Here we go again-Ukraine once again pt2 [Archive] - Page 11

Jimbuna

02-11-24, 09:16 AM

Russia’s war economy cannot last but has bought time

It was March 2022. The Russian rouble crashed, the value in London of corporate giants Gazprom and Sberbank fell 97%. Queues began to form at cash machines in Moscow. Oligarchs' yachts, football teams, mansions and even their credit cards were seized.

Russia crashed into a major recession.

This was the immediate result of the most extraordinary attempt by the West at financial containment of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

At its heart was the seizing of the Russian state's official foreign exchange assets and, in particular, the unprecedented freezing of the central bank's $300bn (£238bn) in reserves.

Western governments pointedly shied away from using phrases like "economic war", but it certainly seemed like there was a financial theatre of battle with the Kremlin. It was better than the alternative of direct confrontation between nuclear states.

Some two years on and there is quite a change in this economic backdrop.

In a long and rambling interview this week, President Putin gleefully exclaimed Russia as the fastest growing economy in Europe.

Last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) underlined the resilience of the Russian economy when it upgraded its forecast growth for this year to 2.6% from 1.1%.

Based on the IMF's figures, the Russian economy grew faster than the whole G7 last year, and will do so again in 2024.

These are not just numbers. The stalemate in Ukraine last year and the growing expectation of a frozen conflict on the ground across this year, has been underpinned by Russia's remobilisation of its economy to its military effort, especially in the construction of defensive lines in the east and south of Ukraine.

Western leaders argue that this model is utterly unsustainable over the medium term. But the question is - for how long it can sustain?

Russia has transformed its economy into a mobilised war economy. The Russian state is spending a record in the post-Soviet era.

Military and security spending at up to 40% of the budget is back to late-Soviet era levels. Other areas of state support to the population have been squeezed to make up for funding the production of tanks, missile systems and those defences in occupied Ukraine.

On top of that, despite Western restrictions on Russian oil and gas, the flows of hydrocarbon revenues have kept coming into the state coffers.

The tankers are now going to India and China and more of the payments are in Chinese yuan rather than the US dollar.

Russian oil production remains at 9.5 million barrels per day, barely down on pre-war levels. The country has skirted sanctions by buying and deploying a "shadow fleet" of hundreds of tankers.

Last week, its finance ministry reported that hydrocarbon taxes in January exceeded levels seen in January 2022, just before the invasion.

The ongoing flow of foreign exchange into Russian oil, gas, and diamonds has also helped alleviate the stress on the value of the rouble.

Western leaders are adamant that this cannot last, but recognise its impact.

One world leader recently said privately: "2024 will be much more positive for Putin than we thought. He has managed to reorganise his own industry more efficiently than we thought."

But this form of economic growth has greatly increased Moscow's dependence on oil revenues, on China and on non-productive war spending.

As demand for oil and gas peaks, and competitor production from the Arabian Gulf comes on-stream in the coming year, Russia will be exposed.

Statistical rises in gross domestic product (GDP) from the production of tanks and shells that are then blown up in the Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, are also far from productive.

Meanwhile, Russia has experienced a brain drain of some of its most talented citizens.

The Western strategy has been not to lay siege to Russia's economy, but to engage in a cat and mouse game to restrict access to technology, raise costs, limit revenues and make the conflict unsustainable long-term.

"We'd rather Russia uses its money to buy tankers [for oil] than tanks" one US official told me. In the oil market, the aim of policy is not to try to prevent India, for example, from buying Russian oil but to limit the profits from that trade going back to the Kremlin war machine.

But this resilience and stalemate can last the rest of this year at least. It feeds into the clear strategy in the Kremlin of waiting for a possible change of US president and a reduction of Western funding for Ukraine's defence.

That is why attention is now turning back to the central role of those hundreds of billions in frozen Russian financial assets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told me last month: "If the world has $300bn, why not use it?" All of those frozen funds should be deployed to fund Ukraine's rebuilding effort, he said.

The UK's Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Foreign Secretary David Cameron back the move.

Lord Cameron told me: "We've frozen these assets. The question is are we going to use them?"

He said "using some of this money now is if you like an advance payment on [Russian] reparations" for its illegal invasion of Ukraine, and could be used "to help Ukraine and save Western taxpayers money at the same time".

The G7 has asked its central bankers to come up with a technical and legal analysis. Central bankers are understood to be uneasy. One top financier told me there would be risks to what he called "weaponising the dollar". Traditionally, central banks enjoy sovereign immunity from these sorts of actions.

A plan being developed would use the funds, or the profits from the investments to raise tens of billions of dollars for Ukraine.

But it is a balancing act. If Russian assets are seized in this way, then what message does it send to other nations, perhaps in the Gulf, or Central Asia, or Africa, about the safety of their safe-haven reserves in Western central banks?

These relationships are some of the central arteries of global finance, recycling hundreds of billions of dollars used to pay for energy, across the world. Putin certainly wished to communicate that China was now emerging as an alternative, if not for the West, then for emerging economies.

The Russians have also indicated that they will take court action over any seizure, and in turn take similar assets from Western companies frozen in Russian banks.

So the shadow battle over Russia's economy is essential to understanding where this conflict and the world economy, is going.

Russia's war economy can not sustain long-term, but has bought the country some extra time. The West is about to up the ante, after Russia displayed this unexpected resilience.

The precise form of this financial escalation will have consequences, well beyond Russia and Ukraine.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68249043

Skybird

02-11-24, 09:37 AM

I am still amazed that it was seriously assumed that a country that is practically self-sufficient and autark in supplying its population with food and its own industrial supply of basic raw materials, and that has the largest reservoir of raw materials in the world, could be sanctioned with economic sanctions and boycotts, all the while over 60% of states are still doing business with Russia, and in many cases are even expanding them. Just as we have overestimated the war-deciding impact of Western weapons, we have underestimated Russia's economic resilience - and still do, because I am pretty sure that Russia will also find a solution for the predicted end of Russia's economic resilience.

In any case, we have now heard so often that Russia cannot do this and cannot sustain that, that this premature swan song has become literally boring.

And in the end, two facts remain:
1. Ukraine is slowly but surely losing the war, at least for the time being - and an end in this trend currently is not in sight.

2. Any late economic consequences for Russia will very probably not have a decisive impact on the Russian war effort during the active phase of the war or even force it to break off, as was the Western calculation. And what may or may not impact on Russia after the war, is nothing that helps Ukraine while the war is raging.

Jimbuna

02-11-24, 09:54 AM

Russia has recruited as many as 15,000 Nepalis to fight its war. Many returned traumatized. Some never came back

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/10/asia/nepal-fighters-russia-ukraine-families-intl-cmd/index.html

mapuc

02-11-24, 10:28 AM

And in the end, two facts remain:
1. Ukraine is slowly but surely losing the war, at least for the time being - and an end in this trend currently is not in sight.

2. Any late economic consequences for Russia will very probably not have a decisive impact on the Russian war effort during the active phase of the war or even force it to break off, as was the Western calculation. And what may or may not impact on Russia after the war, is nothing that helps Ukraine while the war is raging.

I guess you're right Ukraine will slowly lose the war..It will however not be on the battlefield they are going to lose the war.

As mentioned before they will lose it in the west.

I'm 110 % Sure that Ukraine will win this war, if they get all the weapons and ammo they need.

Markus

Skybird

02-11-24, 11:18 AM

Lets hope it works as he intends.

[Focus] According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, he has appointed two new deputies to the Commander-in-Chief of the military - bypassing several high-ranking generals in the process. "Deputy Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi will be Colonel Vadim Sukharevskyi - his area is autonomous systems and the development of the use of drones for our soldiers - and Colonel Andriy Lebedenko - his area is innovations and the technological component of the army and combat systems," said Zelenskyi in his daily video address on Saturday. In doing so, he placed two officers of lower rank in front of a number of generals as their superiors.

Zelensky justified the appointments with the need to promote new technologies in the military. This would serve to reduce losses at the front, said the 46-year-old. Selensky had already announced a large-scale reorganization at the top of the army after replacing the commander-in-chief. In fact, he also replaced three deputy chiefs of staff on Saturday. In Volodymyr Horbatyuk, Olexiy Shevchenko and Mykhailo Drapato, however, he appointed three experienced brigadier generals.

Dargo

02-11-24, 01:45 PM

Syrskyi in, Zaluzhnyi out. What our army sources expect from Ukraine’s army reshuffle
Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief faces a critical frontline situation, institutional problems, and trust issues On 8 February, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy made the announcement that seemed inevitable: he sacked Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, replacing him with General Oleksandr Syrskyi. Rumors about a brewing conflict between Ukraine’s top leaders were swirling for months, escalating on 29 January in a botched-up attempt to fire the highly popular Zaluzhnyi. Then, multiple sources reported that Land Forces Commander Syrskyi and spy chief Kyrylo Budanov were tapped to replace Zaluzhnyi yet refused.

Eventually, Zelenskyy chose Syrskyi and now announced that “a new management team is taking over the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” What did Zaluzhnyi achieve, what did he not manage to do, and can Syrskyi break the stalemate at the front? Euromaidan Press talked to three Ukrainian officers, a sergeant, a seasoned army volunteer and sieved through the latest Ukrainian analyses to understand what’s next... https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/02/10/syrskyi-in-zaluzhnyi-out-what-to-expect-from-ukraines-army-reshuffle/?swcfwerwer

Jimbuna

02-11-24, 01:58 PM

It wouldn't surprise me if Zaluzhnyi challenges Zelenskyy politically soon.

mapuc

02-11-24, 02:19 PM

Should there be an election this year or has Zelenskyy postpone it, due to the war ?

Markus

Dargo

02-11-24, 02:27 PM

Should there be an election this year or has Zelenskyy postpone it, due to the war ?

MarkusOnly the people of Ukraine can request that. Ukraine’s constitution holds that the country may not hold parliamentary elections until martial law, in effect since February 24, 2022, is lifted, and for six months thereafter. Several laws would need to be changed in order for presidential elections to be held, which raises its own problems. Even if a legal solution could be found, security, financial, and organizational obstacles to holding free, fair, and representative elections are far more serious. Zelenskyy is not opposed to holding elections but insists they must be held in accordance with the highest standards of democratic elections possible and should not detract from the country’s national defence efforts. Many Ukrainian civic organizations promoting free and fair elections agree on the need to held elections only when the right conditions are present to ensure the integrity of the process and results. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/wartime-ukraines-election-dilemma

Skybird

02-11-24, 04:45 PM

In Kharkiv, the parts of missiles fired by the Russian military at the Ukrainian city were piled up. This photo was taken in December 2022.

https://img.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2024-02/zwei-jahre-ukraine-krieg-bild/wide__980x551

mapuc

02-11-24, 06:44 PM

On Sunday, the Democratic-led Senate voted 67-27 to clear the latest procedural hurdle and moved the foreign aid measure towards an ultimate vote on passage in the coming days.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/11/ukraine-aid-package-approval-gains-momentum-after-key-us-senate-vote

Hope it will give Ukraine some needed help.

Markus

mapuc

02-11-24, 08:13 PM

No doubt Ukraine has some supply issues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utAfnUkXEhk&ab_channel=UkraineMatters

Markus

Jimbuna

02-12-24, 08:42 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFqpm9Pp5TE

August

02-12-24, 09:12 AM

Should there be an election this year or has Zelenskyy postpone it, due to the war ?

Markus

Their parliament decides that, not Zelenski. I believe every six months they have to vote to extend the election moratorium.

Jimbuna

02-12-24, 09:13 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0toittBap0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgZrbXhQevM

mapuc

02-12-24, 12:25 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc0jp-_E3_E&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Jimbuna

02-12-24, 01:26 PM

Russia has limited defence industry, but still able to maintain army readiness - ISW

Russia currently has a limited defense industrial base for the production of weapons and an insufficient number of serial lines for tank production. However, this does not prevent the aggressor from producing a sufficient amount of equipment at the current pace to support its military efforts in the medium and long term, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Ukrainian military observer Kostiantyn Mashovets noted that the Russian defense-industrial base is not as productive as the Kremlin portrays it, but it remains capable of sustaining the combat potential of the Russian army.

According to the Security Council, Russia's defense industry reached its production peak in September 2023, exceeding the average monthly production volume in 2022 by 38.9%, and steadily declined in the following months.
Mashovets stated that the Russian defense industry is trying to compensate for the shortage of medium- and high-skilled labor, as well as the inability to obtain necessary industrial production equipment, spare parts, and service support to maintain the pace and volume of arms production.

According to the observer, Chinese companies are less willing to provide equipment and spare parts to Russia. Western companies are unwilling to service or supply parts for these machines due to sanctions. However, the aggressor acquired many industrial production systems from Western countries before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko noted that the reported production volumes of tanks in recent years by Russia mostly consist of refurbished and modernized machines taken from storage, rather than new samples of armaments.

According to the expert, the main Russian tank manufacturer, Uralvagonzavod, under ideal conditions, can produce approximately 60-70 T-90 tanks per year. This means that the enterprise produces from three to six new tanks of this model monthly.

Tank producers Uralvagonzavod, Omsktransmash, and the 103rd Armored Tank Repair Plant in Chita (Zabaykalsky Krai) are primarily focused on refurbishing, repairing, and modernizing existing tanks. Meanwhile, Uralvagonzavod is currently the only producer of new tanks.

Additionally, Kovalenko pointed out that Russia only modernizes T-54/55 and T-62 tanks, which could potentially become the main combat vehicles of its army in the future.

"Russian manufacturers very rarely modernize T-72 and T-80 tanks. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitri Medvedev previously stated that Russian forces received 1,600 tanks in 2023, and Kovalenko attributed this number primarily to restored and modernized rather than serially produced tanks," the ISW report stated.

Experts at the Institute also note that Russia is capable of modernizing and deploying tanks withdrawn from storage, giving its forces an advantage on the battlefield in terms of quantity.

Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets pointed out that some new tanks, such as the T-14 Armata, are poorly manufactured. Instead, Russia actively repairs old tanks, like the T-72, which are more reliable.

Furthermore, Russia consistently seeks to adapt to the limitations imposed by Western sanctions and will continue to try to circumvent them.

"Russia’s DIB may struggle in the near term and increasing sanctions evasion measures and partnerships with states including China and North Korea may help compensate for existing DIB shortcomings in the medium to long term," the ISW report states.

Earlier it was reported that the Russian defense-industrial complex could produce at least 100 main battle tanks per month.

According to the latest data from the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia still possesses around 900 precision long-range missiles.

The General Staff of the Ministry of Defense reported that Russian forces have not used Kalibr cruise missiles to strike Ukraine since mid-September 2023, likely to conserve missile reserves.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/russia-has-limited-defense-industry-but-still-able-to-maintain-army-readiness-isw/ar-BB1i8nUo?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=efd7ad9637e74b80826079597855c010&ei=23

Dargo

02-12-24, 02:10 PM

I Kant stop laughing :har:

The governor of western Russia's Kaliningrad region blamed the 18th-century German enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant for the outbreak of war in Ukraine. “He is directly related to the military conflict in Ukraine,” Anton Alikhanov, who governs the western exclave of Kaliningrad, said Friday at a local political science forum.... https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/02/12/kaliningrad-governor-blames-immanuel-kant-for-ukraine-war-a84046

Dargo

02-12-24, 02:37 PM

Ukraine has plans to produce thousands of long-range attack drones in 2024 capable of hitting targets deep in Russia, said Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov in an interview with Reuters published on Feb. 12. Ukraine has intensified its efforts to ramp up domestic production of attack drones, a critical tool on the battlefield, aiming to manufacture 1 million drones this year. Multiple drone strikes have been reported on oil depots and refineries in Russia in January, including Bryansk, Oryol, and Leningrad oblasts... https://kyivindependent.com/fedorov-ukraine-to-produce-thousands-of-long-range-drones-in-2024/

Ukraine’s Pokrova Spoofing System Tells Shaheds To Get Lost
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, revealed the existence of the system last November in a paper laying out his plans to break out the current military impasse. “…the capabilities to counter high-precision enemy weapons (guided missiles, UAVs) are increasing due to the deployment of a nationwide ‘Pokrova’ electronic warfare system with the possibility of replacing the satellite radio navigation field ('spoofing'), suppression of satellite radio navigation. along the entire line of contact and in most of the territory of Ukraine,” Zaluzhnyi wrote.

Pokrova is the Ukrainian name for the Feast Of Protection of the Mother of God, which celebrates an occasion in the 10th century when an apparition of the Virgin Mary is said to have spread her veil over a church in Constantinople during a siege, causing the besiegers to withdraw. Its namesake similarly throws a protective veil over Ukraine.

Jamming overwhelms navigation systems (GPS and others such as the Russian GLONASS) with noise. Spoofing causes them to give an incorrect location by generating a fake signal, and most of the known examples come from Russia. Drivers close to the Kremlin find their satnav tells them that they are at the airport, and ships in the Black Sea may appear to be miles inland. Putin appears to be surrounded by a bubble of spoofing, likely as protection against drone attacks. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2024/02/12/ukraines-pokrova-spoofing-system-tells-shaheds-to-get-lost/

ET2SN

02-13-24, 05:29 AM

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/11/ukraine-aid-package-approval-gains-momentum-after-key-us-senate-vote

Hope it will give Ukraine some needed help.

Markus

Don't read too much into this, yet.
The bill still needs to make it past the clown show in the Congress before the President can sign it. :hmmm:

ET2SN

02-13-24, 05:38 AM

Skybird

02-13-24, 06:42 AM

Jimbuna

02-13-24, 10:34 AM

US Senate passes bill sending aid to Ukraine

The Democratic-led US Senate has passed a $95bn bill containing aid for Ukraine - as well as Israel and Taiwan.

It was supported by a vote of 70-29, with 22 Republicans joining most Democrats in passing the bill.

However, the measure will now be sent to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives - where its chances of passing are substantially lower.

Doubts are growing about the legislation's fate in the House, where it must be approved before it can be signed into law.

Even before the Senate vote, eight hardline Republican opponents of Ukraine aid held an overnight marathon of speeches that dominated the chamber floor for more than six hours.

Joe Biden has been urging Congress to allow more aid to Ukraine and other US partners, but he has come up against tough Republican opposition - largely from those aligned with Donald Trump.

The bill has been criticised by Republican Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, for lacking provisions to stem immigration.

"In the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters," Mr Johnson said in a statement.

"America deserves better than the Senate's status quo," said Mr Johnson, who has suggested in the past that the House could split the legislation into separate bills.

mapuc

02-13-24, 10:51 AM

Dargo

02-13-24, 12:25 PM

A question I ask myself-Why losing lots of men in defending Avdiivka I say withdraw the men and make new defense lines.

Yes Russia loses many men in trying to take the town, however Ukraine is losing a lot of men too.

MarkusBecause Russia losses more material (Artillery, Tanks, IFV's, APC's) every day than Ukraine does, think this ratio is the same for infantry. Open source data analysis of the Battle of Avdiivka indicates a massive disparity in losses since October 2023, including a ten-to-one difference in tank losses in Ukraine's favour.

https://i.postimg.cc/xdWJRmLF/avdiikalosses.jpg

Dargo

02-13-24, 01:08 PM

First use of a Zircon in combat.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/13/europe/ukraine-russia-zircon-hypersonic-missile-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

Three questions: 1. How much does this rocket cost? 2. What is Russia's production capacity? 3. To what level can production be increased?

And two follow-up questions: 4. How can you learn to recognise it? 5. How long will it take to develop a counter-ammunition against it?The unit cost is US$5–10 million (estimate) maybe the Pokrova EW system can be used. https://mil.in.ua/en/news/pokrova-ew-system-which-successfully-neutralizes-shaheds-has-been-launched-in-ukraine/ A Zircon was shot down by Kyiv May 2023 by a Patriot battery or crashed due to technical problems. There is no major difference between the Kinzhal and the Zircon, they are both hypersonic weapons. The Zircon is only primarily intended for attacks from the sea and designed to destroy enemy ships. However, a special version of the missile can also be used to incinerate targets on land. Astonishment also reigns in the West over the targets the Russians attacked with their precious Kinzhals or Zircons, such as weapons depots and power plants. These could just as easily have been targeted with other missiles, according to the Pentagon.

August

02-13-24, 03:09 PM

A question I ask myself-Why losing lots of men in defending Avdiivka I say withdraw the men and make new defense lines.

What would that change?

The Ukrainians would just loose men defending some other place. The new defense lines would be attacked just like the present ones are being attacked.

Dargo

02-13-24, 03:37 PM

Avdiivka is on higher ground full of trenches and bunkers, this is a better defence position than the open fields behind that town. Avdiivka defence is build for more than 9 years. Russia failed to kettle it now they changed their strategy and go in frontal building by building destroying everything on their way. That it will fall is a fact, but Ukraine will not give it away for free Russia will have to pay a very high price how longer they can hold Russia has no victory Putin wants for his election.

mapuc

02-13-24, 03:46 PM

Dargo

02-13-24, 03:52 PM

You're right I stand corrected-Didn't think of the position of the town and it's surroundings.

Do remember-It doesn't matter how many thousands soldiers and material Russia lose. They have enough to engage Ukraine for another 3 years-I read this on X it said that Russia was using quantity over quality.

MarkusCorrect Russia can bring older tanks, but Ukraine has now more drones to take out more Russia equipment than it had during the battle of Bakhmut, they have become particularly good at destroying artilleries, tanks and other vehicles.

Oleksandr Syrskyi: "The Russian army is now advancing along the entire front, the situation can be called complicated. The Ukrainian army has shifted from offensive actions to defence, the purpose of which is to inflict maximum losses on the Russian Federation." The new AFU commander-in-chief called the main value of soldiers' lives, and therefore, according to him, he is "ready to retreat from some position rather than sacrifice all personnel". https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1757475261824508372

mapuc

02-13-24, 04:00 PM

Correct Russia can bring older tanks, but Ukraine has now more drones to take out more Russia equipment than it had during the battle of Bakhmut, they have become particularly good at destroy artilleries, tanks and other vehicles.

Oleksandr Syrskyi: "The Russian army is now advancing along the entire front, the situation can be called complicated. The Ukrainian army has shifted from offensive actions to defence, the purpose of which is to inflict maximum losses on the Russian Federation." The new AFU commander-in-chief called the main value of soldiers' lives, and therefore, according to him, he is "ready to retreat from some position rather than sacrifice all personnel". https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1757475261824508372

Read somewhere that Ukraine had both developed a longrange Drone and has build a factory where these shall be build. These drones-Suicide drones - can reach far behind the Russian border.

If true then Ukraine can do what is very much needed-Attack important targets in Russia. Which they already do, but now they can attack on a broader scale.

Markus

Dargo

02-13-24, 04:08 PM

Read somewhere that Ukraine had both developed a longrange Drone and has build a factory where these shall be build. These drones-Suicide drones - can reach far behind the Russian border.

If true then Ukraine can do what is very much needed-Attack important targets in Russia. Which they already do, but now they can attack on a broader scale.

MarkusOverall, more than 300,000 drones of different types were contracted last year and more than 100,000 were sent to the front. Ukraine will produce thousands of long-range drones capable of deep strikes into Russia in 2024 and already has up to 10 companies making drones that can reach Moscow and St Petersburg. The category of long-range kamikaze drones is growing, with a range of 300, 500, 700, and 1,000 kilometres. Ukraine's production levels and deliveries increased more than 120 times in 2023 part of a broader wartime push to develop and produce drones to narrow the gap with Russia's strike capabilities.

mapuc

02-13-24, 04:27 PM

Overall, more than 300,000 drones of different types were contracted last year and more than 100,000 were sent to the front. Ukraine will produce thousands of long-range drones capable of deep strikes into Russia in 2024 and already has up to 10 companies making drones that can reach Moscow and St Petersburg. The category of long-range kamikaze drones is growing, with a range of 300, 500, 700, and 1,000 kilometres. Ukraine's production levels and deliveries increased more than 120 times in 2023 part of a broader wartime push to develop and produce drones to narrow the gap with Russia's strike capabilities.

Thank you.

One may say that the way war is being fought on the battlefield has somehow changed.

Markus

Skybird

02-13-24, 04:59 PM

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/02/11/russia-lost-10-percent-of-its-deployed-tanks-trying-to-capture-avdiivka/?sh=157eb7e24ef3

It’s a painful loss for Ukraine—the first large settlement it’s lost to Russia in nearly a year—but, as a win, it’s potentially even more painful for Russia. In capturing a few square miles of demolished and depopulated urban terrain, the Kremlin has sacrificed almost exactly an entire mechanized division’s worth of tanks.

As open-source analyst @partisan_oleg pointed out (https://twitter.com/partizan_oleg/status/1756157449118355639), before the fall of the Soviet Union a 10,000-person motor-rifle division on paper would have 220 tanks. The Russian army still broadly adheres to Soviet force-design.

Since attacking Avdiivka in early October, the Russian 2nd and 41st Combined Arms Armies have lost 214 tanks (https://twitter.com/naalsio26/status/1756147271282884776) that analyst @naalsio26 has counted. Mostly T-72s and T-80s, but also a few high-end T-90s. The Ukrainian brigades in and around Avdiivka meanwhile have lost just 18 tanks.

-----------------------

There is no doubt that the battle has been costly for Ukraine too. But the question is which side can better afford its losses: the Russians or the Ukrainians? We do not know the Ukrainian losses, like we do not know their losses at Bakhmut, or their exact losses over the full war.

Lets hope the Russians curse when they hear these cities' names. The louder, the better.

mapuc

02-13-24, 05:45 PM

Musk’s comments came as he agreed with Johnson’s statement that Putin would not lose in Ukraine. Johnson said those who expect a Ukraine victory were “living in a fantasy world.”

Edit
Found the English version of the story

https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/elon-musk-says-putin-can-t-lose-war-in-ukraine-opposes-senate-bill-124021300579_1.html

End edit

Markus

Jimbuna

02-14-24, 11:02 AM

Russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov sunk off Crimea, says Ukraine

A big Russian amphibious ship, the Caesar Kunikov, has been sunk off the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea, according to Ukraine's armed forces.

Powerful explosions were heard early on Wednesday, according to local social media, which suggested the landing ship was hit south of the town of Yalta.

Ukraine's intelligence directorate released video of what it said were Magura V5 sea drones striking the ship.

Ukraine has repeatedly hit Russia's Black Sea fleet in occupied Crimea.

