Here are Dr Roberts' words:
“Washington plans to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike not only against Russia, but also, possibly, against China. There are quite a few in Washington who support the idea of nuclear war, making statements like “What good are nuclear weapons if you don’t use them”... Meanwhile, the use of only one percent of the nuclear weapons at the disposal of the United States and Russia will lead to the destruction of at least two billion people. And if half of the nuclear arsenal of our two countries is blown up, then life on planet Earth will cease to exist.”
Dr. Roberts continued:
“I've been talking about this for several years. I warned that the Bush administration's policies had changed American military doctrine such that the role of nuclear weapons was no longer seen as a response to aggression against the United States. Now it has received the status of a means of preventive disarming nuclear strike. Our current doctrine is that we can go to nuclear war against anyone we don't like, or who disagrees with us, or who (we think) might be preparing to go to war with us. This doctrine also applies to those countries that do not have nuclear weapons».
Why might Russia become a target for American nuclear missiles? Roberts answers this question as follows:
“Russia is a huge country with enormous resources. These resources are enough to prevent Washington from maintaining world dominance. For this reason, Russia has always been a target for nuclear war doctrine. How do they do this? The United States is currently deploying bases for its missile defense system near Russian borders. During Reagan's time it was called " Star Wars" These missiles are designed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles. Therefore, if we strike Russia and turn it into a desert, and Russia presses its nuclear button, launching an intercontinental ballistic missile towards the United States in response, then this missile will be shot down by the missile defense system and nothing will happen to America. The prevailing idea in Washington now is that the United States can win a nuclear war because it has missile defense."
So, is America safe? Roberts believes that this is completely wrong:
“Even if American cities manage to escape retribution, Americans will still die from radiation and “nuclear winter” ... the climate will change dramatically, and the temperature will rapidly drop every day for three years. It is clear that in such conditions nothing will grow on earth. And this is in addition to what radiation does to people. This is a very serious situation that the United States really has plans for a nuclear war and would like to wipe Russia and China off the face of the Earth, all so that no one stops Washington from imposing its will on the world. This is blatantly evil."
Why isn't this being talked about in the American national media? To this, Dr. Roberts, who once served as editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal, says:
“The New York Times and the Washington Post are involved in this. They fully and completely support these wars. The explanation is simple - they are bought or intimidated, because if you say anything negative about Washington, you will be declared anti-American. This is the essence of the absurd.”
What if Russia and China strike first? Do you not admit this possibility? Dr Roberts responds:
“What I am telling you is public information. This is not just my opinion. It's open and anyone can read it. Both the Russians and the Chinese are aware of all this... For Washington, this is a very dangerous doctrine, as is its implementation through the deployment of a missile defense system in Poland... There are already American bases in Poland and there will be more of them. The Polish government signed humanity's death warrant... They gave Washington the confidence that they could strike Russia without any consequences for themselves... Of course, these systems will never work the way the people who created them intended. There will be no winners in this war. This is just ignorance. However, belief in the possibility of victory makes the prospect of nuclear war increasingly likely.”
Many countries around the world used preventive strikes against states with which they were not at war in order to ensure their security. It is curious that this experience is already more than 200 years old. In many cases, such operations had an extremely negative impact on the reputation of the states that organized them.
In 1801, the British fleet under the command of the famous admiral Horatio Nelson appeared in the roadstead of the capital of Denmark - Copenhagen. The British Empire and Denmark were not at war, but Denmark joined a group of states that pursued a policy of “armed neutrality.” The fact is that the Napoleonic wars were going on then, and British ships inspected ships of neutral states that could carry cargo destined for France. "Armed neutrality" was intended to stop this practice. The British demanded that the Danish fleet be transferred under their control (so that Napoleon could not use it), but, having received a refusal, they shot the Danish warships, and then transferred fire to the city itself. The Danes agreed to negotiations and abandoned the policy of “armed neutrality”. However, the story did not end there: in 1807, the British reappeared near Copenhagen and again demanded the surrender of the fleet. The Danes again refused: as a result, Denmark lost all its warships, and a third of Copenhagen burned down. As a result, a new term appeared in the world to designate a preemptive strike by the navy - “Copenhagening”. Historians who have studied this period of history note that morally and legally, London’s actions were illegal and unjustified, but from a strategic point of view, the British took a reasonable step: if France had had a powerful Danish fleet at its disposal, then Napoleon would have had a real chance to organize a landing and capture Albion.
