#Moscow Tour Operators

[nstvanshika]

Embark on an unforgettable journey through Russia with FBT DMC, your premier choice for Moscow Tour Operators & Russia Group Tours. Our expertly curated tours are designed to showcase the best of Russia’s rich history, vibrant culture, and stunning landscapes. From the iconic Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow to the grandeur of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, our group tours cover all major attractions and hidden gems. We ensure a seamless and enriching travel experience with knowledgeable guides, comfortable accommodations, and meticulously planned itineraries. FBT DMC specializes in offering personalized group tours that cater to various interests, whether you're an art enthusiast, history buff, or nature lover. Our Moscow Tour Operators & Russia Group Tours provide a unique blend of guided tours and free time, allowing you to explore at your own pace while benefiting from expert insights.

For more information, visit: - https://www.fbtdmc.com/dmc-for-russia.php

[fbtdmc]

Best Moscow Tour Packages from Dubai for Family

Plan an unforgettable family vacation with FBT DMC's best Moscow tour packages from Dubai. Explore Russia's rich history, iconic landmarks like the Kremlin and Red Square, and family-friendly attractions such as Gorky Park and Moscow Zoo. With customized itineraries, comfortable accommodations, and guided tours, these packages offer a perfect blend of culture, adventure, and relaxation for the entire family. Discover the beauty of Moscow and create lasting memories on this enriching trip!

For more information visit:

[ghumindiaghum]

Moscow is our capital and Saint Petersburg is our cultural capital, Thus Moscow and Saint Petersburg are two iconic Russian cities with equally awesome but entirely different characters, which makes it worthwhile to visit both.

[operafantomet]

My friend and I have a wager; I say that there have been 20-25 complete Red Deaths (not just pieces) made for replica productions since 1986, she says there have to be many more than that. Can you weigh in?

I don't have any exact numbers, but immediately I feel that sounds a bit meagre? It does of course depend on what you mean by "complete", as many of the costumes tend to share pieces - say, cloak, maybe hat - while they have separate main costumes. Sometimes doublet and breeches are also mixed and matched. Would that count as one or two?

Trying to count the different costumes seen around the world, I do see a high degree of re-use. These costumes are expensive and takes forever to build, hence there's few of them, and they rarely go on display. It also means re-use is high.

I remember talking to the head of costumes for the previous World Tour, and he told me how they worked endless hours on one of the original Australia Red Death costume between each show, to keep it fit for yet another performance. But I think it was also sentimental reasons for it, because it was WILDLY well made, they simply don't make 'em like that anymore. Jonathan Roxmouth got a new Red Death costume for his last Phantom run, which was well made in all aspects but more theatrical than splendid compared to the old one. The old one was a class act in costume making:

But I'm digressing. One thing to have in mind is that each replica production needs to have at least two operative Red Death costumes at all times, because one is used by the principal when first decending the staircase, and one is used by the double appearing shortly afterwards. They simply cannot share a costume.

Seeing how the first couple of productions around the world ran simultaneously, in West End, on Broadway, in Tokyo, Vienna, Stockholm, Toronto, Hamburg, Scheveningen, Melbourne and Basel... As well as the early US sit-down productions as well as the US, Canadian and UK Tours. That means a minimum of 30 costumes alone. Likely some of these had more than one costume for their various principals, due to different size. So let's say 35. And that's an absolute minimum.

And then cases where we KNOW new costumes were made. They made one for Peter Jöback when he first joined the West End production, as per info and photos he shared:

We know they made a new one for Jonathan Roxmouth in the World Tour, as per info and photos shared both by him and UK costume maker Jane Grimshaw:

We know they made at least three brand new ones for the Las Vegas production, as shared by costume maker Lindsay Kleinmann. This is not her photo, but shows three of them together, along with an especially made dog costume for charity:

Eventually, many of the late 1990s and early 2000s production could inherit their costumes. It means Belgium got their from Switzerland, Denmark got their from Sweden, the German costumes got a lot of the Dutch ones etc. But whereas some costumes has traveled a lot, for example the Red Death costume used in Moscow, Madrid, Sao Paulo etc, it was at one point new. Its origin seem to be Mexico, where brand new UK costumes were made, and mixed and matched with inherited Canadian costumes. But one or two were made new for them when they opened 1999. There's also been new costumes made in Japan. And definitely in West End, even if they mix and match a lot from stock.

That leaves us with at least 45 Red Death costumes. Probably more. Even with mix-and-match, and even with the hand-me-down practice. Which unfortuneately means your friend is right... Sorry!

Rarely photographed, here's the Red Death double costume in the World Tour, as a pendant to the first photo above:

(definitely not the same costume as the principal)

[livingforstars]

Lunokhod 1: Moon Robot - January 13th, 1996.

"On November 17th, 1970, the Soviet Luna 17 spacecraft landed the first roving remote-controlled robot on the Moon. Known as Lunokhod 1, it weighed just under 2,000 pounds and was designed to operate for 90 days, while guided by a 5-person team on planet Earth at the Deep Space Center near Moscow, USSR. Lunokhod 1 actually toured the Lunar Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) for 11 months in one of the greatest successes of the Soviet lunar exploration program. The futuristic looking eight wheeler is pictured here in an artist's conception atop its landing module. Ramps extend from both sides of the spacecraft, allowing the rover to choose an alternative route to the surface if one side is blocked by boulders."