Satellite images last year showed much of the fleet had left the peninsula for the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

Ahead of a Nato ministerial meeting in Brussels, the secretary general of the Western defensive alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said Ukrainian forces had won a "great victory" in recent months, inflicting "heavy losses" on the Black Sea fleet that had opened a corridor for Ukrainian grain exports.

Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine is due to enter its third year next week and Ukraine's armed forces chief has admitted the situation is "extremely complex and tense".

Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, who was appointed commander-in-chief last week, visited the front line on Wednesday and promised that units trying to prevent Russian troops from capturing the flashpoint town of Avdiivka would be reinforced. Avdiivka is almost empty and all but surrounded by Russian forces and one of the soldiers defending it said earlier that the situation there was critical.

"We are doing everything possible to prevent the enemy from advancing deep into our territory," he wrote on social media.

Overnight, a Russian missile attack claimed three lives including a child in the mining town of Selydove, 40km (25 miles) west of Avdiivka. Officials said four missiles had hit the local hospital and maternity ward, as well as nine blocks of flats.

Several other residents were wounded, including a baby.

There was no confirmation from Russia's navy that the Caesar Kunikov had been sunk in the Black Sea, merely that six Ukrainian drones had been destroyed. Video appearing to show the aftermath of the Ukrainian attack was uploaded only recently, BBC Verify confirmed.

"The Caesar Kunikov suffered critical holes in its port side and began to sink," Ukraine's main intelligence directorate said on the Telegram messaging site, adding that it had been destroyed off the Crimean coastal town of Alupka in Ukrainian territorial waters by a unit called Group 13.

The Magura V5 unmanned drones it said were used in the attack are made in Ukraine and travel just above the sea surface at a speed up to 42 nautical miles an hour, their manufacturer says.

Amphibious ships are used to move assault troops to land quickly, especially in enemy territory. Russia has also used landing ships in recent years to ferry military supplies to Syria, in support of Bashar al-Assad's government.

Russian military bloggers did not deny the Caesar Kunikov had been hit, saying only that the crew had survived. Russia's military rarely reports major losses and Russians rely on a handful of popular bloggers for information.

The Caesar Kunikov dates back to the end of the Soviet era. If its sinking is confirmed, it would be the second successful strike in the Black Sea this month. A small warship, the Ivanovets, was sunk by drones in a special operation almost two weeks ago.

Another Russian landing ship, the Novocherkassk, was hit while in port in Feodosiya in December.

Russia seized and annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine almost 10 years ago and its forces based there played a big role in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Caesar Kunikov has already been targeted since the war began. It was damaged along with the Novocherkassk in a Ukrainian strike on the occupied port of Berdyansk in March 2022, when a third landing ship, the Saratov, was sunk.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68292602

Dargo

02-14-24, 12:30 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX92UJvGzcg
https://i.postimg.cc/ZRptNdQ6/lol.jpg

You can never beat the notes on these twats, LOL

Dargo

02-14-24, 12:42 PM

Reports estimate Russia lost over 8,000 tanks, other armored fighting vehicles since February 2022
Separate reports published by Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) on Feb. 13 suggest Russia has lost over 8,000 armored fighting vehicles, such as tanks and armored personnel carriers, in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The latest Russian losses update by the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces estimates that Russia has lost over 12,000 armored fighting vehicles since February 2022 According to Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Russia has lost 8,300 armored fighting vehicles in Ukraine, specifying that the figure includes 2,600 tanks, 5,100 armored personnel carriers, and 600 self-propelled artillery units.

The IISS said the figure has reached 8,800 since February 2022, with Russia losing more than 3,000 armored fighting vehicles in Ukraine in the past year alone. However, the IISS said Russia has managed to "keep its active inventory numbers stable," despite losses of "hundreds of armored vehicles and artillery pieces per month," by refurbishing over 1,000 tanks and over 2,000 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers in storage. "On top of that, Moscow was able to manufacture new tanks and other armored vehicles, though precise numbers are difficult to glean even from satellite images."

Based on current figures and satellite imagery of available storage bases, "Russia will be able to sustain its assault on Ukraine at current attrition rates for another two to three years, and maybe even longer," the IISS said. Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service also reported that Russia has turned to its "inventory of armored vehicles in long-term storage, primarily the thousands of units inherited from the Soviet military," but assessed that most vehicles are "decaying and technically outdated."... https://kyivindependent.com/reports-estimate-russian-lost-over-8-000-tanks-other-afv/

mapuc

02-14-24, 01:32 PM

Good news indeed, if true

"by refurbishing over 1,000 tanks and over 2,000 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers in storage. "On top of that, Moscow was able to manufacture new tanks and other armored vehicles, though precise numbers are difficult to glean even from satellite images." "

This may be the setback for Ukraine. The supply from west is very slow or not coming or isn't enough. While Russia can send in a neverending stream new tanks a.s.o. for the next 2 -3 years

Markus

Jimbuna

02-14-24, 01:34 PM

Estonian secret service says Russia is preparing for confrontation

Russia is preparing itself militarily for a confrontation with the West, the Estonian secret service said in a report released on Tuesday evening.

The preparations are indicated by Russian military reform, according to the annual report of the foreign intelligence service of the Baltic EU and NATO country presented in the Estonian capital Tallinn.

The reform reflects the Russian leadership's ideas regarding the resources required for the war in Ukraine and a confrontation with the West, it said.

"We can assume that within the next decade, NATO will be confronted with a mass army of the Soviet type, which is technologically inferior to the allies, but poses a significant threat due to its size, firepower and reserves," intelligence chief Kaupo Rosin wrote in the report.
In order to defend themselves against a possible conventional attack by such an army, the armies and defence industries of the NATO allies would have to be significantly better prepared and equipped than is currently the case, Rosin wrote.

For Estonia the military reform will mean a significant increase in the Russian armed forces near the Baltic state's border in the coming years, the report said.

Russia is also planning to station more troops on the border with the other Baltic states and Finland. Russia's aim is to achieve military dominance in the Baltic Sea region, according to the report. However, according to Rosin, the likelihood of a direct attack on Estonia this year is low.

Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced a reorganization of the Russian army at the end of 2022 in order to implement the increase in troop strength demanded by the Kremlin.

The combat power of the navy, the air force and the missile forces were also to be strengthened. The renewal of the structures should be completed between 2023 and 2026.

Earlier Tuesday, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said there was "nothing suprising" about Moscow placing her, and other high-ranking Baltic politicians, on a list of "wanted" persons.

"Russia's move is nothing surprising," Kallas wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "This is yet more proof that I am doing the right thing – the EU's strong support to Ukraine is a success and it hurts Russia."

In addition to Kallas, Estonian Secretary of State Taimar Peterkop and Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairys are also on the Russian Interior Ministry's list.

The declaration is seen as symbolic since none of the politicians is expected to travel to Russia any time soon.

The Russian authorities blame the Baltic officials for the demolition of memorials to Soviet soldiers.

"These people are responsible for decisions that are actually tantamount to desecration of historical memory," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the TASS news agency.

But affected officials sloughed it off, suggesting they considered the designation a badge of honour.

"I am glad that my work to remove the ruins of Sovietization has not gone unnoticed," Kairys commented on his inclusion on the list.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, speaking to the BNS news agency in Vilnius on Tuesday about Kallas' designation, described Russia's "political assessment" as a "kind of honour for people who support Ukraine and support the fight of good against evil."

In her post on X, Kallas said: "The Kremlin now hopes this move will help to silence me and others – but it won't. The opposite. I will continue my strong support to Ukraine. I will continue to stand for increasing Europe's defence."

Latvia summoned the chargé d'affaires of the Russian embassy in Riga to explain "a publicly accessible list of former and current public officials of Latvia against whom politically motivated charges had been brought by Russia," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

Russia said it is serious about the "crimes" these leaders are alleged to have committed.

"You have to answer for crimes against the memory of those who liberated the world from Nazism and fascism. And this is just the beginning," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram, explicitly referring to Kallas and Peterkop.

In the summer of 2022, a few months after the start of the all-out Russian invasion of Ukraine, Estonia demolished a Soviet war memorial - a replica of a T-34 tank with a red Soviet star - in the town of Narva on the border with Russia.

In 2007, the relocation of a bronze statue, another Soviet war memorial, from a park in Tallinn to the outskirts of the city sparked days of protests. One person was killed in the riots and more than 1,000 people were detained. Angry Russian-speaking Estonians said that the removal of the monument erased their history.

A number of monuments from the Soviet era were also dismantled in Lithuania and Latvia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/estonian-secret-service-says-russia-is-preparing-for-confrontation/ar-BB1ieJeh?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=4930e3d606d040528c0ea50471c18e54&ei=133

mapuc

02-14-24, 01:56 PM

Are we talking about the same Russian army ? The army who is showing very much ineffective in Ukraine and who's corrupt.

Well I doubt they ever will be fit for fight against any NATO member.

Markus

Jimbuna

02-14-24, 02:10 PM

Russia (imho) have always relied on 'weight of numbers' rather than quality.

Dargo

02-14-24, 03:29 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mw9sN51t7s

mapuc

02-14-24, 05:25 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgkepvR6TTk&ab_channel=UkraineMatters

Markus

August

02-14-24, 06:47 PM

Are we talking about the same Russian army ? The army who is showing very much ineffective in Ukraine and who's corrupt.

Well I doubt they ever will be fit for fight against any NATO member.

Markus

Doesn't mean they won't try.

Skybird

02-14-24, 07:51 PM

Jimbuna

02-15-24, 09:27 AM

Ukraine fights on in ruined Avdiivka despite severe weapons shortage

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the US failure to approve continued military assistance to Ukraine is already having an impact on the battlefield, although he expects Congress will eventually approve an aid package. Republicans in the lower House of Representatives are holding up a $95bn (£75bn) foreign aid package for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Russia has continued attacks on Ukrainian cities. After months of heavy fighting, Russian forces appear close to surrounding the ruins of Avdiivka, where frostbite is taking its toll on Ukrainian troops.

The man's fist looked unrecognisable. Like a split and bruised peach.

"Or like a rock," said the Ukrainian army surgeon, tapping the frozen fingers.

It was the second case of frostbite he'd treated that morning, standing beside a makeshift operating table, hidden inside an anonymous-looking cottage near the besieged ruins of the Ukrainian front-line town of Avdiivka.

"He'll probably lose both hands," said the surgeon with a frown.

As Russia's invasion edges towards the end of its second year, the mood among Ukraine's defenders is darkening, as exhaustion, frustration at a shortage of weapons, and the knowledge that there will be no quick military victory, all take their toll.

"My best friend was killed this morning," a bearded soldier shouted, along with a hail of swear words and a blast of cold air, as he barged through the back door into the 47th Brigade's well-hidden field hospital.

Moments later, two more wounded men were helped in through another entrance. Vadym, 48, had been hit by shrapnel in his upper arm that morning as his unit was storming a Russian position in Avdiivka.

"It's very hard out there," he said, as the surgeon, a senior lieutenant named Vitalii, came over to look at the wound and two army medics cut away Vadym's filthy uniform.

"We do not have enough of the weapons we need."

"It's difficult. The enemy has a lot of everything, of every type of equipment, while we have almost nothing," said the other wounded man, 24-year-old Andrii, before wincing in pain. A Russian artillery shell had hit his trench overnight and a piece of shrapnel had sliced through his ankle.

The surgeon, Vitalii, worked at a children's hospital before the war. He spoke wearily of his experience amputating limbs last year during Ukraine's failed counter-offensive across Russian minefields, and of the shrapnel wounds that were now filling his days and nights.

"I urge the West to be more decisive in assisting Ukraine, because (if they don't) sooner or later their soldiers will (also) have to fight against this evil that has invaded our country," he said.

Further north, two huge Ukrainian tanks roared along a mud-and-snow-smeared country road, then swung away through another heavily destroyed village and on towards the nearest Russian lines, perhaps 2km away.

After many months of fighting, the Kremlin's forces appear close to surrounding the ruins of Avdiivka, with some Ukrainian soldiers privately admitting the town, scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the war so far, could fall at any moment.

"We're upset," said a Ukrainian officer, Oleksii, from Ukraine's 110th Mechanised Brigade, standing beside a huge mobile artillery piece as the sound of Russian guns boomed in the distance.

The Czech-supplied artillery can hold and fire up to 36 shells at one time, and last year it was routinely shooting 80 shells a day at Russian positions around Avdiivka. But not today.

"Currently we have two shells, but we have no (explosive) charges for them… so we can't fire them. As of now, we have run out of shells," said Oleksii. He suggested that the shortages were widespread and having a dramatic impact on the fighting in Avdiivka.

"We feel a very strong responsibility for our guys fighting right now in the town, armed only with assault rifles." He compared the situation to early in 2022, when ammunition was also in short supply and he'd been wounded.

"I'm worried that there will now be the same large number of casualties that I saw in hospital then," said Oleksii.

Back in the field hospital, the two wounded men were now bandaged. The older man, Vadym, stood up, as if to leave, and argued that he was fit enough to return to his comrades in the trenches, but the doctor insisted he needed to wait at least a week.

The surgeon, Vitalii, scoffed at the idea that some Ukrainian soldiers might be deliberately getting frostbite wounds in order to avoid the hellish conditions on the front lines.

"That's absurd. You'd have to be a complete idiot. We don't have deserters like that, and I've never encountered a situation like that. On the contrary, our fighters are determined to stand firm," he said.

"But the conditions are extreme, and they have to sit in trenches without a stove in -15 or -20C, because any heat will be visible (to Russians) through thermal imaging devices."

Despite the difficulties around Avdiivka, there is no evidence yet that Russia is poised to make any broader, more substantial territorial gains.

After its failed counter-offensive, Ukraine is now preparing for a long defence of attrition, seeking to make Russia pay an even heavier price in men and machinery as the Kremlin tries to revive its stalled offensive in the Donbas.

But the longer-term prospects for Ukraine remain uncertain. It will need to find many more weapons and soldiers to have any chance of liberating territory in a conflict that looks set to drag on for some time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68298854

mapuc

02-15-24, 09:44 AM

This army nevertheless is capable to bring a heartbreaking ammount of destruction over a country.

They are indeed capable to create havoc among the places they attack/invade.

This was not what I meant.

I meant not only attacking/invading to destroy a lot, but to win the war.

And they are too ineffective to manage this.

Russia may try invade Poland, if Russia decide to do so

Yes they will do a lot of destruction where they go

Their loses will be tenfold in according to the war in Ukraine.

Can't remember who once said in our older Ukraine thread- The Russian military has to be rebuild from scratch to become more effective and accurate on the battlefield

Markus

mapuc

02-15-24, 10:31 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTf-5_XxeWg&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Jimbuna

02-15-24, 10:46 AM

Pentagon chief at Ramstein: 'Ukraine will not surrender and neither will we'

The United States of America, together with other participants of Ramstein, supports Ukraine and will hold on as long as the Ukrainians hold on, says the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin.

"When Putin launched his unjust and unprovoked war choice, he was betting that Ukraine would fall, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Ukraine fought Putin's invasion with incredible courage and phenomenal skill," Austin said.

According to the head of the Pentagon, the Kremlin is still betting that the countries of the contact group will lose interest in Ukraine and the support of partners will weaken.

"But I am more determined than ever, and I know that you are as well. This contact group remains resolute, undaunted and firm. And make no mistake, the United States is still in favor of supporting Ukraine. America will continue to support Ukraine's main struggle against Putin's imperial aggression," he said.
Austin emphasized that coalition members, including the United States, support Ukraine because it is right and because it is in the basic security interests of the States themselves.

"Ukraine will not surrender and neither will we," the head of the Pentagon emphasized.

On February 12, information appeared in the mass media that the head of the Pentagon canceled his visit to Brussels due to urgent hospitalization.

As part of his visit, he was to personally chair a meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine in Brussels. The 70-year-old head of the Pentagon was hospitalized for bladder problems.

Later, it became known that Austin was planning to take part in the meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine, despite his urgent hospitalization.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security at the Pentagon Celeste Wallander will also participate in "Ramstein" from the American side.

We also reported that the meeting will include a coalition report on the transfer of F-16s to the Ukrainian military.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/pentagon-chief-at-ramstein-ukraine-will-not-surrender-and-neither-will-we/ar-BB1ihk6v?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=dc4baab3b9804108b5b6691b87aa976c&ei=25

Dargo

02-15-24, 11:41 AM

Ukraine removes troops from Avdiivka for reinforcement 'more favorable places'
The Ukrainian army is withdrawing an unknown number of soldiers from the besieged city of Avdiivka. That is what a spokesman for the Ukrainian army, Dmytro Lychovi, told a Ukrainian television channel. The town in eastern Ukraine has been surrounded and fiercely attacked by the Russian army for months. The soldiers are more useful in "more favourable places," the spokesman said. There they could contribute in defeating the Russian army. They can do little in Avdiivka, as the only remaining access road is in danger of being blocked by the Russian advance. Russia has not yet taken control of Avdiivka, but that seems a matter of time. "Supply and evacuation to Avdiyivka is complicated, but a spare logistical artery is involved, which was prepared in advance," Dmytro Likhovyi reported. Presumably, the Russians want to use the city as a strategic location to attack the rest of Donetsk province. In the battle for Avdiivka, Russia did lose thousands of soldiers and hundreds of tanks in recent months; little remains of the city.

Latvia leads coalition for 1 million drones to Ukraine
Latvia will lead a coalition to supply one million drones to Ukraine. According to the Defence Ministry in Riga, in addition to Ukraine and Latvia, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark and Germany have signed a letter of intent to join the coalition. The countries will invest in drone production and will also supply drones and spare parts to Ukraine. Testing of drones and training of troops are also planned. "Drone technology has significantly changed the strategy and tactics of warfare. Drones play an important role in Ukraine's arsenal and are effective in reconnaissance and elimination of the opponent," Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds said Wednesday night after the meeting of the International Contact Group for Ukraine, which coordinates military support for the country. Latvia itself plans to allocate 10 million euros within a year for the development of the drone coalition. The defence ministry of the EU and NATO country received information about the drones needed by Ukraine and already started talks with local manufacturers.

More defence positions at Kharkiv
The Ukrainian military is building more and more defensive positions. These have been around in the Donbas region for some time, since the first beginning of the battle with Russia in 2014. Now positions are also appearing in the northeast, in Kharkiv province. The Russian army is said to be gathering a force in recent weeks to take the province. An estimated 40,000 soldiers plus 500 tanks and more armoured vehicles are involved. A spokesman for the Ukrainian land forces put the number in perspective. It would mainly be to replenish losses. And they are not all combat units, according to him, either. Those 40,000 also include all sorts of supply units, such as medical, liaison, and maintenance troops. And the Russians' equipment is not too good either, according to the army spokesman. The barrels of the guns are worn out, he assumes, as the shelling decreases in intensity.

Despite these relativizations, the Ukrainians are strengthening their positions northeast of Kuyansk. That is now a ghost town, but interesting as a military target because it is relatively high and offers an overview of a large area. It is also a railroad junction. On the streets, there are almost only soldiers walking around who have some time off. They shop at a local market, which sells all kinds of items to make life in the trenches a little easier, such as jackboots, pocket knives and pesticides against rats and mice. These are a major pest in the underground bunkers. The new positions are about five kilometres from Kuyansk, on the eastern side. "The Russians are there, on the horizon. Two, three kilometres from here," says First Lieutenant 'Joker'. This is the front line, where the Ukrainian and Russian armies constantly bombard each other. The dull sound of artillery and the staccato of a rapid-fire cannon can be heard from the distance. Somewhere, an alarm begins to sound. In this valley, just outside heavily battered Kuyansk, a new battle could be taking place. "This is the front line," says Joker. "Here we have just set up barricades: in five rows there are what we call 'dragon's teeth': pointed concrete obstacles attached to each other with steel cables. And around them, in turn, is barbed wire." For miles, you can see the dragon's teeth sticking up out of the flat land. Still, it does not seem sufficient to stop a large army force and hundreds of tanks. "But this is not all," says Joker. "We know the exact coordinates of this line, so if the Russians wanted to break through here, our artillery would know exactly where to hit them. Also, this is only the first barricade." A few hundred yards away, the next hurdle was built. Over the past few nights, invisible to the enemy, men of the 123rd Brigade have dug into the heavy black clay. Through slippery paths, you reach the fresh trenches.

Four soldiers are just sitting down to a breakfast of bread with sausage and tea. The stove is burning; it is almost homey. But this unit will be the first to confront the enemy when the first line has fallen. Heavy weapons they do not have, only their rifles and rocket launchers. Therefore, their task is not to actually stop the Russians: all they have to do is slow things down so that the Ukrainian army can bring in heavy artillery. Along a 1,000 kilometre front, you don't always have everything you need ready to repel an attack. A little extra time can then make just the difference. Joker: "We are dealing with a powerful enemy that keeps changing its plans. When they find a weak spot, they attack."

---
Russian soldiers east of Krasnohorivka, to the northeast of Avdiivka. "Corpses everywhere. They're all ours. There's war, but this... it was a meatgrinder here. Out of 4,000 people, a brigade, 30% remain" For every meter of Ukrainian land they take, they pay an unreasonable price. And it's waiting for them everywhere in Ukraine. Video 18+: https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1757919262889685150 Russia seized 0.006% of Ukraine in 2023 at a cost of 250k of their soldiers (dead and wounded).

Trump has offered to lend aid to Ukraine while a vote on a big aid package is delayed - Bloomberg "They want to give them another $60 billion. Do it this way. Lend them the money. If they can, they'll pay us back. If not, they don't have to pay it back to us."

Is this real or campaign rhetoric?

Avdiivka Dilemma: Analyzing Tactical Realities and Operational Necessities
On February 7th, 2024, we were among the first to report that the fall of Avdiivka seemed inevitable. Since then, the situation has deteriorated further, with Russian forces advancing deeper. In response, Ukraine deployed its elite 3rd Separate Assault Brigade to the area to assist with the situation. However, the critical situation in Avdiivka persists and certain units face the imminent threat of being encircled or cut off from crucial logistics routes. By leveraging satellite imagery, sources on the ground, and OSINT resources, we would like to offer you insights into the dynamically evolving battlefield.

https://frontelligence.substack.com/p/avdiivka-dilemma-analyzing-tactical

WhatÂ’s next?
The most logical course of action at this point would likely be a withdrawal and evacuation from Avdiivka. While this may be viewed unfavorably from a political perspective, the initial months of defending Avdiivka inflicted substantial damage on the Russian military, preventing them from advancing deep into Ukrainian territory as originally planned. The Russians failed to achieve a breakthrough, rapidly encircle Avdiivka, and access the operational space to strike Ukrainian rears and logistic routes supplying other forces across Donetsk oblasts. Instead, as of February 9, 2024, more than 655 vehicles suffered varying levels of damage or were destroyed, captured, and abandoned on the outskirts of Avdiivka, as reported by OSINT analyst Naalsio, known for meticulously recording geolocated and video-confirmed losses. Between October 10th and November 28th, our team has identified and reported more than 211 damaged or abandoned Russian vehicles near Avdiivka.

This provided an opportunity for Ukraine to fortify and strengthen areas beyond Avdiivka, albeit the construction of fortifications is still incomplete. Avdiivka is Ukraine's last gateway to DonetskÂ—a potential foothold for offensive operations to liberate the city. Despite the theoretical promise, this prospect is becoming increasingly unrealistic in light of the current frontline situation. During this highly dynamic environment, the trajectory of the battle suggests an inevitable withdrawal of Ukrainian forces and the imminent fall of important defense positions such as Zenit. Barring any unexpected events, this chapter is likely to conclude soon.

mapuc

02-15-24, 01:16 PM

Dargo

02-15-24, 01:44 PM

Avdiivka is, what I have learned, a non-strategic city

They should have withdrawn weeks ago-Yes they have killed thousands of Russians and destroyed hundreds of Tanks and other materials.

As I have said before-Losing 20.000 is nothing for Russia. Losing 2 or 3000 men is a disaster for Ukraine.

Ukraine is fighting two intern problems.

Not enough ammo
Not enough boots on the ground.

Read somewhere they needed 500.000 men.

MarkusLosing is a matter in Russia certainly for Putin the longer you can hurt Russia the more Putin must invest in security, and he knows security plans can fail that is why he did not announce general mobilisation. The more Russia loses the more something suddenly can happen, it is the adding of small events that will become unstoppable for any dictator. Russia has an army of more than 500,000 at the moment in Ukraine and... it only could advance 0.006% in 2023 this is more a disaster for Russia specially with the problems Ukraine has at the moment. Avdiivka is a planned operation, it has fulfilled its purpose if they had pulled out weeks before Ukraine had not destroyed hundreds of vehicles that are not so easy to replace. If you lose 70% of your units, you can not use those ghost, vehicles in the future getting it replaced cost time and hurt your offensive capability after Avdiivka Russia will have it more difficult because this is where Ukraine is better defending in the field. One thing that Russia has shown to be really bad at it's its crossing these big fields, especially big fields where the town is well defended. For example like if you can cross this big field into town, and you take a ton of casualties crossing it if you can get in you can drop off infantry but once the Infantry is there, they lose their vehicle support. Because the vehicles have to immediately leave, or they get destroyed so they lose their vehicle support, and they're just infantry on their own they're really difficult to resupply. You can resupply them, but you take a ton of casualties doing it, and it's hard, so the Infantry gets stuck here where they can't build up the power to push forward. Every time they go forward they take big risks, and they end up overexposing them or overextending themselves, and then they get beaten back by whatever forces whether Ukraine can push. Because Ukraine can get vehicles here a lot easier than Russia, or they get beaten back by drone attacks or maybe Ukrainian infantry. This is the reason Russia failed to kettle Avdiivka a lot of towns with big fields around it. Ukraine can defend these field/towns with lesser men that you can use on other places on the front. Ukraine is buying time for something elsewhere.

https://i.postimg.cc/BvcGq49d/Avdiivka.png

mapuc

02-15-24, 04:55 PM

This part of an Danish article says it all

We should never ever underestimate the capabilities of the Russians to produce weapons and sacrifice lives, but right now there is no reason to panic. Russia is not going to attack a NATO country as long as they are tied up in Ukraine and as long as we stick together in Europe.