In 1837, British ships intercepted the American ship Caroline on the Niagara River, which separates the United States and Canada (then a British colony). British intelligence had evidence that this ship was transporting weapons to Canada intended for local separatists. Caroline was captured (several US crew members were killed), then set on fire and scuttled. After this, the United States adopted the “Caroline Doctrine”\Caroline Doctrine, which established limits on the delivery of preventive strikes: in particular, it was declared that in order for such a strike to be delivered, it was necessary that there be irrefutable evidence that the other side was preparing for an attack, and the power of the blow must correspond to the level of this threat. It is curious that in 2002 the United States adopted The National Security Strategy, which states that preventive military strikes can be carried out if a hostile country or terrorists have the necessary capabilities and show a real intention to attack on the US and its allies. This means, for example, that the hostile army is preparing to attack and is just waiting for the order to attack. Operations similar to the attack on Caroline were carried out several times subsequently. Thus, in 2002, Israeli commandos in the Red Sea captured the Palestinian ship Karine-A, which secretly transported more than 50 tons of Iranian-made weapons and explosives.
In 1904, the Japanese fleet launched a surprise attack on the Russian squadron in Port Arthur ( Russian base in China). The attack took place on the night of February 9, three days before Tokyo broke off diplomatic relations with St. Petersburg. The attack on Port Arthur was the first time in the history of the navy that torpedoes were used en masse: the Japanese fired 20 torpedoes, but hit only three targets. They sank two new ones Russian battleship(which was soon re-commissioned). This attack was the start date Russo-Japanese War. Subsequently, in 1941, Germany acted in a similar way, attacking the USSR, and Japan, attacking the United States.
In 1940, shortly after the defeat of France, of which Great Britain was an ally, British ships captured or destroyed several dozen ships of the French fleet. France and Great Britain were allies in the war against Nazi Germany. However, the Germans took Paris, and the surviving British and French troops were evacuated from Dunkirk. The loyalty of the French allies was questioned by the British, who feared that the French Navy might fall into the hands of Germany and Italy. Therefore, Operation Catapult was carried out. First, French ships in British ports were captured (in one case, French sailors from the submarine Surcouf refused to surrender and opened fire). Then an operation was carried out in the Algerian (then a French colony) port of Mers-el-Kebir. The French were given an ultimatum: they could hand over the ships to the British; or sail across the ocean to the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, where they will remain under supervision until the end of the war; or fight. The French chose the latter. A few hours later they lost several ships and 1.3 thousand sailors killed. The French squadron surrendered, agreed to disarm and remain in place until the end of the war (in 1943 it joined the Free French forces). Later, without firing a shot, the British captured French ships anchored in Egyptian (then a British colony) Alexandria and attacked the French base in Dakar (now Senegal), but some of the ships there made their way to French Toulon. The last act of the tragedy occurred in 1942: German and Italian troops tried to capture the main base of the French fleet - Toulon (then controlled by the Vichy government, allied with Germany). In order not to give up their ships, French sailors sank or blew up most of them, including 3 battleships and 7 cruisers.
In 1983, US President Ronald Reagan ordered a preventive military operation against the island nation of Grenada. Formal decision on application military force was adopted by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. The US President said that “a Cuban-Soviet occupation of Grenada is being prepared,” and also that weapons depots are being created in Grenada that can be used by international terrorists. The immediate reason for the start of the military operation was the taking of hostages American students by the authorities of Grenada. As it turned out later, the students were not in danger. The Grenada authorities did not intend to take them hostage, but simply decided to provide security, since shortly before this, armed clashes began on the island, as a result of which the leader of the Grenada Marxists, who had recently come to power, was killed by his comrades. After the capture of the island, it was also revealed that Grenadian military warehouses were filled with old Soviet weapons. Before the invasion began, the United States announced that there were 1.2 thousand Cuban commandos on the island. It was later established that there were no more than 200 Cubans, a third of them were civilian specialists.
Israel has used preemptive strikes effectively on several occasions. In particular, in 1981, his warplanes bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor in Osirak. Iraq created its nuclear program in the 1960s. France agreed to supply Iraq with a research reactor. It was he who became known as "Osirak". Israel initially viewed the reactor as a serious threat to its security, as Saddam Hussein had repeatedly promised to wipe out the Jewish state from the face of the earth. Military operation was an extremely risky move: the attack could be considered Arab states as an act of aggression that could lead to a large-scale war. Other unpleasant consequences for Israel could follow, for example, an economic embargo by the United States and European countries. The decision to attack Osirak was finally made after Israeli intelligence reported that France was ready to ship 90 kg of enriched uranium to Iraq for Osirak. By that time, Israeli intelligence believed that Iraq had 6 kg of weapons-grade plutonium, which was enough to create one nuclear warhead. As a result, Israeli aircraft bombed the reactor. Many states of the world and the UN Security Council condemned Israel's actions. However, tougher sanctions from the international community did not follow. In 1991, after Saddam Hussein's army invaded Kuwait, Israel's actions received a different interpretation: they were considered necessary. Latest story This kind of thing happened in 2007, when Israeli planes bombed unspecified targets in Syria. Information on this matter is very limited and contradictory; according to some sources, a nuclear facility was destroyed.
