The Russian government is accusing the United States of masterminding an assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin following a drone attack on his residence inside the walls of the Kremlin. Videos of the incident first posted to the social media platform Telegram appear to show an object flying towards the Kremlin before a fiery explosion occurs near a flagpole on top of the Kremlin Senate dome. Another video shows smoke rising near the building.

According to a statement issued by the presidential press service:

"Two unmanned aerial vehicles targeted the Kremlin. As a result of timely actions taken by the military and special services with the use of electronic warfare systems, the drones were disabled. Their fall and the fragments scattered around on the territory of the Kremlin caused no casualties or material damage."

"We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president's life. The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit."

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed a finger at the U.S., telling reporters;

“We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kyiv but in Washington. Attempts to disown this, both in Kyiv and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous.”

Ukrainian President Zelensky has denied any involvement in the attacks. Several US officials have also denied Washington's involvement. According to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, “We had nothing to do with it. Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple.”

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told the TASS news agency on Thursday;

"How would Americans react if a drone hit the White House, the Capitol or the Pentagon? The answer is obvious for any politician as well as for the average citizen: the punishment would be harsh and inevitable," he said. "Russia will respond to this insolent and presumptuous terrorist attack. We will answer when we consider it necessary. We will answer in accordance with the assessments of the threat that Kiev posed to the leadership of our country."

According to analysis by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, "several indicators suggest that the strike was internally conducted and purposefully staged by Russia" in order to further shape internal public opinion and support for the war.

Just hours after the Kremlin attack, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified that the US Embassy in Ukraine had issued a security alert warning of a heightened threat of missile attacks across the country, including in the capital Kyiv.

Within the boilerplate guidance, the embassy once again urges any Americans citizens still in the country to depart when safe to do so.

Related: NATO warns Russia could target undersea pipelines and cables

AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant.

On Tuesday afternoon, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified that the Dept. of Homeland Security was requesting additional Dept. of Defense support along the US/MX border due to the upcoming end of Title 42 pandemic restrictions and a massive surge of aliens into the U.S.

Breitbart news reports intelligence shared by the US Border Patrol has, as of three weeks ago, as many as 700,000 migrants from around the world, a foreign population larger than Boston, Massachusetts, currently in Mexico waiting to rush the border when Joe Biden ends the public health immigration authority known as Title 42 on Thursday, May 11.

Title 42 was invoked by President Trump in 2020 as a public health measure during the pandemic in order to more effectively regulate border crossings by giving federal immigration officials authority to expel illegals to their home country, or the country they were last in, which was often Mexico.

Barring any last min legislation that can be moved through Congress, or by action of a federal court, Title 42 ends next week.

And thus the request for additional troops support from the DoD.

According to Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, 1,500 active-duty service members will be sent in response to the DHS request. For 90 days, these military personnel will fill critical capability gaps, such as ground-based detection and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support, until Border Patrol agents can address these needs through contracted support. These active-duty troops will be armed for personal protection, but will not engage in law enforcement duties. The new troops will supplement 2,500 National Guardsmen already assisting assisting Customs and Border protection.

Public Health Threat

A particularly dangerous aspect of America's disastrous border and immigration policies concern public health threats. Illegal entry across the US/Mexico border is no longer dominated by individuals from this hemisphere, but has grown to include people from more than 120 nations. And along with them come a host of contagious diseases, including mumps, chicken pox, measles, scabies, influenza, polio, leprosy, and tuberculosis, to name just a few.

As there numerous public and private sector programs to transport migrants from the border areas deep into the nation's interior, it is in these distant cities where the diseases begin to show up. This problem was recently highlighted by New York City’s health commissioner.

Readers are reminded that the first reason for inadmissibility in section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) relates to "health-related grounds", including a requirement that immigrants have been vaccinated for a variety of diseases.

Military Aged Chinese Males

There are also growing concerns over reports of large numbers of military-aged Chinese males moving through Central America on their way north. Famed war correspondent and Special Forces veteran Michael Yon discussed this very topic last week in an interview with former congressman and chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes.

Related: US to expand migrant processing abroad after Title 42 policy ends

AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant.

According to the Institute for the Study of War:

• The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) appears to have deprioritized the Bakhmut offensive in favor of preparing to defend against an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive, putting the Wagner Group and Wagner financier Yevgeny Prigozhin in a potentially difficult position.
• Wagner’s continued persistence within Bakhmut is incongruent with the overall slow-down in the pace of Russian operations elsewhere in Ukraine as conventional Russian forces appear to largely be shifting focus to prepare to receive the much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.
• Recently dismissed former Deputy Minister of Defense for Logistics Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev is reportedly serving as deputy commander of the Wagner Group, likely as part of Wagner’s campaign to retain access to Russian military supplies.
• Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered newly-appointed Deputy Minister for Logistics Alexei Kuzmenkov to control the supply of weapons and equipment to Russian forces in Ukraine.
• Russian occupation authorities announced the forced removal of 70,000 civilians in occupied Zaporizhia Oblast to areas deeper in the Russian-occupied rear under the guise of evacuations.