Here is the article in full

https://ekstrabladet-dk.translate.goog/penge/rosenvold-vi-skal-blaese-paa-trump-europa-kan-selv/10129854?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=da&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Edit
In the headline in the article it says blow Trump-It's google alright. The correct translation would be forget Trump/to hell with Trump
End edit

Markus

Skybird

02-16-24, 07:30 AM

It looks as if the assassination of Navalny has finally been completed.

mapuc

02-16-24, 10:41 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=530dYD3ZCx8&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Dargo

02-16-24, 11:42 AM

As a martyr of the opposition, Navalny may become more dangerous to Putin than when he languished in his cell.If they decide to kill me, it means we are incredibly strong.Putin's scared of the Russian people scared of protests state employees remove flowers laid to honour Navalny around Russia, police have been cordoning off memorials, dispersing mourners and arresting people with signs.

3 EU countries block decision on procurement of ammunition for Ukraine outside bloc
The EU may try to mitigate the immediate shortage of ammunition in Ukraine by using the bloc's money to jointly purchase shells in the global market. However, according to three EU diplomats, a small group of European countries (France, Greece and Cyprus) led by France is blocking attempts to use EU money to purchase shells outside the bloc. Particularly because European arms manufacturers need orders to justify ramping up production... https://ukranews.com/en/news/985189-3-eu-countries-block-decision-on-procurement-of-ammunition-for-ukraine-outside-bloc-media

Why? Really why? The reason? European arms manufacturers need orders to justify ramping up their production, so the only real reason is greed. We could easily buy them from South Korea, really can not see any problem here.

Ukrainian military continues the defence of Avdiivka to prevent Russian forces and artillery from entering the west of Donetsk region. This was stated by the spokesman of the operational and strategic group of troops "Tavria" Dmytro Lykhovi. Lykhovi also emphasized that the main priority is the lives of soldiers. Another 150 FPV drones were urgently sent to the Ukrainian defenders in Avdiivka as aid, Â–Â– Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko said. 50 "birds" each are already going to the troops of the 3rd assault brigade, the 110th separate mechanized brigade and the 47th separate mechanized brigade "Magura". There are some positions in Avdiivka where 6 Ukrainian soldiers are defending, and about 100 enemy soldiers are storming. This was reported by the Major of the Armed Forces, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, Maksym Zhorin. "At least 6 brigades of the Russian army, plus one brigade of the DPR, special forces are now being "erased" by the Ukrainian forces," Â–Â– Zhorin writes. https://twitter.com/Flash_news_ua/status/1758548458875543568 It is pretty safe to say now that Ukrainian troops have left most positions in the city.

Skybird

02-16-24, 02:00 PM

Why? Really why? The reason? European arms manufacturers need orders to justify ramping up their production, so the only real reason is greed. We could easily buy them from South Korea, really can not see any problem here.

There is a mistrust in general production capacities in Europe.

Then, the problem is illustrated in examples from Germany. In the spring after the Russian invasion started, Rheinmetall already offered the German goverment imroved output of ammunitions, tanks, and refurbishing old mothballed tanks. The German govenrment endlessly, endlessly refused to accept that by making legally binding orders. Instead the Scholzians told the industry it should produce in advance, stockpiling the produced goods for later orders - that may or may not come at a later time. Which by German law is illegal, btw, the Geman industry is not allowed to produce and stockpile non-ordered military weapons and ammunition. So, the Scholzians wanted to avoid getting bound in legal obligations by placing such orders, and the industry should invest in advance while always taking all the risk 100% that the ordered stuff never would get called up for order.

So, what this is about is that the industry will increase its production capacities - once the governments have engaged themselves in legally binding contracts. They do not want to be at risk of loosing all their investements. And they want this black on white, in legally binding form. Which some govenrments still want to avoid.

Granted, the French also want to avoid more military orders placed outside their own benefittign scheme, they still are angry that Germany has ordered its new fighterbombers in the US, not waiting for French-German co-developed fighters-bombers. France wants reliability for the European arms producers - and thus: French arms producers.

And Greece still buys a very lot of Russian gas, does not want tp piss its deleivering partner Russia, too much. Aftzer all,m Greece is one fo tzhose countries form all beginning on that was not too enthusiastic on supporting Ukraine. Its cultural ties, too: Greece is predominantly Christian orthodox, like Russia.

The decisions of today shou,d ahve been made alreeadsy 18 motnbhs ago. Then today we would already be 18 months further ahead in the development cycle.

Jimbuna

02-16-24, 02:04 PM

3 EU countries block decision on procurement of ammunition for Ukraine outside bloc
The EU may try to mitigate the immediate shortage of ammunition in Ukraine by using the bloc's money to jointly purchase shells in the global market. However, according to three EU diplomats, a small group of European countries (France, Greece and Cyprus) led by France is blocking attempts to use EU money to purchase shells outside the bloc. Particularly because European arms manufacturers need orders to justify ramping up production... https://ukranews.com/en/news/985189-3-eu-countries-block-decision-on-procurement-of-ammunition-for-ukraine-outside-bloc-media

Why? Really why? The reason? European arms manufacturers need orders to justify ramping up their production, so the only real reason is greed. We could easily buy them from South Korea, really can not see any problem here.

Led by France eh?

Can't understand why....it's not as if they fight long enough to have a use for ammunition :)

Jimbuna

02-16-24, 02:18 PM

Dargo

02-16-24, 02:24 PM

Led by France eh?

Can't understand why....it's not as if they fight long enough to have a use for ammunition :)Macron talks allot with big words, but France delivery to Ukraine is small. The Sun king does not talk the talk, certainly not walk the walk.

Dargo

02-16-24, 02:25 PM

The US has warned that Russia could seize Ukraine's key eastern town of Avdiivka - the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in recent months.

"Avdiivka is at risk of falling into Russian control," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, citing Ukraine's ammunition shortages.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to do everything to "save as many Ukrainian lives as possible".

Russian troops have made gains in Avdiivka, threatening to encircle it.

The town - which has been almost completely destroyed - is seen as a gateway to nearby Donetsk, the regional Ukrainian capital seized by Russian-backed fighters in 2014 and later illegitimately annexed by Moscow.It is pretty safe to say now that Ukrainian troops have left most positions in the city. Ukraine pulling back as fast they can but leaving the city they need to go over mud roads in open fields the coke plant is still holding it has a better corridor to safely leave so that will be the last place they gone hold for the moment till other troops are safe. Russia has pulled all they can spare from other places to conquer Avdiivka they attack with a huge force.

mapuc

02-16-24, 03:27 PM

Dargo

02-16-24, 04:03 PM

They fought well the Ukrainian in and around Avdiivka

If they can put up a similar fight when Russia pushes on to take Donetsk then they have done a good job.

Ukraine may, as it looks now, lose the war, however the damage they have inflicted on Russia is without precedent, we have to go all the way back to World War II to find the same casualty figure or thereabouts

But a win is a win-whether you have lost 10 or 20.000 men if you are Russian that is.

MarkusIt is not a win if your offensive capability is lost in this city (this happened before) if Ukraine pulls back to better position it can hurt Russia in the same way after this defence line there are higher grounds, rivers, etc and more defence lines it is gone to be tough for Russia to keep momentum in its forward push Ukraine defence lines will break this. You see it at many other locations, Russia tries but fails to build up a fast-forward push, and they have gone in with all they have lost too many to build up speed.

ET2SN

02-17-24, 08:08 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf5sA3zXv50

Since the over-all forum is based more in Naval combat. :smug:

Jimbuna

02-17-24, 08:20 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLi-wyzASC8

Skybird

02-17-24, 10:09 AM

Colonel Reisner on February 12th and 16th.

https://www-telepolis-de.translate.goog/features/Ukraine-Krieg-Ist-die-Eroberung-von-Awdijiwka-ein-Wendepunkt-9630537.html?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de

https://www-n--tv-de.translate.goog/politik/Die-Situation-fuer-die-Ukraine-ist-prekaer-article24730879.html?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de

Within a few days, the number of Russian incursions into the Ukrainian defense front has risen from 6 to 15, with some advances up to 6 km deep.

These are all just tactical victories, but a large number of such small tactical victories prepare the field for a major strategic breakthrough. The Ukrainians are fighting in their line of defense, which has been fortified since 2014, and are now suffering from being driven out of another major stronghold in this bulwark. If there is an operational breakthrough here, the Russians will advance into the hinterland of this defense line, which is much less fortified. This could lead to something much bigger and worse.

Various Western sources give different estimations on Russian shell superiority. Some claim The Russians fire 5 shells for every 1 Ukrainian shell, others claim it is 10 Russian shells per 1 Ukrainian shell fired. A German TV reoprt from already two weeks ago showed artillery units who admitted they fire just twice per day, one shot per time, and one shot of these two over the day being a smoke shell - because as the commander said: "its better than nothing".

Skybird

02-17-24, 10:35 AM

And it seems the Ukrainian retreat does not go well or according to plan. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes:

Soldiers complained about chaotic conditions, as the order apparently came so late that they were almost surrounded. They had to leave some of their wounded and their equipment behind, and the Russians took prisoners, as the Ukrainian army command also confirmed. The Russian analysts from "Rybar" reported further pockets of resistance by units in the city center, some of which had lost contact with the rest of the Ukrainian army.

A reasonably orderly retreat with moderate losses depends on whether the Ukrainians manage to keep a corridor out of the city open. Over the course of Saturday, however, there were increasing indications that this had collapsed. While the experts from "Deep State", who regularly produce updated frontline maps, still identified the western part of the city as a "gray zone" with an unknown status at midday, they marked it as Russian-occupied a few hours later.

However, the fall of the coke factory in the north-west of the city reported by Russian and Ukrainian sources in the afternoon could prove fatal for the defense. If it is definitely confirmed, the defenders would lose their most important position not only in Avdiivka, but also in the wider area. The huge site had an extensive tunnel system, similar to Azov Valley in Mariupol.
-----------------------------

They report further that the fate of many units of the 3rd Assault brigade which was sent in to cover the withdrawel, is unclear and that these units in the city have lost contact to the Ukrainian army. The corridor in the West is under fire, at it seems it has collapsed compaleterly.

Sounds to me they have waited too long.

West of Avdijivka is open, flat terrain, and the defences there still are under construction, are not complete. If the Russians manage to press on their offensive, it is unclear whether the hastry defence Ukraine tries to establish can hold . If things go bad for Ukriane, the fall of Avdijivka will lead to something much bigger.

Also, central logistic hubs of Russia east of Avdijivka and aroudn the city of Donetzk are no longer in reach of Ukrainian artillery.

It all depends now on whether or not the ukrianian defences in the West, unfinsihed or not,m are compeltef far enogh to stop the Russians there. Anyway, the price for stabilising the defence now that Avdijivka is lost will be higher Ukrainian losses than with Avdijivka under their control.

Cross your fingers. This could turn out to become a decisive point in the war.

Dargo

02-17-24, 10:45 AM

From Russian Colonel Shuvalov Pyotr Ilyich,
I would really like to see how the armchair generalissimos will personally throw their trump card "the h*h*ls surrendered Avdeevka" will personally throw at those of our fighters who took Adveevka taken. No, there are no pro-Ukrainian feelings among our fighters, and I said this so kindly, almost tenderly. There is no sympathy, just as in this massacre, there is not even a hint of the "military humanism" of previous wars to be found. But come on: tell me that the enemy "surrendered" Avdeevka or Artemovsk [Bakhmut] to those who participated in the attack on these settlements. I still believe it is unacceptable to express losses, but everyone seems to know that Avdeyevka cost us many times more people than Artemovsk (Bakhmut).

And even the final phase of the attack also cost many times more. And just to attack attack where there are not even whole stones left, where every meter contains corpses, blood and fire - this is already an achievement. And not going crazy and not shooting yourself afterwards is also an achievement. And to be there and go into battle over and over again goes beyond what is basically is called an achievement. I remember the ugliest scoffers about how good and brave it is to fight with iron helmets instead of using full ammunition. Nowadays, nobody walks around with iron helmets, but not because everybody has changed their clothes, but because the wearers of those iron helmets are up. Literally.

Now they are trying to instil the idea that a Bukhanka is a better vehicle than Hummers, tigers and all kinds of jeeps. This is something invented and pushed by the *******s who far from the trenches feed on the war, and the idiots who believe in it are the ones who are Avdeyevka or Artemovsk (Bakhmut) have "surrendered" to someone else. In no other war in history has every inch of vast territory been way exterminated, and every step is not so drenched in blood. I have written more than once about what I think about the praise of heroism, especially by armchair generalissimos, but they cannot live and progress here without this bloody and corpse-smelling heroism. ****-ups and heroism: one evokes the other and merges into one alloy. And when the temperature rises above zero, a smell of corpses and burning. There are no other smells here - from Avdeevka to the border with Zaporozhye.

So I repeat. I am very anxious to see how the survivors of these meat grinders will be told that the enemy has "surrendered" Avdeevka and Artemovsk to them. Well, I would very much like to see what happens next. I know what the answer will be, I am only interested in how. But the same goes for those trying to estimate the price of the ruins taken. Do we or the enemy have enough people to pay such a price for every meter of ruin we end up with? I don't know. And I'm not even ready to talk about it yet. Will those who went through this and survived celebrate these victories? I don't think so, but I'm not ready to talk about it. For now, let us dwell on the fact that there was an achievement beyond anything that was conceivable and unthinkable. But there is no reason to dance for joy or humiliate our warriors with the phrase, "the enemy has surrendered." Not the least.

Eternal memory of the fallen.
https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1758795834206887975

mapuc

02-17-24, 10:52 AM

Skybird wrote:
"Sounds to me they have waited too long."

Indeed they have-Yes they have fought well and killed a lot of Ruskies and their tanks. However they should have picked a better place to kill lot of Russians and destroy lots of tanks and other vehicle.

NO they haven't lost the war yet, the Ukrainian. They have lost a battle after long and hard fighting it is far from losing the war.

Markus

mapuc

02-17-24, 10:55 AM

An interesting video clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f93Nb29LKeE&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Dargo

02-17-24, 11:22 AM

The Russian information space writ large is also metering its initial optimism about the prospects of Russian offensive operations around Avdiivka. Russian milbloggers initially reported maximalist and unverifiable claims of Russian advances over 10km, likely exaggerated the degree of Russian successes near Avdiivka during initial offensive operations, and expressed optimism for rapid Russian advances.[5] Some Russian milbloggers have since acknowledged difficulties in the Russian advance near Avdiivka and noted that Russian forces decreased their pace of offensive operations around the settlement.[6] Russian milbloggers have also begun to claim that intense and attritional fighting is ongoing around Avdiivka.[7] Many Russian milbloggers also continue to self-censor by limiting reports of Russian tactical actions and problems specific to individual sectors of the frontline.[8] A Russian milblogger claimed that unspecified actors, possibly the Russian military leadership and some subset of milbloggers, agreed to stop reporting on the Avdiivka operations, but reiterated complaints about general problems in the Russian military not specific to any sector of the front.[9]

Russian forces continued offensive operations aimed at encircling Avdiivka on October 15 but have yet to make further gains amid a likely decreasing tempo of Russian operations in the area. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces repelled more than 15 Russian assaults near Avdiivka, as well as northwest and southwest of the settlement.[10] ISW has not yet observed visual confirmation of previous claims of Russian advances in the area or geolocated footage of any other Russian gains. Russian sources claimed notably fewer Russian advances in the area on October 15 compared to previous days and described these new alleged advances as marginal.[11] A Russian milblogger acknowledged that Ukrainian forces still maintain a presence at the Avdiivka Coke Plant following conflicting Russian claims about Russian control of the plant.[12]

Both Ukrainian military observers and Russian sources stated that Russian forces did not achieve their desired immediate breakthrough, and Russian forces faced initial high losses and a likely slower than anticipated rate of advance.[13] Avdiivka City Military Administration Head Vitaliy Barabash stated on October 12 that Russian forces conducted assaults with air support in 10 to 12 directions around the settlement, whereas the Ukrainian General Staff reported on October 15 that fighting occurred near only six settlements.[14] Ukrainian Tavriisk Group of Forces Spokesperson Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun stated on October 14 that the pace of Russian offensive operations near Avdiivka declined and that Russian forces have lost more than 300 pieces of military equipment and 3000 personnel since intensifying offensive operations in the area on October 9.[15] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-october-15-2023

We have not seen this level of intensity in Russian operations since Bakhmut and Vuhledar do not think Russians manage to press on their offensive, specially not in these open fields west of Avdiivka. We can see this week columns :doh: of vehicles being destroyed by Ukraine the resources to keep this offensive moving is getting destroyed in large numbers daily even with the shortage of shells Ukraine can break the momentum for the Russians they do not need trenches for that. The situation west of Avdiivka is where Ukraine has proven itself boss in this kinda warfare.

Dargo

02-17-24, 01:31 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf5sA3zXv50

I am not agreeing on his purpose of these vessels these landing vessel are made for the extra needed air for the Russian submarine force, Ukraine does Putin a favour by pumping them full ... so that these vessels fulfil their task. :arrgh!:

Jimbuna

02-17-24, 01:56 PM

Alexei Navalny death: Team accuses Russia of 'hiding' his body

Alexei Navalny's mother has been unable to recover his body after his death in an Arctic jail, a close aide to the dead Russian opposition leader says.

Kira Yarmysch said his mother, Lyudmila, was told his body would only be handed over once a post-mortem examination had been completed.

Mr Navalny's team believes the anti-corruption campaigner was murdered on the orders of President Vladimir Putin.

A rights group said 300 Russians had been arrested for laying tributes.

Western governments say the blame lies with Russian authorities for the 47-year-old's sudden death, while foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich countries called on Russia to "urgently clarify" the circumstances surrounding it.

Mr Putin has not publicly commented since the Russian prison service announced on Friday that Mr Navalny had been taken ill and died at the remote IK-3 prison in the Arctic Circle.

In the immediate aftermath, the Kremlin said it was aware and the president had been informed.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it rejected "biased and unrealistic" assessments over his cause of death made during a meeting with British officials on Saturday.

Mr Navalny was one of the most prominent faces of Russian opposition to Mr Putin's regime and was serving a three-decade sentence for politically-motivated charges at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony in Kharp, about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) north of Moscow.

His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, was reportedly told by the prison service he died on Friday after collapsing and falling unconscious during a walk, his team said.

She visited the colony on Saturday and was given an official notice stating the time of death as 14:17 local time (09:17 GMT), Ms Yarmysch said.

Another Navalny ally, Ivan Zhdanov, said the activist's mother was told he died of "sudden death syndrome" - a generic, vague term for a condition which causes sudden death from cardiac arrest with no apparent cause.

His team said that Ms Navalnaya was told his body had been taken to the town of Salekhard, near the prison complex, but when she arrived the morgue was closed.

Prison officials reportedly told her an initial post-mortem examination was inconclusive and a second would have to be carried out.

Mr Navalny's allies claim his body is purposely being withheld by the Russian authorities so they can "cover traces", and call for the body to be returned to his family "immediately".

Meanwhile, more than 300 people have been arrested following vigils and gatherings across Russia, according to independent Russian human rights monitoring group OVD-Info.

OVD-Info, which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia, said arrests had taken place in 32 cities, with the largest numbers in the capital Moscow and St Petersburg.

On Saturday, police in Moscow detained about 15 people who had laid flowers and lit candles at the foot of the "Wall of Grief" monument to the victims of repression during the Soviet-era.

Protests are also being held near Russian embassies in many countries.

G7 foreign ministers meeting at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday observed a minute's silence to pay tribute to the Russian activist.

British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said the UK would be "taking action".

"When appalling human rights outrages like this take place, what we do is we look at whether there are individual people that are responsible and whether there are individual measures and actions we can take," said Cameron, who added that he would not share in advance what measures the UK intended.

Also in Munich was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who described Mr Putin as a "thug" and said it was "absurd" to perceive him as the "legitimate head of a Russian state".

Mr Navalny had been an outspoken critic of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began two years ago next week.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68326784

Dargo

02-17-24, 02:07 PM

Czechia has found possible sources of ammunition for UkraineCzechia has found sources abroad for hundreds of thousands of artillery ammunition that could be delivered to Ukraine in a matter of weeks, if it can secure funding with partners in the US, Germany, Sweden and other countries, Czech President Petr Pavel said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. The president said the potential purchase concerned half a million rounds of 155-millimeter caliber ammunition and 300,000 rounds of 122-millimeter caliber ammunition. "It is necessary to support Ukraine with arms and ammunition from all available sources," Mr. Pavel said.

The Brussels-based Politico reported in early February that Czechia was looking into the possibility of acquiring ammunition from arms companies in countries such as South Korea, Turkey and South Africa. https://english.radio.cz/president-pavel-czechia-has-found-possible-sources-ammunition-ukraine-8808818

Kremlin runs disinformation campaign to undermine Zelensky, documents show“We need to strengthen the conflict between Zaluzhny and Zelensky, along the lines of ‘he intends to fire him,’” one Kremlin political strategist wrote a year ago, after a meeting of senior Russian officials and Moscow spin doctors, according to internal Kremlin documents.
...
Most of the strategists’ reports to their political masters focused on the volume of content produced and total views, but for the first five months, they offered little in the way of evidence that the effort was having any impact on Ukrainians. The Kremlin-conducted polls showed that trust in Zelensky remained consistently high, with 68 to 73.3 percent of Ukrainians trusting the president from February to June. By August, however, the Kremlin polls showed this measure falling to 65.4 percent. It is impossible to gauge the accuracy of these polls, and it’s unclear how the Russians are conducting them in Ukraine. A poll by the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center in July showed trust in Zelensky at 81 percent. The most recent poll published by the center, on Feb. 8, showed trust in Zelensky had dropped to 69 percent.
...
Another article described how Zelensky had pushed for Ukrainian forces to defend Bakhmut against Zaluzhny’s wishes, leading, it said, to the deaths of 250,000 Ukrainian troops, a wildly exaggerated death toll in what was nonetheless a brutal battle for the city. The troll farm employees were asked to write comments such as “Why do Ukrainian generals hate Zelensky? PR out of the blood of fighters” and “To shoot the exhausted president? In Ukraine, a generals’ conspiracy is brewing.”
...
As winter descended on Kyiv, a number of deepfake videos portraying Zaluzhny calling Zelensky an enemy of the people and calling for a coup began to appear. The videos were quickly denounced as fake and did not have any real impact in Ukraine. But the senior European security official said he worried the Kremlin was only testing the ground for future deepfakes.

“It’s very expensive, but it can work,” he said. “In the proper time, it can be used.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/16/russian-disinformation-zelensky-zaluzhny/

Dargo

02-17-24, 06:09 PM

Skybird

02-17-24, 06:22 PM

^ In and at Avdijivka, the 47th and 53th mechanized brigades were fighting, and the 3 assault brigade came as reinforcement into the Western corridor and into town to cover the retreat of the defending troops there. That means three brigades, plus support, were involved, and all three have had units in the "town".

It also means that these three brigades now are worn out, have had fresh casualties, suffered a moral defeat, and need rest and resupply. - And they will not get any of that.

When I posted the original post yesterday, news-just-in was that the Western corridor had collapsed.

Jimbuna

02-18-24, 09:27 AM

Denmark to transfer all its artillery to Ukraine - Prime Minister

During the 7th Ukrainian Lunch at the Munich Security Conference, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that Denmark has decided to transfer all its stock artillery to Ukraine. The country calls on its partners to increase arms supplies to Ukraine.

She noted that European leaders often refer to production problems regarding arms supplies. The Prime Minister emphasized that Europe has weapons, and they need to be transferred to Ukraine.

"But if you ask Ukraine, they are asking us for ammunition now, artillery now. From Denmark's side, we decided to donate our entire artillery to Ukraine. And I am sorry to say, friends, there is still ammunition in stock in Europe. This is not a question about production because we have weapons, we have ammunition, we have air defense, that we don't have to use ourselves at the moment, that we should deliver to Ukraine," she said.
Additionally, Frederiksen added that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe and the United States quickly invented and produced a vaccine in the required volumes. In her opinion, this can be done with weapons as well.

The Danish Prime Minister supported Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO. Frederiksen believes that the EU should signal Ukraine clearly that it will join the bloc.

Denmark is one of Ukraine's partner countries. It has provided military and humanitarian assistance to our country and supports sanctions against Russia.

Denmark has already provided artillery to Ukraine and has joined the aviation coalition for training and transfer of F-16 fighter jets.

Yesterday, within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. They discussed security guarantees and cooperation between the countries.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/leave-us-alone-viktor-orban-unleashes-tirade-at-brussels-over-ukraine-war-strategy/ar-BB1isFii?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=ecbb995c78c241ddada3eb2977ba101b&ei=30

mapuc

02-18-24, 09:59 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEPAjgpUKpM&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Jimbuna

02-18-24, 10:20 AM

Ukraine war: 'Artificial shortage' of weapons helps Putin, says Zelensky

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has made an urgent appeal for more weapons to avoid a "catastrophic" situation in Europe.

An "artificial deficit of weapons" will only help Russia, Mr Zelensky told an international conference in Germany.

Ukrainian troops have been running out of ammunition as vital US support has been held up by supporters of former President Donald Trump in Congress.

Mr Zelensky said he was prepared to tour the front lines with Mr Trump.

"If Mr Trump will come, I am ready to go with him to the front line. What does it mean, the real war, not Instagram, the real war," the Ukrainian president said.

President Joe Biden assured Mr Zelensky during a phone call on Saturday that the US was committed to supporting Ukraine's fight against "Russia's brutal invasion", the White House said in a statement.

Mr Biden also said that earlier in the day "Ukraine's military was forced to withdraw from Avdiivka after Ukrainian soldiers had to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction, resulting in Russia's first notable gains in months".

Avdiivka - a gateway to the Russian-seized Donetsk regional capital in the east - had for months witnessed some of the fiercest fighting before the Ukrainian pull-out announced by the country's top military commander.

For his part, President Zelensky said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that the two leaders discussed the current situation on the front line.

He said he was "grateful to have President Biden's full support", adding that he hoped Congress would make a "wise decision" on approving a stalled aid package for Ukraine.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris had earlier repeated assurances of support to Kyiv.

The US "can't play political games" over the military aid, she said at a joint news conference with Mr Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference.

The gathering of world leaders and senior defence officials comes one week before the two-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The president told delegates Ukrainian efforts were "limited only by the sufficiency and length of range of our strength".

"Keeping Ukraine in the artificial deficits of weapons, particularly in deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war," he said.

"Ukrainians have proven that we can force Russia to retreat," he said. "We can get our land back."

He went on to warn that the Russian leader would make the next few years "catastrophic" for many more countries if the Western world did not stand up to him.