On October 14, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev, in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, said that the new Russian military doctrine provides for the possibility of our Armed Forces launching a preventive nuclear strike against an aggressor or terrorists. This caused the most opposite responses among politicians and experts. We asked for your opinion on this issue Vice-President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Colonel Vladimir Anokhin.
"SP":“Even during the times of the USSR, our country never raised the question of its readiness to use nuclear weapons preventively. What has changed now?
— Indeed, Russia has always considered nuclear weapons so inhumane that it considered their preventive use to be a manifestation of barbarity. We have always criticized the United States for the fact that this country has been blackmailing people with a nuclear club for 60 years. But now a lot has changed. The number of members of the nuclear club has grown, terrorism has acquired such proportions that it has become real opportunity the use of nuclear weapons for these purposes. That is why, according to Patrushev, “the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons when repelling aggression using conventional weapons, not only in large-scale, but also in regional and even local war, have been adjusted. In addition, it provides for the possibility of using nuclear weapons depending on the conditions of the situation and the intentions of the potential enemy. In critical national security situations, including a pre-emptive (preventive) nuclear strike against the aggressor cannot be ruled out.”
It must be emphasized that at the same time we expect less nuclear danger from any states, even those that the United States calls rogue, and more from terrorists. This statement by Patrushev is expected to be a deterrent for them.
"SP":— US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, instantly reacting to Patrushev’s statement, in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station, expressed her “fe” to Russia, while pointing out that even the American military doctrine does not provide for preventive nuclear strikes against aggressors. Is this true?
“Hilary Clinton’s statement indicates, at the very least, that she does not have the information. The very first US nuclear doctrine, 60 years ago, already provided for a “pre-emptive strike”: all the 55 weapons the US had at that time atomic bombs were distributed among Soviet cities. Herself nuclear program The United States developed based on the need to carry out preventive strikes. For example, the Pentagon specially prepared a secret document for the head of the American atomic project, General L. Groves, under the expressive title “Strategic Map of Some Industrial Regions of Russia and Manchuria.” The document listed the 15 largest cities Soviet Union- Moscow, Baku, Novosibirsk, Gorky, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Kuibyshev, Kazan, Saratov, Molotov (Perm), Magnitogorsk, Grozny, Stalinsk (meaning Stalino-Donetsk), Nizhny Tagil. The appendix provided a calculation of the number of atomic bombs required to destroy each of these cities, taking into account the experience of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. According to the authors of the document, six atomic bombs were required for each of the capitals to destroy Moscow and Leningrad.
Similar plans were developed in the USA later. Let us at least recall the secret “Dropshot” plan, discovered by our intelligence officers, which determined the delivery of preventive nuclear strikes on 200 cities of the USSR. During the Cold War, when determining the amount of damage unacceptable to the USSR, the United States was guided by the criterion of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. Unacceptable damage was achieved with the loss of 30% of the population and 70% of the country's industrial potential and about 1000 of the most important military facilities, for which it was necessary to deliver 400-500 megaton-class warheads to the targets.
"SP":- But this is the past. Now, after all, there is a “reset” of relations and there are no such plans?
- Unfortunately, there are worse things. Influential non-governmental organization "Federation of American Scientists", which includes 68 laureates Nobel Prizes, contributed to the plans of the new US administration to “reset” relations with Russia. Her report, From Confrontation to Minimum Deterrence, argues that the current nuclear potential The US is unnecessarily inflated to such an extent that it poses a danger to America itself in the event of, for example, natural disasters. In addition, over 5.2 thousand warheads on alert and in storage absorb enormous resources in the process of servicing them. The report's authors propose reducing the number of nuclear warheads to a minimum of several hundred units. But redirect strategic missiles from densely populated Russian cities to the largest economic facilities of the Russian Federation.
The list of American scientists included 12 enterprises belonging to Gazprom, Rosneft, Rusal, Norilsk Nickel, Surgutneftegaz, Evraz, Severstal, as well as two foreign energy concerns - German E. ON and Italian Enel. Three oil refineries are specifically named - Omsk, Angarsk and Kirishi, four metallurgical plant — Magnitogorsk, Nizhny Tagil, Cherepovets, Norilsk Nickel, two aluminum plants - Bratsky and Novokuznetsk, three state district power plants - Berezovskaya, Sredneuralskaya and Surgutskaya.
According to the authors of the report, in the event of the preventive destruction of these objects, the Russian economy will be paralyzed, and the Russians will automatically not be able to wage war. The authors of the report, with all their “humanism,” could not hide the fact that in this case, at least one million people would inevitably die. “These calculations are sobering,” the report significantly states, that is, they should “sober up” Russian leaders if they try to obstruct Washington’s plans.
One more detail is characteristic: although the report names not only Russia, but also China, North Korea, Iran and Syria as potential opponents of the United States, the infrastructure facilities that should be chosen as targets are given using our country as an example.
