Did the Ukrainians really catch 10 Russian paratroopers?
Maybe.
For one thing, this time around the Ukies have provided names, a unit number (331st Regiment, 98th Guard Airborne Division) and even a video of their interrogation. So this might be real.
If it is, I hope that it will at least shut up the choir of naysayers who constantly accuse Russia of doing nothing, of betraying Novorussia, of selling out the Donbass and all that kind of nonsense. The fact is that Russia as constantly been assisting the Novorussians covertly and while bloggers such as Colonel Cassad and myself can claim that (read his excellent commantary here in Russian and here in English), Russia cannot do the same because of the legal consequences of such an admission. But anybody who knows what is going on has known all along that Russia was helping.
So this is war and, as they say, shit happens. Still, there are a lot of weird things in this story.
First, we have to completely ignore anything the poor captured guys might have said. We all know how the Ukies treat their prisoners so what they said is irrelevant. Likewise, if the Ukies say that they captured these guys in location X, that does not mean that this is what really happened. Having said that, there are still a of of unanswered questions:
Could these soldiers have been “lost” as Russia claims? Hardly. Everybody knows that the region where they were caught is not only crossed by an international border, but also that there is a real shooting war on the other side. Russian paratroopers don’t just get “lost” in a warzone, not at the age of GLONASS/GPS. For all I know, they could have been kidnapped on the Russian side of the border (like the Israelis whom Hezbollah captured in 2006) and dragged across the border to make it look like they had crossed it.
But if they were sent in, what would have been their mission? This is a total mystery to me. Paratroopers are not just sent into enemy territory just like that, they would have to be in support of some kind of operation involving much bigger forces.
Then, by all accounts, these guys surrendered without firing a single shot. If there is one thing Russian paratroopers are famous for is not surrendering, not even if that means dying. Yet these guys did not see it fit to fight. Weird, again.
The Ukies said that the paratroopers were caught with their documents. That is laughable. The Russians would never send in a recon team with their military IDs. By the way, the Ukies *also* said that before they were sent across the border, the officers took all their documents. Total contradiction. Go figure.
According to the Ukies, only the officers knew that they had crossed into the Ukraine, not the privates and NCOs. Again, this is laughable. You don’t send armed men into a combat zone without telling them – that would put everybody at huge risk and prevent them from acting appropriately.
So, honestly, this story makes absolutely NO sense to me.
But let’s assume the worst.
Let’s assume that these guys are Russian nationals who were somehow acting in support of the Novorussians.
So what?
It is pretty darn obvious that Russia has been covertly supported the Novorussians for months and that no Russians were ever caught. Now they did. Again, this is war, shit happens. It is already remarkable that this did not happen sooner. Sure, this is annoying for the Russian side, and the timing could hardly be worse which, by the way, is also very suspicious.
While this makes for good headlines for the BBC, this story is a non-story and it will have zero impact on the real course of the war. It’s a good PR opportunity for Poroshenko, but it’s not like it will influence anybody’s point of view or policies. Hopefully in a few days or weeks we will find out what really happened. But in the meantime, everybody should relax and focus on the real developing story: the Ukies being caught in several (up to six or seven, depending on how you count “cauldron”) and on the full retreat in Mariupol. That, and the meeting in Minsk, of course.
The Saker
This may seem ludicrous but could these guys be actors? With the main stream media making up stories these days, that really isn’t so far-fetched.
Desantniki don’t surrender. Ever. I have seen the vids of the interrogation and these boys are no desantniki. The truth may come out in the end but I will bet the farm that they are not ‘desantniki on a special mission’.
The border is not well marked in every location and if they are, indeed, Russians they are most probably new border guards who wandered off the beaten path. My gut feeling is they are orks.
The Panic in Mariupol: As I wrote before, the threat on the outskirts of the city was multiplied by the confusion in the area, so when one of the Junta armored columns retreating from Novoazovsk was mistaken for militia, this led to the hysteria of “DPR tanks are just about to roll into Mariupol!”. Hence the traffic jams of civilians and junta soldiers at the highway to Berdaynsk, people thought Mariupol would be taken today and in a panic rushed out of the city. Interestingly, when it came to running, the nationalist guard units easily outpaced the civilians, leaving just one punitive battalion and the remnants of police forces to defend Mariupol. This story is very significant in the sense that it clearly shows how panic sweeps the entire management system – from the lowest neo-Nazi of the “Azov” battalion to the Gauleiter (chief overseer — ger.) of Mariupol. In reality, advance militia groups are fighting on the outskirts of Mariupol, and Junta is reporting that they are about to create a reliable line of defense and stop militia forces from entering Mariupol (Novoazovsk is already written off, apparently).