"Do not ask Ukraine when the war will end. Ask yourself, why is Putin still able to continue it?" Mr Zelensky told the conference.

Ukraine is critically dependent on weapons supplies from the US and other Western allies to keep fighting Russia - a much bigger military force with an abundance of artillery ammunition.

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said help for Ukraine from the UK, the EU and the US would make a "real difference" to the fight against Russia.

But earlier this week, the US Senate approved a $95bn (£75bn) foreign aid package - including $60bn for Ukraine - after months of political wrangling, but it faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives, where members of the Republican Party who are loyal to Mr Trump seem unwilling to pass the measure.

Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told the Munich conference Europe should help Ukraine more because it was in its interests, and stop "all that whining and moaning about Trump".

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said a Putin victory in Ukraine was "not only a tragedy for the Ukrainians but it sends not only a message to Putin but also to [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping], that when they use military force, they get what they want. So what happens in Ukraine today and can happen in Taiwan tomorrow. And therefore I strongly believe that it's a good deal for the United States to support Ukraine. It's not charity, it's an investment into their own security."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68325022

Dargo

02-18-24, 11:41 AM

A list of Russian brigades and formations that were thrown at Avdiivka. It took tens of thousands of top fighters and four months to create numerical superiority and break through the Ukrainian defence, which lacked ammunition. Many of these Russian brigades lost 60%+ of personnel.

The congratulatory telegram that Vladimir Putin sent to the commander of the Center Group, Colonel General Mordvichev, in connection with the capture of Avdiivka reveals the units that participated in the active phase of the operation.
30th separate motorized rifle brigade of the Central Military District
35th separate motorized rifle brigade of the Central Military District
55th separate motorized rifle mountain brigade of the Central Military District
74th separate motorized rifle brigade of the Central Military District
1st separate motorized rifle brigade of the 1st AC
9th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 1st AC
114th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 1st AC
1454th motorized rifle regiment
10th Tank Regiment of the 1st AK
6th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division of the Central Military District
80th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division of the Central Military District
239th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division of the Central Military District
On our own behalf, we would also add that the "Veterans" brigade, which partially involved Army special units, and the Air and Space Forces, participated. Thus, more than 15 formations of the Central Military District and the 1st Army Corps of the DPR participated in the Avdeevka operation. https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1758956055319515303

Casualty wise (WIA&KIA) Bahkmut was likely higher. Deaths only wise, Avdiivka was likely 2x worse for the Russians than Bahkmut. The easiest way to explain why is Terrain, and the built up fortifications. Even in the areas at the flanks. The opening day of RUs offensive in our sector over a dozen BMPs were destroyed before they even got within 800m of Ukrainian lines. The infantry on and in that initial assault were caught out in the open and mowed down rather quickly.

One defensive operation that we were on, 16 of Chosen and 8 Ukrainians(javelin teams+snipers) destroyed 4 BMPs, damaged one that made it under a bridge with 6 others that escaped unharmed after dropping troops 300m+ away from the line in the field, 2 BTRs destroyed, 2 tanks one of which was destroyed by one of the craziest tank maneuvers by a UA tank team i ever saw and 70+ infantry killed or wounded.
The Russians successfully pushed us out of the trench to another friendly trench (there was only 10 defenders in that 1 trench with reserve force and supporting fires/overwatch being provided from nearby trench 200m away) and took control of the trench. Which was then blown with demolitions, fpv and artillery once the surviving russians (around 12) grouped up into it.

Our losses that day were 4 UA KIA, 2 Chosen KIA (Gander & Stremski) and everyone minor or moderately wounded with frag. The human cost of Russia's Avdiivka sector endeavor likely cost them 100k WIA&KIA easily. Day after day for 2 or 3 weeks they continously attempted to run armor at fortified lines. In our sector, after they ran out of BMPs&BTRs they used troop transport trucks(Kamaz type) to try and get infantry as close as possible. These vehicles more often then not were hit by fpv or drones waited for dismount and hit infantry with droppers. We made it a point to try and hit every enemy soldier still alive. If they crawled into a bunker, thermobaric. If they were crawling in an open field, grenade drop.

Mid to end Nov though, something changed. No longer were the Russians attempting 50+ men assaults. They'd move in groups of 8-12 men. If 2 or 3 made it, they'd hide amongst the rubble. The next group would move 5-15 minutes behind the first and they'd do the same. Once the survivors regrouped and had 20 or so men spread in 2 or more positions, they'd then push forward while a new rear element pushed up from behind and they'd mass creeping fires and drones while doing so. Only stopping once the RU infantry were within 25-50m of our positions.

They adapted their tactics to run as a mass of smaller human waves with less armor and more foot infantry to knock out a few meters of the killing fields or Grey area at a time. They didn't try to dig in. They just hid wherever they could. One position we consistently fought over ended up with dead soldiers stacked around it (obj kyiv). There was well over 100 Russians strewn about infront and inside of it. Our fallen(KIA) Ukrainians around 10 or so that were taken in the 3 weeks of holding it, we had organized to the rear area of the fighting line, in hopes of getting their remains out, some we were able to, others we werent. We did take dozens upon dozens of wounded trying to hold obj k and took a lot of wounded and killed trying to retrieve remains of fallen and wounded soldiers from positions(I'd say 20-35% of all our wounded in the sector was trying to get remains or wounded out). You'd spend more time trying to organize where to throw the dead or move the dead out of firing lines than attempting to rebuild the positions daily.

The Ukrainian units fought and are still fighting extremely hard in the sector that Chosen was in. We are in the middle of a unit transfer, so Chosen is no longer there.

One main factor that you could see become a detriment was time off the front. The 59th and other units in the sector have never had a rotation off the front. Which physically and mentally does effect the fighting capacity. By the end of 2023 Chosen members were all injured atleast once and most of us were doing operations at 80% ability. We had men(Hound I love you brother) going out with gaping fragmentation wounds bandaged from a injury a week earlier. None of this was forced on us however. We would check ourselves out of the hospital to continue the fight. And the Ukrainians were much the same. Hell, our commander Kozak consistently put off medical so he could stay on the front and coordinate and fight. We had a drone pilot get 6 or 7 contusions including from TOS1s twice in one day who basically was in a permanent shuttle of hospital, checking himself out, fly drones, back to hospital.

The fighting spirit of the men in our sector is nothing short of heroic, but it is not a long term benefit to fighting capabilities doing what Chosen and the Ukrainians were doing. Sheer will and determination only goes so far. https://twitter.com/ihatetrenches/status/1758825982922825728

Estimated total losses of the Russians during the offensive on Avdiivka 47186 military personnel (likely death and wounded), 364 tanks, 748 armoured vehicles, 248 artillery systems and 5 planes. In just over 4 months time.

Jimbuna

02-18-24, 01:50 PM

Kremlin threatens to unleash Armageddon on West if it loses in Ukraine

The Kremlin today threatened to fire nuclear missiles on London, Washington, Berlin and Kyiv if Russia is forced to give up the Ukrainian territory it has invaded. Dmitry Medvedev - a close Putin ally who served as president from 2008 to 2012 - said if a military defeat led to a return to the 1991 frontiers, when the Soviet Union collapsed, Moscow would unleash Armageddon.

'Attempts to return Russia to the borders of 1991 will lead to only one thing,' he said. 'Towards a global war with Western countries using the entire strategic arsenal of our state. In Kyiv, Berlin, London, Washington.' Hypersonic nuclear missiles would also strike 'all other beautiful historical places that have long been included in the flight targets of our nuclear triad'.

He added: 'Will we have the courage to do this if the disappearance of a thousand-year-old country, our great Motherland, is at stake, and the sacrifices made by the people of Russia over the centuries will be in vain? The answer is obvious.' He suggested Kyiv and the West should allow Putin to have the bits of Ukraine he thinks of as Russia.

'It's better to return everything [to us] before it's too late. Or we will return it ourselves with maximum losses for the enemy. Like in Avdiivka. Our warriors are heroes!' Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian security council which controls the war, hit out at 'snotty Anglo-American fosterlings' who oppose Putin.

The British and German Defense Ministers Grant Shapps and Boris Pistorius were '[expletive]' who believe the world cannot afford a Russian victory in the war, he said on his Telegram channel. If they got their way, there would be a 'direct and irreversible collapse of present-day Russia' including its newly-invaded territories.

There could be 'violent civil war with the final disappearance of our country from the world map, tens of millions of victims, the death of our future.' He asked: 'Do these idiots really believe that the people of Russia will swallow such a division of their country?

'That we will all think something like this: "Well, alas, this happened. They won. Today's Russia has disappeared.

"It's a pity, of course, but we must continue to live in a collapsing, dying country, since a nuclear war is much more terrible for us than the death of our loved ones, our children, our Russia…"?

'The West should not think that in such a scenario the leadership of Russia will 'tremble in its hand' in pushing the nuclear button.'
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/kremlin-threatens-to-unleash-armageddon-on-west-if-it-loses-in-ukraine/ss-BB1itttC?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=64f5ae0732fa4c94ace760038d5e7584&ei=13#image=10

mapuc

02-18-24, 05:14 PM

^ I knew they were somehow desperate the Russians, I wouldn't expect them to be so desperate that they threaten with nukes.

Don't take it serious-The toothless dog is only barking

Yes they have nukes. But they also know they would get tenfold back.

Markus

mapuc

02-18-24, 05:40 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMRwRZVG6Y4&ab_channel=UkraineMatters

Markus

Skybird

02-18-24, 08:23 PM

Victory for Ukraine currently seems more remote than ever, and corruption has a firm grip on the state apparatus.

The Ukrainian tactical victories at sea secure the grain transports, yes, but beyond that simply are not really militarily relevant.

https://www-faz-net.translate.goog/aktuell/politik/ausland/selenskyj-unter-druck-ein-sieg-wirkt-so-fern-wie-nie-19524886.html?printPagedArticle=true&_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de#pageIndex_4

Have they perhaps already surrendered in silence?

https://www.nzz.ch/international/muenchner-sicherheitskonferenz-selenski-bittet-um-munition-in-dramatischer-lage-ld.1814499?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de

Anyway, the inability of the Europeans to decide that they really want to decisively rise their defensive capability, imho fundamentally damages NATO's reputation. Yes, there are some small almost minor decisions who were made in the past months. But none of them gives the impression of being a fundamental change, a dramatic replotting of course, the manifestation of a sense of urgency. Also, there is almost no movement at all to point to the increase beyond already existing ressources, its only a reshuffling of existing ressources, mostly.

In other words, its all about creating an alibi, to deceive the public at home and to give the impression that one adresses the pressing issues - while not really adressing these issues at all. Many seem to want to simply sit out the war and then return to their old illusions.

And here we have a one-and-a-half-hour lecture by Colonel Reisner on military tactical assessments of the Ukraine war in the Audimax of the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich on November 15, 2023. Very, very sobering.

Anyone who is still talking about Ukraine's final victory after 2024 has still not understood a few very important things. My personal conclusion after this lecture: it's too late, the West has procrastinated too long, even if more and everything possible were to be supplied again now, the Russians have adapted to such an extent thanks to the time window the West has given them that Ukraine will not recover from this.

The Trumpian Republicans and the Scholzian Germans must accept an especially heavy share of guilt for this.

Use the translation subtitles if you must. ;) Reisner's lectures are always worth it. Does not compare to the daily propaganda outspill of the many ukraine youtube channels with those many oh so witty blowups up daily tactical events.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnQIYdBkoV0

em2nought

02-18-24, 10:21 PM

Ukraine could surrender right now, and it wouldn't be as big a catastrophe as Sleepy Joe leaving our southern border wide open for the last three plus years is going to be for us.

No way anything in Ukraine is Trump supporters fault, if our election wasn't a fraud and President Trump was still in office none of that mess would have even happened in the first place. Who knows how much of a kick back "the big guy" gets for every dollar we throw away in Ukraine. LOL Who knows what reward sleepy joe gets for leaving our southern border completely defenseless. Benedict Arnold is going to have some company covering the first two letters of the alphabet for traitors. ;)

Skybird

02-19-24, 06:51 AM

What nonsense. The migration issue in the US and the war in Ukraine have nothign to do with each other.

Trump wants to deplete Biden of a potential diplomatic success by getting another aid package through, this way he wants Biden to look bad. Trump walks on the bodies of Ukrainians, that simple it is. If Biden would have a miracle solution for solving the migration crisis, he would prevent it. And if Biden would have magical help and free America of all state debt and mass shootings, then Trump would prevent that. Trump lives by one agenda only, and that agenda consists not even of the three letters U.S.A., but of just one: I (imagine that letter printed in gold). By that he will trample on your bodies as well, if you let him.

BTW, a Ukrainian defeat is projected with at least 10 million Ukrainian migrants more moving westward, thats roughly a quarter of the former population. Thank you for that. And any Russian victory will be followed by more Russian attacks in a few years.

And until then we will see (and already have seen: Armenia) a flaring up of more regional secondary conflicts when regional villains in the second row of seats start to realise the US cannot and wants not keeping the lid on it any longer, and seek the realization of their local territorial ambitions.

You think you can decouple America from the world's conflicts? You can't. Instead of keeping them at bay and away from your borders, they will creep onto your borders - and you then having given up your strategic base that Europe in the end is for you, sort of a warehouse, a logistics hub, a stationary giant aircraft carrier. Its the forward line of defence that allows you to keep the enemy away from your very own border's line of defence. You will not gain autonomy by isolation, but lose autonomy. What you gain is vulnerability.

Its like a chess player saying he does not want to checkmate anymore, and starts to move all his pieces back to the first two lines. The match is on. There is no bailout clause. Live with it, fight for it - or lose it. And understand that you do not only do it for the lazy Europeans - you also do it for your very own geostrategic core interest.

Burdens of an empire. Empires cannot afford to not react to being challenged. If they do not react, they fall. Always will. Always have. Non-reaction is no option.

Skybird

02-19-24, 07:29 AM

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Landsbergis put it in a nutshell when he said that the alarm clock had started ringing in the morning two years ago, but two years later we were still lying in bed and just covering our ears.
----------------------
The Russia, the India, and the Oil:
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/19/europe/russia-oil-india-shadow-fleet-cmd-intl/index.html

August

02-19-24, 08:43 AM

mapuc

02-19-24, 08:51 AM

Your opinions are nonsense as usual. Donald Trump does not run the nation nor does Congress take their marching orders from him. Those currently blocking Ukrainian aid would be doing the same thing even if Trump did not exist.

Now this was an interesting pretext If I may say so-If Trump didn't exist....

As said before many times-I couldn't care less who's your President, however when it comes to help Ukraine I want a President and a house who is for massive help to Ukraine.

By the way-As some of you may know. Denmark has decided to send all their stockpile Artillery shells- 155 mm and some 152 mm(not sure if Denmark still has these)

Markus

Jimbuna

02-19-24, 09:39 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2sYCabtQX0

August

02-19-24, 10:46 AM

Now this was an interesting pretext If I may say so-If Trump didn't exist....

As said before many times-I couldn't care less who's your President, however when it comes to help Ukraine I want a President and a house who is for massive help to Ukraine.

As do I Markus, but like I said, opposition to Ukraine aid (or any other foreign aid for that matter) is neither ordered nor directed by the former president. Those that oppose foreign aid do so for a number of reasons but none of them hold those positions because Donald Trump ordered it as Skybird claims.

By the way-As some of you may know. Denmark has decided to send all their stockpile Artillery shells- 155 mm and some 152 mm(not sure if Denmark still has these)
I am glad to hear it. The Danes are setting a good example.

Jimbuna

02-19-24, 10:52 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwnLRrf-GBI

mapuc

02-19-24, 10:56 AM

As do I Markus, but like I said, opposition to Ukraine aid (or any other foreign aid for that matter) is neither ordered nor directed by the former president. Those that oppose foreign aid do so for a number of reasons but none of them hold those positions because Donald Trump ordered it as Skybird claims.

I am glad to hear it. The Danes are setting a good example.

Thank you for your answer, which generated a Presidential question:

If the House vote no to this package CAN Biden overrule this by making some special law ?(forgot what they are called these Presidential laws)

Markus

mapuc

02-19-24, 12:25 PM

50.000 Russian soldiers KIA/WIA !!! In taking Avdiivka

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AJcVgjW9eg&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Dargo

02-19-24, 12:25 PM

All that think Ukraine is so corrupt... Zelenskyy this... or that... and ... better read Kremlin runs disinformation campaign to undermine Zelenskyy, documents show (https://archive.ph/2yfCJ)

mapuc

02-19-24, 12:31 PM

All that think Ukraine is so corrupt... Zelenskyy this... or that... and ... better read Kremlin runs disinformation campaign to undermine Zelenskyy, documents show (https://archive.ph/2yfCJ)

So it is not true that he has a few million in off shore shares through his wife

I heard this many month ago in our news-Where they said that Zelenskyy was mentioned in some paper(Can't remember the name)-Not the Panama papers.

And this should be false ?

Markus

Dargo

02-19-24, 12:34 PM

50.000 Russian soldiers KIA/WIA !!! In taking Avdiivka

[Snip]

MarkusEstimated total losses of the Russians during the offensive on Avdiivka 47186 military personnel (likely death and wounded), 364 tanks, 748 armoured vehicles, 248 artillery systems and 5 planes. In just over 4 months time. Putin can not care but logics to rebuild this will take time and cost many resources it will slow down Russian's offensive capability of this offensive and future ones Ukraine with his smaller army and shortages has done a great job.

mapuc

02-19-24, 12:37 PM

Estimated total losses of the Russians during the offensive on Avdiivka 47186 military personnel (likely death and wounded), 364 tanks, 748 armoured vehicles, 248 artillery systems and 5 planes. In just over 4 months time. Putin can not care but logics to rebuild this will take time and cost many resources it will slow down Russian's offensive capability of this offensive Ukraine with his smaller army and shortages has done a great job.

Indeed they have and it's not with much help from the West.

I expect an another massive offensive by the Russian if the house in US vote no.

Markus

Dargo

02-19-24, 12:58 PM

So it is not true that he has a few million in off shore shares through his wife

I heard this many month ago in our news-Where they said that Zelenskyy was mentioned in some paper(Can't remember the name)-Not the Panama papers.

And this should be false ?

MarkusI do not know but have not seen any evidence either (What is presented without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.) this is a war that Russia started 10 years ago and Russia is known for his disinformation campaigns if you listen to Putin speeches you really believe anything that is said about Ukraine or Ukraine persons. I am not believing do not care either, rather hypocrite if we in the West are any better.

Indeed they have and it's not with much help from the West.

I expect an another massive offensive by the Russian if the house in US vote no.

MarkusThe offensive by the Russian is going on for about 4 months, do not expect anything massive because they lost about 50% of their offensive army at Avdiivka they want to break through to Kharkiv so no nothing massive they need to rebuild their forces for the next one. And yes Russia is on war economy, but any material lost needs to be replaced and will cannibalize his public economy more and more in the long run Muscovites will start to complain that Putin fears that is why he murdered Navalny that is why he did not ask for a general mobilisation the more Ukraine can destroy/damage the weaker Russia becomes. You can believe the numbers Russia present us but did Russia ever told us the truth those numbers are not what they really are, ask any Russian how much they can buy to eat, keep warm. Comparing Soviet economy and Putin economy is an oxymoron, they are two totally other economies. The Soviet economy was at his the best when it was a war economy, Putin economy is a western like economy those tend to do worse in war setting, and he does not have the workforce that the soviets had.

Ukraine's air force says it has shot down no fewer than six Russian fighter jets and bombers in recent days in the country's southeast."On the Eastern Front. Two more shot down: a Su-34 and a Su-35S! This is our land, our air. Thank you for your hard work, to be continued." Lieutenant General Nikolai Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, delivered that message this morning. In doing so, he confirmed reports posted earlier on social media by residents of the occupied city of Mariupol, about heavy bangs and then two planes crashing. One plane came down north of the city, another plunged into the sea just off the coast. The fate of the crew is unknown, but Russian war bloggers also confirmed the losses.

The Su-34 - costing around $36 million (33 million euros) - is one of Russia's most modern and high-performance fighter-bombers with two crew members, and is used primarily to strike targets with precision bombing. In that regard, the aircraft have been used extensively in recent weeks to attack the city of Avdiivka with hundreds of so-called "slide bombs. The Su-35 is a single-seater and can handle a variety of combat missions. Both aircraft have only been in service with the Russian military since 2014. A Russian Su-34 also crashed Sunday morning, then in the occupied Donetsk province. Images show how the plane fell straight down and exploded on the ground. Then again a day earlier, Saturday, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that three Russian fighter planes, two Su-34s and one Su-35, could be brought down. What that was done with is not clear, but military observers do point in the direction of U.S. and German Patriot anti-aircraft systems, of which Ukraine has three in its possession. One is said to be around Kyiv, another is said to protect parts of the front.

If confirmed, the downing of six aircraft in three days would be one of the heaviest blows to the Russian air force since the war began. Some twenty-five confirmed losses of the Su-34 have been recorded so far. It is suspected that Russia owned fewer than 150 such fighter-bombers at the start of the war.

Jimbuna

02-19-24, 01:53 PM

Alexei Navalny: Widow vows to continue his work

Alexei Navalny's widow Yulia has vowed to continue his work to fight for a "free Russia" in a video posted on Monday.

Her voice sometimes shaking with grief and anger, Ms Navalnaya asked viewers to stand alongside her and "share the fury and hate for those who dared to kill our future".

She also accused the authorities of hiding her husband's body.

Navalny's death in prison was announced on 16 February.

The prison authorities at the Siberian penal colony he was being held in said he collapsed following a walk and never regained consciousness.

Navalny, who was the Russian opposition's most significant leader for the last decade, had been serving a 19-year sentence on charges many viewed as politically motivated.

Now, Ms Navalnaya - who previously mostly shied away from the spotlight - has indicated she might be ready to continue her husband's political fight for change in Russia.

In her video message, posted on Navalny's YouTube channel, Ms Navalnaya said: "Three days ago, Vladimir Putin killed my husband Alexei Navalny. Putin killed the father of my children. Putin took away the most important thing I had. The person who was closest to me and whom I loved most."

She promised to "continue to fight for our country" and added: "We need to use every opportunity - to fight against the war, against corruption, against injustice. To fight for fair elections and freedom of speech. To fight to take our country back. Russia - free, peaceful, happy - the beautiful Russia of the future, of which my husband dreamed so much."

In the video, Ms Navalnaya also said she knew "exactly why Putin killed Alexei three days ago" and promised to release the information "soon".

Ms Navalnaya's address came shortly before she met EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Navalny's body has not yet been released to his family, despite his mother and lawyer travelling to the remote penal colony where he was being held as soon as news of his death broke.

Attempts to locate the body have repeatedly been shut down by the prison mortuary and local authorities.

On Monday, the Kremlin said an investigation into Navalny's death was ongoing and that there were "no results" as of yet.

Later, Navalny's spokewoman Kira Yarmish said that investigators told Navalny's mother they would not hand over the body for two weeks while they conduct a "chemical analysis".

In her video message, Ms Navalnaya said she believed the authorities were waiting for traces of the deadly nerve agent Novichok to disappear from Navalny's body.

Western leaders have put the blame for Navalny's death squarely on President Putin.

During a press conference on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell offered his condolences to Ms Navalnaya and said he believed her husband "was slowly murdered in a Russian jail by Putin's regime".

US President Joe Biden said Navalny's death was a "consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did".

Both the EU and the US have said they are considering new sanctions on Russia following Navalny's death.

Germany, Sweden and Finland said they were summoning the Russian ambassadors in their capitals.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said comments by Western politicians in regards to Navalny's death were "arrogant" and "unacceptable".

Russian prison authorities said at the weekend that Navalny had suffered "sudden death syndrome".

Hundreds of people in more than 30 cities across Russia were detained at the weekend for attending makeshift memorials to Navalny.

In Moscow, 20 people were sentenced to various amounts of prison time - ranging from one day to nine days - and two people were fined 10,000 rubles (£85).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68337790

August

02-19-24, 02:00 PM

Thank you for your answer, which generated a Presidential question:

If the House vote no to this package CAN Biden overrule this by making some special law ?(forgot what they are called these Presidential laws)

Markus

I'm guessing you are talking about how Trump was able to get more money for his border wall above what Congress approved.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/heres-where-the-money-for-trumps-border-wall-will-come-from.html

The only way Biden can give Ukraine money without it being appropriated by Congress would be to declare a National Emergency and divert money from other programs that is not specifically earmarked for a particular use. But even in that scheme the amounts he can get away with taking is likely not going to come even close to the $80 billion that he's asking for this time around.

em2nought

02-19-24, 02:36 PM

What nonsense. The migration issue in the US and the war in Ukraine have nothign to do with each other.

My friend, apparently they do have something to do with one another as we are threatened with even less money provided to prevent incursions by illegal aliens across our southern border if we don't send C-130s filled with pallets of taxpayer cash to the Ukraine. :hmmm:

mapuc

02-19-24, 03:47 PM

I'm guessing you are talking about how Trump was able to get more money for his border wall above what Congress approved.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/heres-where-the-money-for-trumps-border-wall-will-come-from.html

The only way Biden can give Ukraine money without it being appropriated by Congress would be to declare a National Emergency and divert money from other programs that is not specifically earmarked for a particular use. But even in that scheme the amounts he can get away with taking is likely not going to come even close to the $80 billion that he's asking for this time around.

Thank you Dave-I know now what word I couldn't remember it was

"Decree"

I do Remember Trump declaring N.E.

Markus

Dargo

02-19-24, 05:03 PM

Saying sinking a third of Russians Black Sea fleet has no military and economic effect is bull, strikes on Russian ships are intended to isolate the peninsula and make it more difficult for Russia to sustain its military operations on the Ukrainian mainland same for downing the fighters. War is bigger than retaking areas much bigger the Ukrainians have been able to inflict heavy losses on the Russian Black Sea Fleet and that this is a great achievement, a great victory for Ukrainians. These fighters are dropping glide bombs see 14-02-2024 Avdiivka https://map.ukrdailyupdate.com/?lat=48.136295&lng=37.657707&z=12&d=19767&c=1&l=0 those landing ship are mainly used to transport munition and material. Really think Russia can transport the same amount? No, that third cost a shyteload of money and resources will not be replaced in years, in those years Russia can not threaten Ukraine waters. This war will last for years this will destroy Russia by the year with every sunken ship, with every downed jet it all adds to the war it all mater. That the next six months will be militarily very tough for Ukraine was well known. As this becomes visible in terrain loss and a higher human toll along the front lines, that too may become a factor in Western decision-making.