"SP":- Of course, all this is disgusting and terrible, but non-governmental organizations can make a variety of plans, the question is: is there a legal basis for their implementation?
- Eat. In 2005, a new US nuclear doctrine was adopted, which allows for preventive nuclear strikes against an enemy that “is planning to use weapons of mass destruction (WMD).” The document even reduces the level of decision-making compared to previous doctrines. It states: “The theater commander will request a decision in principle to use nuclear weapons and will determine for himself against whom and when to use them.”
"SP":— Why can’t we hear Russia’s indignation about this?
- Whoever needs it hears. Immediately after the Americans adopted the new version of the nuclear doctrine, the Russian General Staff announced that it would be forced to adjust the development of its strategic nuclear forces depending on Washington’s plans for the preventive use of nuclear weapons. In support of these words, we have tested new generation hypersonic maneuvering nuclear units. On this occasion, Vladimir Putin said that Moscow has weapons that are “able to hit targets at intercontinental depths with hypersonic speed and high accuracy, with the ability to maneuver deeply, both in altitude and heading.”
The current statement by the Secretary of the Russian Security Council is also part of a series of responses to the American nuclear doctrine.
From the "SP" dossier:
Nikolay Patrushev: “The current Military Doctrine is a document of the transition period, namely the end of the 20th century. The results of the analysis of the military-strategic situation in the world and the prospects for its development until 2020 indicate a shift in emphasis from large-scale military conflicts to local wars and armed conflicts.
Although the previously existing military dangers and threats to our country have not lost their relevance. Thus, the activity of admitting new members to NATO does not stop, the military activities of the bloc are intensifying, and exercises are being intensively conducted strategic forces USA with testing issues of managing the use of strategic nuclear weapons.
Additional destabilizing factors remain, such as the tendency to spread nuclear, chemical, biological technologies, the production of weapons of mass destruction, and the increasing level of international terrorism, the intensifying struggle for fuel, energy and other raw materials. Internal military dangers have not been completely eliminated, as evidenced by the situation in the North Caucasus.
Thus, objective conditions have arisen for clarifying the Military Doctrine, which should involve a flexible and timely response to current and future changes in the military-political and military-strategic situation for the medium term.
Military conflicts are proposed to be divided into large-scale, regional and local war, as well as armed conflicts (both interstate and internal).
It has been determined that Russia considers its the most important task preventing and deterring the outbreak of any military conflicts. At the same time, the main approaches to solving this problem are formulated. At the same time, it is emphasized that Russia considers it legitimate to use the armed forces and other troops to repel aggression against it or its allies, maintain (restore) peace by decision of the UN Security Council and other collective security structures.
As for the provisions on the possibility of using nuclear weapons, this section of the Military Doctrine is formulated in the spirit of preserving Russian Federation status nuclear power, capable of nuclear deterrence of potential adversaries from unleashing aggression against Russia and its allies. This is the most important priority for our country in the foreseeable future.
The conditions for the use of nuclear weapons when repelling aggression using conventional weapons, not only in large-scale, but also in regional and even local war, have also been adjusted.
In addition, it provides for the possibility of using nuclear weapons depending on the conditions of the situation and the intentions of the potential enemy. In situations critical to national security, the delivery of a pre-emptive (preventive) nuclear strike against the aggressor cannot be ruled out."
READING
PREVENTIVE STRIKE
Tatiana cooked borscht. It was almost ready, and the most delicious smells came from the large yellow pan with flowers. Despite her youth, Tanya was an excellent housewife and an excellent cook.
- Smells delicious! And I'm so hungry! Where is Kostyan? Does he play with toys?
The husband, Sergei, came in and looked into the kitchen and smiled broadly. His smile was always so charming that it was impossible not to smile back. And Tanya blossomed, walked up to her husband with a ladle in her hands, and kissed him.
A playful Kostya came running from the nursery, reached out to his father, and he grabbed his son, slowed him down, and went with him to the toys. Tanya listened to their fuss in the children's room and smiled happily.
Sergei returned to the kitchen, affectionately hugged his wife, and then sat down at the table, became serious and said slowly:
- Tanya, just don’t get upset, okay? It looks like we’ll have to take my mother in with us again... Something about her and Ritulya’s relationship is not very good... Well, you know, my sister has a complex character... Today my mother called and cried...
The husband looked embarrassed. Tanya was silent, and he stood up and, stomping around the kitchen table, said:
- I’ll... I’ll go put the car in the garage. I’ll take Kostya with me for a walk. And we'll come for lunch.
Sergei left, and Tanya slowly sat down on a chair. She looked out the window with unseeing eyes. Will the mother-in-law really move in with them again? Will this endless torture begin again?
The character of Irina Lvovna, like her eldest daughter Margarita was, to put it mildly, difficult. But at first Tanya had no idea about this. The acquaintance with the husband's parents was short: the newlyweds stayed with them for several days and left for the place of Sergei's new assignment, a professional military man.
