Welcome to “Current Affairs Scan”. I am Jin Ran.
As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalates into a hot war with North Korea joining in and NATO actively preparing for battle, many fear that the Third World War is imminent. It is well-known that for a world war to truly break out, the involvement of the United States is essential. Currently, with the leaders of the U.S. and Russia engaging in verbal sparring and taking actions, the situation is becoming increasingly tense.
In response to the provocative statements made by former Russian President Medvedev, it is generally expected that President Trump would just post a social media update, criticize Medvedev, issue a warning, and that would be the end of it. However, Trump surprised many by taking actual measures this time.
On August 1st, President Trump posted on social media, once again calling out former Russian President Medvedev and ordering two strategic nuclear submarines to head towards Russia. The post stated: “In light of Medvedev’s very provocative statements, I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be deployed to the relevant waters – to ensure that these foolish and inciting remarks are not just empty words. The words spoken by individuals are extremely important and often lead to unexpected consequences. I sincerely hope that this will not escalate into such a (dreadful) situation.”
Medvedev had previously stated that the sanctions issued by Trump against Russia were a “step towards war” and even mentioned the “Doomsday Hand” system from the Soviet era, an automatic nuclear retaliation mechanism that would launch nuclear missiles to destroy the world if the Russian leadership was overthrown.
Seeing such statements, I seriously doubted whether Medvedev, in his youth, had been influenced during his time in Beijing. He seemed to have learned all the habits of a Beijing alley ruffian – when faced with a tough situation, dodge while also using the most vicious language.
Now, he faced a real tough situation. The two nuclear submarines dispatched by Trump were not tactical attack submarines but strategic doomsday weapons – the “underwater ghosts.” When asked by an American TV host on Friday whether these submarines were near Russia, Trump gave a clear answer: “Yes, they are currently approaching Russia.”
Why did Trump choose nuclear submarines as a response weapon? The answer is simple – because nuclear submarines are the flagship of the U.S. Navy, and the two Ohio-class strategic nuclear submarines sent by Trump are regarded as the world’s most powerful doomsday weapons. Each of these submarines can carry 24 Trident II D5 intercontinental ballistic missiles, with each missile capable of carrying up to 14 nuclear warheads. To put it simply, the firepower of one Ohio-class nuclear submarine is enough to destroy 300 cities globally within 15 minutes, whereas Russia has a total of 216 large and medium-sized cities combined.
A video was made simulating the horrific consequences of a Trident II D5 ICBM attacking Moscow. After watching this video, everyone will understand that in modern nuclear warfare, there are simply no winners, only the extinction of humanity.
Let’s not forget that one Ohio-class strategic nuclear submarine can carry over 300 nuclear warheads. The U.S. has a total of 14 of these Ohio-class submarines, in addition to four of the same class submarines modified to carry Tomahawk cruise missiles and special forces. The recent strike on an Iranian nuclear facility was launched from one of these submarines. Trump has dispatched two of them to waters near Russia.
These Ohio-class nuclear submarines boast perfect silent technology. They can hide under the seabed over 240 meters deep for 80 days, with noise levels as low as 95 decibels, almost blending with the background noise of the ocean. This is why they are called the “underwater ghosts,” and the 14 Ohio-class strategic nuclear submarines carry about 70% of the total U.S. nuclear warhead deployment.
On another note, the U.S.’s next-generation advanced Columbia-class nuclear submarines are set to be launched in 2027 and officially commissioned by 2031, replacing the current 14 Ohio-class submarines. They are larger, quieter, integrated with the most advanced digital and automated technologies, and have already been dubbed “the ghost behemoth” by military enthusiasts.
Following Trump’s announcement of sending nuclear submarines to counter the Russian threat, the Kremlin seems to have not fully grasped the implications of angering Trump. In response to questions from reporters, they continued to boast outwardly, stating: “No response is needed, Russia already controls the waters targeted by the two nuclear submarines deployed by Trump.”