[usafphantom2]

Clarence Kelly Johnson was very busy on December 22, 1964, two of his Blackbirds were the launched for the first time that day. The SR 71 took its first flight at Palmdale, California. Then he flew in the company jet up to Area 51 in Nevada and watched as the M-21 took off.. Kelly was determined that both of the airframes would fly before the end of the year his determination won out, and they did fly.

The MD -21 program was even more secret then the A-12 the CIA’s Blackbird.

The United States needed to know what was going on in Communist China. They denied that they were making weapons capable of mass destruction, but they were.

Taiwanese U-2 pilots flew our U-2’s over mainland China, we trained their U-2 pilots in the United States so that they could make over flights in China. we also sent that U2 pilots to classes to teach them how to speak. English communication was a problem. Four of the U2 were shot down by the Chinese, so the next step was drones.

D-21 drones were launched first from the M 21 and then later from B-52. This was called Tagboard we were looking for information. The drones were also launched and one was found in Siberia. In the early 1970s President Nixon as an attempt to make friends with the Chinese ceased the reconnaissance activities of the U-2‘s and the M 21 drones. The D-21s were used on four flights over communist China but none of these missions fully succeeded.

Two flights were successful, however the imagery could not be recovered from the D-21’s hatch. The other two operational flights ended with one being lost in a heavily defended area and the other D-21 simply disappeared after launch.

The main mission of the D-21 was to fly over China and take pictures of its nuclear weapons test facility in the remote west central of the country near Lop Nor.

The pictures were supposed to be dropped in the ocean and recovered by the Navy. During the Cold War this information was necessary for the defense of the US. The fourth and final mission of the D-21 drone took place on Mar. 20, 1971 and was undertaken by D-21 #527. Experts at the 4200th Support Squadron and at Skunk Works concluded that #527 must have malfunctioned. It was thought to have gone down near Lop Nor. This drone is on display in China at their national aviation museum. So we know that it got close.

Senior Bowl lasted from January 1968 until Jul. 15, 1971. Interestingly, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Ben Rich (then retired president of Lockheed’s Skunk Works) finally had an opportunity to tour Russia himself. While in Moscow, the KGB presented Rich with a gift of what they thought were the remains of a stealth fighter that had crashed in their territory. As it turned out, the wreckage was actually pieces and parts of the lost D-21 Drone!

Written by Linda Sheffield Miller.

@Habubrats71 via X

[mariacallous]

This article was first published in Russian by the Siberia-based outlet People of Baikal. The following translation appeared in The Beet, a weekly email dispatch from Meduza in English covering Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Sign up here to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox.

“Don’t close your eyes! I told you: If you close them, I’ll stop doing the operation and send you home!” the surgeon hissed. 

It was 2009, and Natalya Badmayeva was lying on an operating table at the Republican Clinical Hospital in Ulan-Ude. She tried her best to stop trembling and keep her eyes open. After the surgeon made the last stitch, she told Natalya she could get up and go home. In the corridor, other patients were waiting their turn to go under the knife. 

Natalya, then a 20-year-old lawyer, had undergone eyelid surgery on her lunch break. “The operation took place clandestinely. I actually shouldn’t have been in that operating room,” she explained. “The surgery was over in half an hour.” 

Natalya put on a pair of dark glasses and went straight from the hospital to visit a client. At the pre-trial detention center entrance, she showed the duty officer her ID. “What did you get done? Your dabharyashki?” asked the officer, nodding knowingly. 

The term dabharyashka (from the Buryat word dabharyaa, which literally means “fold”) refers to the skin fold of the upper eyelid. Apparently, the officer had seen Natalya’s stitches through her sunglasses. She was one of the first people in Buryatia to have surgery to change the shape of her eyes. Three years later, she had another operation to make them even wider. 

The names of some of the people in this story have been changed at their request.

Scalpels, needles, and glue 

Many people of Asian descent are born with monolids — an eyelid shape that doesn’t have a crease. And some people go to great lengths to create this skin fold and widen their eyes. For those who undergo plastic surgery, the operation typically involves an incision along the upper eyelid, the removal of “excess” skin and fat, and the application of sutures to create an “eye-opening” crease (also known as a “double eyelid”). 

Blepharoplasty — the medical term for eyelid surgery — is the third most common plastic surgery procedure in the world, after breast augmentation and liposuction. With nearly half a million surgical procedures annually, Russia ranks ninth globally for the total number of plastic surgeries. But for eyelid surgery, Russia is in third place, with more than 92,000 operations in 2020 alone. 

Researchers in Russia note that the further east a region is from Moscow, the more eyelid surgeries are performed there. In Ulan-Ude — the regional capital of Buryatia, with a population of just over 400,000 people — there are about 10 clinics that offer this procedure for prices ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 rubles (about $225 to $335). 

Then there are the companies that offer “medical tours” to neighboring Mongolia. These packages cover a round-trip bus ticket from Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar, the operation itself, and an interpreter’s services. One popular clinic in Ulaanbaatar offered eyelid surgery for just 18,500 rubles ($210). By comparison, a local Korean clinic charged around 160,000 rubles (about $1,800). Performers, entrepreneurs, and officials who want to get their eyelids done usually travel to South Korea, where the procedure costs anywhere from $1,800 to $3,000. 