These few days were not the most pleasant in Tanya's life. Especially understand family relationships She didn’t make it to the Petrovs. I noticed, however, that the decisive voice in all matters belonged to Irina Lvovna. The father-in-law, a retired colonel, was an easy-going person; he rarely addressed Tanya, but kindly. As for the mother-in-law, she behaved dryly, restrainedly, and with all her appearance made it clear what kindness their family was showing in accepting their young daughter-in-law.
Tanya somehow immediately felt that Irina Lvovna considered her not a match for her son - apparently, this was not the kind of daughter-in-law she was waiting for. Yes, Tanya herself knew that she had neither special beauty nor a rich dowry. Her parents died early, and she was the only one who managed to finish college. She worked as a school teacher, teaching Russian language and literature. She loved her profession, but the salary she received was pitiful. Once at the table I tried to tell a funny incident from school life, but Irina Lvovna, without listening to the end, switched the conversation to another topic. And then she said quietly: “If you have no mind, go to hell.” Tatyana blushed, but remained silent.
She was generally flexible in character. And the mother-in-law is right: in fact, she is not a match for Seryozha. Why did he only love her? Short, thin, light eyebrows, light hair - a gray mouse. And her Seryozha is tall, handsome, fit. And Sergei’s family is wealthy, but she, Tanya, has no money, no apartment, a room in a communal apartment. Irina Lvovna said:
- Well, Kazan orphan, we accept you into the family. Since Sergei married you...
And Tanya smiled: she really is an orphan from Kazan. No, she was not downtrodden and timid. She could take care of herself. But here it was a completely different case: she loved Seryozha so much that she was ready to love everything connected with him: his family, his home, his friends. Well, it’s okay, when Irina Lvovna understands how much her daughter-in-law loves her husband, how she cares for him, then she herself will change her attitude towards her.
The Petrovs’ eldest daughter, Margarita, a homely Ritulya, did not pay attention to Tanya and did not start conversations with her. She was as tall and thin as Irina Lvovna, and her character was like her mother. Sergei, with his powerful figure and easy-going character, took after his father. An old grandmother, my father’s mother, also lived with the Petrovs.
So the grandmother treated Tanya with love, and Tatyana spent most of the time in her small room. The old woman taught her to knit, told her stories from the childhood of Seryozha and Rituli, and Tanya listened to these stories with joy.
She was unpleasantly struck by her careless attitude towards Irina Lvovna’s grandmother. In front of her household, she behaved politely with her husband’s mother, but when the men were not at home, she shouted at her:
- Well, step aside so you can go to the bathroom! You need to go to work, but you still sit at home all day long! Go to your room and don't get in your way!
- Go away!
Tanya went out into the corridor, but Irina Lvovna was already in the kitchen, and her grandmother was quietly walking along the corridor and looked completely calm and happy with everything. Tanya thought she had misheard.
Soon the young couple left, and the next time Tanya saw her mother-in-law was only a year later. During this year, significant changes took place in the family of the elder Petrovs: Ritulya began to live separately, her old grandmother died, and after her her father-in-law suddenly died of a heart attack. That’s when Irina Lvovna came to her son and daughter-in-law.
After the death of her husband, she lost a lot, but she still behaved arrogantly, spoke in a bossy voice and constantly found fault with her daughter-in-law. It seemed that she was only busy finding a reason for conflict. Tanya was expecting a child and was sitting at home. The pregnancy was difficult and I suffered from toxicosis. It was all the more difficult to bear my mother-in-law’s nagging.
Irina Lvovna saved them for the evening, and when Sergei came home from work, she brought down heavy artillery on him: his idle wife sleeps during the day, but could have free time and do some repairs, at least cosmetic ones. Or: a young wife is unfriendly with her mother-in-law, disrespectful. When asked by her son what exactly the inhospitability is expressed in, the mother-in-law pursed her lips: he could have guessed it himself!
Tanya cooked for herself, washed the dishes, including for her mother-in-law, did laundry for three and cleaned the apartment. I was waiting for Irina Lvovna to finally appreciate delicious borscht, or the snow-white linen after washing, or the cleanliness and comfort in the apartment, but I just couldn’t please.
Tanya didn’t know what exactly her mother-in-law said to her husband, but she was amazed when Seryozha once told her with pain:
- Tanya, please be more kind to your mother, don’t offend her. It’s already hard for her after her dad’s death.
Seryozha interrupted and said more forcefully:
- That's it, Tanya! Let's not argue! I understand: you are in a position, you are nervous... But I ask you not to offend my mother!
And after this conversation, Tanya somehow became very upset. When her husband left for work, she cried for a long time, locking herself in the bathroom and turning on the water so that Irina Lvovna would not hear.