According to the UK Ministry of Defence:

• Six Russian regions, occupied Crimea, and 21 cities have canceled their 09 May Victory Day parades citing security concerns. Victory Day commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. Moscow's Victory Day celebration is likely to go ahead but on a smaller scale. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reception following the parade (last held in 2019) will not go ahead.
• The traditional March of the Immortal Regiment, where family members display photographs of deceased veterans of the Second World War, associated with Victory Day, has also been canceled. This follows the recent cancellation of the Russian-hosted International Army Games.
• The timing of the UAV strike on the Kremlin a few days before Victory Day shows Russia’s increasing vulnerability to such attacks and has almost certainly raised the threat perception of the Russian leadership over the Victory Day events. The potential for protests and discontent over the Ukraine war are also likely to have influenced the calculus of the Russian leadership.

Russia's Gains in the Great Arctic Race

In 2007, a ceremonial (titanium) Russian flag was planted on the seabed at the North Pole. Then Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay quipped “this isn’t the 15th century, you can’t go around the world and just plant flags.” Russia’s flag, planted thousands of feet underwater, is quite the signal. The issue of extant overlapping international seabed claims for the North Pole might seem benign, especially when compared to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and tensions over Taiwan. However, there are major geopolitical ramifications stemming from this simmering and complex challenge.

~ READ MORE HERE (War on the Rocks) ~

Use Allies in Shipyard Modernization

The U.S. Navy lost a flat deck. The devastating fire on board the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) in July 2020 laid bare the risk the U.S. fleet faces because of an aging and strained shipbuilding industry.

~ READ MORE HERE (US Naval Institute) ~

No Migrant Left Behind: DHS’s Plan to Empty Latin America

DHS’s “sweeping new actions” are a blueprint for failure – if their goal is to actually secure the border. However, they are a blueprint for success if their goal is to empty Latin America of its peoples and bring them here.

~ READ MORE HERE (Center for Immigration Studies) ~

These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of May 1, 2023 based on U.S. Navy, public data provided by the U.S. Naval Institute, and open source reporting.

AMERICAS

Mexico president defends son after report alleging corruption
250 evacuated as volcano of fire erupts in Guatemala
Former F-16 pilot says it would be suicide to fly over ukraine right now
Canada summons Chinese ambassador over alleged threats to MP
Biden administration sending $300 million in new military aid to Ukraine
Convoys of buses filled with migrants leaving Panama daily
Biden et al working on a ban on hunting and fishing
F-22s intercepted “spherical object” off Hawaii in latest balloon chase
El Paso may start busing migrants again, but NYC and Chicago say no more
Biden nominates Air Force chief of staff Gen. Charles Brown to replace Milley
Chile's voters set to take big step in constitution redraft 2.0

EUROPE

NATO scrambles jets to track Russian patrol aircraft over North Atlantic
Ukraine forms eight new ‘storm’ brigades for counterattack
Russian maritime activity outside Norway
Russia's Wagner boss threatens Bakhmut pullout in Ukraine
Serbia: 13 YO kills eight fellow students + guard, meticulously planned attack
Serbia: Eight dead in drive-by shooting south of Belgrade
Serbia president vows to disarm nation after two mass shootings
Pawn shops and bread queues: poverty grips Ukraine as war drags on
Russia tightens Victory Day security after Putin ‘assassination’ attempt
Russia is building defenses deep inside its own territory
Why is the US wiring Ukraine with radiation sensors to detect nuclear blasts?
Another Russian Navy unit leaves the Mediterranean

MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Iran has enough uranium for five nukes, not just one
Kamala Harris named ‘AI Czar’ to save US from artificial intelligence
Japan pledges to help Mozambique fight "terrorism"
German troops deployed to UN mission begin withdrawal from Mali
Ethiopia: US and WFP suspend food aid to Tigray
Rwanda floods kill 130, destroy over 5,000 houses
Benin orders probe after violence kills 15 in north
UN alerts for risks of spill over from violence in Sudan
Navy sails 300 evacuees from Sudan to Saudi Arabia

ASIA

Marcos says Philippines bases could be 'useful' if Taiwan attacked
Press group: China biggest global jailer of journalists
US discloses photos of S. Korean, U.S., Japanese officials on nuclear sub
China urges 'high vigilance' over NATO expansion in Asia
China's days as the world's manufacturer are over
S. Korea to lower national crisis level for COVID-19 soon
U.S. to protect Philippines navy, coast guard from China under new pact
U.S. issues guidelines on defending Philippines from South China Sea attack
Washington Declaration goes beyond 'nuclear-sharing': U.S. official

PUBLIC HEALTH

Auzzie gov removes all prescribing restrictions on Ivermectin
WHO (finally) declares COVID pandemic "global health emergency" over
High-level review of the contracts between US DoD and Moderna
Marijuana may cause 30 percent of schizophrenia cases in men: study
Rise in UK measles cases causing concern