The Stan R. Mitchell report for 2/11/22.
Happy Friday, everyone! Hope everyone’s week is off to a great start.
The Ukraine situation will soon be coming to a head. And honestly, it’s hard to read the below and not leave convinced that Russia will invade Ukraine... 😢😢
Dmitri Alperovitch @DAlperovitchI’ve been convinced since mid December that the RU invasion of UKR is very likely. But I recognize that a lot of people disagree (not least of all, many in UKR government — at least publicly)It is always good to reevaluate your assumptions so let’s red team the alternatives 🧵February 10th 2022
396 Retweets1,399 LikesLove to hear your all’s thoughts in the comments below as to whether you agree with what Dmitri has said above.
I’m with Dmitri. I think an invasion is happening. But invasion or not, this will not be easy for Russia. See below.
#Russia'n tanks drowned in mud\n#Rostov or #Crimea area ","username":"markito0171","name":"C4H10FO2P","date":"Thu Feb 10 20:57:41 +0000 2022","photos":[{"img_url":"https://cdn.substack.com/image/upload...
C4H10FO2P @markito0171- MudWar not BlitzKrieg -#Russia'n tanks drowned in mud#Rostov or #Crimea area February 10th 2022
66 Retweets168 LikesAnd the realities of a potential war are explained perfectly in the forty seconds of this clip below:
@mccaffreyr3 speaks with @yasminv about Ukraine's defense capabilities against a Russian invasion and the risks involved on both sides. \n\n@MSNBC ","username":"YasminMSNBC","name":"Yasmin Vossoughian Reports","date":"Wed Feb 09 16:20:51 +0000 2022","photos":[{"img_url":"https://cdn.substack.com/image/upload...
Yasmin Vossoughian Reports @YasminMSNBC"If Putin decides to go all-out, he will get Ukraine in under 90 days. But it will be a catastrophe for him." General @mccaffreyr3 speaks with @yasminv about Ukraine's defense capabilities against a Russian invasion and the risks involved on both sides. @MSNBC February 9th 2022
24 Retweets54 LikesUltimately, as Steven Erlanger writes in The New York Times, Putin has a decision to make. (See his story: In Ukraine Crisis, Putin Faces a Stark Choice.) Erlanger argues that:
Europe still badly needs Russian gas and oil, and Russia the income from selling it. Russian gas makes up 40 percent of the continent’s supplies — in Germany, it’s more than 55 percent — and Russian oil, 25 percent. At the same time, Russia still relies heavily on energy sales, which represent more than 30 percent of its economy and more than 60 percent of its exports.
Both countries are trying to present a united front against the global influence of the United States, both in Europe and Asia. But how much Russia wants to turn away from its European markets, and how much China wants to anger Europeans are open questions.
Here’s the link again to that story:
Steven Erlanger @StevenErlangerPutin has some choices to make. But they're not easy ones. Breaking with Europe would be hard.
In Ukraine Crisis, Putin Faces a Stark ChoiceRussia can seize control over Ukraine or keep strong economic ties to Europe. It will be hard to do both.nytimes.comFebruary 9th 2022
2 Likes
Moving on from Ukraine, which really is such a big story right now, it’s important we keep our eyes on the ball. And in military matters, that means keeping the focus on Asia, as laid out below:
Derek J. Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Blinken says century will be shaped by Indo-Pacfic regionCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The United States remains focused long-term on the Indo-Pacific region despite concerns over Russian aggression toward Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.apnews.comFebruary 11th 2022
1 Retweet5 LikesI mentioned in a previous edition the killing of the head of ISIS. But additional reporting has shown that the U.S. spied on the man for months and learned of couriers and other vital intel that is undoubtedly being used to cripple ISIS. Nice work on the intel community’s part on this one.
Moving along, on the topic of weapons you have to see to believe, I came across this:
#NationalUmbrellaDay! Behold, the Bulgarian Umbrella on display @IntlSpyMuseum. In 1978, the KGB used this umbrella—modified to fire a tiny pellet filled with poison—to assassinate dissident Georgi Markov on the streets of London. \n\nbit.ly/3tEb5tP #NeverForget ","username":"IntlSpyMuseum","name":"The Spy Museum","date":"Thu Feb 10 18:25:03 +0000 2022","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FLQVKW...
The Spy Museum @IntlSpyMuseumIt's #NationalUmbrellaDay! Behold, the Bulgarian Umbrella on display @IntlSpyMuseum. In 1978, the KGB used this umbrella—modified to fire a tiny pellet filled with poison—to assassinate dissident Georgi Markov on the streets of London. bit.ly/3tEb5tP #NeverForget 
February 10th 2022
41 Retweets81 LikesHow crazy that they created a lethal umbrella, huh? (I’ve seen umbrellas with swords in them, but this was something else for sure.)