And then, while going to the store to do some shopping, Tanya forgot her wallet. I had to go back. Opening front door, she froze on the threshold, hearing the loud, jubilant voice of her mother-in-law, who was talking on the phone:
- Yes, Ritulya! Absolutely correct! I immediately showed her who was the boss of the house! The most important thing is to strike preemptively! I am, after all, the colonel’s wife! You need to attack so that you don’t have to defend... Yes, yes! Preemptive strike! I did it, I did it! Well, I came up with it... Yes... I made it up... Seryozha? Of course I believed it! What, he won’t believe his own mother, or what?! Yes, of course, she did the right thing... Otherwise, just give her free rein, just relax... She’ll quickly sit on your neck! I'm an experienced sparrow, I know how older people are treated if they can't stand up for themselves. Exactly!
Tanya felt weak and felt her knees buckle. She quietly went out into the street, holding on to the railing so as not to fall, because the tears were flowing and she could hardly distinguish the steps.
She reached a deserted square, which was three steps from the house, and sat down on a bench. She cried and remembered how she dreamed of a big, friendly and happy family, dreamed that she, an orphan, would have relatives. And she will love them, because they are Seryozha’s relatives. And maybe she will even call her mother-in-law mom, and she will affectionately say “daughter” to her... Tanya began to cry almost out loud, unable to contain herself. And the baby in the stomach also became agitated and began to kick. She fell silent, afraid for the little one, stopped crying, breathed deeply and, stroking her stomach, said:
- Everything is fine, Kostya, everything is fine... You see, our grandmother decided to deal us a preemptive strike... This is to protect herself, that is, herself... And you and I didn’t even think of offending her, right? She just thought wrongly... That's how it happened... If she knew that we didn't want to offend her, she wouldn't have done that. Nothing. Everything will work out. You and I will forgive her, right? Calm down, my little one, calm down, please! You can't worry there. Everything is fine! I love you very much. Well, have you calmed down?..
Tanya raised her eyes to the gray autumn sky and said quietly:
– Holy Mother of God, protect my son and me! You know that I have no parents... Mother, protect us Yourself! Please protect us...
Then she got up and slowly walked into the store. The child calmed down, and Tanya herself felt light and peaceful in her soul.
And a couple of days later, Irina Lvovna announced that she was leaving them. Ritulya called and told her what she had been hiding for several months: she would soon become a mother and would need help around the house.
Irina Lvovna perked up and began to fuss, getting ready:
- My daughter is waiting, she needs me. You won't refuse help my own daughter. You're lucky: Sergei married you, and Ritula got caught by some bastard - he got the child pregnant and remember what his name was!
And Seryozha and Tanya were left alone, and then Kostya was born.
My son is now three years old. Tanya remembered how friendly they lived, how her son grew up and how good it was for the three of them. Has their end come? happy life? Tanya sat in the kitchen, staring out the window and forgetting about time. Hearing the cheerful ringing voice of her son and the bass voice of her husband coming from the entrance, she perked up and began to set the table.
A couple of days later, Seryozha went to Ritula to pick up his mother. Irina Lvovna arrived silent, quiet, and thinner. She greeted Tanya quietly and went into the room prepared for her. Kostya was huddled and shy of his grandmother. But the grandmother was silent and almost did not leave her room.
“Well,” thought Tanya, “let it be so.”
She no longer tried to improve relations with her mother-in-law, turning to her only when necessary. The old desire to find loved one disappeared, and Tanya behaved calmly, evenly, but aloof. She remembered how she tried to please her mother-in-law three years ago, how she waited for her kind words and affection, how her heart ached when faced with coldness and hostility - and understood that this was all in the past.
Seryozha answered the question about Ritul briefly:
– Tanya, you know, my sister raised her daughter alone. Her mother was also a nanny, a cook, and a cleaning lady. And now Margarita is getting married. I sent my daughter to kindergarten; she no longer needs her mother. She began to interfere... And her future husband has his own mother. So...
Tanya remained silent. I just thought: “Irina Lvovna probably became attached to her granddaughter, it was probably difficult for her to part with the child.” I felt a little sorry for my mother-in-law.
And she changed a lot: she no longer had a militant attitude, she became quieter, softer in her manner. Yes, and physically I lost a lot. Apparently, old age humbles people.
Tanya noticed that her mother-in-law liked to watch Kostya play. Sometimes he’ll bring him a rolling ball, or he’ll help him build a house out of cubes. And the grandson began to treat his grandmother no longer so timidly, although he still avoided, did not caress, did not ask to be held in her arms.
One evening, when Seryozha was on duty, Kostya became very capricious. Tanya touched the child’s forehead – it was hot. I set the thermometer and saw with horror that the mercury had risen to forty. Tanya rushed around the room. She grabbed the phone and called an ambulance. The car didn't move for a long time. And Tatyana ran out into the street: what if they took a long time to find the entrance...