Other people try to alter their eyelids themselves — using a needle or a sharpened pencil to damage the delicate skin, hoping that the scarring will form a crease over time. Alternative, less painful methods include using eyelid glue or adhesive tape to create a “double eyelid” temporarily. 

Natalya Badmayeva’s mother, Tamara, used a sharpened pencil to break the skin along her own upper eyelids; when the scratches healed, they formed a crease. Natalya would later try to replicate this procedure herself but found it too painful. “I realized that I wouldn’t be able to ‘draw’ a deep enough cut, and so I didn’t keep doing it,” she recalled.

When Natalya was a teenager, her mother bought her eyelid glue, but Natalya found it uncomfortable to wear. “It feels heavy on your eyelid. If you use glue, you can feel how everything is being pulled together. If you use tape, it’s uncomfortable when you blink,” she said. 

Tamara, who has since passed away, never explained why she gave herself eyelid creases or wanted her daughter to have them, too. “I didn’t want to look narrow-eyed. I wanted to look wide-eyed,” Natalya said, explaining her own thinking. “In my youth, Buryats were [considered] village people. Narrow-eyed, swarthy, uneducated, Buryat-speaking — this was the image I was trying to escape. I specifically didn’t learn to speak Buryat and had my eyelids done twice.” 

‘No one told me to my face’

Several sources told People of Baikal that, as children, they dreamed of being ethnically Russian; when their family members spoke their native language, they felt embarrassed and pretended they couldn’t understand them. 

Natalya remembers encountering aggression due to her appearance when she left Buryatia for the first time at age 18. She and her friends were waiting in line at a food stand in Novosibirsk when some old ladies started harassing them. “These old ladies said, ‘Who are you? We don’t go to your country!’ and they pushed us out of the line. We told them we’re from Buryatia, which is part of Russia. We’re citizens of the Russian Federation, just like them. But the old ladies didn’t believe us,” Natalya said. 

Ivan Romanov, 38, moved from Ulan-Ude to Moscow in 2012. A dentist by training, he spent a year applying for jobs in the capital. However, he found that some dental clinics — including ones at public hospitals — would post job ads explicitly seeking “Slavic” physicians. 

Even clinics that didn’t have this requirement wouldn’t hire Ivan. Having a Russian name and surname was often enough to get him an interview, but they never called him back. All his classmates soon found jobs, but he remained unemployed. “I didn’t understand what was happening. I’d go home, cry because I felt powerless, and get angry,” Ivan recalled. “No one told me to my face that they wouldn’t hire me because I’m Buryat, but the logic was clear.” 

Ivan took screenshots of the job ads from public clinics looking to hire “Slavic” doctors and wrote a complaint to the Russian Health Ministry. In response, ministry officials told him that government institutions don’t place such ads and suggested that the postings had appeared on the website “due to a technical glitch.” (At the same time, they acknowledged that such ads are common among private clinics.)

Ivan believes his dental career didn’t take off because of his appearance. After a year of unsuccessfully trying to land a job in his field, he began working for a company in Moscow selling medical equipment. Today, he runs his own business. 

At 35, Ivan had eyelid surgery to make himself look “European.” A surgeon at a Moscow clinic reshaped his eyelids, creating creases and removing the epicanthus — a skin fold stretching from the upper eyelid, covering the eye’s inner corner. Ivan had dreamed of this since his youth.

No shortage of insults 

The discourse around Asian people’s appearance inevitably leads to a discussion about “narrow eyes,” notes Erzhen Erdeni, a Buryat anti-colonial activist and researcher from the Siberian city of Irkutsk. “The expression ‘narrow eyes’ makes my blood boil,” she said. “Asian eyes can be considered narrow only if they’re compared with European eyes, which are taken as the standard.” 

“Russian speakers have come up with no shortage of insults for Asian eyes,” added Erzhen. 

The activist still remembers the first time she was insulted over her appearance. She was seven years old and walking to school alone in Irkutsk when a group of boys started throwing rocks at her and calling her names. 

People who don’t look “European” encounter racism everywhere in Russia, Erzhen said. After she moved to Moscow to study, for example, uniformed officers stopped her every two weeks or so, asking to see her documents, fishing for bribes, and threatening to take her to the police station. “I could walk with a Slavic-looking friend, and she wouldn’t get asked any questions. But I was stopped all the time — it could happen anywhere,” said Erzhen, who now lives in Tbilisi, Georgia. “I developed a persistent fear of people in uniform that I carry with me to this day. Every time I see a man in a uniform in Russia, my heart sinks, and the anxiety kicks in.” 

According to the SOVA Center, which monitors extremism and hate crimes in Russia, there was a spike in racially motivated attacks in 2023. Researchers recorded at least 60 violent acts last year — up from nine in 2022. In at least 21 of these cases, the attackers targeted people whom they perceived as “Asian.” 