Dargo

02-19-24, 05:36 PM

'Heavy fighting' in southern Ukraine, reports KyivAccording to the Ukrainian military, "heavy gunfire" occurred Monday near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhya region in the south of the country. Ukraine managed to recapture Robotyne from Russian forces in August. "The enemy made ten unsuccessful attempts against the positions of (Ukrainian) defence forces in the Robotyne region. Here the situation has changed, the enemy is firing heavily," army spokesman Dmytro Lychovy stated. According to him, the Ukrainian army repelled attacks "with a large number of armoured vehicles," but the Russians are now attacking with "small attack groups in addition to armoured vehicles" and an air force that is "actively operating." The Telegram channel DeepState, which is close to the Ukrainian military, reported Sunday night that Russia had managed to break through Ukrainian defences at Verbove, a few kilometres east of Robotyne. According to another Telegram channel, which is close to Russian forces, Russia has gained a foothold in the southern suburbs of Robotyne.

Attacks on this part of the southern front began last weekend, when the Russian army captured the town of Avdiivka, some 150 kilometres northeast of Robotyne, after four months of repeated attacks. In Avdiivka, "the Russians are regrouping. They have achieved their tactical goals and are likely to transfer units (from Avdiivka) to other areas," Lychovy said.

Skybird

02-19-24, 09:00 PM

We love to hear what we want to believe. But in the case of this war, that is often not what corresponds to reality.

em2nought

02-19-24, 09:34 PM

We love to hear what we want to believe. But in the case of this war, that is often not what corresponds to reality.

We already can't trust any news sources, and AI generated Sora videos aren't even a thing yet. :03:

Skybird

02-20-24, 05:36 AM

I think I posted the according link already four years ago when they first time published it. Just a reminder of why I am cautious about shedding too many tears about Navalny.

https://www-focus-de.translate.goog/politik/ausland/die-dunkle-seite-von-kremlkritiker-nawalny-wird-bei-uns-verschwiegen_id_12901959.html?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de

Western idealistic dreamers have a tendency to often transfigure even the most dubious figures. And if it gets that far that indeed the masks finally fall, everybody claims to be surprised and that one could not have known it in advance.

Skybird

02-20-24, 06:02 AM

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68337794

It also gets reported that Russia has killed the Ukrainian prisoners they took in Avdijivka, including the wounded the Ukrainians had to leave behind. Since this was done without any military necessity, it is to be rated as another cold-blooded murder and so another of so many war crime Russians committed and commit.

Jimbuna

02-20-24, 06:34 AM

Russia accused of executing prisoners of war after Ukraine withdraws

Last week, Ukrainian forces surrendered the eastern city of Avdiivka, which they had for months been desperately defending against a brutal Russian onslaught.

The conquest of Avdiivka represents a strategic and symbolic victory for Russia, strengthening its defence of the regional capital, Donetsk, and potentially opening up avenues for further offensives against Ukrainian-held territory.

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi says he ordered a retreat from the city in order to save soldiers' lives.

Now evidence of possible war crimes has emerged, as relatives of six soldiers found dead following the takeover of the city say they were executed after surrendering. Ukrainian authorities are investigating. Moscow has not yet commented.

The BBC has spoken to Ukrainian soldiers who withdrew from Avdiivka. Their testimony paints a picture of unresponsive commanders who refused their troops' desperate pleas to retreat as they were encircled by Russian troops.

When the order finally came, they say, it was too late and and they were completely surrounded.

A video posted by Russian military bloggers following the capture of Avdiivka appears to show the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers believed to have surrendered after Russian troops captured their position.

Ivan Zhytnyk, Andriy Dubnytsky and Georgiy Pavlov have been identified by relatives as the dead soldiers in the video.

The BBC has spoken to them and to other soldiers who were at the base - named "Zenith", on the south-eastern outskirts of Avdiivka - in order to reconstruct the chaotic events which led to their deaths.

For weeks, the fighters at the position had been waging an increasingly desperate battle to hold their position.

They had repeatedly asked their commanders to pull them out, fearing a full encirclement was imminent. But their requests were denied and they were told to wait.

On 13 February, the defenders of Zenith were finally ordered to withdraw to another position in Avdiivka but by then it was too late.

When the order to leave came, Ivan Zhyntyk, a paramedic, messaged his brother-in-law Dmitriy. "We were told to retreat and fight our way back. But behind us are [Russians]. I don't know what to do," he wrote.

Ivan and nine other men were tasked with attacking Russian positions and opening up a safe passage for the others. "They were the bravest ones," says Viktor Bilyak, a soldier from the 110th brigade who was in Zenith.

But the group was confronted by Russian artillery and forced to turn back. Only three managed to return to base.

Ivan was among them, but he was badly injured and collapsed in a field before reaching the base. Hours later, his comrades from the Zenith base tried to rescue him.

Viktor Bilyak and three others put him on a stretcher and started carrying him out, under relentless Russian mortar fire. One of the shells landed nearby. Viktor, wounded, was forced to return to the base. Georgiy Pavlov came out to replace him.

Viktor says the group was then attacked by two kamikaze drones. "Instead of one wounded, we got five more."

The soldiers eventually made it back to Zenith. Viktor and the soldiers' relatives say they were promised evacuation by their superiors, but it never arrived.

Later, Ivan called his commander to learn about evacuation. The voice on the radio told him to get out of Zenith on their own, as sending a rescue team was too risky.

"What about the wounded?" he asked. "Leave them behind," the voice instructed him.

"Everyone heard this conversation on radio and froze," Viktor recalls.

Those who could walk, including Viktor, left the base at night without their wounded brothers-in-arms.

"Under relentless fire, carrying the wounded in the darkness was not possible," he says.

They retreated in small groups. "The enemy opened fire with mortars, tanks, artillery, night kamikaze drones - all at once," said Viktor. A group walking behind him was hit by an artillery shell. None of them survived.

While Viktor and others were trying to reach their main position in Avdiivka, six people were left behind at Zenith.

Five were wounded and couldn't walk, including paramedic Ivan Zhytnyk, sniper Georgiy Pavlov and anti-tank fighter Andriy Dubnytsky. These men's bodies were later identified in the video posted by Russian bloggers.

One, Mykola Savosik, was not wounded but decided to stay with his comrades. He believed he would be taken as a prisoner of war, Viktor said.

The 110th brigade posted a message on their Facebook page saying that because of the full encirclement of Zenith, Ukraine had "contacted organisations that hold talks on prisoner exchanges" to assist their soldiers.

The Russian side reportedly agreed to evacuate the Ukrainian wounded and later exchange them.

This message was passed on to Ivan and others at Zenith a few hours before Russians arrived. They were instructed not to show any resistance and save their lives.

But Ivan told his brother-in-law on the phone that he didn't believe that Russians would "keep the wounded alive".

Around 11:15 on 15 February, Inna Pavlova received a message from her son Georgiy. "The Russians know that we are here alone," he wrote. She hasn't heard from him since.

Around that time, Ivan video-called his brother-in-law Dmitriy. In the middle of the conversation, a Russian soldier entered the building. "Put the gun away," a voice could be heard in the video, recorded by Dmitriy.

"Are they there?" Dmitriy asked Ivan. "Yes," Ivan quietly replied. At this point, Dmitriy stopped recording video, but the call continued for a couple of minutes longer.

"I saw a bearded man," Dmitriy recalls. "I asked Ivan to give him the phone. I wanted to ask them not to kill them. But I heard the voice say: 'Switch off the phone'."

Ivan's relatives were sure that he and other soldiers had been taken prisoner. "They didn't resist," says Ivan's sister.

On 17 February, Col Gen Syrskyi ordered a full withdrawal from Avdiivka in order to "preserve the lives … of servicemen". But it was too late for many soldiers, including the six who surrendered.

The following day, a video appearing to show their bodies was posted by Russian sources to social media.

Relatives of Ivan, Andriy and Georgiy say they have no doubt that they are the men who appear in the video.

"They were killed by the Russians," says Georgiy's mother, Inna Pavlova. "But our military leadership allowed it to happen."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68338550

Jimbuna

02-20-24, 07:34 AM

Putin loses another general in Ukraine as Russian troops swarm key city

One of Vladimir Putin's commanders in the war in Ukraine has died in hospital in occupied Crimea.

Colonel Magomedali Magomedzhanov was wounded in Ukrainian strikes in February having commanded the 61st Separate Kirkenes Red Banner Marine Brigade of the Northern Fleet.

He is originally from the Dagestan region Russia. Sergei Melikov, head of the region, said: "He died while performing his military duty in the Special Military Operation zone.

"This military operation was the fourth and, unfortunately, the last for the colonel."

Ukraine's military has claimed that Russia lost 17,000 men taking the area.

Dmitry Likhovy, Ukrainian military spokesman, said: "The losses of Russians around Avdiivka are colossal. My colleagues and I did the calculations and pulled up our archival records from the beginning of the year."

Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, confirmed on Sunday that the Russians had taken Avdiivka.

Russian media reported: "The minister of defence and the Chief of the General Staff are reporting to the president that our units are developing an offensive and are not allowing the enemy to gain a foothold on new lines."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Kyiv's lack of ammunition for the setback.

He also used his speech to invite Donald Trump to the frontlines and see the realities of the war.

Zelesnky said: "If Trump (comes) to Ukraine, I am ready to go with him to the front line."

Republican Party lawmakers have tried to block further military support to Ukraine.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/putin-loses-another-general-in-ukraine-as-russian-troops-swarm-key-city/ar-BB1ixA7f?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=bd6feb5510ce4a20a0395837bf8b06a8&ei=43

mapuc

02-20-24, 10:20 AM

Says no-well does this make him a Russian spy ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt_I55gGHYA&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Skybird

02-20-24, 11:02 AM

As one comment put it: if he is not a Russian agent then at least he is a Russian asset.

mapuc

02-20-24, 11:48 AM

As one comment put it: if he is not a Russian agent then at least he is a Russian asset.

He could also be in support of the Russian war in Ukraine.

If he should be a spy after all he must be prosecuted and even so if he is a Russian asset.

If he only support Russia then he should step down.

Markus

Jimbuna

02-20-24, 11:54 AM

U.S. to announce ‘major sanctions package’ on Friday over Navalny’s death

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Tuesday that the U.S. plans to announce a “major sanctions package” on Friday, seeking to hold Russia responsible for the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

No further details about the measures were available at the time of writing.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday that “Putin is responsible” for Navalny’s death.

The Kremlin has rejected such allegations, with the Russian foreign ministry calling the reaction from some world leaders “self-exposing,” given that no forensic medical examination has yet been made available.

mapuc

02-20-24, 02:41 PM

Several companies are sending goods by train through Russia after shipping companies do not sail through the Red Sea. Danish transport companies are turning a blind eye

https://ekstrabladet-dk.translate.goog/penge/efter-houthi-kaos-koerer-fragten-gennem-rusland/10134063?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=da&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Markus

mapuc

02-20-24, 03:39 PM

Tried to get this German link from the German newspaper die stern, translated without any success Hope there are some here who has better luck than me

It's a very interesting article.

https://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/ukraine--taurus-kehrtwende--ampel-fraktionen-erhoehen-druck-auf-scholz-34473170.html

Markus

Dargo

02-20-24, 03:41 PM

The Russians Got Cocky After Avdiivka, And Sent 70-Year-Old T-55 Tanks To Attack Robotyne. It Ended Badly.After a brutal, four-month defense against a Russian force 10 times its size, the Ukrainian army’s 110th Mechanized Brigade on Friday finally quit the ruins of Avdiivka, in eastern Ukraine just northwest of Russian-occupied Donetsk.

Avdiivka, with its once thriving heavy industry and pre-war population of 30,000, is the first significant Ukrainian city to fall to the Russians in nearly a year—and it’s no secret why. Russia-aligned Republicans in the U.S. Congress began blocking further U.S. aid to Ukraine starting in October.

The 110th Brigade fought until it ran out of ammunition. Ammunition the Americans once provided.

Sensing weakness as the 110th Brigade retreated, the Russian army attacked in several sectors along the 600-mile front of Russia’s two-year wider war on Ukraine.

But not every Ukrainian brigade is as tired, outnumbered and ammo-starved as the 110th is. Ukrainian forces not only held the line this weekend, they inflicted heavy casualties on the over-confident Russian brigades and regiments, including at least one unit that tried to assault Ukrainian positions in the south in un-upgraded, 70-year-old T-55 tanks.

That unit—apparently from the 42nd Motor Rifle Division—got wrecked as it crossed, from west to east, a mile of flat terrain separating Russian lines from positions held by the Ukrainian army’s 65th Mechanized Brigade in Robotyne, one of the larger settlements the Ukrainians liberated last summer.

The 65th Brigade threw everything it had at the Russian assault group, which numbered dozens of 41-ton, four-person T-55s, 13-ton MT-LB armored tractors with room for 13 people and 13-ton BMP fighting vehicles with space for 11.

Firing cluster shells and anti-tank missiles and flinging explosive first-person-view drones, the 65th Brigade defeated the attack—and exacted some revenge for the men and women of the 110th Brigade who died defending Avdiivka.

One Ukrainian drone struck the top of a BMP as several Russian soldiers rode on top of the vehicle. Another drone hit an MT-LB right behind the driver’s head, poking from the hatch. A T-55 ate an anti-tank missile. A few Russian infantry made it into a trench, only to come under fire from cluster shells dispensing scores of grenade-size submunitions... https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/02/19/the-russians-got-cocky-after-avdiivka-and-sent-70-year-old-t-55-tanks-to-attack-robotyne-it-ended-badly/?sh=1aa0056e2b60

Dargo

02-20-24, 03:46 PM

mapuc

02-20-24, 03:50 PM

and it’s no secret why. Russia-aligned Republicans in the U.S. Congress began blocking further U.S. aid to Ukraine starting in October.

A harsh accusation in which there isn't 100 % proof.

As mentioned before.

If he by any chances is or was a Russian spy or an asset then he must be prosecuted..*

He could also be in support of the Russians in Ukraine-if this is the case he should step down.

* It's up to the FBI to investigate such an allegation to see if there's 100 % proof.

Markus

mapuc

02-20-24, 03:52 PM

Maybe this helps https://www.ft.com/content/b43d62f0-5d19-4b95-8c03-b285d809cf6b?shareType=nongift

You have to subscribe in order to read the article.

On stern the article is free-sadly for most part here in German

Markus

Dargo

02-20-24, 04:12 PM

You have to subscribe in order to read the article.

On stern the article is free-sadly for most part here in German

MarkusThis one? https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-should-respond-to-navalny-death-by-sending-taurus-missiles-to-ukraine-says-top-lawmaker/

mapuc

02-20-24, 04:33 PM

This one? https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-should-respond-to-navalny-death-by-sending-taurus-missiles-to-ukraine-says-top-lawmaker/

Thank you Dargo.

Markus

Skybird

02-20-24, 04:42 PM

[FAZ] Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers may have been captured by advancing Russian troops during the retreat from the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, reports the New York Times, citing "senior Western officials and soldiers fighting for Ukraine".

Estimates vary, but two soldiers with "knowledge of the Ukrainian retreat" estimate that between 850 and 1,000 soldiers have been captured or are missing.

American military officials had not originally assumed that the withdrawal from Avdiivka was a serious strategic setback for Ukraine. However, the loss of hundreds of soldiers could change this due to the already dwindling morale within the Ukrainian troops.

mapuc

02-20-24, 06:42 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OWtjh1vIag&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Skybird

02-21-24, 06:24 AM

I do not watch talkshows, never, and have not seen this one either, but the summary mentions some input by a correspondent, Katrin Eigendorf, who is among the very few German correspondents I still care to listen to when they are in TV news. The contrast between her realistic remarks and the home-grown opportunistic "optimism" of the guests in the studio who try to find evasive actions allowing them to still reject reality taking place, is revealing.

https://www-focus-de.translate.goog/kultur/kino_tv/zdf-korrespondentin-schockt-mit-kriegsprognose-ukraine-kann-den-konflikt-nicht-mehr-lange-durchstehen_id_259689460.html?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de

Russia is on the road to winning this, and Ukraine's situation by now is utmost desperate: they are loosing. That simple it is. And if America and Europe do not get their acts together PRONTO and manage to get ahead of the limitations of current production limits for ammo and so forth, then it will be over this year. Irreversibly.Thats the grim essence of the current situation. Delivering 50 or 100 Taurus or not, will not make a difference. That is this naive belief in miracle weapons. It would take dozens of Taurus being fired in dozens per target, week for week, to make a difference. Hundreds and hundreds of Taurus.

Personally I am convinced by now that there is an unspoken deal betwee Russia and the West, that is that the West just acts "as if" it were serious, and Russia tolerates that as long as a really decisive treshhold level is not exceeded and its final victory is not seriously questioned. That way both sides aleady have agreed on ensuring a Russian victory at the end. That is the only conclusion that logically makes sense to me when assessing how the Western nations treat the war the past two years. And still refuse to push their production to the needed wartime standards, like Russia has done in full embrace of war.

And it implies that Ukraine was to be betrayed from beginning on. Which I already predicted to happen two years ago, so while I am still outraged I am not really surprised.

What already is more interesting for me to think about is to imagine what we will be in in 4-10 years. I see nothing that gives me encouragement.

mapuc

02-21-24, 09:02 AM

All those fine words from our leaders before and during the time of the invasion 2022. Worth absolutely nothing when it comes help them when needed most.

It sadden me that Russia gets away with their aggressions against an innocent country, who was in no way a threat to Russia.

As I see it now, Ukraine have some option left.
1. admit they are about to lose the war and start negotiation with Russia, where Ukraine gives these 4 oblast to Russia for the price of peace.
2. Hope for a miracle and continue fight the Russians
3. The west understand the huge price for Ukraine and the west if Russia win the war.

Third
I'm convinced that Putin will, after his election win, declare Ukraine war and thereby open op for million of reserves.

Markus

Armistead

02-21-24, 11:56 AM

Dargo

02-21-24, 12:38 PM

Iran sends Russia hundreds of ballistic missilesIran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, six sources told Reuters, deepening the military cooperation between the two U.S.-sanctioned countries.
Iran's provision of around 400 missiles includes many from the Fateh-110 family of short-range ballistic weapons, such as the Zolfaghar, three Iranian sources said. This road-mobile missile is capable of striking targets at a distance of between 300 and 700 km (186 and 435 miles), experts say... https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-sends-russia-hundreds-ballistic-missiles-sources-say-2024-02-21/

In the meantime, the West sends... none

https://i.postimg.cc/3wjR94qQ/ammunition.jpg

The irony that Ukraine is fighting the enemies of the West, Russia, Iran, China and North Korea but without the help of the West.

Figures :/\\!!
Parts Made by U.S. Companies Are Used To Build Russian Cruise Missiles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTFf-g48moM
North Korean missiles used by Russia against Ukraine contain US, European componentsA North Korean ballistic missile fired into Ukraine by the Russian military last month contained hundreds of components produced by companies in the U.S. and Europe, the Conflict Armament Research (CAR) organization announced in its February report. CAR, an organization based in the U.K., studied missile remnants recovered from a Russian attack on the city of Kharkiv back in January. Not only did many of the recovered components display brands of companies based primarily in the U.S., but a large number of them were produced within the last three years. Investigators determined that the North Korean ballistic missile included more than 290 non-domestic electronic components. According to CNN, around 75% of the missile components were designed and sold in the United States, and 16% of components were linked to companies in Europe. https://kyivindependent.com/north-korean-missiles-used-by-russia-against-ukraine-contain-us-and-european-components/

kpv1974

02-21-24, 12:44 PM

The West never gave Ukraine what it needed to fight the war, weapons that could actually end the war, long range platforms that could strike into Russia along with all the other battlefield stuff. I think it was just giving enough to put Russia through the meat grinder while spending billions to enrich defense contractors and line the pockets of a mass of corrupt people. Russia, China and friends are playing the long game for world domination while the West is imploding their nations with a mass of stupid progressive policies that pander to global corporatism. Another decade I imagine most of Europe will be bowing to Mecca and the US will become a Spanish speaking nation. Multiculturalism will finally implode the melting pot of the West.

The American seeds of democracy have not sprouted on the so-called Ukrainian soil.
When аmericans get into some regions on other continents, a bloody meat grinder always begins there.
The boomerang always returns to where it was launched from.

Dargo

02-21-24, 12:50 PM

The American seeds of democracy..."The American seeds of democracy" pfff The term democracy first appeared in ancient Greek political and philosophical thought in the city-state of Athens during classical antiquity. Shortly after becoming independent in 1991, Ukraine named a parliamentary commission to prepare a new constitution, adopted a multi-party system, and adopted legislative guarantees of civil and political rights for national minorities. A new, democratic constitution was adopted on 28 June 1996, which mandates a pluralistic political system with protection of basic human rights and liberties, and a semi-presidential form of government.

kpv1974

02-21-24, 12:56 PM

"The American seeds of democracy" pfff The term democracy first appeared in ancient Greek political and philosophical thought in the city-state of Athens during classical antiquity. Shortly after becoming independent in 1991, Ukraine named a parliamentary commission to prepare a new constitution, adopted a multi-party system, and adopted legislative guarantees of civil and political rights for national minorities. A new, democratic constitution was adopted on 28 June 1996, which mandates a pluralistic political system with protection of basic human rights and liberties, and a semi-presidential form of government.

Your diplomats always mention this term. They also wanted to bring democracy to Afghanistan. But it somehow didn’t take root there. I had to retreat. Don't waste expensive tomahawks on adobe huts. LOL
PS: After the Russians left Afghanistan, they left behind infrastructure - they built houses, shops, cultural centers. All this was left to the Afghans people.
What did the Americans leave behind in Afghanistan? Only scorched areas.

Dargo

02-21-24, 01:12 PM

Your diplomats always mention this term. They also wanted to bring democracy to Afghanistan. But it somehow didn’t take root there. I had to retreat. Don't waste expensive tomahawks on adobe huts. LOL
PS: After the Russians left Afghanistan, they left behind infrastructure - they built houses, shops, cultural centers. All this was left to the Afghans people.
What did the Americans leave behind in Afghanistan? Only scorched areas.There are no American troops in Ukraine, Ukraine does not ask the West to fight for them, they want to defend their own democracy they only ask to give them the tools to defeat the Russian authoritarian system.

Skybird

02-21-24, 01:17 PM

kpv1974,

Ukrainians wanted freedom from Russia in 2014, they did not need anyone seeding democracy. When they did voice their will, the Moscow-loyal puppet president gave the order to start shooting at them on the Maidan after he betrayed after the elections his promises to bring Ukraine closer to the eU, the promise that he got voted for in the first, and which Ukrainians by overwhelming majority wanted. But he wanted to kick them back into Moscow'S orbit again. After the Maidan resistence, and the people who got murdered there by Moscow loyalists and Russian agents, Moscow started the now ten year long war against Ukraine, determined to use force to bring it back into its possession, and it invaded Crimea and the Donezk area later on.

And the West did nothing in both cases, which is the big guilt we must confess to.

Leave your fascist propaganda and your lies about how much you Russians bring democracy and freedom to Ukraine for the likes of yours. In this forum, nobody will give a damn for your murderous defence of genocide, war crimes, torture, mass rapings, and mass assassinations. Next you want to tell us that Stalin was a man loving humanist and meant it only well with the millions of Ukrainians (and Russians) he killed, eh? The Ukraionains desperately fight agaiunst you, and that says all ther eis to know about your relation woith them. You are not wanted. Never were, btw. You are the brutal villains in this story.

Your Russia is not the liberator of Ukraine. Your Russia is the Nemesis of it, and many other people. You stand on the evil side of history. There is no glory and no pride in your cause. Just darkness, brutality, inhumanity, and pain.

kpv1974

02-21-24, 01:26 PM

There are no American troops in Ukraine, Ukraine does not ask the West to fight for them, they want to defend their own democracy they only ask to give them the tools to defeat the Russian authoritarian system.
I wonder - if the Russians give some fanatical Mexicans “just weapons” so that they kill Americans on the Mexican-American border, how will this be regarded? As a gesture of goodwill?

Don’t be naive - “Patriots” SAM Systems, are themselves managed by specially trained specialists. Ukrainians do not have such specialists. Where do they come from?

Dargo

02-21-24, 01:31 PM

I wonder - if the Russians give some fanatical Mexicans “just weapons” so that they kill Americans on the Mexican-American border, how will this be regarded? As a gesture of goodwill?

Don’t be naive - “Patriots” SAM Systems, are themselves managed by specially trained specialists. Ukrainians do not have such specialists. Where do they come from?Let that now be true, Russia is interfering with immigration on the Mexican-American border, LOL stupid is stupid.

kpv1974

02-21-24, 01:35 PM

There are no American troops in Ukraine, Ukraine does not ask the West to fight for them, they want to defend their own democracy they only ask to give them the tools to defeat the Russian authoritarian system.

kpv1974,

Ukrainians wanted freedom from Russia in 2014, they did not need anyone seeding democracy. When they did voice their will, the Moscow-loyal puppet president gave the order to start shooting at them on the Maidan after he betrayed after the elections his promises to bring Ukraine closer to the eU, the promise that he got voted for in the first, and which Ukrainians by overwhelming majority wanted.

He also broke his promise not to sever ties with Russia. This was his election promise to his electorate. He wanted to sit on 2 chairs. He lied to the Ukrainians that he would bring them into the European Union, there would be good subsidies (as Poland received from America in his time). And at the same time, he accepted financial tranches from Putin, which ended up in his pockets.

kpv1974

02-21-24, 01:38 PM

Let that now be true, Russia is interfering with immigration on the Mexican-American border, LOL stupid is stupid.

In fact, Russia does not care about the Mexican-American border - you noticed this correctly.
But for some reason the Russian-Ukrainian border is very important to Americans.
Dunning-Kruger effect ?

Dargo

02-21-24, 01:40 PM

Outgunned Ukraine bets on drones as Russian invasion enters third yearOver the past two years, the Ukrainian military has managed to incorporate drones with considerable success. This has often been done on a somewhat improvised basis, with separate UAV teams independently established as part of different units. Ukraine’s expanding drone capabilities have owed much to public fundraising efforts and contributions from diverse grassroots groups including volunteer networks. Meanwhile, a startup-style drone manufacturing and modification industry has emerged from within Ukraine’s vibrant tech industry.

