'We didn't fly to Baghdad to drink coffee' (Former Russian Generals help Iraq prepare for war)

Gazeta.ru ^ | 04/02/03 | Alexander Kornilov

[Smogger]

Gazeta.Ru has obtained sensational evidence proving the involvement of a group of former Soviet generals in preparing the Iraqi army for war against the United States. The generals in question refused to discuss their degree of involvement, but admitted that just before the beginning of the US-led campaign against Iraq they received state awards from the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Photos, which Gazeta.Ru has acquired, show an awards ceremony (namely awards, our sources emphasized, and not gifts), involving two very prominent Russian generals.

They are retired Soviet officers, Col.-Gen. Vladimir Achalov and Col.-Gen. Igor Maltsev. The former completed his military career as the Soviet deputy defence minister, after being the Air-Borne Troops commander and the first and last Soviet commander-in-chief of the rapid-reaction forces. The latter resigned from the post of the chief of the Main Staff of the Soviet Air Defence. In 1991 both generals backed the GKChP, (the State Committee for the State of Emergency, set up by a group of Gorbachev opponents with the goal of supplanting him and preventing the disintegration of the USSR) and were consequently dismissed from military service.

The photos show Achalov and Maltsev receiving awards from Iraqi Defence Minister Sultan Hashim Akhmed. Another photo commemorating the event features the Russian generals in the company of the head of the General Staff of the Iraqi Army Izzat Ibragim and his deputies. On the photo published above the Iraqi official is standing between Achalov and Maltsev.

According to our source who provided the photos, the ceremony was held ''less than 10 days before the beginning of the war'' in a building that was destroyed by US cruise missiles in the first few hours of air raids on Baghdad.

[Grampa Dave]

Our new USMC is awesome!

Driving home from a visit to my grandkids, I heard on the radio an interesting comment from a retired general who was a tanker colonel in DSI.

He said that the high casualties take by the Iraqis in DSI could be laid at the feet of the Russians re their training of the Iraqis. They convinced the Iraqi officers that any variance of their great master plan was reason for defeat and should be handed very harshly like shoot anyone who show any creativity and ability to analyze and solve a problem.

This general said that his tankers would find Iraqi tanks semi hidden. His tanker officers would roll up within range for the US tanks and out of range for the Iraqis. Then his tankers would start firing. They would destroy one tank and swing to the next Iraqi tank and destroy it. His tankers would repeat this process until all of the Iraqi tanks were destroyed or disabled.

The Iraqi tankers knew that the American tanks were out of range for the Iraqi tanks. They knew that Iraqi tanks around them were getting shredded. Yet they held ground until their tank was destroyed.

They captured a few Iraqi survivors and asked them why they stayed. They said that they were trained to stay and to follow the Russian tactics even in if their tanks were destroyed. If they ran their tanks out of range, they would have been shot.

[Squantos]

Wheres our russian mafia buddies Dave ? They seem to have gotten real small around here :o)

Stay Safe !

[Dialup Llama]

> Since you dismiss US dependency on Saudi oil,

Europe uses Saudi oil. The US uses Mexican, North Sea and Venezuelan oil.

[anatolfz]

This oil business is a difficult topic. I don't think anybody agrees on the implications of control and pricing.
For example, the U.S. actually could find enough oil on their own territory. Never mind Alaska, there is oil deep down in OK and TX; just very expensive to exploit. So it's not about oil, it's about money.

[anatolfz]

Sorry, I should have thought of it before. Nobody should be deceived by Russia. Their intentions have always been the same and they haven't really misled anyone about this.
I should think the same is true of China; they're doing what they have to do, so it's no good whining at them: they've given us no reason to think otherwise.

[anatolfz]

Hello Grampa Dave:
Unless I'm mistaken I assume the bulk of what they've sold them is ammo, armour and explosives. They've probably thrown in some (useless?) tech stuff in the bag. What I mean by this is they've no interest in talking about or marketing their best anti-US weapons stuff; any good stuff Russia has we won't read about until a few years.
Mafia/KGB? The funny thing is, now that Putin ( a "Gebist") is running the show it's difficult to see what people are up to. My impression is that under Yeltsin you could see the footprints much more easily.
Cheers
Nice to hear your remarks again
Anatolii

[katana]

If Iraq covered eleven time zones, that strategy could work. In a place that's 300 miles of mostly sandy billiard table with mountains and enemies you've been fighting for a thousand years at the back, not your best option.

[Grampa Dave]

It will be interesting when this over to see how involved the Russians have been since and before Putin.

The over rated GPS blocker was new and like most Russian $hit was overcome. The night vision stuff is Russian, I don't know what type/stage is being recovered.

One can only hope that the Syrians/Iranians are as well supplied and trained by the great Ruskies who are still fighting WWII.

[mikhailovich]

With a track record like they had in Afghanistan

POP QUIZ: Who is still engaged in combat on a daily basis in Afghanistan, after 1-1/2 years on the ground?

Your answer here____________.

[mikhailovich]

Dave, it's made of the same sh*t the American astronauts will be riding home in this summer.

[Grampa Dave]

Scary thought.

[Stavka2]

Ahh, so all those imports from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq (15% of US imported oil through Oil for Food) are imaginery? If anything, Europe uses most of the N. Sea oil...closer to ship it duty free to Europe then the US and Russian oil through vast pipelines.

[wideminded]

This article was already posted and discussed in another thread.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/883313/posts

As I pointed out there, this is the same Achalov that is mentioned in Colin Powell's autobiography.

[Stavka2]

What? Didn't you hear? We already won Afghanistan and everyone has already patted themselves on their collective backs...why Senator Leiberman told us so.

[Stavka2]

Think of it this way, if the GPS blocker attracts HARM missiles...it makes a great defense. A $300 box for a $40,000 missile. Set up a couple hundred and turn them on and watch the other guy's budget sky rocket. Then when that's done, switch on your radar and start firing at the planes.

[Stavka2]

That's why they've mostly pulled back into the cities. That they are even fighting outside of Baghdad is stupid...I'd wait in the cities. The US will either have to come and get you, carpet bomb the civilians or wait...and time is on your side. Public opinions and cost, while guerillas are attacking supply lines is a big plus. I also would have blown all the damns by this point and if I had permenant agents like mustard gas, would have covered the desert in them, namely the oil fields...every strong wind storm and you have to decon all over again.

[Stavka2]

Ahh, but oil is money. In an earlier age it was steel, before that bananas or gold...but always a commodity. US marines used to bleed all over Latin America because of the banana or sugar plantations..aka Banana Republic (Latin America)

[Stavka2]

Number one, that was the Soviet Generals, many of whom were fired and are now advisors...or why do you think they are seeking employment? Secondly, read up on Arab mentality and the shoot any creativity fits into that (my profile: Why Arabs Loose Wars) because creativity to arabs means ambition, ambition means competition and threat.

[Grampa Dave]

Stavka keep it up.

You blatant anti American Hatred is very revealing to any of us who had any sympathy for your group of losers.

You hate us Americans more than the leftwingers here and the Islamofacists around the world.

Keep up the attacks so everyone will know how much you hate and despise Americans.

[js1138]

Two questions: How close are we to the airports, and how are these weasels going to feel when we cut off their escape?