When she returned with the doctor, she almost gasped: Kostya was sitting on Irina Lvovna’s lap. He snuggled trustingly and didn’t even cry. And his mother-in-law sang something to him about a gray cat, and Tanya was amazed: it turns out that her voice, always creaky, can be so affectionate...
Kostya was diagnosed with measles. They allowed me to stay at home and prescribed treatment. And the mother-in-law, to Tanya’s surprise, did not leave her grandson’s side. She leafed through a book with pictures, sang, very out of tune, but with feeling, about a gray cat, and told some fairy tales. She still treated Tanya dryly, only when necessary, but when talking with her grandson, her voice became completely different. She affectionately called the baby Kostyushka and crawled on the carpet, handing him either cubes or a pyramid. Tanya even somehow caught herself standing at the stove and singing a song about that little gray cat. She fell silent in fear: what if her mother-in-law heard and decided that she was being imitated...
And five days later, when the grandson was already recovering, Irina Lvovna herself fell ill. She didn’t get out of bed in the morning, and when Tanya looked into her room, she saw her mother-in-law’s burning face and red eyes. I called an ambulance. The doctor said:
“Well, grandma, it looks like you caught measles from your grandson.” The sclera of the eyes are red - the so-called rabbit look, the face is swollen. On the third or fourth day, a rash will appear.
- K-roller! – Kostya, hiding at the door, rejoiced: he had recently learned to pronounce “r”.
– Adults suffer from measles more severely than children, there are complications – bronchitis, pneumonia... What about the hospital? No? Well... There is no specific treatment for measles. You can only reduce general symptoms intoxication of the body and control body temperature.
Tanya was spinning like a squirrel in a wheel: Kostya, who had recovered, needed care. He grew up as a kind and calm child, but during his illness he got used to attention, to the fulfillment of all desires on the fly, and he really liked it... Tanya also looked after her mother-in-law: she gave medicine by the hour, made fruit drinks - either cranberry or lingonberry, I prepared lighter, but more nutritious food for the patient, and helped her get to the toilet.
But Irina Lvovna was not getting better. The temperature dropped for half an hour, and then the mercury quickly rose again to forty. The lips became feathered, the facial features became sharper. Tanya decided to herself that if the patient’s condition did not improve in the near future, then she would need to be sent to the hospital.
In the evening, the temperature rose again, and Irina Lvovna asked Tanya to dial Rituli’s phone number:
– I want to say goodbye to my daughter and granddaughter.
– Irina Lvovna, of course, I will dial you their number, but not to say goodbye, but just to talk. Why say goodbye?
- I'm dying.
– Irina Lvovna, you will definitely get better, and everything will be fine. You'll see! Just a couple more days and you will be on the mend!
The mother-in-law looked at Tanya carefully:
- Do you really want me to get better?
Tanya was confused by these words and stopped short. I started rearranging fruit drinks and medicines on the chair, and before my eyes: my mother-in-law was holding sick Kostya close to her, she was singing to him about a gray cat, she was crawling after him on the carpet in search of a pyramid. Tanya sat down by her mother-in-law’s bed, took her hot palm in her hands and said from the bottom of her heart:
- Of course I want! Really want to! And you will definitely get better! Christmas is coming... Let's celebrate the holiday together! And Seryozha will bring a Christmas tree, and we will have gifts, and a pie...
- Pie... gifts... Forgive me, Tanya! Please forgive me! Can you?
- For what, Irina Lvovna?
- You know...
Tanya paused and answered simply:
- I know. For a preventive strike.
The mother-in-law squeezed Tanya’s palms with hot and slightly trembling hands:
- Yes. For a preventive strike. You know, my mother-in-law was kind and meek. But I offended her. At first casually, in a hurry... And then more and more often. You see, it’s worth telling an old man once: “Get out!” – and then it becomes familiar and pronounced so easily... Oh, if only I could bring everything back! How ashamed I am now for this, Tanya! Do you know when I felt ashamed? When I heard these words from my own daughter. From Rituli.
She shouted them to me with the same intonation, mine, which I remember so well... You know, Tanya, in order to understand how an offended person feels, you need to stand in his place. But the well-fed does not understand the hungry. No, he doesn't understand...
– Irina Lvovna, now I’ll give you some medicine. And morsica.
- Wait. I offended my mother-in-law - and I was afraid that you would also offend me. And she became an example for own daughter. I'm not angry with her. It is not her fault. She had a good teacher. Tanya, evil always comes back. Right now I, a sick and apparently dying old woman, am telling you banal things. Tanya, I learned them only from my own experience.
The mother-in-law fell silent. Tanya took out the pills, took a glass of water, helped the patient get up, and when, having handed over the medicine, she went to the kitchen for a cup of broth, a voice whispered after her:
- Forgive me, daughter.