SOVA Center director Alexander Verkhovsky said that while anyone who “looks different” can fall victim to a hate crime in Russia, people of “conventionally Asian appearance” are targeted most often. This includes not only Central Asians but also people indigenous to Russia, such as Buryats, Tyvans, and Kalmyks. “The attacker isn’t asking to see a passport; he’s looking at facial features,” Verkhovsky underscored.  

“If you’re a person of ‘non-Slavic’ appearance in any public place [...] you always have to be on guard. An insult could come your way at any moment,” said Buryat journalist Aleksandra Garmazhapova. “Any old conflict could end with the phrase: ‘Go back to China!’” 

Garmazhapova moved to St. Petersburg with her family at age six. She got involved in political activism in 2005 after far-right extremists murdered 20-year-old anti-fascist activist Timur Kacharava in the city center. She left Russia eight years ago and now heads the Free Buryatia Foundation. 

The Sova Center’s researchers attribute the surge in racially motivated violence in 2023 to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. “War inevitably brings about an increase in aggression in society. Legitimizing aggression is a side effect of war,” Verkhovsky explained. 

‘Why am I hurting myself a second time?’

Valentina Radnayeva, the head of the ophthalmology department at the Children’s Hospital in Ulan-Ude, said that people of all ages come in for eyelid surgery. It’s the most common cosmetic procedure in Buryatia, and the hospital accepts not only locals but also patients from Tyva, Khakassia, Altai, and other republics across Russia. “For young people, we don’t remove skin [from the upper eyelid]; we just form a fold. And it turns out beautifully!” the surgeon said with a smile. 

Enkhmaa, a surgeon at a clinic in Ulaanbaatar that patients on medical tours from Ulan-Ude often visit, claimed that eyelid surgery makes people “more beautiful” and more self-confident. She operates on patients 12 and up, so long as minors have parental consent. According to Enkhmaa, there hasn’t been a single case in her 20 years of experience where a patient regretted making their eyes wider (she said that the most common complaints have to do with side effects.) “This surgery changes people’s lives for the better,” the surgeon maintained. 

Natalya, the lawyer from Ulan-Ude, said that she also wanted to have “beautiful” eyes — and that’s why she opted for a second surgery. “I wasn’t satisfied with the results of the first operation. The shape of my eyes looked too natural. I wanted to see a difference. I wanted my eyes to be wider,” she explained. 

Natalya’s first surgery, at the Republican Hospital in 2009, took place without a consultation and only cost three or four thousand rubles. For her second surgery, she saved up about 20,000 rubles and went to a private clinic. But somehow, she found it scarier. “I remember lying on the operating table and saying to myself, ‘Stupid me! Why am I hurting myself a second time?’ The doctor was polite, he explained everything, there was good anesthetic, but it was still unpleasant,” she recalled.

After the operation, Natalya remained under observation at the clinic for 30 or 40 minutes. Then, her brother picked her up and took her home. She was on maternity leave at the time, so she didn’t have to go back to work. Natalya says the bruises and swelling from the second surgery went away after a few weeks — but to this day, she remains sensitive to bright light. 

“My friends don’t see a big difference between how I looked before and after the operation. But I think that I’ve changed,” Natalya said. “It’s possible that this is how I feel on the inside. I’ve lived with my eyelid folds longer than I lived without them. I’m more comfortable this way.”

Ivan, the dentist, paid 85,000 rubles (more than $950) to go under the knife in Moscow in 2020. “I was conscious, under local anesthesia, and I heard everything the doctor said. He explained what was happening in detail and commented, ‘You were right to get the surgery. You have a large accumulation of fat, and it weighs down your eyelids. It makes you seem sad. We’re going to correct it now, and you’ll look just great!’”

However, Ivan wasn’t happy with the end result. “I went through every circle of hell. It took a long time for everything to heal. I spent a lot of money to remove the scars left over from the stitches. Moreover, the surgeon didn’t stitch the skin of the upper eyelid on one eye properly,” he complained. “My life didn’t change at all. People who know me well noticed that something was different, but it’s usually difficult for them to say what exactly.” 

‘At least you can influence how you look’

Anna Tsyrenova, a 38-year-oldfrom Ulan-Ude, was surprised when she recently learned that all her friends her own age had undergone eyelid surgery by the time they were 20. “Many people hide the fact that they’ve had this surgery. It’s such a sensitive topic that even friends don’t want to talk about it,” she said. “When I finally started asking around, they said they had their eyelids done to look more kempt.”

Anna says it never occurred to her to have eyelid surgery. And she rejects the notion that she has experienced discrimination in Russia — even though she’s been mistaken for a tourist, told that she “speaks Russian well,” and stopped by police officers in Moscow and St. Petersburg. “I don’t judge people who’ve gone to the plastic surgeon and made their eyes wider. I just don’t understand them,” she said.

According to social scientist Maria Vyatchina, plastic surgery can give patients a sense of control over their own lives — even when they feel powerless to influence the world around them. “There are things you cannot change, but you can at least influence how you look. This gives you a sense of agency,” she explained. 

The development of new medical technologies is another powerful driver behind the popularity of plastic surgery, making it less risky, less painful, and cheaper. Indeed, certain surgeries are becoming more accessible and even “fashionable,” with trends transcending borders. For example, the eyelid surgery industry in Russia and Mongolia is heavily influenced by South Korea, which, in turn, is largely guided by standards adopted in Japan. 