The results have been impressive. During a single week in early 2024, Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov reported that the country’s drone units had destroyed 73 Russian tanks along with air defense systems, fuel storage depots, and multiple other high-value targets. Longer range drones are now being used to strike strategic targets deep inside Russia including military production sites and energy industry infrastructure. At sea, marine drones have helped break the Russian naval blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and have forced the bulk of Putin’s fleet to retreat from Crimea... https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/outgunned-ukraine-bets-on-drones-as-russian-invasion-enters-third-year/

Jimbuna

02-21-24, 01:59 PM

Putin launches war on Britain's fishermen: Russia signs UK fishing ban

The ban will see an end to a 70-year-old permission to fish along the coast of the Russian Kola Peninsula in the Barents Sea and to east of Cape Kanin Nos. Even during the Cold War, this agreement was upheld. The 71-year-old dictator's warships could now be used against any trawlers seeking to catch cod on Putin's doorstep.

One of Vladimir Putin's cronies said that it is president's idea to hit at the British. In Moscow, the ploy is seen as a masterstroke personally decreed by Putin, taking away one of the things Britain loves most. The speaker of the Russian parliament Vyacheslav Volodin, 60, said: 'Putin returned Crimea to Russia, and he will forever go down in history as the president who returned our territory.

'And it's him again, it's his decision exclusively - he gave us back our fish. 'Because it was eaten for 68 years by the unscrupulous British. 'They announced sanctions against us, but they themselves make 40 percent of their diet, their fish menu, from our cod. 'Now let them lose weight, get smarter.

According to Volodin, it's high time the ban comes in. He said: 'It's one of their favourite dishes. 'Now we have returned this favourite dish to them on the initiative of our President.' He claimed Moscow had been remiss in failing to earlier catch out the British. 'The agreement was made 68 years ago, in 1956.

'England was simply given it unilaterally and allowed to fish near our shores. 'And what did our country get? And why wasn't it decided to terminate the treaty earlier?' Moscow said it was taking the steps after Britain excluded Russia from the most favoured nation trading status in March 2023. Putin's regime was especially enraged by an additional 35 percent tariff on the import of certain Russian goods, including copper and vodka.

Britain said this was done to 'inflict maximum damage on the Russian economy while minimising negative consequences for the UK'. The 1956 deal led to a surge in UK fishing in the Barents Sea. In 1961, UK vessels caught 158,000 tonnes of cod in the Barents Sea. Nine years later this had risen to 181,000 tonnes, as the Cod Wars led to a cut in catches around Iceland.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/putin-launches-war-on-britain-s-fishermen-russia-signs-uk-fishing-ban/ss-BB1iF1vJ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=786a90ad89694d15b8b0b6ca682f0a6f&ei=18#image=8

kpv1974

02-21-24, 02:02 PM

Jimbuna

02-21-24, 02:03 PM

Dozens of Russian troops 'die in air strike'

At least 60 Russian troops have been killed after a training area in occupied eastern Ukraine was hit by two missiles, reports say.

Sources familiar with the situation told the BBC that troops had gathered at the site in Donetsk region for the arrival of a senior commander.

Video footage of the incident appeared to show large numbers of dead.

A Russian official confirmed that a strike took place but described the reports as "grossly exaggerated".

The attack reportedly came hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

At the meeting, Mr Shoigu claimed Russian successes in several areas of the front line and spoke of the recent capture of the town of Avdiivka, but made no mention of the Donetsk region incident.

Reports say members of the 36th motorised rifle brigade, normally based in the Transbaikal region of Siberia, were waiting for the arrival of Maj-Gen Oleg Moiseyev, commander of the 29th Army of the Eastern military region, at a training area near the village of Trudovske.

A soldier who survived the incident said during a video recording of the aftermath that the brigade's commanders had made them stand in an open field.

They were reportedly hit by two missiles fired from the US-made HIMARS launch system.

This and other videos and stills show dozens of soldiers apparently lying dead in a field. Estimates, including by those who survived, suggest at least 60 have died.

The BBC is working to verify the footage.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68358008

Jimbuna

02-21-24, 02:09 PM

I will be back here in exactly one year. :D

To look at all your disappointment.

One year ago, there were pretentious speeches here, like now Ukraine, with Western help (weapons, money, mercenaries) will defeat Russia.
But so far, something is not happening.

The stage of recognizing a fact moves from indignation to the stage of accepting reality as it is.

Good victories to you in Europe, gentlemen, sofa admirals.:Kaleun_Salute:

And I'll be here awaiting your return.

Keep one thing in mind though....you are entitled to an opinion on here provided it is not seriously inflammatory without running the risk of being murdered.

Dargo

02-21-24, 02:31 PM

Avdiivka: Withdrawal always a big riskDuring the withdrawal from the city of Avdiivka, hundreds of Ukrainian military personnel were reportedly captured by the Russians or disappeared, The New York Times reported yesterday, based on Ukrainian military and senior Western officials. They said the withdrawal was unnecessarily chaotic. "Should the news be true, it is not easy," said Professor of War Studies Frans Osinga as well. Still, according to him, a withdrawal is always a complex operation. "You are evacuating troops and at the same time you have to stop the opponent. A retreat is always extremely difficult. There is a high risk of leaving people behind. It is a calculated risk." Former Army Commander in Chief Mart de Kruif also said some perspective is in order regarding the loss of troops. "What Ukraine may have lost now, the Russians lost on one day in November in Avdiivka." Osinga points out that just yesterday, Russia lost 1,000 men and Ukraine lost 500 to 1,000 men daily at the beginning of the war.

The withdrawal from the city in the eastern part of the country last weekend was done to avoid trapping many Ukrainian troops, Osinga explained. Had they stayed, the loss might have been much greater. "The encirclement of that area had been going on for some time. On the Ukrainian side, there was rationing of artillery shells." Ukraine, he said, weighed the risks. "The fall of Avdiivka was unavoidable," said De Kruif. "But directing a withdrawal is very difficult. Especially if your opponent is firmly pressing on. Then you can just end up in chaos, which is characteristic of war." "Every defeat is bad news," says De Kruif. "The main question is whether the withdrawal was a plan by the Ukrainian army, or whether they were caught off guard by the massiveness of the Russian attack." Neither option is good for morale, says the former commander, although the second scenario would be worse. "Then something went wrong in the collection and interpretation of intelligence," which would not help confidence in one's leadership.

Osinga calls the loss of military personnel demoralizing for both sides. "But what adds to that for Ukraine is the lack of more Western support." The lack of war material obviously has an impact, according to De Kruif. "Not immediately on the fighting at Avdiivka itself, but on the question: where do you, as a Ukrainian army, want to fight a decisive battle given the scarce resources? You don't do that at Avdiivka, but you save for a decisive fight later." The lack of U.S. support in particular is playing tricks on Ukraine, Osinga said. "Bizarre what is happening there. Perhaps Ukraine has enough for now, but they don't know about future munitions."

President Putin said yesterday that Russian troops will further invade Ukraine now that Avdiivka has fallen. "It's hard to give value to what Putin says, certainly operationally," said De Kruif. "But that Russia is going to try to resume the offensive is clear to me." De Kruif envisions "an advance toward Kharkiv," where the Ukrainian military is building more and more defensive positions. According to Osinga, Russia is applying pressure on the eastern front at five points. "It is not clear how much strength is behind them. Nor do we know how strong Ukraine's defences are." The professor believes that neither Russia nor Ukraine has "the ability to actually force a breakthrough and then exploit it." https://nos.nl/artikel/2509841-oekraiense-militairen-vermist-na-val-avdiivka-terugtrekken-altijd-groot-risico

Dargo

02-21-24, 02:36 PM

I will be back here in exactly one year. :D

To look at all your disappointment.

One year ago, there were pretentious speeches here, like now Ukraine, with Western help (weapons, money, mercenaries) will defeat Russia.
But so far, something is not happening.

The stage of recognizing a fact moves from indignation to the stage of accepting reality as it is.

Good victories to you in Europe, gentlemen, sofa admirals.:Kaleun_Salute:Rather be gentlemen, sofa admiral, than a useful idiot!

mapuc

02-21-24, 03:14 PM

Rather be gentlemen, sofa admiral, than a useful idiot!

That was not a nice word to say.

He is entitled to his opinion-In which I disagree.

I'm one of those who is keeping the faith in that our leaders here in the west will come to their senses and start to send a lot of materials such as weapons, ammo and other important stuff to fight the invaders

Markus

mapuc

02-21-24, 03:52 PM

A good question-How can Ukraine by them self keep up with the mighty Russian industry and war machine and they are even getting supply from Iran and NK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLS9Avoizhs&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Dargo

02-21-24, 04:08 PM

A good question-How can Ukraine by them self keep up with the mighty Russian industry and war machine and they are even getting supply from Iran and NK.

MarkusUkraine started to become more non-dependent on war production from the West in 2023 like with drones that became more important in warfare, 90% are Ukrainian-made drones. There are several contracts signed to build factories to produce munition, vehicles and other material if it is enough can not say. Btw, those 30k are sent in monthly without proper training, equipment, support to their KIA, WIA or MiA every month.

The Z head mil blogger who shot himself after reporting we lost 16,000 capturing Avdiivka would’ve shot himself again if he reported the actual number. https://twitter.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/1760313731320283444

It is rumoured it was twice in the back of a headshot.

Dargo

02-21-24, 04:58 PM

Canada set to help bankroll massive ammunition shipments to UkraineCanada has signalled it's prepared to get behind a Czech Republic initiative to ship tens of thousands of artillery shells from different countries to Ukraine on an urgent basis. Although the details are still being finalized, defence sources say the federal government could contribute as much as $30 million to the plan, which was proposed at the opening of the Munich Security conference by Czech Republic President Petr Pavel. Pavel's government said it has been able to source up to 800,000 shells of NATO-standard calibre, along with shells of other calibres, from unidentified, non-NATO countries. It says it needs financial support to get the ammunition to Ukraine. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ukraine-russia-canada-artillery-shells-1.7120329

Bloomberg: Ukraine nears agreement with IMF on $900-million trancheUkraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are moving closer to an agreement to disburse $900 million to Kyiv from its $15.6 billion loan as U.S. aid remains stalled, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 21, citing unnamed officials familiar with the talks. Ukraine expects to reach an agreement as early as Feb. 22 after two weeks of discussions about the government's ability to finance operations in the event further U.S. funding fails to pass in Congress, according to Bloomberg’s sources. An IMF spokesman told Bloomberg that its team is currently in Warsaw for talks with Ukrainian officials and that further details were forthcoming. This would be the first of four disbursements Kyiv expects this year, totaling $5.4 billion. The IMF approved an agreement with Ukraine for four-year financing aid worth about $15.6 billion in late March 2023. It was the first time the IMF lent to a country during a war... https://kyivindependent.com/bloomberg-ukraine-nears-agreement-with-imf-on-900-million-tranche/

mapuc

02-21-24, 05:46 PM

Ukraine started to become more non-dependent on war production from the West in 2023 like with drones that became more important in warfare, 90% are Ukrainian-made drones. There are several contracts signed to build factories to produce munition, vehicles and other material if it is enough can not say. Btw, those 30k are sent in monthly without proper training, equipment, support to their KIA, WIA or MiA every month.

The Z head mil blogger who shot himself after reporting we lost 16,000 capturing Avdiivka would’ve shot himself again if he reported the actual number. https://twitter.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/1760313731320283444

It is rumoured it was twice in the back of a headshot.

The most important questions are - Is it enough and in time ?

Yes Russia is sending 30.000 men into the meat grinder-However Ukraine loses a couple of thousand soldiers for each of these 30.000. Ukraine can't afford to lose this number each month.

It's good that Canada and other countries are sending a huge stockpile of shells to the Ukrainian army.

Markus

Dargo

02-21-24, 06:02 PM

The most important questions are - Is it enough and in time ?

Yes Russia is sending 30.000 men into the meat grinder-However Ukraine loses a couple of thousand soldiers for each of these 30.000. Ukraine can't afford to lose this number each month.

It's good that Canada and other countries are sending a huge stockpile of shells to the Ukrainian army.

MarkusDo not know exact loses of Ukraine but a lot of companies still investing in Ukraine so it will not be so great that Ukraine will lose this in the short run why you would invest millions into Ukraine if you do not get the real picture you do not invest in a lost cause. That huge stockpile of shells is 800,000 that could be in Ukraine in weeks, this could change the momentum for Ukraine and what I read the Czech government only asked money for the transport of these shells one country almost located a promise the EU could not meet in time my bet is most of these shells are from South Korea.

Skybird

02-21-24, 08:10 PM

800,000 that could be in Ukraine in weeks, this could change the momentum for Ukraine
Jetzt bleib mal auf dem Teppich, it only fixes the most urgent imminent needs, and only for a short period of time. Ukraine is outgunned regarding shells fired per day by a factor between 1:5 and 1:10, and if Russia fires 50,000 shells per day as is in the range of reported numbers, that means it fires 1,500,000 per month. The Canadian delivery covers two weeks in comparison. A momentum change looks differently. ;) Ukriane also said that ti will not seek an offensive this year, but hunker down. The ammo will last longer if they do not seek total parity with the Russian shelling.

By which I mean the momentum is with the Russians now, and it will most likely stay like this for much if not all of this year at least. Currently I see no development, even over the comign year, that tells me that Ukraine could ever launch an offensive like last year again. I base on what is to be seen on the gorund. I dont see it coming.

BTW, Ukraine also is "outdroned" now by Russia, both in operating dornes and drone numbers produced. Even technologically the Russian drones have taken the lead. Say the Ukrainian field commanders, not me.

Lastly, Ukraine is outmanned. Many of their surviving troops are conbstantly fighting since two years now. Exhaustion must take its toll, moral must be suffering, they are no supernatural beings, only humans. Also, public support is shaking. The people are slowly turning more and more against Zelenskji. The constant bombing of civilian targets, the constant air and missiles raids and alarms night by night: after 2 years this takes its toll, too.

The Russian were very slow to realyl get into thsi fight. But now they are in it, and make all their numerical supeirority and insurtoal weight felt. Ukraine'S chance was to decisively beat them and throw them out in the beginnign, when they still were not really in the war. Now its too late, I think. Western hesitation and wasting of time plays a key role in this developement. Nobody speaks of "boiling the frog anymore", the frog has already jumped out and now is very angry. Undecided Germans! Super-clever Americans! Putin thanks you both!

We could have done so much more. We did not. We could have started to adapt our industrial policies already 18 months ago and earlier. We still reject to do it. We could have come to our senses meanwhile. We still do not want that, but still stick to precious illusions. The alarm clock went off already ten years ago, and even before that: Syria, Chechnya, Georgia. We still prefer to pull the pillow over our ears.

Reisner is right. He simply is right with practically all he said.

We have lost our last marbles.

Dargo

02-21-24, 08:25 PM

Jetzt bleib mal auf dem Teppich, it only fixes the most urgent imminent needs, and only for a short period of time. Ukraine is outgunned regarding shells fired per day by a factor between 1:5 and 1:10, and if Russia fires 50,000 shells per day as is in the range of reported numbers, that means it fires 1,500,000 per month.

BTW, Ukraine also is "outdroned" now by Russia, both in operating dornes and drone numbers produced. Even technologically the Russian drones have taken the lead. Say the Ukrainian field commanders, not me.Russia in 2023 produced roughly 2 million 152mm and 122mm artillery shells, so somewhere the maths wrong even with North Korea supply. If Ukraine is out droned, why do we see so many vehicles being destroyed by them, this is confirmed by drone footage and satellite images. You can say this is all propaganda, but it is all confirmed by western intelligence, all Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) that spent 24/7 to annualize this even Russian military bloggers ( Yesterday one of them committed suicide because he posted the real figures about the loses in Avdiivka shot in the back of his head twice https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/02/21/pro-war-russian-blogger-commits-suicide-reports-a84184 ) confirm this, the figures that Ukraine claims are not so off the charts.

Skybird

02-21-24, 08:52 PM

I did not say Ukrainians do not ty to fight back, and with lcoal success, I say we hear little on their losses, and we see many reports from their troops in the field saying that they are beign outgunned and outdroned now.

The troops fighting in the field are the experts I respect most to assess how they do against russians now. And they voice a lot of frustration, and say they are practically under drone attack and drone surveillance now all day long, every minute, every hour. They say they can currently not compete with the numbers of drones Russia can field. And that Russia can repalces its drone losses much faster than Ukraine can. Ukrainainas imrpoivse their dornes. Russian mass-produces them on a now industrial basis! ;)

I think it was OSINT that admitted already in the first half last year that they can no longer keep up with analysing the loss numbers and individually confirming them, they even wasnted to stop their work for that reason, and admitted that their numbers probably are no longer even near to reliability. And Ukraine wages propaganda wars, too, and Western intelligence will not give away bad news easily as well. Ukraine hides its own losses as good as it can, as does Russia. For example the losses and troops left behind in Avdijivka by now are said to have been several factors higher than was initially reported. The Americans no longer support their initial assessment that it was a well-planned withdrawel with no longterm strategic meaning. Ukrainian sources -witnesses - also confirm that it was a debacle unfolding in haste. A total mess.

I understand the official Ukrainian position and the motivation behind their propaganda. But nevertheless it is - propaganda. They want to make the world believe what is most useful for them. And who wants to cdriticise them? They are standing with their backs against the wall, and their situation gets more desperate every week.

As I see it they are close to breaking point, and if there comes no miracle, it nwill happen this year. Reisner said a few days ago the Russian had increased in recent days the front sectors where they push enduring advances from 6 to 15, at the time he said that it was 6km deep and more . And the Ukrainians are super-short on ammo. That are 15 chances to achieve indeed a decisive break into the front that could lead to an operational breakthrough. And that in itself could break the Ukrainians' back.

And please nobody should start telling all the things again what the Russians are claimed they cannot do. If the prophets and optimits would have been rught, Russia would be economically broke by now, the ukrainians would stand at the sea of Asov and Russians would be fleeing in wild flight eastwards. Instead the Russians not only held their lines, but advance in at least 15 frontal sectors, and have practically neutralised all small territorial gains Ukraine scored last year.

Have people already forgotten what Zalushnji wrote in The Economist? Obviously he saw something so alarming that he even risked the open confrontation with Zelensklji, his superior.

Colonel Reisner: "Wir lieben es, zu hören, was wir gerne glauben wollen." He does not talk that sort of sugar talk. Nor do I.

Dargo

02-21-24, 09:28 PM

The Russian defence industry cannot produce as many shells as their military uses up, and most of the tanks that Russia fields are older models. The Russian military faces problems, with its professional army largely destroyed in the first year of war, it resorts to using waves of untrained conscripts. You can capture cities, but breaking thought in open fields with untrained conscripts against natural and men made defence lines is suicide. Russia doesn't have the strength to achieve the strategic goals in their entirety this year. Like they could not win WWII without the land lease from the US, what they now get from their allies is peanuts what the US gave in WWII. After Stalin the decline of Russia went worse and when Putin toke over the kleptocracy went FUBAR Russia does not need sanctions it is capable to destroy its own economy themselves at the needs of Putin and his gang.

August

02-21-24, 11:33 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgBBLX9h8Zs

Skybird

02-22-24, 08:55 AM

The Bundestag debated about the Ukriane war and wepaon deliveries for Ukraine. It then voted by majority against the delivery of Taurus.

Jimbuna

02-22-24, 09:12 AM

The Bundestag debated about the Ukriane war and wepaon deliveries for Ukraine. It then voted by majority against the delivery of Taurus.

No big surprises there then :hmmm:

mapuc

02-22-24, 09:21 AM

The Bundestag debated about the Ukriane war and wepaon deliveries for Ukraine. It then voted by majority against the delivery of Taurus.

What about other weapons and ammo ?

Markus

Jimbuna

02-22-24, 09:35 AM

Pro-war Russian blogger who revealed huge Avdiivka losses dies by suicide

Andrey Morozov, a prominent pro-war Russian blogger, has reportedly died by suicide following outrage over a post in which he claimed that the Russian army lost 16,000 soldiers during the capture of the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka.

Morozov, who went by the pseudonym Murz on Telegram, was an ultra-nationalist commentator who fought alongside Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and participated in Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

On Sunday, Morozov wrote to his 120,000 followers on Telegram that Russia lost 16,000 personnel and 300 pieces of armour during its months-long capture of Avdiivka. The post drew heavy criticism from senior Russian propagandists, who accused the blogger of “slandering the Russian defence ministry”.

In Morozov’s final messages on Tuesday morning, he announced his suicide and said he was pressured by his superiors to delete the post detailing the number of casualties in Avdiivka. Several people close to Morozov on Tuesday confirmed his death, with some saying that he had shot himself.

Triggered in part by the rebellion by then-Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin last year largely cracked down on voices such as Morozov, who once was part of a loud group of ultra-nationalist hawks who criticised Moscow over shortages of weapons and accused the Russian military leadership of hiding the true death toll among its forces.

Russia hides its war losses and the true casualty toll from its invasion of Ukraine remains a secret, though western officials believe the war has cost the country more than 315,000 dead and injured troops.

Avdiivka, which once had a population of 32,000, fell to Russia on Saturday, presenting Vladimir Putin with his biggest battlefield victory since Russian forces captured the city of Bakhmut in May 2023.

The city holds particular symbolism for Russia as it was taken in 2014 by Moscow-backed separatists who seized a swathe of eastern Ukraine but then recaptured by Ukrainian troops.

Russia’s manpower and artillery advantage overwhelmed Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka, but Moscow appears to have incurred a staggering number of casualties during the offensive.

The UK Ministry of Defence earlier estimated in a military briefing that Russia lost at least “400 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and other hardware, as well as likely thousands of personnel” during the campaign to capture Avdiivka.

Ukraine said that more than 17,000 Russian soldiers were killed in the five months-long fight for Avdiivka, a figure that closely matches the estimates made by Morozov.

Ukraine too suffered heavily during the defence of the city.

Citing western officials, the New York Times on Tuesday reported that hundreds of Ukrainian troops may have been captured by Russian units during Ukraine’s retreat from the city.

Ukraine has blamed the fall of Avdiivka on US failure to approve a critical aid package, amid fears in Kyiv that Russia will press on with its offensive with Ukrainian troops short of shells and vulnerable to Russian airstrikes.

“We wouldn’t [have lost] Avdiivka if we had all the artillery ammunition that we needed to defend it. Russia does not intend to pause or withdraw. … Once Avdiivka is under their control, they undoubtedly will choose another city and begin to storm it,” Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said.

Putin on Tuesday said his troops would push further into Ukraine to build on their success on the battlefield.

“As for the overall situation in Avdiivka, this is an absolute success, I congratulate you. It needs to be built on,” Putin told his defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, in the Kremlin.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/21/pro-war-russian-blogger-who-revealed-huge-avdiivka-losses-dies-by-suicide

Jimbuna

02-22-24, 09:45 AM

How two years of war in Ukraine changed Russia

As I stood watching Russians laying flowers in memory of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a young man shared his reaction to Mr Navalny's death in prison.

"I'm in shock," he told me, "just like two years ago on 24 February: when the war started."

It made me think about everything that has happened in Russia these last two years, since President Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It is a catalogue of drama, bloodshed, tragedy.

Russia's war has brought death and destruction to Ukraine. The Russian military has suffered huge losses, too.
Russian towns have been shelled and come under drone-attack;
Hundreds of thousands of Russian men were drafted into the army;
Wagner mercenaries mutinied and marched on Moscow. Their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin later died in a plane crash.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russia's president for alleged war crimes.
Now Vladimir Putin's most vocal critic is dead.

24 February 2022 was a watershed moment.

But looking back the direction of travel had been clear. It was in 2014 that Russia had annexed Crimea from Ukraine and first intervened militarily in the Donbas; Alexei Navalny had been poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020 and jailed in 2021. Domestic repression in Russia pre-dates the invasion of Ukraine, but it has accelerated since.

As for Vladimir Putin, two years into this war he sounds increasingly confident and determined to defeat his enemies at home and abroad. He rails against America, Nato and the EU and presents Russia's war in Ukraine as a war on Russia by the "collective West", an existential battle for his country's survival.

How and when will it end? I can't predict the future. I can, however, recall the past.

In a cupboard at home recently I found a dusty folder with copies of my Russia despatches from more than 20 years ago: the early Putin years.

Sifting through them, it was like reading about a different galaxy light-years away.

"According to a recent poll, 59% of Russians support the idea of Russia joining the European Union…" I wrote on 17 May 2001.

"Nato and Russia are actively seeking closer cooperation: a sign to both sides that the real threat to world peace lies not with each other…" [20 November 2001]

So, where did it all go wrong? I'm not the only person wondering.

"The Putin I met with, did good business with, established a Nato-Russia Council with, is very, very different from this almost megalomaniac at the present moment," former Nato chief Lord Robertson told me recently when we met in London.

"The man who stood beside me in May of 2002, right beside me, and said Ukraine is a sovereign and independent nation state which will make its own decisions about security, is now the man who says that [Ukraine] is not a nation state."

Lord Robertson even recalls Vladimir Putin contemplating Nato membership for Russia.

"At my second meeting with Putin, he said explicitly: 'When are you going to invite Russia to join Nato?' I said, 'We don't invite countries to join Nato, they apply.' And he said, 'Well, we're not going to stand in line beside a bunch of countries who don't matter.'

Lord Robertson said he does not think that Putin really wanted to apply for Nato membership.

"He wanted it presented to him, because I think he always thought - and increasingly thinks - that Russia is a great nation on the world stage and needs the respect that the Soviet Union had," he told me.

"He was never going to comfortably fit inside an alliance of equal nations, all sitting round the table debating and discussing interests of common policy."

Lord Robertson points out that the Soviet Union was once recognised as the second superpower in the world, but Russia can't make any claims in that direction today.

"I think that sort of ate away at [Putin's] ego. Combine that with the feebleness, sometimes, of the West and in many ways the provocations that he faced, as well as his own growing ego. I think that changed the individual who wanted to cooperate with Nato into somebody who now sees Nato as a huge threat."

Moscow sees things differently. Russian officials claim it was Nato enlargement eastwards that undermined European security and led to war. They accuse Nato of breaking a promise to the Kremlin, made allegedly in the dying days of the USSR, that the alliance wouldn't accept countries previously in Moscow's orbit.