Tanya felt these quiet words hit her in the back, so that she faltered. She turned around, walked up to the bed, sat down next to her on the floor, took her mother-in-law by the hand and began to cry. Tears flowed, and along with them the poison of resentment, an old, long-standing resentment, came out, and my soul became warm. She cried, and her mother-in-law stroked her head with her hot, dry palm.
Kostya ran into the room. I saw my mother crying - and her lips trembled, her face grimaced, another moment - and a loud roar would be heard.
– What kind of painting is this by Repin “They Didn’t Expect”? What's going on here? – the voice of the husband who returned from work was feignedly angry, but there was also anxiety and fear for his loved ones.
Tanya was still sobbing, and Irina Lvovna answered:
“Yes, I’m about to die here, but they won’t allow my daughter and grandson - they say it’s too early.” Apparently I'll have to get better.
Olga ROZHNEVA
Pentagon chief James Mattis has admitted a likely scenario in which US President Donald Trump could order a preemptive nuclear strike without congressional approval. The Secretary of Defense of the United States made this statement while speaking at a hearing in the Senate Committee on foreign affairs. The meeting was devoted to Washington's use of military force abroad.
In response to a question from Senator Edward Markey, are there circumstances that would allow an American leader to launch a preemptive nuclear strike on North Korea or other countries with nuclear weapons, Mattis stressed that the question is hypothetical.
The head of the Pentagon noted that such a scenario could be implemented only if the threat of a nuclear strike on the United States becomes inevitable. He added that such a hypothetical decision would be subject to close scrutiny and called for trust existing system, which has proven its effectiveness over decades.
“This is not the only tool in our toolkit,” Mattis said. “I believe that congressional control should not be equated with operational management.”
Democratic Senator Markey tried several times to get a clear answer to his question from the head of the Pentagon, but Mattis refused to comment on the hypothetical situation. He emphasized that a preventive strike is possible only if it the only way stop a nuclear attack against the United States.
“I didn't say this would happen, we have various traditional means to stop it. The president is obliged to protect the country,” TASS quotes Mattis.
As a result, the congressman demanded closed hearings on this issue with the participation of the United States Secretary of Defense.
In turn, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was present at the hearings, said that not a single US president “has renounced (the possibility of attack. - RT) preemptive strike, and it served us well for 70 years."
- James Mattis and Rex Tillerson
- Reuters
"Great Expectations for the Russians"
Also during the Senate hearings, Mattis said that Armed forces The United States conducts regular training to repel hypothetical attacks from North Korea.
Answering a question about the plan of action in the event of a North Korean missile attack, when it would be a matter of minutes rather than days, the Pentagon chief said: “In any case, the president will be raised. I can say that we are working on this.”
He noted that first of all, anti-missile systems and tracking stations in California and Alaska will be used. Then the head of the White House will be presented with a list of possible response actions, including joint actions with American allies in the region.
At the same time, the head of the US State Department, Rex Tillerson, confirmed that Congress did not authorize the use of military force against North Korea.
At the same time, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly noted that Washington is counting on Beijing and Moscow to exert political pressure on Pyongyang. Kelly emphasized that the United States hopes that China will influence the North Korean authorities.
“We also have high hopes for the Russians,” he added.
These statements were made ahead of Donald Trump's big Asian tour, which will visit Japan in early November. South Korea and China. The American president will then take part in a number of major international events, including the Association of Nations summit South-East Asia(ASEAN) and the summit of leaders of countries belonging to the Asia-Pacific economic cooperation(APEC).
- THAAD
- globallookpress.com
- Ralph Scott
Old new threats
During a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rex Tillerson also called on Congress to allow the presidential administration to use force against terrorist threats to the United States without setting limits on its use.
“The new authorization for the use of military force should not be geographically limited. As with the current authorization, the administration will need to maintain statutory authority to use military force against an enemy that does not respect or limit itself to borders,” Tillerson said.
According to him, this question fully agreed with both the head of the Pentagon and the rest of the US presidential administration. Tillerson also said that members of the administration will continue to regularly brief Congress so that both parliamentarians and the American people have a clearer understanding of US foreign policy, military goals, and national security efforts.
Let us remind you that the day before, large-scale command post and field exercises of the strategic nuclear forces “Global Thunder” started, within the framework of which units in all areas of responsibility of the US Strategic Command (Stratcom) will be tested.
The exercise scenario involves training responses to “various strategic threats to the United States” and will utilize the full capabilities of Stratcom with the participation of units around the world in real time. During the exercises, the capabilities of space forces and application systems will be tested. global impact and missile defense, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.
Earlier, on October 26, the Russian military, as part of training on strategic management nuclear forces(SNF) worked out the interaction of all components of the nuclear triad. During the exercise, four intercontinental missiles were launched ballistic missiles: three - from nuclear submarines in the Barents and Okhotsk seas and one - from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.