Vyatchina also pointed to the work of anthropologists Sara Lenehan and Carmen Alvaro Jarrín, who found that the popularity of “nose jobs” in Iran and Brazil reflects shifts in how people signal their wealth and aspirations of upward mobility. The same is true in Russia, where poverty, a lack of social mobility, and patriarchal norms make one’s appearance a type of social currency. 

In this context, what eye shape is considered “beautiful” is directly related to popular attitudes. But, as Vyatchina underscored, beauty standards are far from neutral or implicit — on the contrary, they’re politically charged. “Racism and xenophobia take different forms, including defining dominant beauty standards that leave no room for acceptance and discussing diversity,” she said. “There is so much racism in Russian society.” 

‘Don’t become the dragon’

In the spring of 2022, Free Buryatia Foundation president Aleksandra Garmazhapova launched a campaign for the “Denazification of Russia.” On Instagram, she asked her followers to share stories of their encounters with racism and xenophobia. Over the next three weeks, she received some 4,000 testimonies. 

The responses show that even indigenous people who resemble ethnic Russians — including Udmurt, Chuvash, and other peoples — have to contend with racism in Russia. People recounted how, from childhood, they were censured for speaking their native language. One person said he had internalized the idea that it was “shameful” to be Mari. The campaign received countless emotional accounts: many people had never had the opportunity to talk openly about racism, while others had previously failed to recognize that what they experienced constitutes discrimination. 

The Russian language often lacks the terminology for discussions about racism and xenophobia. During her interview, Garmazhapova drew attention to how she sometimes slipped into using “not just literal translations but English terms.” Yet, Vyatchina says it’s still important to use these words, even if they seem complex or incomprehensible. Researchers believe that terms more suitable to Russian realities will emerge when Russian society begins to discuss racism actively. 

At the same time, Garmazhapova warned against going to rhetorical extremes, which she believes are just as harmful as not discussing racism at all. “The media, activists, and everyone else must work to avoid becoming xenophobes like Vladimir Putin. When fighting a dragon, you cannot become that same dragon yourself,” she said. “We must make every effort to fight narratives of hatred, racism, and xenophobia and not to end up producing the same ideas, just in a different sauce.” 

Now a mother of two, Natalya says she fears for her son and daughter because they are Buryat and feels the need to protect them from harmful stereotypes. “I understand the attitude the world has developed towards Buryats. The word ‘Buryat’ has become a symbol of savagery and cruelty. People need someone to hate, to take out their anger on. It will be difficult to rehabilitate this general perception and attitude,” she said. 

Natalya remembers how her own mother cared for her, buying her eyelid glue and encouraging her to get “folds.” Assuming her children would share her own insecurities, she tried to take the same approach with them. “I thought, Why don’t I tape my six-year-old daughter’s [eyelids],” Natalya said. “Thank God my child has a brain! She ran around a little and then took off the strips [of tape] I had stuck on her. She thinks she’s beautiful the way she is. She has insecurities, but they have nothing to do with the shape of her eyes.”

[aviaposter]

Tupolev Tu-134A-3 Orenair

Registration: RA-65090 Type: 134А-3 Engines: 2 × Д-30-II Serial Number: 43-09 First flight: 1977

Orenburg Airlines or JSC Orenair was a Russian airline with its head office on the property of Orenburg Tsentralny Airport in Orenburg. It operated domestic passenger services and inclusive tour charters, as well as aerial work and special flights. Its main base was Orenburg Tsentralny Airport and Moscow Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports. The airline was formed from the Aeroflot Orenburg Division, which was established in 1932. In 1992 it began to operate under the name Orenair. It was the first Russian domestic airline to introduce a hub system of connecting flights in Orenburg, and providing a full range of services to transfer passengers by introducing through fares for air tickets.

Poster for Aviators. aviaposter.com

[swldx]