"There was certainly nothing on paper," Lord Robertson tells me. "There was nothing that was agreed, there was no treaty to that effect. But it was Vladimir Putin himself who signed the Rome Declaration on 28 May 2002. The same piece of paper I signed, which enshrined the basic principles of territorial integrity and non-interference in other countries. He signed that. He can't blame anybody else."

In the town of Solnechnogorsk, 40 miles from Moscow, the last two dramatic years of Russia's history are on display in the park.

I spot graffiti in support of the Wagner mercenary group.

There are flowers in memory of Alexei Navalny.

And there's a large mural of two local men, Russian soldiers, killed in Ukraine. Painted alongside is a Youth Army cadet saluting them.

In the town centre, at a memorial to those killed in World War Two and the Soviet war in Afghanistan, a new section has been added:

"To soldiers killed in the special military operation."

Forty-six names are etched into stone.

I ask Lidiya Petrovna, passing by with her grandson, how life has changed in two years.

"Our factories are now making things we used to buy abroad. That's good," Lidiya says. "But I'm sad for the young men, for everyone, who've been killed. We certainly don't need war with the West. Our people have seen nothing but war, war, war all their lives."

When I speak to Marina, she praises Russian soldiers she says are "doing their duty" in Ukraine. Then she looks across at her 17-year-old son Andrei.

"But as a mother I'm frightened that my son will be called up to fight. I want peace as soon as possible, so that we won't fear what comes tomorrow."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68359252

Skybird

02-22-24, 11:31 AM

What about other weapons and ammo ?

Markus

https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-bundestag-votes-against-taurus-missiles-to-ukraine/live-68334762

^ This may or may not trabslate into the dleuvery of MARS-II one day - or not. Who knows. The vote is not binding for the little Olaf. And sicne that is so, it all was stage thunder only, not projhetcing anything mnore or less than what already has been said, promised, planned, intended, announced...

What is desperately needed most is ammo for the air defences, and artillery ammo. These two before anything else. A significantly higher ammount of Russian drones and missiles seem to get through now because Ukraine lacks the missiles to shot them down.

Dargo

02-22-24, 11:46 AM

This is about "additional" long-range weapons systems and ammunition, not the Taurus cruise missile system that system will only have the go if the US sends long-range weapons systems if I understand the German politics right at the moment. Same as with the leopards this motion is not about other weapons or ammo, those packages are separate and already promised.

mapuc

02-22-24, 12:13 PM

Denmark has committed to helping Ukraine both militarily and financially for the next 10 years. Already now a package of 1.7 billion Danish kroner is being sent - Most of this is for the purchase of weapons and ammunition

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/denmark-pledges-to-support-ukraine-s-security-for-next-decade-1.2037911

Markus

mapuc

02-22-24, 12:23 PM

One has to laugh

Russia has never been richer after selling $37 billion in oil to India last year

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-economy-oil-sales-india-ukraine-war-moscow-western-sanctions-2024-2?_gl=1*czn64j*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTcwODU4NTU3NS40LjEu MTcwODU4NTc2NC41OS4wLjA.

Markus

Jimbuna

02-22-24, 12:48 PM

Alexei Navalny: Putin critic's mother says she has been shown his body

Alexei Navalny's mother has said she has been shown his body, but added that the Russian authorities were pressuring her to allow a "secret" burial.

In a video address, Lyudmila Navalnaya said she had been brought to a morgue where she signed a death certificate.

The former opposition leader's press secretary said a medical report presented to Ms Navalnaya stated he died of natural causes.

Navalny's widow has said he was killed by Russian authorities.

Lyudmila Navalnaya said the law required officials to hand over her son's body, but said that she was being "blackmailed" as they refused to do so. She alleged authorities were setting conditions for the burial of her son, including the place, time and manner of his burial.

She said: "They want to take me to the outskirts of the cemetery to a fresh grave and say: 'Here lies your son.'"

Ms Navalnaya, who travelled to the northern Russian town of Salekhard following the news of her son's death in a nearby penal colony, also said she was being threatened by the authorities.

"Looking into my eyes, they say that if I do not agree to a secret funeral, they will do something with my son's body.

Investigators told her, "Time is not on your side, the corpse is decomposing," she said.

Lyudmila Navalnaya was speaking in a video posted to her late son's YouTube channel, and finished the address by demanding his body be returned to her.

There was no immediate response from Russian authorities.

Navalny died in a prison colony on 16 February. Prison officials said he had fallen ill following a "walk".

But his widow Yulia Navalnaya has claimed that he was killed on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin and vowed to continue his struggle.

The Kremlin has denied the allegations, calling Western reaction to the death "hysterical".

In August 2020, the former opposition leader was poisoned using the Novichok nerve agent by a team of would-be assassins from the Russian secret services.

Airlifted to Germany, he recovered there before returning to Russia in January 2021, where he was imprisoned.

Attempts at commemorating his death have been met by a heavy-handed response from Russian authorities, with makeshift monuments cleared and hundreds arrested.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68374769

Jimbuna

02-22-24, 02:35 PM

Türkiye to assist US in increasing artillery ammunition production - Pentagon

Metal parts for 155-millimeter ammunition will be produced at facilities in the United States established in cooperation with subcontractors from the Turkish defense sector, according to Pentagon spokesman Jeff Jurgensen.

According to him, production is scheduled to begin by the end of 2025 at three plants in Texas.

He also adds that the contract for construction, installation, and subsequent production was signed with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems.

Jurgensen specifies that the ammunition plant would have a production capacity of 30,000 shell casings per month.

US cooperation with Türkiye

Earlier, US Ambassador Jeff Flake stated in his article that strong relations with Türkiye are important for Washington.
In the material titled "A strong relationship with Türkiye is in America’s best interest," he noted that the "transformation" of the Turkish defense sector is an integral part of the US defense supply chain and NATO's power.

Missiles for Ukraine

In early May 2023, the European Union and its allies agreed to allocate one billion euros for joint purchases of ammunition for Ukraine. It was planned that the EU countries would provide Ukraine with one million shells by March 2024. But so far, this plan has not been fulfilled.

Speaking in Munich, Czech President Petr Pavel said that Prague had found 800,000 shells that could be sent to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Recently, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also said that Europe has tripled its production of shells for Ukraine. In addition, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that Poland is considering more ammunition to help Ukraine.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/t%C3%BCrkiye-to-assist-us-in-increasing-artillery-ammunition-production-pentagon/ar-BB1iItlD?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=5dbfeacf106d4fe9a0daef4cf2fa4a50&ei=53

Dargo

02-23-24, 12:01 PM

Alexei Navalny: Putin critic's mother says she has been shown his bodyAn investigator called AlexeyÂ’s mother two hours ago and gave her an ultimatum. Either she agrees to a secret funeral without a public farewell within 3 hours, or Alexey will be buried in the colony. She refused to negotiate with the IC, as they are not authorised to decide how and where her son should be buried. She is demanding compliance with the law, according to which investigators are obliged to hand over the body within two days of establishing the cause of death. According to the medical documents she signed, these two days expire tomorrow. She insists that the authorities allow the funeral and memorial service to take place in accordance with normal practice. https://twitter.com/Kira_Yarmysh/status/1761051462837129537

Soldiers of the 47th Mechanized Brigade showed the combat use of their M1A1 SA Abrams tanks in the Avdiivka direction. Â“And while Russian invaders are trying to understand where Abrams tanks are, tankers of the 47th Mechanized Brigade have been Â“dismantlingÂ” Russian invaders and their equipment for molecules for more than a month,Â” the Brigade said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57HvGjrYvgg

The ukrainian 47th was never meant to ride Leopard 2A6 tanks, the brigade was designed to be equipped with US-supplied vehicles, including M1A1 Abrams tanks. However, the training took longer than expected, and the transfer of M1A1 Abrams tanks was not approved in time. Ukrainian command reassigned a tank battalion equipped with Leopard 2A6 tanks under the brigadeÂ’s command. They were attached to the 47th Mechanized Brigade for a more than half year, and operated alongside mechanized battalions of the brigade during the Ukrainian southern offensive and the defence of Avdiivka. The temporary assignment of Leopard 2A6 tanks is now over. The official representatives of 47th Mechanized Brigade confirmed that M1A1 Abrams tanks are in the service of the brigade. The Leopard 2A6 tanks have been assigned to 21st Mechanized Brigade, where they, together with Stridsvagn 122 tanks, will form a proper tank battalion of the brigade.

The Netherlands concludes ten-year security agreement with UkraineThe Netherlands and Ukraine are to sign a security agreement covering the next ten years. The agreement signals the Dutch government's commitment to provide enduring support to Ukraine in the areas of security, reconstruction and justice. The agreement means that the Netherlands will help Ukraine defend itself against Russia and achieve further integration into the EU and NATO.Our own security is closely intertwined with Ukraine's,Â’ said foreign minister Hanke Bruins Slot. Â‘Not for a single day can we afford to forget that the UkrainiansÂ’ brave fight is also our concern. Ukraine must be able to rely on our support, not only now but in the longer term too. This also sends a powerful signal to Russia, which is hoping that Western support for Ukraine will eventually dry up. Without that support, Ukraine as we know it would cease to exist. The Russian threat would come even closer, and the stability and security of our continent would come under serious pressure.On 12 July 2023, during the NATO summit in Vilnius, the Netherlands announced that it would seek to make bilateral security arrangements with Ukraine, following the example of the G7 countries. The Netherlands and Ukraine subsequently entered into talks to work out the details of these arrangements. The security agreement includes arrangements on military support in the medium and longer term, cooperation involving the defence industry, improving Ukraine's resilience Â– including its response to cyber threats Â– and improving interoperability between Ukraine's army and NATO troops.

The Netherlands and Ukraine also agreed to continue their joint efforts on recovery and reconstruction and on countering hybrid threats, to maintain their commitment to establishing truth and justice for all victims of the war, and to continue calls for sanctions that will increase the pressure on Russia. The official signing of the agreement will take place soon. https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2024/02/23/the-netherlands-concludes-ten-year-security-agreement-with-ukraine

mapuc

02-23-24, 12:48 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPUDSIreFdw&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

em2nought

02-23-24, 01:34 PM

The Netherlands concludes ten-year security agreement with UkraineThe Netherlands and Ukraine are to sign a security agreement covering the next ten years. The agreement signals the Dutch government's commitment to provide enduring support to Ukraine in the areas of security, reconstruction and justice.

All that "red light" stuff must be really profitable to the Dutch government. :D

Dargo

02-23-24, 01:56 PM

All that "red light" stuff must be really profitable to the Dutch government. :DHookers are included in this agreement, a mandatory article by Mark.

Jimbuna

02-23-24, 02:02 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdcdOcE_i24

Dargo

02-23-24, 02:28 PM

Another Russian A-50 AWACS plane gets shot down, some 250 km from the frontline, from Russian sources. https://t.me/fighter_bomber/15804The A-50 has been lost.

Who shot it down is unknown at this time. All speculation goes to the garden.
But 256 kilometers from LBS...

It's clear from this video that the crew had information that a missile was coming at them. They knew. They did what they could. What they had to.

Eternal flight.Ukraine's military intelligence have posted details of the downing today of another Russian A-50 spy plane. It was a new modernized Russian version of the aircraft - used for long-range radar detection, control & guidance for strikes on Ukraine with missiles from strategic aviation. They report the plane suffered a sharp drop in speed and height of the downed near the city of Yeysk, in Russia's Krasnodar region.

https://i.postimg.cc/JnRBcq1d/A50.jpg

As a result of a joint operation of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and the Air Force of Ukraine, another valuable Russian A-50U aircraft was shot down over the Sea of Azov. The destroyed A-50U is a new, modernized Russian version of the aircraft. This is an airborne command post used by the aggressor state for long-range radar detection, control and guidance for strikes against Ukraine with missiles from strategic aircraft. The downing of the A-50U is another serious blow to the potential and capabilities of terrorist Moscow. A sharp drop in the speed and altitude of the downed A-50U aircraft was recorded near the city of Yeysk. The cost of such a vessel, of which the aggressor state has only a few left, is $350 million.

Glory to Ukraine! https://gur.gov.ua/content/minus-a-50u-hur-ta-povitriani-syly-zbyly-cherhovyi-litak-rf.html

Russian state media agency TASS reports the aircraft crashed. Just like last time, Russian military bloggers claim this was a case of “friendly fire.” do not think Russia has his radar signature of his own and only operating aircraft as foe (friend-or-foe systems) in his anti-air defence system. But this plane crashed in Russia long distance from Ukraine, either Ukraine has longer reaching missiles or too much vodka is used. 7 left how many of these 7 are operational, do not know either how many crew they have for these kinda planes. These planes are important, they are the view into Ukraine airspace special with F-16s arriving you do not want to lose this airborne command centre (used for long-range radar detection, control and guidance for strategic air strikes on Ukraine) they are connected with their ant-air systems.

Now there are reports of Russia losing a Su-34 just now within Kherson Oblast. According to Russian media, a Russian Su-34 has disappeared from the radars after launching missiles on Ukrainian cities. It stopped being visible on the radars at an altitude of 2,000 over Genichesk region.

Jimbuna

02-23-24, 02:29 PM

US targets Russia with more than 500 new sanctions

The US has announced more than 500 new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

These include measures against Russia's main card payment system, financial and military institutions, and officials involved in Navalny's imprisonment.

The EU has also announced new sanctions on access to military technology.

The measures mark a week since Navalny suddenly died in an Arctic Circle jail.

US President Joe Biden, who met Navalny's widow and daughter in San Francisco on Thursday, has said there can be "no doubt" the Russian president was to blame for his death.

The newly-announced US measures also include nearly 100 firms and individuals which will also face export restrictions.

Others target the state-owned operator of Mir, Russia's main payment system, which has become more prominent since Visa and Mastercard suspended their services there.

Companies involved in powering Russia's war effort, developing the country's future energy production and its co-operation with Iran over drones will also be hit.

More than two dozen entities outside of Russia - including people in China, the UAE, Vietnam and Liechtenstein - have also been sanctioned, accused of being connected to businesses that send materials to Russia's military.

The sanctions are unlikely to have an impact on Russia's economy. It is already the most sanctioned country in the world, and there are very few key entities or sectors that are not already subject to US and European restrictions.

Russian banks and military-industrial enterprises have adapted, and developed workarounds to evade existing sanctions.

Ukrainian officials have published details of US and European microchips and other technology they have found in captured Russian drones. Many of these parts are imported to Russia from third countries such as China.

In a statement, President Biden said they new sanctions would "ensure" Russian President Vladimir Putin "pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home".

This latest package brings the number of entities sanctioned to over 4,000, and comes on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"Two years ago, he tried to wipe Ukraine off the map. If Putin does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he will keep going," Mr Biden said in the statement.

John Kirby, the spokesperson for the National Security Council, told reporters on Friday that the administration had plans for further action against Russia, but needed to work with international partners and gain greater legal authority from Congress to implement it.

The EU also announced its 13th raft of sanctions on Friday, targeting nearly 200 companies and people accused of helping Russia procure weapons, or of involvement in kidnapping Ukrainian children - something Moscow denies.

They included 10 Russian companies and individuals involved in the shipping of North Korean armaments to Russia, including North Korea's defence minister.

"We remain united in our determination to dent Russia's war machine and help Ukraine win its legitimate fight for self-defence," said EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell.

The EU has now listed more than 2,000 individuals since the war started.

In response, Russia's foreign ministry said it had significantly expanded a list of EU officials and politicians banned from entering Russia.

"The European Union is continuing its fruitless attempts to put pressure on Russia through unilateral restrictive measures," it said in a statement.

The Russian president himself was sanctioned by the US, EU and UK days after the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His assets were frozen and companies were banned from providing them with goods.

People close to him, including his daughters, are also under sanctions.

The International Criminal Court served Mr Putin with an arrest warrant last year, alleging he was responsible for war crimes and focusing on the deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.

Mr Putin regularly praises the performance of the Russian economy in spite of international sanctions."We have growth, [the West has] decline," he said last month during a visit to the remote Russian region of Chukotka. "They depend on us more than we depend on them."

Its economy is around 1% larger than it was in February 2022. Moscow can still find plenty of buyers for oil, gas and minerals, especially in Asia. But Western officials say this is a marathon, not a sprint, and sanctions can take years to show results.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68380251

Dargo

02-23-24, 04:24 PM

Hungary and Sweden agree on Swedish fighter planes: stepping stone to Swedish NATO membershipThe prime ministers of Hungary and Sweden reached an agreement in Budapest on the purchase and maintenance of Swedish fighter aircraft. Hungary has been leasing 14 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden since 2006. The Gripen are made by Sweden's Saab. This is a lease-purchase agreement: in 2026 the aircraft will come into Hungarian hands. Until then, the Swedes will help with maintenance and logistics. Now it has been agreed that Hungary will buy four more Gripen aircraft and that the maintenance period will be extended by 10 years.

This defence agreement shows that relations between Hungary and Sweden are slowly beginning to improve. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Sweden decided to give up its neutral position and join NATO, only member states Hungary and Turkey did not readily agree. Turkey has since withdrawn its objections. The Hungarian parliament is expected to approve Swedish membership on Monday. "If you are in NATO, you are willing to die for each other," Orbán echoed. "This requires mutual respect. That is why we have had a long and careful process to regain trust."

em2nought

02-23-24, 06:27 PM

US targets Russia with more than 500 new sanctions

For somebody who claims he can't do anything about our own lawless border, sleepy joe certainly seems to be able to do many things about other peoples' problems. :hmmm:

mapuc

02-23-24, 06:41 PM

https://www-dr-dk.translate.goog/nyheder/udland/fogh-vil-saette-haardt-mod-haardt-over-putin-vesten-skal-give-missiler-til-ukraine?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=da&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Markus

Reece

02-23-24, 07:07 PM

^ Lets hope something comes from that Markus, and soon! :hmmm:

Skybird

02-24-24, 05:02 AM

Today begins year 3 of the latest Russian assault on Ukraine. The war began in 2014.

Skybird

02-24-24, 07:37 AM

Armaments production is still sneaking around in a depressed state.

https://www-faz-net.translate.goog/aktuell/wirtschaft/unternehmen/ruestungsindustrie-der-grosse-wumms-ist-ausgeblieben-19541755.html?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de

This way its no way. Sorry dear West.

Jimbuna

02-24-24, 10:51 AM

President Zelensky has issued a rallying cry to people in Ukraine as the country marks the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Speaking from the site of a key early battle, Zelensky urged his country to keep fighting and said Russia could not destroy Ukrainian dreams.

It comes at a difficult time for Kyiv: over the past year Ukraine launched a failed counter-offensive on Russian-held territory.

Western leaders have laid wreaths in a ceremony in Kyiv as part of a visit to show solidarity.

Ukrainian forces have also withdrawn from the eastern town of Avdiivka in Russia's biggest victory since the fall of Bakhmut in May last year.

President Volodymyr Zelensky faces a tough challenge in ensuring international financial and military support for the war from Western allies continue.

However, Ukraine has successfully inflicted naval losses on Russia in the Black Sea and ended a blockade of its ports.

Jimbuna

02-24-24, 10:58 AM

Navalny's body returned to mother, spokeswoman says

The body of leading Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny has been returned to his mother, his spokesperson says.

It comes after she had reportedly been told to agree to a "secret" burial, or else he would be buried at the prison colony where he died.

In a post on X, Navalny's spokesperson Kira Yarmysh thanked everybody who had demanded the return of his body.

"The funeral is yet to take place," she wrote.

"We don't know whether the authorities will interfere with it being carried out in the way the family wants and as Alexei deserves."

Earlier on Saturday, Navalny's widow, Yulia, accused Vladimir Putin of holding her late husband's body "hostage" and demanded its release without conditions.

She again accused the Russian president of being behind the death of her husband.

The Kremlin has denied the allegations, calling Western reaction to the death "hysterical".

Dargo

02-24-24, 04:16 PM

Destruction of scarce A-50 to offer relief from Russian bombardmentWith fewer bombers dropping glide bombs, Ukrainian soldiers near Avdiivka are better positioned to hold ground. First of all, the Russian Armed Forces suffered a strategically significant loss of an A-50U Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft. This is already the second A-50 aircraft that Russians lost just over the last two months. For context, the radar on this aircraft helps Russians detect virtually any object within a 600-kilometer radius. The Russians had only a handful of such game-changing pieces of technology that allow them to assert local air superiority.

Today, the number of A-50 aircraft in the Russian arsenal has been reduced to seven, and with the current rate of losses, Russians will completely run out of them in just half a year. What makes the situation even worse is that Russians basically cannot produce new A-50 aircraft due to sanctions... https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/02/24/frontline-report-destruction-of-scarce-a-50-to-offer-relief-from-russian-bombardment/

Skybird

02-24-24, 04:21 PM

https://www-focus-de.translate.goog/politik/ausland/politik-transparent-die-expertise-von-thomas-jaeger-was-es-wirklich-bedeuten-wuerde-wenn-russland-den-krieg-gewinnt_id_259700492.html?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de

Conclusion: Around a third of the German electorate would not only accept, but actively support Russia winning the war.

Unlike the two thirds who feel threatened by Russia, they do not see Russia as a threat, but expect a new order to emerge in Europe in which the EU and NATO are overcome and nation states in competition with each other once again determine the European state order.

Russia's offer to nationalists and revisionists in Europe is that larger states will once again dominate smaller ones, just as Russia wants to dominate the continent.

For those who, like Russia, want to reverse the "territorial losses" of recent decades, and for those who adhere to national mythological ideologies, Russia is making a political offer that is simultaneously directed against the liberal and "woke" developments in the Western states. The unease felt by many about a confusing world is being used politically here to create a completely new order.

mapuc

02-24-24, 06:58 PM

Someone wrote that Russia had 7 of these AWACS left. According to this video title they have only 5 left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTk28CksUUQ&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Dargo

02-24-24, 07:10 PM

^7 of these planes are left Wikipedia has it on 7 it also updated their page on Friday with latest lose for Russia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beriev_A-50 of those 7 we do not really know how many are operational or have the crew (15) to operate.

Jimbuna

02-25-24, 09:25 AM

Four ways the war in Ukraine could end

Business Insider explored four ways in which the Russian invasion of Ukraine could be brought to an end based on a February 14th press briefing from experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Let’s look at the possibilities.

Ukraine holding out is the scenario that most Western officials are hoping for and if the country can draw Russia into a long war that Moscow eventually loses. But such a scenario would be dependent on help.

Ukraine is currently dependent on security and financial aid from the United States and its allies across the world. However, without help, it is likely that Kyiv won’t be able to hold off Russia's coming offensives in 2024.

Max Bergmann of CSIS believes that if Ukraine continues to receive security and financial help from its partners, like the US $60 billion dollar package currently working its way through Congress, then Ukraine can hold out.

"If that funding is passed, I have no doubt that Ukraine will be able to completely absorb the Russian offensive that is going on in 2024," Bergmann said during a February 14th briefing. "In fact, I would be quite optimistic about Ukraine's potential in 2025."

A Russian victory is most likely what will happen if Ukraine's partners and allies are not willing to continue backing the country up financially and militarily. Anything is possible in a war of attrition according to Eliot A. Cohen.

"In a war of attrition, lines can break if the attrited side is depleted enough. So I think that passing the assistance is really critical," Cohen explained But he also explained how a lack of help could lead to Russia’s victory.

Cohen used World War I as an analogy to help his audience understand how quickly a state at war can collapse when fighting an attritional war. "Nobody expected the war to end in November 1918,” Cohen explained.

“In September, even into early October, people [were] planning for the campaigns of 1919. And there was not just one collapse, but a set of collapses. I think something similar might happen in this case,” Cohen added.

A peace deal is a hopeful possibility but it's one that isn’t likely to happen unless Russia or Ukraine relaxes their demands. In November 2023, Ukraine put out a 10-point peace plan that included conditions Russia would not accept.

For example, the Kyiv Post noted the peace plan's fifth point included a reversion to Ukraine's 1991 borders, a commitment Russia isn’t likely to adhere to unless it outright lost the war. Point seven also outlines war crimes tribunals to prosecute Russian war crimes.

In December 2023, Putin vowed at an end of year press conference there would be no peace until the “denazification” and demilitarization of Ukraine was secured. Kyiv would also need to be a neutral country according to The Hill’s Reporting.

The final way the conflict in Ukraine could end is nuclear war. Officials in Russia like Putin and Dmitry Medvedev have made several nuclear threats ever since the conflict began, and it is a possibility that needs to be considered.

"What would that spell for Vladimir Putin's regime? I think the US has already communicated pretty forcefully that all bets are off if Russia were to use nuclear weapons," CSIS Senior Vice President Seth Jones explained.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/four-ways-the-war-in-ukraine-could-end/ss-BB1iHhSn?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=5c635bbe9c2141b3bbba4058288a87b0&ei=12#image=16

Jimbuna

02-25-24, 10:30 AM

Russia lost more tanks than it started the war with but its replacing them quickly

Russia has lost thousands of tanks since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine but understanding the country’s pre-war inventory and how it compares to what Moscow is fielding now is far more complicated than you think.

On February 13th, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, released its 65th annual ‘Military Balance’ report—and in the report, the think tank revealed Moscow’s staggering tank losses in Ukraine.

"Tank losses since the full-scale invasion began now likely top 3,000," explained Bastian Giegerich, the Director General of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), while speaking with reporters according to Newsweek.

"To put that in perspective, Russia's battlefield tank losses are greater than the number it had when it launched its offensive in 2022,” Giegerich added. But how was this figure determined and what does it mean for Russian power?

The IISS noted in a blog post on its new report that figures on lost Russian tanks and its other military vehicles came from a variety of sources, which included the Pentagon and the open source intelligence trackers such as Oryx.

Oryx is a Dutch intelligence project that has been tracking both Russian and Ukrainian equipment losses based on unique image and video evidence. As of February 18th, the group estimated Russia has lost 2,742 tanks in Ukraine.

The IISS noted that not all the images its analysts have examined equal a system being destroyed and added that its estimate of Russian tank losses in Ukraine also includes all of the tanks thought to be abandoned or damaged.

As of February 18th, 1,784 tanks had been destroyed since Putin launched his invasion while 150 had been damaged, 263 had been abandoned, and 540 had been captured. However, these figures may not be as worrying as you think.

Russia has been able to replace its losses and Henry Boyd, the IISS’s Senior Fellow of Military Capability, explained to Reuters that Moscow was able to produce roughly 1,000 to 1,500 tanks over the previous year. But there was one problem.

