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The Cold War – Redux (Duplicity) KOBO interview London Book Fair 2016.

A couple of years ago, I wrote a Cold War trilogy, The Red Effect, The Black Effect and The Blue Effect, portraying what I believe could have happened in the 1980’s, had the Soviets, and the Warsaw Pact, taken the decision to attack West Germany and plunged the world into a third world war.

I now ask myself the question, are we heading down that very route now? To answer that, I written the first book in a new Cold War trilogy, or the ‘Cool War’ as it is sometimes referred to. The title is ‘The Cold War – Redux (Duplicity)’.

Where does my story start? I felt the only way to find the answer to that was to go to the very melting pot that could turn the Cool War, into a Hot War, the Ukraine.

Please watch the KOBO interview conducted at the London Book Fair 2016. 8 minutes in. Embarrassing watching yourself on video!

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The Cold War – Redux (Duplicity) KOBO interview London Book Fair.

8 minutes in for Harvey Black.

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The flag of Ukraine.

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T-80, painted in the colours of the Ukrainian Flag,  at the War Museum in Kiev

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Duplicity-front cover-100dpi

Cold War Redux – Book 1. Duplicity

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Military/Intelligence Bulletin 07/2016 – Russia plans new divisions to counter NATO.

Russia plans to create two additional army divisions to counter what it sees as the NATO threat.

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Russian Western Military District.

 

By the end of 2016, Russia is planning on creating two new divisions to counter what it perceives as the growing NATO military might on its borders. These new divisions are in addition to the two announced in January.

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Russian T-72B3. Deliveries to the Russian army started in 2012 and continues today. This type of tank has been seen near the Ukrainian border.

One of these newly announced divisions will be created in the Western Military District and the second one in the Southern Military District. The two divisions announced in January will be created in the Central Military District and one in the Western Military District.

The ground forces commander-in-chief, Colonel General Oleg Salyukov, stated that these new divisions will formed from existing brigades. Although Russia abandoned the Soviet-era divisional structure as part of their reforms, due in the main to the chronic shortage of manpower, these divisions will revert to that older structure.

The divisions will likely consist of 10,000 men in six regiments. The worrying thing about these division types, is that they are designed for mass confrontation, as opposed to the brigades which were created to fight localised wars on Russia’s periphery. The Iron curtain is being drawn across the east west borders yet again.

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Blue – Western Military District

Brown – Southern Military District

Green – Central Military District

Orange – Eastern Military District

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Post copyrighted to Harvey Black

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Military/Intelligence Bulletin 06/2016 – Ukraine develops Mi-8 helicopter Upgrade.

Ukraine’s Motor Sich is developing a number of multirole variants of MI-8MSB-V/W multirole to be employed against the pro-Russian separatist militants.

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Mi-8 MSB-V/W, multirole helicopter.

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They are aimed at addressing the threats posed by anti-aircraft systems held by the pro-Russian separatists in the contested eastern region of Ukraine.

Based on the MI-8T helicopter, the aim of the upgrade is to increase firepower and survivability, with the installation of an Adron SKZ-8V digital armament control system and a range of air-to-surface weapons including the GKKB Luch Baryer-V and Russian made Shturm-V anti-tank missiles, taken from existing MI-24 attack helicopter ordnance. Additional armour will  also be provided for the protection of the cockpit and Adron’s Adros ASH-01V infrared suppression systems for its engine exhaust ducts.

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MI-2MSB-V/W (nearest) and MI-8MSB-V/W at the Kiev military equipment expo. Photo from Motor-Sich company

There will be three MSB-V/W variants:

Version-1 an assault and attack helicopter fitted with a navigation system, electro-optic turret, laser warning receivers, radar, anti-aircraft missiles and grenade launcher pods.

Version-2 a patrol and reconnaissance helicopter similar to version 1, although it won’t be armed with anti-tank guided missiles. But, it will have pylon-mounted launchers for small UAVs, unmanned aerial vehicles.

Version-3 will be an airborne commands and control variant

All variants will have the new TV3-117VMA-SBM1V engine. They will have greater range and a higher ceiling.

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Photo MI-8MSB-V/W transport/assault helicopter at the Kiev military equipment expo. Photo from Motor-Sich company.

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Post copyrighted to Harvey Black

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Duplicity (Cold War – Redux Book 1).  Available in Kindle and Paperback

I have recently written the first of two novels in my latest Apocalyptic series, ‘Force Majeure – Purgatory’ and ‘Force Majeure – Paralysis’. The third in the series will be out mid this year. Prior to these two books, I wrote a Cold War trilogy, The Red Effect, The Black Effect and The Blue Effect, portraying what I believe could have happened in the 1980’s, had the Soviets, and the Warsaw Pact, taken the decision to attack West Germany and plunged the world into a third world war.

I now ask myself the question, are we heading down that very route again?

To answer that, I have written the first book in a new Cold War trilogy, or the ‘Cool War’ as it is sometimes referred to. Duplicity (Cold War – Redux) is now complete and available in Kindle and Paperback

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Duplicity-front cover-100dpi

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What does the president of the Russian Federation want?

A Eurasian Union incorporating the former Soviet republics – a new USSR, with President Putinov at its helm.

What does he fear?

Russia’s satellite states uniting against him and allying themselves to western Europe and NATO.

What should he do about it?

Of this he is certain. He initiates a new form of hybrid warfare, using deception, double-dealing and treachery. His first victim? Ukraine.

Harvey Black leads the reader through a continent on the brink of war in the first book of his new Cold War – Redux series. Based on the real events of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, ‘Duplicity’ sees the birth of a campaign to return Russia to its former glory by a president who is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, no matter the cost…

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Site and content, including photographs, is copyrighted to Harvey Black.