BBC 0417 20 Oct 2024

12095Khz 0358 20 OCT 2024 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55445. English, dead carrier s/on @0358z then ID@0359z pips, and newsroom preview. @0401z World News anchored by Chris Berrow. § Israeli strikes have killed at least 73 people, including women and children, in the city of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, the strip's Hamas-run authorities say. Dozens of others are injured and many are still trapped under the rubble after the bombing late on Saturday night, officials added. Israel said it was checking reports of casualties but said the figures published by Hamas authorities were "exaggerated" and did not match information held by its military. The latest strikes come just hours after reports of "heavy gunfire" from Israeli troops at the Indonesian Hospital in the city. § Humanitarian groups have warned that virtually no aid has entered Northern Gaza in the past few weeks. Israel's own statistics show that aid deliveries to Gaza as a whole have collapsed when compared with the same period in September. The UN's top humanitarian official, Joyce Msuya, said on Saturday that Palestinians in northern Gaza are enduring "unspeakable horrors" and called for these "atrocities" to stop. An Israeli minister, Amichai Chikli, told the BBC Israel had "blockaded" parts of northern Gaza. § Also on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an attempt had been made on his life following reports of a drone attack on his private residence. "The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake," he wrote in a post on X. Mr Netanyahu and his wife were not at home at the time, and no one was injured. § Voters will also get to cast their ballot in a referendum on whether to enshrine Moldova’s goal of EU accession in the constitution. In fact, membership talks have already begun but the country has been in a battle over its political direction for decades, ever since Moldova gained independence from Moscow as the Soviet Union fell apart. The Kremlin denies playing any role in Chisinau politics, but officials here accuse Russia of operating via proxies to disrupt and destabilise the country. § Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children and with the outgoing leader's son as his running mate. The 73-year-old former special forces commander won the Feb. 14 contest with nearly 60% of the vote and has spent the past nine months building a formidable parliamentary coalition. § Elon Musk announced he will pay up to $1 million per day to Pennsylvania voters who sign his America PAC petition leading up to Election Day. The petition asks signers to support free speech and the right to bear arms. § Hurricane Oscar is expected to bring heavy rains to eastern Cuba by Sunday, prompting its government to place some eastern provinces under a hurricane watch. Cuba has been gripped by a nationwide power crisis for weeks, which left the entire island in darkness on Friday and caused a second power outage on Saturday. § King Charles and Queen Camilla joined a church congregation in Sydney for a Sunday service on the first day of engagements during their tour of Australia. It is the King’s first visit to Australia since he became the country’s head of state in September 2022 and is the biggest trip the King has made since starting cancer treatment in February. @0406z "The Newsroom" begins. Backyard gutter antenna w/MFJ-1020C active antenna (used as a preamplifier/preselector), JRC NRD-535D, 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, MN, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2258.

[yellowbg]

The Role of Bulgarian State Security in the Eastern Bloc

Cooperation with the Eastern Bloc

The Bulgarian State Security operated as a key component of the security services across Eastern Bloc countries, with its headquarters aligned with those in Moscow. This structure facilitated close cooperation between the Bulgarian State Security and the East German Stasi, based on Lenin’s idea that Soviet power required “a military organization of agents.”

Joint Operations and Surveillance

This collaboration involved extensive surveillance of citizens, elimination of political enemies, and the recruitment of foreign nationals. Activities included industrial espionage and carrying out KGB orders in third countries. During the 1970s and 1980s, their joint operations focused on tracking East German citizens attempting to escape to the West via the Southern Bulgarian border.

The two agencies exchanged crucial information about interactions between citizens of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and those from the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). They monitored contacts at Bulgarian resorts and even kept an eye on university students with ties to West Germany. The Stasi would inform Bulgarian State Security about the behavior and connections of Bulgarian officials visiting West Germany, providing details about their interests, activities, and even their shopping habits Private Balkan Tours.

Tragic Incidents at the Border

The border between Bulgaria and its neighbors was a dangerous place. A tragic incident occurred on April 29, 1948, when seven schoolchildren were shot while trying to cross into Greece. This event was reported in a newspaper covering a parliamentary debate on crimes committed in frontier zones, highlighting the severe consequences of border enforcement.

Surveillance and Control

The extensive security measures in place made it clear that the Bulgarian State Security was committed to maintaining tight control over its borders and citizens. Signs warning against unauthorized passage were common, emphasizing the restricted nature of these areas. The atmosphere was one of fear, with the authorities prepared to use deadly force against those attempting to flee.

The operations of the Bulgarian State Security exemplified the repressive nature of communist regimes during the Cold War. Their collaboration with agencies like the Stasi illustrates the lengths to which these governments would go to maintain power. Through surveillance, intimidation, and violence, they sought to suppress dissent and prevent citizens from seeking freedom. The tragic fate of individuals attempting to escape serves as a reminder of the human cost of such oppressive systems. As history shows, the desire for freedom often leads to tragic consequences in environments where authoritarian control reigns.

[heartmylifes]

The Role of Bulgarian State Security in the Eastern Bloc

Cooperation with the Eastern Bloc

The Bulgarian State Security operated as a key component of the security services across Eastern Bloc countries, with its headquarters aligned with those in Moscow. This structure facilitated close cooperation between the Bulgarian State Security and the East German Stasi, based on Lenin’s idea that Soviet power required “a military organization of agents.”

Joint Operations and Surveillance

This collaboration involved extensive surveillance of citizens, elimination of political enemies, and the recruitment of foreign nationals. Activities included industrial espionage and carrying out KGB orders in third countries. During the 1970s and 1980s, their joint operations focused on tracking East German citizens attempting to escape to the West via the Southern Bulgarian border.

The two agencies exchanged crucial information about interactions between citizens of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and those from the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). They monitored contacts at Bulgarian resorts and even kept an eye on university students with ties to West Germany. The Stasi would inform Bulgarian State Security about the behavior and connections of Bulgarian officials visiting West Germany, providing details about their interests, activities, and even their shopping habits Private Balkan Tours.

Tragic Incidents at the Border

The border between Bulgaria and its neighbors was a dangerous place. A tragic incident occurred on April 29, 1948, when seven schoolchildren were shot while trying to cross into Greece. This event was reported in a newspaper covering a parliamentary debate on crimes committed in frontier zones, highlighting the severe consequences of border enforcement.

Surveillance and Control

The extensive security measures in place made it clear that the Bulgarian State Security was committed to maintaining tight control over its borders and citizens. Signs warning against unauthorized passage were common, emphasizing the restricted nature of these areas. The atmosphere was one of fear, with the authorities prepared to use deadly force against those attempting to flee.