Who’$ behind courtain?
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/update03.htm
Saker wrote:
“…the real developing story: the Ukies being caught in several (up to six or seven, depending on how you count “cauldron”) and on the full retreat in Mariupol…”
Slavyangrad.org just posted a map (in English; zoom for 20 explanations keyed to map locations) that prominently displays the southern extension of the Donetsk National Republic defense forces to the Sea of Azov:
Novorossiya Map of Hostilities – August 10-25, 2014
Thank you Saker for all the work you do on the blog.I really appreciate hearing “the other side”.But really my side.I support Novorossia,and Russia 100%.
Having said that, I’m thinking the Russian statement may be true.I know of course it might not.But for all the reasons you mentioned (and I thought of them as well).The soldiers being in uniform,with their documents on them,and saying they weren’t told anything.That leads me to believe they were a patrol that skirted the border.They may have crossed it a short distance.But like you said.Where the Ukie’s claim they captured them doesn’t mean that was really the spot.The first pictures that I saw from a Ukie site http://uapress.info/ru/news/show/36341/ shows they were roughed up a bit.Since they surrendered without fighting it would have had to have been after being captured.So that would account for some of the words in the interview.Another reason I’m suspicious of the Ukie statement is that according to what I’ve seen on another site.The people sending volunteers from Russia to fight.Won’t take anyone younger that 25.And some of these soldiers were 19.So that is also strange to send rookie’s on an important operation like that.
Saker what about this Pskov busines?
Western propaganda in their conclusions no doubt. However their narrative at least complements the facts well, at this moment in time
IMO, this story is BS. One of the soldiers is quoted in the RT account as follows:
One of the men, 19-year-old Ivan Milchakov recounts how, back home, “They told us that the Bandera crowd is bad and the uprising is good. But when we were taken hostage, our eyes were opened and the truth of what was happening was revealed to us… we didn’t even know what we were there for, we were just told to go…we were lost, actually.”
Sorry, but that just doesn’t wash. It’s ‘too’ perfect from a propaganda point of view.
Also, I’m a little surprised to see you being so casual about Russian aid to the rebels. In the first place, this blog is no longer ‘flying below the radar’ so one has to be aware of that. Secondly, despite all the claims, this Ukie video is the closest anyone has come to ‘proving’ aid to the rebels. If there is such aid, let the US surveillance prove it. Since that hasn’t happened yet, aid has not happened. Of course, for the US to prove aid to the rebels, it opens up the question of what they saw on July17 so be sure the US will never offer such proof.
Whenever there is a setback in the ZPC/NWO “Ukraine” op, a “miraculous event” like this occurs. This leads me to believe those running the fascist freakshow in the west are more like Hollywood TV show script writers than political/military strategists. At least this time around the zioscum and their pet fascists didn’t shoot down an airliner full of innocent people for a new false flag to try and prevent the inevitable from happening.
вот так
the poor captured guys might have sad.
Should be ‘said’ not ‘sad’. Delete this.
Colonel Cassad is talking about providing arms and munitions to a degree, which is a far cry from providing service members to fight. When Pakistan sends similar help, those service members are not part of their army any longer. They would not even accept the bodies back. So they are volunteers who are not part of the regular forces any longer. If some Russians wanted to go fight for their relatives I doubt Russia would be able to do much about it. Maybe even encouraging volunteers to go help. But in any case, those who go are going only as individuals and losing all the benefits of being part of the national armed unit. And I think many Russians were caught, most summarily executed. We saw lots of bodies going back to Russia.. Again, they are not part of Russian armed forces like these idiots who wandered into Ukraine. One of them said something about being lost.. Ukies also said they captured dozens of armored personal carriers and 10 service men.. So these guys also can drive with both feet and arms at the same time.
