Americans discover Russian Su-57 fighter jet in Iran
According to American observers, citing satellite images, the first visit of the latest Russian Su-57 fighter jet to Iran was recorded, which is believed to have landed in this country on its way home from the Aero India 2025 international air show.
The American press writes that the temporary parking of the aircraft was the Bandar Abbas air base in southeastern Iran, where it stayed for several days and may still be there. Maxar Technologies, a space exploration company, received the relevant images on February 19. According to observers, next to the Su-57 are two American-made P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft, which were sold to Iran before the fall of the Shah’s regime in 1979, and an Il-76 of Soviet or Russian production – military-technical cooperation of this type is also carried out by the country’s air force.
In recent years, the Russian Aerospace Forces have used Iranian bases, including as staging points for combat missions in Syria. Bandar Abbas is a logical intermediate point between Bangalore, India, where the Aero India 2025 exhibition was held, and Akhtubinsk Air Base in southeastern Russia. As the American press reports, it is possible that the appearance of the Su-57 in Iran reflects the country’s interest in the aircraft, the first export customer of which was Algeria. However, Tehran is currently awaiting deliveries of the Su-35 and is unlikely to start purchasing the Su-57 in the near future.
“There’s no escape from Putin’s warheads”
Daily Mail outlines scenario of “Russian attack on Britain” “Millions of Britons would die in an instant, tens of millions would be left in agony… Only a lucky few would be saved. How Putin’s surprise nuclear strike from the depths would become a terrifying reality.” Thus begins the heartbreaking special project of the British newspaper Daily Mail ‘Countdown to Armageddon’, adapted to today’s date.
British defense has virtually no chance of intercepting Putin’s “nuclear warheads”, the publication reports. “The only thing the vast majority of the population can do is say goodbye to their loved ones … with the exception of a lucky few from among the elite who will be sent to government bunkers,” the newspaper writes. It goes on to describe in detail how, at “H” hour, the Russian nuclear submarine Prince Vladimir will launch Bulava missiles from the North Atlantic – “eleven at the US and one at Britain”, how the Prime Minister of the Kingdom, evacuated to a secret bunker under the Ministry of Defence, will run “past friends and colleagues who will turn to steam after Big Ben chimes for the last time”, and how radioactive dust will rise. London’s entire possible response to “annihilation” is floating somewhere at sea, the Daily Mail adds. It is the only operational British Vanguard-class submarine with Tridents on board. Its commander will have to choose between orders such as “Surrender to American command if it still exists”, “Go to Australia”, “Retaliate” and “Act as you see fit”.
Of course, all this was not just to tickle the nerves of readers of the most widely read British newspapers. Somewhere between “bunkers for the elite” and “alarm suitcases” for the rest of us, the Daily Mail explains in detail what their country lacks in order to… no, not escape Putin’s “missiles”, but at least minimize its losses. As might be expected – the tabloid is here criticizing Labour in its favorite way – a dramatic increase in defense spending is missing. “Today, in the era of the new Cold War, the United Kingdom allocates only 2.3% of GDP to security. In real terms, this is only about 56.9 billion pounds. This puts us on a par with Romania – we are significantly behind more active European countries such as Poland,” the document states. And as part of its own campaign “Let’s not leave Britain without defense” it calls for an immediate increase in spending to 2.5 percent of GDP and at least 3 percent by 2030. The money will go where it is needed: on laser weapons “cheaper than £10 per shot”, new missiles for missile defence and a pan-European air defence as part of the outgoing Scholz’s Sky Shield initiative. “While it remains highly unlikely that Russia would attack the UK, it would be extremely unwise to take the risk,” the newspaper said, citing experts. After which he continues, not very logically: – The Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed the balance [of threats]: Western countries are supplying Kiev with billions of dollars of weapons to counter the Kremlin’s aggression.”
The British would not be themselves if, when accusing the Russian president of “rattling weapons”, they did not show a map of the proposed nuclear strike on “St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Bolshoi Ballet and Red Square”. They do not even raise the question of whether this would properly wash the radiation from the hair of those few subjects of His Majesty who would survive the nuclear apocalypse. The Daily Mail’s goal is different – to scare the British public into voting for militarization – and at the same time for the Conservative Party, if it manages to get together in time. We will solve the main thing ourselves. Even in the case of a hypothetical Russian-American settlement, there will be enough players in the West who do not need any peace, especially not on Moscow’s terms. And one of the most steadfast “warmongers” will be London, even though it is fully aware of the prospect of turning into a “hot plasma” the size of Britain.
Peter Weiss