The operations of the Bulgarian State Security exemplified the repressive nature of communist regimes during the Cold War. Their collaboration with agencies like the Stasi illustrates the lengths to which these governments would go to maintain power. Through surveillance, intimidation, and violence, they sought to suppress dissent and prevent citizens from seeking freedom. The tragic fate of individuals attempting to escape serves as a reminder of the human cost of such oppressive systems. As history shows, the desire for freedom often leads to tragic consequences in environments where authoritarian control reigns.

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The Role of Bulgarian State Security in the Eastern Bloc

Cooperation with the Eastern Bloc

The Bulgarian State Security operated as a key component of the security services across Eastern Bloc countries, with its headquarters aligned with those in Moscow. This structure facilitated close cooperation between the Bulgarian State Security and the East German Stasi, based on Lenin’s idea that Soviet power required “a military organization of agents.”

Joint Operations and Surveillance

This collaboration involved extensive surveillance of citizens, elimination of political enemies, and the recruitment of foreign nationals. Activities included industrial espionage and carrying out KGB orders in third countries. During the 1970s and 1980s, their joint operations focused on tracking East German citizens attempting to escape to the West via the Southern Bulgarian border.

The two agencies exchanged crucial information about interactions between citizens of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and those from the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). They monitored contacts at Bulgarian resorts and even kept an eye on university students with ties to West Germany. The Stasi would inform Bulgarian State Security about the behavior and connections of Bulgarian officials visiting West Germany, providing details about their interests, activities, and even their shopping habits Private Balkan Tours.

Tragic Incidents at the Border

The border between Bulgaria and its neighbors was a dangerous place. A tragic incident occurred on April 29, 1948, when seven schoolchildren were shot while trying to cross into Greece. This event was reported in a newspaper covering a parliamentary debate on crimes committed in frontier zones, highlighting the severe consequences of border enforcement.

Surveillance and Control

The extensive security measures in place made it clear that the Bulgarian State Security was committed to maintaining tight control over its borders and citizens. Signs warning against unauthorized passage were common, emphasizing the restricted nature of these areas. The atmosphere was one of fear, with the authorities prepared to use deadly force against those attempting to flee.

The operations of the Bulgarian State Security exemplified the repressive nature of communist regimes during the Cold War. Their collaboration with agencies like the Stasi illustrates the lengths to which these governments would go to maintain power. Through surveillance, intimidation, and violence, they sought to suppress dissent and prevent citizens from seeking freedom. The tragic fate of individuals attempting to escape serves as a reminder of the human cost of such oppressive systems. As history shows, the desire for freedom often leads to tragic consequences in environments where authoritarian control reigns.

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The Role of Bulgarian State Security in the Eastern Bloc

Cooperation with the Eastern Bloc

The Bulgarian State Security operated as a key component of the security services across Eastern Bloc countries, with its headquarters aligned with those in Moscow. This structure facilitated close cooperation between the Bulgarian State Security and the East German Stasi, based on Lenin’s idea that Soviet power required “a military organization of agents.”

Joint Operations and Surveillance

This collaboration involved extensive surveillance of citizens, elimination of political enemies, and the recruitment of foreign nationals. Activities included industrial espionage and carrying out KGB orders in third countries. During the 1970s and 1980s, their joint operations focused on tracking East German citizens attempting to escape to the West via the Southern Bulgarian border.

The two agencies exchanged crucial information about interactions between citizens of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and those from the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). They monitored contacts at Bulgarian resorts and even kept an eye on university students with ties to West Germany. The Stasi would inform Bulgarian State Security about the behavior and connections of Bulgarian officials visiting West Germany, providing details about their interests, activities, and even their shopping habits Private Balkan Tours.

Tragic Incidents at the Border

The border between Bulgaria and its neighbors was a dangerous place. A tragic incident occurred on April 29, 1948, when seven schoolchildren were shot while trying to cross into Greece. This event was reported in a newspaper covering a parliamentary debate on crimes committed in frontier zones, highlighting the severe consequences of border enforcement.

Surveillance and Control

The extensive security measures in place made it clear that the Bulgarian State Security was committed to maintaining tight control over its borders and citizens. Signs warning against unauthorized passage were common, emphasizing the restricted nature of these areas. The atmosphere was one of fear, with the authorities prepared to use deadly force against those attempting to flee.

The operations of the Bulgarian State Security exemplified the repressive nature of communist regimes during the Cold War. Their collaboration with agencies like the Stasi illustrates the lengths to which these governments would go to maintain power. Through surveillance, intimidation, and violence, they sought to suppress dissent and prevent citizens from seeking freedom. The tragic fate of individuals attempting to escape serves as a reminder of the human cost of such oppressive systems. As history shows, the desire for freedom often leads to tragic consequences in environments where authoritarian control reigns.

[worldtravell]

The Role of Bulgarian State Security in the Eastern Bloc

Cooperation with the Eastern Bloc

The Bulgarian State Security operated as a key component of the security services across Eastern Bloc countries, with its headquarters aligned with those in Moscow. This structure facilitated close cooperation between the Bulgarian State Security and the East German Stasi, based on Lenin’s idea that Soviet power required “a military organization of agents.”

