The Russian Horse in Istanbul - 5776

The strait of Bosphorus that divides the city of Istanbul in Turkey, was recently where the Russian warship Caesar Kunikov passed through while on deck a Russian soldier stood armed with a rocket launcher on his shoulder. This came several days after Turkey shot down a Russian jet in Syrian territory. (Probably Russia was interfering with the flow of oil that Turkey’s wealthy Erdogan family had been importing from Syria, getting the oil cheaply from the terrorist ISIS organization which conquered much of Syria and its oil resources). Russia decried the rogue behavior, scolded Turkey, and days ago brought into Syria next to the Turkish border its latest missile systems to prevent further encroachment.

Wouldn’t you know it, here too we see yet a further sign of the Geulah as these keep popping up. (At least it’s new to me.)

It turns out the Shefa Chaim of Sanz-Klausenburg zt'l brings something down from the Ba’al Shem Tov - no less. He writes, in the name of his dad, who heard it from the Ba’al Shem Tov, that “When they will see a Russian horse in the city of Constantinople they should know Moshiach’s arrival is imminent”! (see below, 2nd para.)

Constantinople today is Istanbul! And just as Moshiach’s arrival on a “donkey” can be taken metaphorically, the Russian’s “horse” may turn out to be the tank!

Turkey took offense of that warship's bravado, and Russia too hasn’t yet been placated for the downing of its aircraft and murder of its pilot. The situation at the Syrian-Turkish border remains tense.
(David Mark at IsraelRising tells why he thinks the two may well go to war soon.)

UPDATE! (7/17/16) - (י׳׳א תמוז ה׳תשע׳׳ו)

Now hear this news, happening today, after a so-called "coup" in Turkey, where a grand, ruthless hoax is being hoisted upon its people, much like happened during Stalin or Lenin with millions of citizens "purged", Turkey has begun to simmer. America too is being dragged in. The conniving leader of Turkey, Erdogan, has fine-tuned his grab for full power, all while castigating countries that recognize the Armenian holocaust, in case anyone wants to remind Turks (as any typical Muslim culture) that genocide is in their bad blood. Terror has come to the streets of Turkey. If one happens to be of the Muslim fundamentalist crowd, they now have the upper hand. Poor boys who went into the army are now suddenly made to look like the bad guys. The civil war there looks to be gruesome. The 1,500 Americans held in Turkey's locked-down Incirlik Air Base, whence jet sorties are made against ISIS, may serve this weasel's desire for pawns to revenge himself against an Iranian defector given refuge in the USA (link), whom Erdogan wants extradited.

ANYHOW, the point is that Istanbul now is one giant step closer to becoming embroiled with Russia or America. As quoted from the Ba’al Shem Tov [above]: “When they will see a Russian horse in the city of Constantinople they should know Moshiach’s arrival is imminent”!

In other words, there are two sides to this story, two views you can take; You can see it as a local phenomenon between competing nations, or you can see it as a sign of global activity predicted to happen as a prelude, or as a forerunner, to a much wider global event  - the imminent revelation of Moshiach!

Update - 10/14/16
Seems these days that Russia is cozying up to or flirting with Turkey, trying to iron out a new relationship where a new oil import-export route can be achieved for their mutual benefit. It could be therefore the Ba'al Shem Tov's aforementioned words mean to say when a high positioned Russian military personage arrives in Turkey, even to partner up in some new relationship - that too could be the meaning of his words, meaning to say, they will align against the USA and perhaps too against Israel, or therefrom will come the pressure to try and squeeze Israel ... which of course will finalize with the full triumph of Moshiach saving the day for all Jews once and for all!

Updates - 10/15, from today's Debka headlines:

Russia & Turkey carve anti-US enclaves in Syria

Turkey agrees to be the first NATO member to house a Russian air defense missile system, which is to be coupled with a Russian air defense missile shield located in Syria.