(like the Israelis whom Hezbollah captured in 2006)
ARE you sure about this? Israel purposely sent a patrol into the village almost 3km into Lebanon so the would have a pretext to start a war. Its 2006, Israel has solid perimeter defenses by then.
It seems you didn’t read or didn’t believe my comment in the previous thread, it’s a deliberate PR stunt.
Confirmed by all the arguments you cite, unlikely to be “lost”, fully documented soldiers, not any attempt at fighting, only the officers informed of the actual location.
Alexander Parvus: Trotsky’s Mentor from Hell
http://incogman.net/2012/06/alexander-parvus-trotskys-mentor-from-hell/
Scenario looks similar to 100 years ago
I love how the MSM take this “outraged” tone that Russia may be helping the NDF. Yet to these same pro-imperialist media it is perfectly natural and right for the US, etc to actively aid and arm rebel groups all over the world for decades! And not just any rebel groups fighting for freedom, but cut throats and murderers doing it solely for Washington’s brutal ambitions (Nicaragua, Cuba, Angola, Libya just a few that spring to mind.)
If Russia has admitted these are their soldiers and that they crossed accidentally, then that for me is probably true. Russia has generally told the truth throughout this nasty conflict.
This particular ‘event’ is so laughable, I believe that Putin handed it to Poroshenko on a silver platter so he could look good on Minsk day (buttering up the pig before slicing his guts out) and then the Ukropy went overboard with it as usual. Note that Russia recognized Poroshenko officially, putting him at risk for future war crimes prosecution. I predict headlines tomorrow: “Putin backs down”, in two weeks “Russian invasion of Ukraine” (when NAF continues to win).
The cowardice and treason of western neoliberal fascism rolls on in all its glory.
The US, the EU, NATO, the UN, the ICRC and the western media – burned down to the ground by the Ukraine crisis. Let’s finish the job on the streets of the USA.
Peter and the Wolf.
We have got to the stage where even the western press no longer believe Ukraine. So it might be true, but will have no impact.
Russian paratroopers get captured – sounds like they are causing a distraction from events elsewhere.
PM of self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic says DPR leaves Ukraine never to return
Zakharchenko, has vowed that the DPR will not remain a territory of Ukraine under any circumstance.
The Novorossiya news agency says he dropped the remark in view of the on-going negotiations in Minsk by the heads of state of the Customs Union countries, Ukraine and EU representatives
full article:
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/746777
While this makes for good headlines for the BBC, this story is a non-story and it will have zero impact on the real course of the war. It’s a good PR opportunity for Poroshenko,
Making it a good candidate to put on the list of potential false flag operations.
Porky knowing he will have a tough meeting probably thought that having some “Russian prisoners” would help his negotiation position. We should not forget that Kiev is “helped” by the “By way of deception thou shalt do war” team.
Okay, this is pure speculation on the basis of absolutely nothing, but even if this is a false flag — and I’m taking Auslander very seriously on that — perhaps it could be part of a face- (and, frankly, life-) saving deal for Poroshenko, who has all those factories in Russia but dares not anger the nutso-Galicians too awfully much. So he gets to look good and still ultimately cave in, maybe?
вот так,
Yes. This time they probably just took some raw Ukie conscripts. It just reeks of bad scriptwriting too — but hewing to reality and learning from experience are just not in the sos skills set. Blood, guts and an utter disregard for the people to whom they used to belong… now, hey, we still do that quite well, don’t we. YAY us.
The Ukies should stop and consider their actions (Yeah, yeah, I know…): if these are “Russian invaders” (for the sake of argument – I don’t buy it, these guys look NOTHING like desantniki), then the flimsy pretext stopping Russian tanks from rolling to Lemberg is gone. Do they really want that? Really?
Now they can release the MH17 data which will drown in the noise of RUSSIA INVASION screaming headlines in the corporate media.
PS – I “read” that the Russian commanders collected IDs and cell phones from the paratroopers before sending them on their “mission”
They didn’t look like anything other than what they claimed to be, to me.
however, it was extremely useful to Poroshenko that Kiev had finally had dome real, live Russian soldiers, as opposed to phantom incursions.
That’s what I would concentrate on.
