
I'm also willing to bet those weren't the only drones put in place. I wonder what else has been tucked away at strategic locations, to be used when necessary. THAT's going to rattle some cages, not knowing when or where the next strike will come, so they have little chance of stopping it.
100%, those are really good points.
No it will NOT be a long time. 3 years maybe fewer is not a long time. We waited out Reagan and Shrub. We can wait this idiot out.
You actually think that once he is out of power everything will magically shift back to how it was before?
We elected this idiot twice. Why would our former allies not be concerned we’ll elect someone as bad or worse again? Why would they trust us not to?
Not to mention it could take generations to undo the the damage internally
It is much easier to smash things to bits than it is to restore it
We waited him out last time, to our detriment. If this drags on that long, they will be thoroughly entrenched
The big ugly bill of his makes it legal for him to cancel or postpone elections, it strips power away from the judiciary, it bans any regs on AI for 10 years, and so much more. It essentially turns Project 2025 into law.
Just want to point out one thing: there is nothing in the BUB that says anything about banning elections. This keeps popping up, yet no one has yet been able to find just where this is in the bill, and it's not for lack of looking. I agree that we will have one hell of a mess to clean up, and some of the damage is likely to be permanent. But nope, the claim that the bill makes it possible for Trump to cancel or postpone elections is not in there.
Amazing what a little dog in a fight with a big dog, can do such damage.
My neighbor had a VERY big dog that growled and snarled at every dog that walked by.
I had a VERY small chihuahua that the big dog eventually went for.
Boofie ran straight under him, jumped up and bit him in a VERY strategic place.
You ever seen a mastiff turn a somersault in mid air?
By the time he'd checked he was still fit to be a poppa, Boofie was back behind our door. And I swear that little dog laughed. . .
I know I just did! Great story!! 🥇
If that had happened today, I'd have changed Boofie's name to Zellie. . .
It's not the "dog in the fight" it's the "fight in the dog!"
This would be viral on social media
To be honest they would have probably been smart to keep it a secret from the Biden administration as well. An operation this complex should have as few people know about it as possible, not just to avoid deliberate leaks but also inadvertent slips that could wreck the plan.
“Loose lips sink ships” or in this case, destroy trucks and drones
Zelenskyy has made Putin look bad. Someone must take the blame. Expect anyone who didn’t prevent this debacle to lose their job and possibly their life. The Putin targets know who they are. They can take it or turn on Putin himself and take him out first. As for Trump, his judgment has been revealed as mistaken, if not moronic and his reliance on Vance misplaced. Trump’s admiration for Putin makes him look stupid, so don’t be surprised if he turns on Putin rather than be associated with someone Zelenskyy has turned into a laughingstock. Interesting and dangerous days for many lie ahead.
I haven't had time to look into Russian reaction to all this. Russian military bloggers tend to be pro-Putin, so they always blame other people for disasters. But Putin now owns the destruction of a third of their strategic bomber fleet. Like the U.S., the Russian military prides itself on being apolitical, but I can't imagine that Russian military leaders are singing his praises right now.
I will honestly be surprised if there isn't an assassination before much longer. Putin doesn't let anyone get close enough for the trendy novichok poisoning, so they'll have to get clever. And then, we will need to hope his successor isn't even more of a hardliner.
Maybe they should hire a Ukrainian.
The Ukrainians are *everywhere*. I am sure they could take out Russia's entire Internet and power grid in one fell swoop 😁
Putin, like most dictators, doesn't have a succession plan. He's not interested in facilitating an easy loss of his power
"Putin doesn't let anyone get close enough for the trendy novichok poisoning, so they'll have to get clever."
Perhaps they could ask the Ukrainians for a few ideas?
Absolutely. This hurt Putin in his most sensitive spot.
His ego.
Certainly that. His political grip on the country as well.
They could drone him😝
They could drone a golf cart in Florida for that matter.
Lol
Yeah, Taco man doesn’t like being associated with “losers”.
Being one himself and all.
Remember the Chinese curse: may you live in interesting times. We do!
Succinctly put.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA What infamous, foolish words: "You don't have any cards!"
Wrong again, Trump! Do YOU have tears in YOUR eyes now? YOU got played, buddy.
And so did Putin. How many generals are looking for a way out of the country right now?
Zelenskyy elegantly employed the motto of the TV show "Survivor": Outwit, Outplay, Outlast.
Slava Ukraini! Glory to the heroes! Zelenskyy is a leader for the ages. LOVE THIS!!!
💙💙💙💙💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
Z played Putin like the original SAS played the Nazis in Africa in WWII. Smashingly.
Superb reporting! The detail of both fact and analysis is especially impressive considering how fast you got it out. Thank you!
And, Ukraine now has the go ahead from Germany to use its long range weapons.
Was this since yesterday or did Germany's permission precede the mission?
I was wondering about the impact of it on EU-Ukraine relations
Germany gave the OK about a week ago. Definitely before the Ukraine strike on the Russian bases
Before the strike, but not before the planning and execution of the preparations.
Incredible! Zelensky, sitting in the Oval Office listening to braying jackals Trump and Vance telling him he had no cards to play and why wasn't he wearing a suit, all the while knowing he had this audacious and strategically genius plan up his sleeve, reminds me of President Obama slicing and dicing Trump over The Apprentice even as our special ops were preparing to take out Osama bin Laden. Slava Ukraini! 👏👏🙌🇺🇦
Time for some Smart Strategies to protect Democracy from FELONS and Criminals.
Maybe we should ask the Ukrainians for some ideas.
They are fully immersed in protecting their people and their Country, they have people DYING in War. ... What is the Excuse in the USA ? No leaders, no Heroes, No Strategists, No LEADER . ZERO.
Lovely 💙 in NC! Slava!
Keeping this a secret, especially from the current US administration, was key to its success. And now, I’m betting that some Russian military man is going to be falling out of a window!
Likely several. But maybe the world will get lucky and some brave Russians will stick a bomb up Putin's derriere.
That’s what you get for bombing my grandparents’ hometowns, Russia!
Ukraine!!! 🇺🇦 ❤️
#FAFO
Tell #TACO nothing until after it happen!
MORE SURPRISES FOR TACO TACO MAN, LOL
Thanks for this clear explanation. Hats off, and support to Ukraine!
Zelensky!!!!! Brilliant!!!!! Ukraine!!!!! Awesome!!!!!
Thanks for explaining things so clearly. I stand with Ukraine.