One final note before we sign off with some light stuff, I wanted to re-vist something from the last edition. When I was recounting the story on Tuesday of the closest I ever came to dying when I served, I mentioned in passing how scared we used to be of flying in Ospreys, the helicopters/planes that were brand-new back then.
But thinking on it some more, I wanted to see just how dangerous the tilt-rotor planes actually are compared to regular helicopters. It turns out, if you read the article below, that they’re much safer than I originally believed.
I always want my information to be as accurate as possible, so I apologize for not researching that prior to the last edition.
The bottom line is that the Ospreys are not only faster with a wider reach, they seem to be pretty safe after all.
Finally, let’s end with some wisdom and motivation.
Dan Rather @DanRatherThis Olympics, like the last one, shows that humanity and sportsmanship are more important than gold.February 11th 2022
500 Retweets8,354 Likes#TuesdayMotivation ","username":"IMQuotes_Videos","name":"Inspired Motivation Quotes","date":"Tue Feb 08 13:00:08 +0000 2022","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FLE3ne...
Inspired Motivation Quotes @IMQuotes_VideosWe all have the strength to endure the tough times. #TuesdayMotivation 
February 8th 2022
90 Retweets229 Likes#Motivation","username":"IMQuotes_Videos","name":"Inspired Motivation Quotes","date":"Tue Feb 08 14:00:14 +0000 2022","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":106,"like_count":248,"expanded_url":{},"video_url":null}">Inspired Motivation Quotes @IMQuotes_VideosPath to success is messy. Mixed up with frustration, anxiety, worries, fear, panic, pain, failure. But you'll overcome them all because you take ownership of your life, because you don’t blame, you don’t complain, you don’t make excuses. And, because you never quit#MotivationFebruary 8th 2022
106 Retweets248 Likes#Quotes ","username":"IMQuotes_Videos","name":"Inspired Motivation Quotes","date":"Sat Feb 05 16:00:12 +0000 2022","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FK2ED4...Inspired Motivation Quotes @IMQuotes_VideosDream big, and be grateful for the small things in life.#Quotes 
February 5th 2022
67 Retweets169 Likes#Motivation","username":"IMQuotes_Videos","name":"Inspired Motivation Quotes","date":"Sat Feb 05 14:00:10 +0000 2022","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":103,"like_count":228,"expanded_url":{},"video_url":null}">Inspired Motivation Quotes @IMQuotes_VideosSuccess only starts when you get clear on where you are now. When you have the courage to admit you are stuck. When you come to grip on truth of your situation. When you accept responsibility for everything in your life. Now you are ready.#MotivationFebruary 5th 2022
103 Retweets228 LikesThat’s it for this edition. As a reminder, please be kind and endeavor to love your fellow Americans. We need to pull this country together, and that starts with all of us.
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Semper Fidelis,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, as well as an action-packed Western, a detective series, a private investigator series, a leadership/biography book, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan.
About me: I am a proud vet and moderate, who wants to unite this country. I’m also a proud independent author, who used to own a small business for nine years that was probably (in hindsight) too generous to my small business advertisers on pricing and too lenient on my collection terms, since they were struggling as badly as me. I also sought to downplay controversy, understate headlines, and never create panic, all of which is a terrible way to sell newspapers (but a responsible way for a media outlet to act). Looking back, it’s clear I had (and have) a big heart and I wasn’t made to be some kind of cut-throat business executive. It’s this same streak in me that prevents me from signing any book deals, even big ones. I just don’t trust ruthless business executives at the big publishers. And even if I did, that very same company that I trusted could be bought and purchased overnight. Sorry, but I’ll pass on that. The truth is that while I’ve relented and signed some distribution deals, such as the one I did with Audible for my Nick Woods series, I’m just not willing to be owned by any of the big publishing houses. If I want to speak out on China? I will. If I want to send free books to military members? I will. (And I have.) Right now, my day job owns me, but if I make it big, I’m not going to be owned by some New York publishing house. The only person I plan to answer to is my wife. And I’m going to reach my dreams just the way I’ve been doing it up to this point: one new reader, one new subscriber, to my newsletter, one new contact from Twitter or real life. So join me on my journey. Let’s build a community of like-minded Americans, who believe in this country and in our fellow citizens (even those on the other side of the aisle). No name calling. No screaming. Just honest discussion and search for the truth. A desire for good government, unity, and ethical leadership, both in government and in business.
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