Did any meeting take place between you know who and the Chocolate King today? We were all built up for it, until the news in the Uk switched to Kate Bush’s come-back tour. ;)
Nothing these kapusniak-eating surrender monkeys say is true, now more than ever. The decision of the Resistance to attack in the south suggests someone believes either A — the Ukie army is on the verge of collapse or B — this war will go on until Russia decides to end it. I think it’s the latter.
Even if Merkel tells Porky to give up now, I doubt his puppet masters would let it happen. Unless there is a secret agreement between all parties this conflict will likely continue.
Somewhere beyond the Urals an army of Siberian shock troops is getting ready.
Russia invades in the winter. In five days Novorussia is liberated. That’s my prediction and I’m stickin’ to it.
re: why do’nt the young men of Novorussia defend their cities?
@werewolf: htanks for your Putin-Obama comparison. It is not only hilarious but there is also some truth in it :-)
The Kiev Regime is saying these lads are Russian paratroops.
It’s so ridiculous.
If these boys are paras, then frankly I am a Vogue model. ;)
Speaking as someone from a military background, shall we put it like that.
I think from what I see in the Russian press the soldiers are Russian.But looking at their interviews,a couple seem to be reading from something held out of camera view.And very scared.I only saw 4 interviews out of 10 soldiers.And only 7 pictures out of 10.Some of the pictures,the soldiers had bruises on their faces.I suspect the ones not in the pictures were beaten too bad to show.And the ones not interviewed included those.And the others that totally refused no matter how much beaten.The ones doing the interviews were probably protecting the others and themselves by agreeing.They were probably threatened that they’d all be killed.Now the Euromaidan site is reporting Ukraine says since they aren’t at war with Russia,the soldiers were only caught trespassing and are detained not POW’s.So they should be returned and we’ll find out the truth from them.Unless Ukraine is afraid of what they’d say and kills them and blames the Militia.Very doubtful,but with that scum,you never know.
Saker, respectfully, anyone who has served in the Infantry will be aware that small patrols get lost all the time. Many young soldiers find Land Navigation to be incomprehensible. Units often skimp on this training because it is so painful for all involved. Sometimes technology makes the situation worse, not better.
I suspect this is a reality even in the well-trained Russian Army.
@Voss:anyone who has served in the Infantry will be aware that small patrols get lost all the time.
Touche – I never was infantry. But a friend of mine was, and he even ended up “invading” a neighboring country by mistake for about 30mins once. We all teased him after that. But I think that this applies to peacetime, not to a warzone in which you can be killed as soon as you cross a line. Furthermore, Russian VDV vehicles are equipped with GNSS receivers and I cannot imagine them patrolling along a warzone without these receivers activated. Also, VDV are really much better trained than regular infantry, including in navigation.
The only element which speaks in favor of a mistake is the fact that they did not even attempt to fight. But man, if this is really a mistake, there is going to be blood drawn from quite a few officers who allowed that to happen.
Anyway, I hope to know more in a few days.
Kind regards and thanks,
The Saker
Dear The Saker,
Thank you for covering this baffling topic – which just makes no sense apart from giving Porky and Co. a PR move – but zero leverage.
I also agree that there is no way they are paratroopers! :) Jeez the Junta just can’t do a false flag lie very well….
I think they were taken from the border crossing by some USG/Mercenaries/NATO types and hence why Russia is playing it down…they are probably double checking everything…
If anyone is breaking the Geneva convetion its Junta and co……
Rgds,
Veritas
From a tweet by Gleb Bazov
Bravo, #Poroshenko…a 20-y.o. Yoshkar-Ola resident finds out he is one of the Russian POWS in Ukraine. Awkward :D pic.twitter.com/oyEkUmsarN
4:08pm – 26 Aug 14
I honestly can’t see Siberian shock-troopers “liberating” SE Ukraine.
In my opinion, this is a war the FR does not want, and they especially do not want to have to take on their slice of a partitioned Ukraine – because that is what it would amount to.
Rump-Ukraine would never be let into the EU – they simply wouldn’t make the cut. Novorussiya as an independent state could neither finance itself or protect itself, so it would have to be absorbed into the FR. OK, let’s say the FR does that.
So what happens to that red-headed step child, Rump Ukraine? The EU is not in the business of propping up another failed economy, given the load of debt they are carrying at the moment. I don’t think the US could force them to do it, either.
