Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. I have a Russian story for you, and that means it’s going to be gloomy and sad. Because, as Dostoevsky said about Russians, “only through suffering can we find ourselves.” Russia is all about suffering and probably always has been.

A Russian pilot on recon

This story involves a young man named Roman Filipov, age 34, and a Major in the Russian Air Force. Major Filipov was a fighter pilot assigned to the Russian mission in Syria. On February 2 of this year, he was flight leader of two SU-25 fighter jets on a reconnaissance mission over Syria. The Russian military referred to his mission as “observation” but the Americans would call it “reconnaissance”. Regardless of whether or not he was assigned to drop bombs, attack targets, or just observe, a mission in hostile territory is still combat and still dangerous.

Major Filipov’s wing-man reported to him that a man-portable anti-aircraft missile, known to the military as a “man-pad”, was tracking him and was inbound. “Yes”, he said, “I see it”, but he was unable to avoid it and the missile struck his right wing, also damaging part of the left. Unable keep the airplane in the air he directed his wing-man to radio search-and-rescue that he was bailing out. He successfully ejected and his parachute opened as it was supposed to but unfortunately, he landed behind enemy lines, and that is where our story really begins.

An unworthy Russia scare

The American people are currently in the midst of what is, I think, their third Russia scare. Russia is being accused by a cabal of American globalists, of interfering in the recent U.S. elections in order to benefit one candidate or another. I have always had a grudging respect for the Russian people and for Russia itself. For one thing, the American politicians who hate Russia, and who tend to blame Russia for most of the problems that agitate the world, especially the ones caused by their losing an election or other problems of their own making, are the most despicable people in the United States. I usually look favorably on anything and anyone despised by my enemies, so I tend to look favorably on Russia.

The current Russia scare seems to be about global geopolitics. The globalists have an agenda and apparently Vladimir Putin is not down with their cause. Putin continues to throw monkey wrenches into the globalist machinery and they continue to ratchet up the propaganda against him. Apparently Donald Trump is not down with the globalist cause either. I had hoped that he would be able to end the 70-year-long cold war with Russia, and perhaps reach some accommodation, but that would not fit with the globalist agenda. The globalists need an enemy and it seems that Russia is the designated one.

Donald Trump won’t go along

Donald Trump seems to prefer neutrality with the Russians, I suppose on the theory that you can make more economic prosperity in peaceful cooperation than with constant antagonism. It would be so much easier for President Trump if he just cooperated with the globalists, but he has been unwilling to do that and thus he faces threats of impeachment due to Russian involvement in his election. These constant threats and the, “we’re going to get him one way or another rhetoric”, are just an effort to force his subservience to their agenda and bend him to their will. It is also evidence of their total disregard for the will of the American people and the concept of free elections and peaceful transition of power.

Day after day we are told of a new Trump-Russia scandal that threatens to bring down the President but invariably it turns out to be false. Often these Trump-Russia scandals are mixed together with the, he once had an affair with a porn star scandals or something like them. In the meantime, the investigation has revealed many scandals and reports of Democrat wrongdoing, which have provoked separate Congressional hearings and investigations. In at least one such investigation, I believe the FBI is actually investigating itself.

Back to our Russian recon pilot

Well, we left Major Filipov floating toward the earth somewhere behind his enemy’s lines in Syria. He ordered his wing-man to seek safety in the clouds but his wing-man did not, choosing to stay and fly cover for his downed leader until his fuel was exhausted, rather than obey that order. Major Filipov landed and was immediately under attack by enemy soldiers. He fought for his life with his side arm until his ammunition was exhausted, and managed to kill two of the enemy. All this information was recorded on Major Filipov’s radio transmissions to his wing-man, as well as videos made by the enemy, so it is not speculation. When it became obvious that he was going to be overrun and captured, he pulled the pin on his grenade and let it explode killing himself as well as an unknown number of the enemy.

Major Filipov was the second Russian officer to commit suicide rather than submit to capture since the Russian invasion of Syria. In March of 2016, Senior Lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko called in an airstrike on his own position after his position was compromised during the battle for Palmyra. These two men, especially Major Filipov, did us a favor by showing us exactly how Russians view war. It is not a gentleman’s game, or even a grand chessboard to them. Instead it is a struggle to the death: kill or be killed, no retreat, no surrender, no quarter given or expected. That view of war should be rather sobering to their enemies. These Russians apparently don’t view life or living as the number one priority the way we Americans do.

A Russian chooses an honorable way to die

Roman Filipov was a man who believed in what he was fighting for, and he was not about letting his country suffer the embarrassment of his capture, thus being used as a propaganda pawn, as well as risk other lives trying to rescue him. Duty came before self, even if it meant the sacrifice of his life. He did it without a moment’s hesitation. Cultural values are vital to shaping a national identity. The destruction of our culture is one reason we in America seem so conflicted now, but these Russians seem to understand their culture and they believe in it.

Russia Today reported that Major Filipov died “like a lion”, and the Russian Defense Ministry reported that he had been killed during combat with terrorists. Who were these terrorists who Major Filipov died fighting? Were they in favor of the Assad regime or against it? Do they support the goals of ISIS or oppose them? Are they affiliated with al Qaeda as has been reported or not? Do they support the same groups as the Americans or oppose them? Where did they get man-portable anti-aircraft missiles and who paid for them? No one seems to know the answers to these questions, or care. In December 2016, Congress authorized that shoulder-fired manpad anti-aircraft missiles be supplied to opposition groups in Syria. Perhaps that decision of the U.S. Congress created a future date with destiny for Major Roman Filipov.

A Hero of the Russian Federation

Major Filipov was awarded his nation’s highest award by Vladimir Putin, a Hero of the Russian Federation medal for his wife and two children to remember him by. His funeral was held in his hometown of Voronezh in southern Russia, and more than 30,000 people turned out for it. His teachers from his old school spoke well of him, of course. They said he was fit and fond of sports, modest, fair-haired, and blue eyed, he dreamed of being a pilot. He had a sense of justice and he knew what was right. When his old teacher learned of his death she said her first thought was “this poor child.”

In the Middle East, and especially Syria, the war goes on, and lots of poor children are dying. There are several examples I could give of how it is a very bad idea to arm a group of religious fanatics in an effort to pit them against other groups of religious fanatics you may then perceive as your chosen enemy.

I suppose Rudyard Kipling said it best in the final paragraph of his poem “The Young British Soldier’‘ — “When you are wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains, and the women come to cut up what remains, just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains, and go to your God like a soldier.”

I don’t know what Major Filipov believed or if he believed anything. I don’t know where he went when he died, but I do know that he went like a soldier. I told you that this is a Russian story, not an American one, so it has to be gloomy and sad, but…

In America the war goes on…

Here in America the war continues as well, that is, the cultural Marxist war against Western Civilization and our way of life continues unabated. Sixty-three million Americans voted to slap it down in 2017. Americans were joyful because they thought they had stopped the enemy’s advance, but their efforts only caused their enemy to work harder. Our enemies hear their father’s voice and redouble their efforts.

At least that’s the way I see it,

Until next time folks,

This is Darrell Castle,