Simply put, if this statement had been made before the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, it might have been perceived as bold. However, now that the weakness of Russia’s military capabilities has been exposed in the conflict, boasting further will only make Russia a laughing stock. Trump responded with just one line: “We are fully prepared (for nuclear war).” Unexpectedly, Putin, at the most inappropriate moment, made a rash statement: “If the U.S. deploys nuclear submarines, I will deploy the Avangard missiles.”
On August 1st, Putin announced that the first batch of mass-produced Avangard hypersonic missiles had been delivered to the Russian military. In my opinion, the most dangerous scenario between major powers is when they engage in a cycle of escalating threats and provocations, leading to a point of no return. At that moment, all we can do is pray for no accidental ignition.
So, what is the Avangard missile that Putin mentioned to confront the U.S. nuclear submarines? This Avangard missile, also known as the Hazelnut missile, was announced by Putin at the end of June to have entered mass production as a hypersonic medium-range missile that can reportedly reach speeds of up to 11 times the speed of sound, making it difficult to intercept, with a range of 5,500 kilometers. It is designed with multiple warheads, with one missile capable of delivering 3 to 6 warheads. The first combat use of this missile was reported to be last year in an attack on a factory in Dnipro, Ukraine. At that time, the Avangard missile was still in the experimental stage and used simulated or inert warheads, primarily for intimidation against Ukraine and to gather combat data.
Putin recently stated that there is currently no weapon in the world that can intercept or stop the Avangard missile. Is this really the case? U.S. military experts acknowledge that the speed and agility of the Avangard missile do pose challenges for interception, but as a medium-range missile of Russian origin with high costs, limited warheads, and just beginning deployment, relying on the Avangard missile is not capable of changing global military dynamics, let alone altering the established course of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Some military enthusiasts find it strange that Russia’s next-generation nuclear submarines have recently entered service with the Northern Fleet. Why then did Trump choose to send nuclear submarines, considering that Putin would probably respond by dispatching his own advanced submarines? Yet Putin decided to counter the U.S.’ strategic nuclear submarines with a medium-range missile. Some experts suggest that either Russia’s new submarines have not reached operational readiness, or there may be undisclosed significant events occurring.
On August 2nd, satellite images revealed significant damage to a Russian submarine base in Kamchatka following an earthquake days ago, with parts of the underwater facilities affected. Some joked that Trump sent two submarines over because of the heavy losses suffered by Russian submarines. Since the base was empty, Trump decided to “exchange” with two U.S. submarines.
On August 2nd, the U.S. ambassador to NATO announced that Trump had decided to impose “destructive economic sanctions” on Russia starting from August 8th and impose severe secondary sanctions on countries trading in Russian oil. At that time, “Russia will have no friends and no trading partners.” Before the statement could settle, some defiant nations announced their decision to challenge the sanctions. The Chinese Communist Party officially declared that they would ignore U.S. sanctions and Western pressures to continue buying oil from Russia and Iran. With this, along with North Korea, a new axis of nations has officially formed.
As Trump criticized China and India for purchasing Russian oil, a Ukrainian drone attacked and bombed a Russian refinery in Samara Oblast, located about 1,000 kilometers away from the Russia-Ukraine border, leading to explosions and a massive fire lighting up the sky.
Simultaneously, Russian forces dropped a 3-ton FAB-3000 high-explosive bomb on a bridge in Kherson, Ukraine, completely severing connections in two regions.
Amid the intense back and forth between Russia and Ukraine, a video surfaced on the 2nd that shocked the world, showing the U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment moving towards the borders of Poland and Ukraine. This move was seen as further U.S. support and strategic commitment to Ukraine, asserting no fear of engaging in broader conflict with Russia.
Another unforeseen event emerged that could potentially trigger a direct conflict between NATO and Russia. Russia announced that they had captured a senior “officer” of the UK during a special covert operation in Ukraine. Simultaneously, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov unexpectedly stated to the public: “The Third World War has already begun.”
If you think the situation of war is chaotic enough, here is even more shocking news: Iran, for some inexplicable reason, issued a warning that if a new conflict erupts, they will use strategic missiles to launch a deadly strike against Israel within 48 hours.
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