So where do we go from here? There will be eventually be a deal to keep the whole mess “in quarantine” – between the EU and the FR. Thanks US, what a good job you did. Ta, muchly, you old world hegemon, you ;)
Saker says it best when he states: “this is war and, as they say, shit happens.”
These whipped curs certainly don’t look like hardened paratroopers. And they are too quick to rally to Ukraine. As Russian soldiers?
Could they have been kidnapped by a Uki raid into Russia?
They certainly won’t be released back to Russia. Extremely fishy with the usual lies about massive numbers of Russian materiel destroyed with no “trophy” photos
And like MH17 why would Putin do something so inept on the eve of an energy discussion
Ceasefire was barely a topic of discussion.
http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/746821
@This may seem ludicrous but could these guys be actors?
Something like the Gleiwitz “incident” (which, to be honest, was not clarified even today)?
Aoife,
Yes. And we’re so good at nation-building… Otoh, we do in fact do an excellent job at creating failed states. So what possible solutions are there? It’s quite possible that by mid-winter if not later, the entire country will at least be united in wanting the Junta overthrown. And maybe I’m spinning webs here but with the Maidanites overthrown, the Nazi element could possibly be neutralized (any old which way would be just fine in my book, not that that much matters), or simply spun off into a rump of a rump where they could just fester on their own. More web-spinning: if they were out of the picture, in Galicia, in jail or six feet under, then it might be possible for Novorossiya to reconsider federalization along the lines of Putin’s original criteria — all of which of course continue to make perfect sense. And, not being too optimistic here (well, okay, being perhaps overly optimistic), we might have assisted Putin in prying Europe away from us. We’ll just go play elsewhere of course but if enough people everywhere really see us for what we are, who knows, maybe the end of all these horrors will at least be in sight. For everyone else except those of us here but, frankly, we deserve what we’re going to get, bc we’re still not doing a damned thing to try and stop it, here or anywhere else.
What Russia know and the Ukies don’t?
Read some sensible comments by a keen commentator of Russian things, Mark Adomanis of Forbes:
“the EU is pretty obviously not in a position to bail anyone else out. Economically the EU doesn’t have the money and, politically, there is no will for further “expansion.”
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who is well known for his extensive use of social media and for his support of Ukraine’s integration into European institutions, hasn’t gotten the message though. The other day he tweeted the following: ‘Important that Germany Chancellor Merkel now raises the issue of EU help in rebuilding of Donbass region. Will be needed. And expensive’.
To the extent that Bildt convinces anyone in Ukraine that the EU will ride to the rescue he is being cruel. There is no other word for it. The EU is not going to help rebuild the Donbass. Full stop. Even if the EU (read: Germany) had sufficient funds at its disposal for this sort of effort, which is increasingly doubtful, the recent election made clear that popular enthusiasm for the EU project is evaporating almost in real time. There is precious little enthusiasm among the German public for bailout of other Eurozone members. The idea that Germany will consent to spending tens of billions of dollars rebuilding Eastern Ukraine is completely and totally divorced from political reality. The idea that Germany will consent to spending tens of billions of dollars rebuilding Eastern Ukraine is completely and totally divorced from political reality. Can anyone seriously imagine Angela Merkel, whose country recently had its 2014 growth estimate downgraded to a mere 1.5%, going in front of the German public to demand a substantial outlay for Ukrainian infrastructure? It would be political suicide, and Merkel is clearly a clever enough politician to understand this.
Ukraine and its political leadership needs to understand that, regardless of Bildt’s musings, the country’s “European choice” is not going to be underwritten by anyone else. Basic political reality in Germany and the EU, particularly the rapid growth of Euroskepticism, means that no help will be forthcoming. Kiev will have to chart its own course, and will need to find a way to pay for the (enormous!) expenditures of repairing its Eastern industrial heartland”.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2014/08/25/the-european-union-isnt-going-to-bail-out-ukraine/
Another reality check from the Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/11056880/Europe-will-be-Russias-hostage-over-gas-supplies-for-at-least-another-decade.html
“Europe will remain heavily reliant on Russian gas for at least another decade, according to a leading rating agency.
Fitch said a lack of alternative sources meant policymakers would have no choice but to continue buying gas from Russia until at least the mid-2020s and ‘potentially much longer’…
The rating agency also cast doubt over an American-style shale gas revolution in Europe. ‘We do not expect meaningful shale production for at least a decade by which time it could at best offset the decline of conventional gas production,’ it said.