Joint Operations and Surveillance

This collaboration involved extensive surveillance of citizens, elimination of political enemies, and the recruitment of foreign nationals. Activities included industrial espionage and carrying out KGB orders in third countries. During the 1970s and 1980s, their joint operations focused on tracking East German citizens attempting to escape to the West via the Southern Bulgarian border.

The two agencies exchanged crucial information about interactions between citizens of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and those from the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). They monitored contacts at Bulgarian resorts and even kept an eye on university students with ties to West Germany. The Stasi would inform Bulgarian State Security about the behavior and connections of Bulgarian officials visiting West Germany, providing details about their interests, activities, and even their shopping habits Private Balkan Tours.

Tragic Incidents at the Border

The border between Bulgaria and its neighbors was a dangerous place. A tragic incident occurred on April 29, 1948, when seven schoolchildren were shot while trying to cross into Greece. This event was reported in a newspaper covering a parliamentary debate on crimes committed in frontier zones, highlighting the severe consequences of border enforcement.

Surveillance and Control

The extensive security measures in place made it clear that the Bulgarian State Security was committed to maintaining tight control over its borders and citizens. Signs warning against unauthorized passage were common, emphasizing the restricted nature of these areas. The atmosphere was one of fear, with the authorities prepared to use deadly force against those attempting to flee.

The operations of the Bulgarian State Security exemplified the repressive nature of communist regimes during the Cold War. Their collaboration with agencies like the Stasi illustrates the lengths to which these governments would go to maintain power. Through surveillance, intimidation, and violence, they sought to suppress dissent and prevent citizens from seeking freedom. The tragic fate of individuals attempting to escape serves as a reminder of the human cost of such oppressive systems. As history shows, the desire for freedom often leads to tragic consequences in environments where authoritarian control reigns.

[usafphantom2]

At Beale Air Force Base , in California, you would think that the SR-71 Blackbird program would be the biggest blackest deepest secret. You would be wrong.

The biggest secret was Senior Bowl.

According to Air Force Test Center History Office documents, all manned flights over the Soviet Union were discontinued by President Dwight Eisenhower after Francis Gary Powers’ U-2 spy plane was shot down May 1, 1960. However even if the US government was planning on using satellites for reconnaissance, the technology was still a few years away and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) determined unmanned drones could fill the gap until satellites became viable.

For this reason in the 1960s the famed Lockheed “Skunk Works” developed the D-21 a highly-advanced, remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) designed to carry out high-speed, high-altitude strategic reconnaissance missions over hostile territory. However, on the fourth flight test, the D-21 experienced an “asymmetric unstart” as it passed through the bow wake of the M-21 causing the mothership to pitch up and collide with the D-21 at Mach 3.25. Crewmembers Bill Park and Ray Torick ejected from the M-21, but Torick’s flight suit became ripped and filled with water when he plunged into the ocean where he drowned.

After the accident and after the death of Ray Torick, a test flight engineer, the M-21 launch program was cancelled but testers still believed the D-21 would make a valuable reconnaissance vehicle and decided to launch the drone from B-52Hs under top secret test program named Tagboard. The new code name for the D-21 project became Senior Bowl.

It was Kelly Johnson, President of Skunk Works, who suggested to use the B-52. As a result of Johnson’s advice two B-52’s were modified: 61#0021 and 60#0036. Both B-52’s are still in the US Air Force (USAF) inventory. The ultra secret 4200 test squadron was formed at Beale.

Only a few of the men that flew the SR-71 had been read into the program: out of necessity one of the few included my father Richard “Butch” Sheffield, SR-71 RSO who had already been read into Oxcart in 1965. In his unpublished book he writes that on the flightline he was with Bob Spencer, SR-71 pilot. They were taxing out when they saw the B-52 with a drone underneath it. Spencer asked ‘What is that under that B-52?’ My Dad responded ‘I have no idea.’ He couldn’t tell Bob Spencer the truth.

These two B-52‘s were kept away at the end of the runway apart from any other operations. The D-21s were used on four flights over communist China but none of these missions fully succeeded.

Two flights were successful, however the imagery could not be recovered from the D-21’s hatch. The other two operational flights ended with one being lost in a heavily defended area and the other D-21 simply disappeared after launch.

The main mission of the D-21 was to fly over China and take pictures of its nuclear weapons test facility in the remote west central of the country near Lop Nor.

The pictures were supposed to be dropped in the ocean and recovered by the Navy. The fourth and final mission of the D-21 drone took place on Mar. 20, 1971 and was undertaken by D-21 #527. Experts at the 4200th Support Squadron and at Skunk Works concluded that #527 must have malfunctioned. It was thought to have gone down near Lop Nor.

Senior Bowl lasted from January 1968 until Jul. 15, 1971. Interestingly, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Ben Rich (then retired president of Lockheed’s Skunk Works) finally had an opportunity to tour Russia himself. While in Moscow, the KGB presented Rich with a gift of what they thought were the remains of a stealth fighter that had crashed in their territory. As it turned out, the wreckage was actually pieces and parts of the lost D-21 Drone! ~ written by Linda Sheffield Miller for Aviation geekclub

@Habubrats71 via X