‘We believe Russia and Gazprom would react with lower natural gas prices should they perceive their market share in Europe was at risk,’ Fitch added. ‘Europe, despite efforts from Russia to diversify its customer base, would remain a key market and source of revenue and especially profits.'”
Another reality check, this time from the Wall Street Journal, no less:
“TAKE A DEEP BREATH
Europe, gasping for natural gas, isn’t about to break its ties with Russia.
The head of the International Energy Agency warned that Russia will still be a key gas supplier for the foreseeable future, writes Kjetil Malkenes Hovland.
‘In the short term, Europe has very, very little means to diversify its gas imports,’ IEA Chief Executive Maria van der Hoeven said on the sidelines of the Offshore Northern Seas energy conference in Norway.
A third of Europe’s gas comes from Russia.
U.S. gas exports are a possible replacement, but are not likely to be speedy, Ms. van der Hoeven said.
Other potential providers include Azerbaijan and Kurdistan, the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa. Shale gas production in Europe is still a distant possibility, with no commercial wells yet in operation.
Norway provides about a fifth of Europe’s gas, but its supplies are dwindling. They’re due to run down by the end of 2020″
http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/08/26/europes-need-for-gas-keeps-russia-close/
Don’t know about this latest story of Russian soldiers, but it does seem that the English-language world has been going further down the road of worshiping the lie. The hoaxes, false flags, and absurd lies tacked on to actual events is really over the top now. They lie on principle – it is part of their ethic. It is when they seem to be telling the truth that I get bothered or otherwise feel that something isn’t right.
Re
” It’s a good PR opportunity for Poroshenko”
Perhaps this discounts the agency of others?
10 men = O( squad ), where squads are commanded by corporals.
*Documents* (I have been in the army) soldiers (we are talking of *paratroopers*) carry with them (everything else staying at the cantonments): personal identification, metallic plaque (bare minimum of data: name, birth date, religion, blood group + rhesus factor); military driver license (if any; and a much less eloquent license than the civil one JIC) + sleeping hours journal x military drivers.
** Questions:
Rank of the 10 men?
They say to have the men’s *documents* (?!), Okay, from where (region) do they come from? (The 331st Regiment, 98th Guard Airborne Division is based not far from Moscow since the former Soviet Union breakup.)
Ten men (nota bene: ten!, not hundredths) *SENT* (!) across the border without someone(s) of them at the least being familiar with the region is highly implausible, GPS/whatever or not.
***
I (along with a couple of others) have entered (2-3 military vehicles in total) once tiny Lichtenstein (Europe) by mistake for a couple of minutes (the time to leave as fast as possible) while on duty. Yes, it can happen easily, really. There were no physical barriers (civilians are allowed to, and do indeed, cross the border as it pleases them, legally), we were not from the region (we had to remember the streets better/spend more time studying the maps), in fact we had been detached from the company (engineers) to do some short lasting (couple of days) work at a civilian construction yard nearby as an *exception* (companies ingratiate themselves to districts and municipalities by doing that).
And from my own experience in the army still: it’s not uncommon (I am talking of not much populated regions such mountain pass, etc.) to familiarize with border patrols from the opposite side and arrange/become invited [O( unities ) men] to, e.g., take a dinner at a nice restaurant 1-2-3 km inside the given *foreign* country. Of course, we are talking of tasty food, good wine and *caffè corretti* with fine *grappa* coming with a risk…
Russian paratroopers don’t just get “lost” in a warzone, not at the age of GLONASS/GPS. I hope that the Russians aren’t relying on US satellites for GPS information in and around Ukraine
Hi,
First thanks for the updates. It’s great to get an alternative, non MSM view.
I want to ask about the paratroopers plus the now surfacing news soldiers from the Pskov battalion being buried, per the article on novoya gazeta (http://www.novayagazeta.ru/society/64975.html)
Any views on this?
South African Dan
Interesting is, that Ua did not contact Russian consulate yet (as of yesterday) in Kiev to officially complain…Has anybody an update on this?
I bet they were having a beer and some dope at the bar scribbled down some quick directions to a whore-house. (forgive me for offending those of delicate sensibilities)