Many of the tanks replacing those lost in Ukraine have been of lesser quality according to Boyd. "Moscow has been able to trade quality for quantity... by pulling thousands of older tanks out of storage” Boyd explained.

Russia may have been replacing its lost tanks at 90 per month in some instances and it has allowed Moscow to break even. Boyd also noted that only roughly 200 of Moscow’s replacement tanks were newly built.

Boyd told Reuters that Russia’s store inventory "could potentially sustain around three more years of heavy losses and replenish tanks from stocks, even if at lower-technical standard, irrespective of its ability to produce new equipment.”

Ukraine may be able to keep destroying Russian tanks, but Moscow’s ability to replace its losses will eventually catch up as the war continues to grind both sides. At present, the IISS estimates Russia has 1,750 operational tanks of various models.

"Western governments find themselves once again in a position where they must decide whether to furnish Kyiv with enough weapons to deliver a decisive blow, rather than merely enough not to lose," Giegerich said according to Reuters.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/russia-lost-more-tanks-than-it-started-the-war-with-but-its-replacing-them-quickly/ss-BB1izsQ3?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=aa1d396fcd2847409021b7800af6cc55&ei=137#image=16

mapuc

02-25-24, 06:54 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGrcrj1C0IM&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Skybird

02-26-24, 11:44 AM

https://www-focus-de.translate.goog/politik/ausland/ukraine-krise/politik-transparent-die-expertise-von-thomas-jaeger-scholz-seltsames-verhalten-bei-taurus-er-weiss-etwas-was-wir-nicht-wissen_id_259706370.html?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de

What is so important that Scholz is prepared to pay such a high price in terms of his own reputation?

And no, I dont buy it is Russian threats to retaliate nuclear against Germany.
-----------------

The Hungarian parliament has approved the Swedish NATO membership. Sweden agreed to sell more Gripen, and to modernise the existing ones.

That was a long birth. Can we move on now, yes...?

Dargo

02-26-24, 12:01 PM

Germany secretly discusses with India the purchase of shells for the AFURepresentatives of the German Defence Ministry almost daily discuss ideas about where to find ammunition for Ukraine, Spiegel writes. According to experts, countries in Africa, Asia and the Balkan states may have stocks. India has "several hundred thousand artillery shells" in its arsenal, the publication notes. According to the sources, the Federal Republic of Germany is now holding secret talks with India on the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine's needs through intermediaries. Ukraine will receive 120,000 122-mm ammunition from Bulgaria as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Denmark, The Netherlands and Canada are working on the financing for 800,000 rounds of 155/122-mm ammunition. India but also African and Balkan countries might be an option, which still have quite large stocks of artillery ammunition stored. Most of them do not openly want to sell, but a solution through intermediaries is possible with a promise of discretion. Spiegel reports that these type of negotiations are already underway. https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/artilleriemunition-fuer-die-ukraine-europas-verzweifelte-jagd-nach-munition-a-e80d84c5-b95a-49ca-b100-9c4c8e147b2d

122-mm artillery shells are Soviet-era ammunition. They are used in D-30 howitzers and 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, which are widely used in the Ukrainian army. Bulgaria is a producer of shells of this calibre and one of the largest players on the world market in the Soviet weapons niche. The main producer of these shells in Bulgaria is the Dunarit plant in Ruse. It produces a wide range of Soviet-era artillery ammunition, including 122-mm separate loading rounds. However, due to the high demand for products caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war, Bulgaria is restoring other facilities that have been mothballed in recent decades. At the end of 2023, it was announced that after 35 years of inactivity, the Bulgarian plant in the city of Kostenets, owned by the TEREM state holding, resumes production of 122mm shells. This plant ceased production of 122mm shells in 1988. It is possible that with the new facilities, the new plant could have received a share of the German order for ammunition supplies for Ukraine.

Jimbuna

02-26-24, 12:07 PM

Zelensky says 31,000 troops killed since Russia's full-scale invasion

Volodymyr Zelensky says 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed during Russia's full-scale invasion.

The Ukrainian president said he would not give the number of wounded as that would help Russian military planning.

Typically, Ukrainian officials do not make casualty figures public, and other estimates are much higher.

It comes after the defence minister said half of all Western aid for Ukraine has been delayed, costing lives and territory.

Mr Zelensky said on Sunday that he was providing an updated death toll in response to the inflated figures that Russia has quoted.

"31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in this war. Not 300,000 or 150,000, or whatever Putin and his lying circle are saying. But each of these losses is a great loss for us."

Speaking about the wider losses in the war, Mr Zelensky said tens of thousands of civilians had died in the areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia but the true number was unknown.

"I don't know how many of them died, how many were killed, how many were murdered, tortured, how many were deported."

It is rare for Ukraine to provide a military death toll, and other estimates suggest a much higher number.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68397525

Dargo

02-26-24, 12:18 PM

The Hungarian parliament has approved the Swedish NATO membership. Sweden agreed to sell more Gripen, and to modernise the existing ones. That was a long birth. Can we move on now, yes...?Russia has added Avdiivka, NATO has added Sweden, the latter even joined voluntarily. :D Both turkey and Hungary played hard to bargain, but both got what they wanted everybody wins that's OK NATO has now a strong ally and controls another sea entrance of Russia win-win. Take the Swedish island of Gotland. It is in the middle of that Baltic Sea, facing the Baltic States and Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave. The island will be a strategic base of operations for NATO forces. Together with the Danes, the Swedes control a number of crucial shipping lanes for ships coming from Russia, for example in the Baltic or Baltic Sea. This will make it easier for NATO to monitor Russian ships, as well as to set up air patrols.

Finland and Sweden were neutral and independent. As a result, they greatly expanded their armed forces in all areas. They did not want to depend on other countries, which is often the case in Western Europe. We always thought it was better to spread tasks across countries. Now that it comes down to it, it turns out that we spread those defence tasks too much. Finland and Sweden, on the other hand, have fully equipped and robust armed forces. Finland, for example, still has reservists who can be called under arms. They are also close to the Baltic States. Should Article 5 of the NATO Treaty ever go into effect, we can now provide faster assistance to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Dargo

02-26-24, 12:36 PM

How the CIA Supports Ukraine – and Vice VersaThe New York Times published an investigative report on Sunday quoting anonymous sources from among the intelligence communities in the US, Europe and Ukraine who say that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has helped Ukraine to establish 12 secret spy bases throughout the country. According to the report, the CIA and other US intelligence services track the movements of Russian troops, gather intelligence for missile strikes, and maintain spy networks with the help of these bases. For almost 10 years, the US has been helping Kyiv to train a “new generation of Ukrainian spies” who are operating globally against Russia.

Thanks to this network of bases, Kyiv has become one of Washington’s most important intelligence partners. It has proved so successful that prior to the war they were producing more intelligence than US intelligence staff in Ukraine were able to process and today are intercepting more Russian communications than the CIA’s own base in Russia, the NYT notes. The network of CIA bases in Ukraine began to be established eight years ago. The news site says they were assembled “piece by piece” under US presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden... https://www.kyivpost.com/post/28664

Jimbuna

02-26-24, 12:43 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAuDVGZdl28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Joz76E3_7ow

mapuc

02-26-24, 12:53 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9D_l1kPAlk&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Jimbuna

02-26-24, 01:14 PM

Ex-Army chief joins calls to prepare for UK conscription

The possibility of forcing British citizens to fight in the event of war with Russia has gained traction in the wake of controversial comments by the outgoing head of the British Army last month. Sir Patrick Sanders said the UK should train a ‘citizen army’ among other steps to put it on a ‘war footing’ in response to rising security threats. Rishi Sunak quickly poured cold water on the idea, though experts have since warned the UK may not have any choice if conflict with Putin turns into a wider European or world war.

Sir Richard, served as deputy chief of the defence staff and led Joint Forces Command before retiring in 2016, admitted conscription is ‘unpalatable’ but warned Brits not to assume war is always an ‘away game’. He added: ‘It is alien but only in our lifetimes, not in our ancestors’ lives – my father did National Service. ‘In the mobilisation of civil society, you start with volunteers. If the war is not over and you’ve run out of volunteers, then you have to conscript people… This is entirely historically normal.
‘You’re not mobilising because you’re going to invade somebody else’s country. You’re mobilising because someone is threatening yours – and your family and your livelihood'

The British Army currently counts around 76,000 soldiers and 26,000 reservists. Last month Sir Patrick said: ‘Within the next three years, it must be credible to talk of a British Army of 120,000, folding in our reserve and strategic reserve. ‘But this is not enough. Our friends in eastern and northern Europe, who feel the proximity of the Russian threat more acutely, are already acting prudently, laying the foundations for national mobilisation.’ Calls for conscription to be taken seriously have been accompanied by even louder demands for better resources for the military.

On Sunday, a leaked letter revealed Sir Patrick fears underfunding could soon kill the Army’s ability to fight overseas.Writing to former generals, he said: ‘For some time, we have asset-sweated the military, compounded by a mismatch between ambition and resource that has been robustly addressed by both National Audit Office and Defence Select Committee reporting. ‘Our strategic resilience is at risk, and we might inadvertently reduce ourselves to a smaller, static and domestically-focused land force. I am not sure that this is either the Army the nation needs, or the one that policymakers want'

The comments, which were revealed in The Sunday Telegraph, were backed by two prominent retired generals. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘Our Armed Forces are always ready to protect and defend the nation, with more than £50billion being spent on defence this year alone.

‘The Army is currently undergoing its largest transformation in 20 years, creating a more integrated, agile, and lethal force, fit to face up to current and future threats. Alongside this, £41 billion is being invested in equipment and support projects over the next 10 years to ensure the Army has the highest quality equipment for the battlefield'
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ex-army-chief-joins-calls-to-prepare-for-uk-conscription/ss-BB1iUdPG?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=017693e654874adb9e7e1e336ff0be30&ei=28

Dargo

02-26-24, 01:27 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9D_l1kPAlk&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

MarkusHe is spot on hope Russia may send many reserves in those areas.Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards. With regard to PRECIPITOUS HEIGHTS, if you are beforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the raised and sunny spots, and there wait for him to come up.

WWI and WWII firearm relics still used in Russo-Ukrainian warRelics from World War I and II, including Maxim machine guns and Mosin rifles, have resurfaced in the Russo-Ukrainian war. Discover the 12 antiquated firearms still in use on the Ukrainian frontlines. The ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war showcases a mix of advanced weaponry, including state-of-the-art air defense systems, hypersonic missiles, and the newest drones, alongside the enduring utility of older tactics and arms. While weapons from the 1970s-1990s are the most common, older firearms can still occasionally be spotted on the battleground of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Russian and Ukrainian forces are sometimes employing World War I and II-era firearms from vast Soviet-era arsenals, now relevant due to shortages of modern arms and ammunition for diverse arrays of military units deployed by both Ukrainians and Russians.Though these weapons seem antiquated, they are still perfectly serviceable and lethal in the right hands, and itÂ’s the case today of any weapon being better than no weapon at allhttps://euromaidanpress.com/2024/02/26/wwi-and-wwii-firearm-relics-still-used-in-russo-ukrainian-war/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R31hMWs25UI

ET2SN

02-26-24, 02:34 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoVulNdTf90

:yeah:

mapuc

02-26-24, 03:57 PM

Not gonna happen

https://twitter.com/BRICSinfo/status/1761471966152888777

Markus

Skybird

02-26-24, 05:31 PM

^ At least not during a runnign war, that can indeed be ruled out.
After that it spossiboe that NATO membership will come earleir than eU membership, because EU membership will be incredibly much more costly for Europe than NATO membership.

The financial costs will be fantastic.

Calculations on the running costs for the war show that it costed Germany - state and economy - already 200 billion.

Dargo

02-26-24, 05:45 PM

^That is what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine will join, only question is when.

mapuc

02-26-24, 07:02 PM

^That is what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine will join, only question is when.

Not as long they are fighting a war their ain't invited.

Think Stoltenberg once said that Ukraine could become a member for the price of giving Russia these occupied areas-Which Ukraine rejected.

Read something interesting today in a Danish newspaper.

Russia is not going to send their soldiers into a NATO country-What Putin will do is sending thousands of little green men(Soldiers without flag emblem on their shoulders)Like he did in Crimea.

Markus

Skybird

02-27-24, 05:41 AM

Stage thunder.

--------------------

[NZZ]French President Emmanuel Macron is not ruling out the deployment of ground troops in Ukraine by his country. Nothing is ruled out to prevent a Russian victory in Ukraine, said Macron after the conclusion of a Ukraine aid conference in Paris. Although there was no consensus on the deployment of ground troops at the meeting of over twenty heads of state and government, nothing could be ruled out in the future dynamic, said Macron. Each country could decide independently and sovereignly on the deployment of ground troops.
"The general observation today is that the security of all of us is at stake," said Macron at the start of the conference, which was organized at short notice. Russia's stance was hardening both at a political level and on the front in Ukraine, where new Russian attacks were threatening. A Russian defeat is necessary for stability and security in Europe. That is why Ukraine's supporters need to give themselves a jolt. "We are in the process of ensuring our security today and tomorrow," said Macron. "We do not want to go to war with the Russian people," the President also said.
-------------------
As I see it, the French land forces are in no state to deploy to Ukraine all by themselves and then fight Russia. The only land forces in NATO that could do that and are not the Americans, are probably the Turkish - last but not least because they have the numbers. Not the French. Not the British. Not the Germans. And Poland is busy with its own security concerns at home.
-------------------------
Selensky does not do his cause a favour when he gave Ukrainian KIAs a number and made it "31000". That number is absolutely implausible. Now he has claimed the offensive last year failed due to treason. That is not implausible, treason plays a role in every military conflict between nations, but to make it sound as if this were the main cause, again damages his trustworthiness. Finally he annoucned another offensive - this year, if I understood him correctly. Well, we will see. I wonder with what they want to push it? Do like the Russians and send body waves?

em2nought

02-27-24, 05:57 AM

Ex-Army chief joins calls to prepare for UK conscription

Can you imagine being a drill sergeant for that army tasked with calling recruits by their proper pronouns? Recruit Pony front and center! Whinny whinny Sarge! :har:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3583/3810959634_608355c55a_o.jpg

Skybird

02-27-24, 09:10 AM

[Frankfurter Rundschau] Nato grows to 32 states with Sweden: Hungary agreed to join on Monday. On the same day, Kremlin leader Putin signed two decrees and reorganized the military structure in Russia.
Moscow - The military situation in Ukraine is tense. Kiev's troops are coming under increasing pressure due to a lack of ammunition. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed two decrees on Monday (26 February) that reorganize the military in Russia. In doing so, the Kremlin leader is pursuing two goals, analyzed the war experts at the US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW). One of these is to prepare for a possible large-scale conventional war against NATO.

After months of stalling, Hungary approved Stockholm's application for membership of the North Atlantic defense alliance NATO on Monday. On the same day, Putin ordered a reorganization of his military structure. What sounds like a bureaucratic act at first glance may provide an insight into strategic plans. According to ISW, the decrees signed by the Kremlin chief officially re-establish the Moscow and Leningrad military districts and withdraw the Russian Northern Fleet's status as headquarters. The military district commands are thus to be restored as the primary headquarters for the Russian ground forces and the naval resources are to be assigned to the Russian navy, the ISW report continues.

The second decree also incorporates the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of occupied Ukraine into the southern military district. In 2022, Moscow held sham referendums in Ukraine and annexed the four regions in violation of international law - as it had already done with the Crimean peninsula in 2014. The inclusion of "both the occupied and unoccupied parts of Ukrainian territory also indicates that Russia is pursuing maximalist goals in Ukraine and is seeking to fully incorporate all five of these Ukrainian territories into the Russian Federation", according to the ISW analysis.

The US war experts go on to say that the realignment supports the parallel goals of "consolidating control over Russian operations in Ukraine in the short to medium term and preparing for a possible future large-scale conventional war against NATO in the long term." The Leningrad military district will now run along NATO's north-eastern border, while the Moscow military district will border north-eastern Ukraine and Poland. This would allow Russia to "simultaneously position itself against NATO and maintain its command and control over the region".

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-february-26-2024

em2nought

02-27-24, 10:24 AM

The US war experts

I'm not sure the US has truly had any of these since WW2. :D

Jimbuna

02-27-24, 10:43 AM

Putin's puppet issues warning war with West 'inevitable' if NATO sends troops to Ukraine

The Kremlin warned sending NATO boots on to the Ukrainian battlefield would result in an "inevitable" conflict with Russia.

Hours after French President Emmanuel Macron cast doubt the Western military alliance could be considering sending soldiers to fight alongside Ukrainians, the press secretary of Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, issued a swift threat.

He said: "In this case, we need to talk not about the likelihood, but about the inevitability [of a conflict]. That's how we evaluate it.

"These countries must also evaluate and be aware of this, asking themselves whether this corresponds to their interests, as well as the interests of the citizens of their countries."

Since Russia launched its illegal invasion of Ukraine, Western allies have been careful in stressing no government was sending soldiers to fight alongside Volodymyr Zelensky's men and women.
Western nations, rather, have been supporting the Ukrainian efforts to liberate the nation from its invaders by issuing economic sanctions against Russia and providing humanitarian and military aid.

As the latter is dwindling and Russia conquered the frontline city of Avdiivka, fears in the West are growing over a possible victory of the Kremlin on the battlefield, which could lead to another European nation being invaded.

The first suggestion NATO may be considering sending troops to Ukraine came during the afternoon of February 26 from the Slovakian Prime Minister, pro-Russia Robert Fico, who was one of the 17 EU leaders to attend an international summit in Paris hosted by Mr Macron.

Citing a "restricted document" listing topics he would soon discuss with fellow politicians, he said: "These topics imply that a number of NATO and EU member states are considering sending troops to Ukraine on a bilateral basis. I can't say for what purpose or what they would do there."

Following the event, which aimed at bolstering the support from the West to Ukraine amid fears the US may soon close the tap of military aid, Mr Macron seemingly stoked the doubt Russia may eventually face NATO soldiers in eastern Europe.

He said: "There is no consensus to officially back any ground troops. That said, nothing should be excluded. We will do everything that we can to make sure that Russia does not prevail."

On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tried to quash the concerns sparked by Mr Macron's words, and stressed the support provided to Ukraine by the military alliance will continue not to involve foreign soldiers in the war-torn nation.

He told the Associated Press: "NATO allies are providing unprecedented support to Ukraine. We have done that since 2014 and stepped up after the full-scale invasion. But there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/putin-s-puppet-issues-warning-war-with-west-inevitable-if-nato-sends-troops-to-ukraine/ar-BB1iYbY9?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=bd31de91e56d49dfbcca3b0c5892875c&ei=27

mapuc

02-27-24, 10:50 AM

Many country here in the west are refusing sending troops to Ukraine. As said before there will be troops in Ukraine but not ordinary soldiers from NATO, no it will be UN-troops guarding the new border, which will run through the frontline as it is when a ceasefire has been agreed upon.

This I'm certain of the day NATO decide to send troops to Ukraine will be the the end of WWIII- WWIII Started when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Markus

Jimbuna

02-27-24, 10:56 AM

Macron says Russian defeat in Ukraine vital for security in Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron has said it is key for Europe's security to defeat Russia in Ukraine, amid urgent pleas for more weapons from Kyiv.

He was speaking in Paris where he said that European leaders had agreed to set up a coalition to give Ukraine medium- and long-range missiles and bombs.

He added that there was "no consensus" on sending Western troops to Ukraine, but that "nothing should be excluded".

Russian troops have recently made gains in Ukraine which faces arms shortages.

Kyiv is critically dependent on modern armoury supplies from its Western allies, particularly the US, to be able to continue fighting Russia - a far bigger military force with an abundance of artillery ammunition.

But the approval of a much needed $95bn (£75bn) US aid package - including $61bn for Ukraine - faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives.

Last weekend, Ukraine's defence minister said half of all Western aid for Kyiv had been delayed, costing lives and territory.

In response to Mr Macron, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his government had no plans for a large-scale military deployment to Ukraine, beyond the small number of personnel already training Ukrainian forces.

Germany, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic have also ruled out such suggestions.

On Friday, Hungary blocked a statement sent to EU member countries by the European Council President Charles Michel, pledging "unwavering" support for Ukraine.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban - the only EU leader who maintains warm relations with Russia's President Vladimir Putin - has been repeatedly at odds with the bloc over measures to help Kyiv since Russia's invasion.

On Tuesday, Hungary's foreign minister reiterated that Budapest is not willing to send weapons or troops to Ukraine.

Peter Szijjarto said: "The war in Ukraine must be finished, not expanded."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Mr Macron's suggestion "a very important new element" adding it was absolutely not in the interests of Nato members.

"In that case, we would need to talk not about the probability, but about the inevitability [of direct conflict]", said Mr Peskov.

Earlier, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg denied considering whether troops would be sent to Ukraine, although he insisted the alliance would continue to support Kyiv strongly.

As Kyiv struggles to secure more aid and weapons to continue fighting Russia, the Kremlin's need for extra ammunition has reportedly taken it to an unlikely player in this war.

South Korea says that North Korea has shipped as many as three million shells to Russia, for use in its war in Ukraine. Its defence minister, Shin Won-sik, said that in return, Moscow had sent thousands of containers of food.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang deny North Korea is supplying Russia with munitions.

A full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin is now in its third year, with no signs that the biggest war in Europe since World War Two could end soon.

Monday's crisis meeting in support of Ukraine was attended by heads of European states, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and top government officials like UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

Delegations from the US and Canada were also present.

President Macron said: "We are convinced that the defeat of Russia is indispensable to security and stability in Europe."

Describing Russia as the "sole aggressor", he said, "We are not at war with the Russian people. We just don't want to let them win.".

Mr Macron announced that a coalition would provide Ukraine with "missiles and bombs of medium and long range to carry out deep strikes". He did not say when such weapons would be delivered.

And he did not rule out sending Western ground troops to Ukraine but acknowledged that differences remained among the allies.

"There was no consensus today to send troops on to the ground in an manner that's official, assumed and endorsed," he said. "But on the dynamic, nothing should be excluded. We will do everything so that Russia cannot win this war."

"We should not exclude that there might be a need for security that then justifies some elements of deployment," he added. "But I've told you very clearly what France maintains as its position, which is a strategic ambiguity that I stand by."

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala earlier said his country had no intention of deploying its forces to fight in Ukraine.

He was reacting to comments by his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico, who was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying: "I can confirm there are countries that are prepared to send their own troops to Ukraine, there are countries that say never, among which Slovakia belongs, and there are countries that say this proposal needs to be considered."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also took part in Monday's meeting by video link, said that "everything we do together to defend against Russian aggression adds real security to our nations for decades to come".

Russia has repeatedly warned that any Western troop deployment in Ukraine would trigger a direct conflict between Moscow and the Nato military alliance.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68410219

mapuc

02-27-24, 11:02 AM

"Peter Szijjarto said: "The war in Ukraine must be finished, not expanded.""

Imagine if UK and USA said almost the same in 1943/44
- the war in Europe must be finished, not continue

Markus

Skybird

02-27-24, 11:11 AM

Jimbuna

02-27-24, 11:16 AM

I'm not sure Ukraine have a year.

I'm led to believe that the hard core Republicans (those most loyal to Trump) are acting under his orders when blocking the current US aid package.

No prizes for guessing what Trump will do first day/s in office should he become POTUS

Dargo

02-27-24, 12:32 PM

English is not my native language, anyone willing to translate this for me please?

Fox News just asked Trump what he would do differently than Biden on Ukraine.What I would do is we would do, we have a huge military capability and what we can do without aircraft, to be honest, without 44-year-old fighter jets, what we can do is enormous, and we should do, and we have to helping them to survive, and they are doing a great job.
https://i.postimg.cc/5tqhg5qH/fox-trump.jpg
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-ukraine-quote/

Dargo

02-27-24, 01:30 PM

After losing 25 MBT and IFV, attacking Novomikhailivka from the West, Russian invasion forces attacked Novomikhailivka from the South (79th Brigade repel another zombie charge) here you can see the result:

https://i.postimg.cc/LXVzpgX7/hellroad.jpg

About another 23 bites the mud.

Commander of Ukrainian Air Forces: a second Su-34 was destroyed today! That makes 10 in the past 10 days and no A-50 seen active since Friday. The Russian government will ban the export of gasoline from March 1 for six months, the restrictions were introduced after a series of attacks by GUR and SBU on Russian oil refineries. "Ukrainian Shaheds are available: both analogs of the 131st Shahed drone and analogs of the 136th drone. This year, our ability to produce (a kamikaze drone - ed.) is not less than that of Russia," Kamyshin (Minister for Strategic Industries) said.

With statement on Western troops in Ukraine, Macron issues warning to MoscowAgainst the backdrop of wavering allies and acute Ukrainian shortages on the battlefield, Macron apparently decided to send another, strategic signal - and that is the statements he made Monday about the possible future involvement of Western troops. That was one of the options that had been discussed by the 20 leaders, Macron said, adding that "there is no formal consensus on it at the moment. 'But nothing should be ruled out,' Macron said. 'We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia does not win this war.' On the possible future involvement of French soldiers, he took a position of "strategic ambiguity," according to French newspaper Le Monde. 'I absolutely did not say that France is not in favour of this.' The statements are a radical departure from the stance strictly held by all NATO allies, before and after the start of the great Russian invasion two years ago: that direct confrontation with Russia must be avoided at all costs. This is a guiding principle for both the United States and Germany - and also the explanation why the two largest suppliers of financial aid and weapons (with France lagging far behind) are consistently hesitant about providing the military capabilities - such as fighter jets and long-range weapons - that could have helped Ukraine immensely in the defence of its territory.

Before long, the right and left opposition in France denounced Macron's statements as irresponsible. In Europe, it rained denials that there could be direct military involvement. The Swedish and Dutch prime ministers said it was "not an issue," and Chancellor Scholz issued a categorical denial - "no ground troops, no soldiers on Ukrainian soil. Equally, predictable was the reaction from Moscow, where President Putin's spokesman said sending troops 'would not be in the interest' of the countries considering it. With Western military presence in Ukraine "we should no longer speak of the probability, but of the inevitability" of a direct military confrontation between NATO and Russia. Meanwhile, Macron said anyway. 'Macron is trying to influence the Kremlin's calculation,' a European diplomat told the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant, who did not want to be named because of his position. 'It is a step forward in rhetoric, later possibly followed by a step forward in deeds. The French are strategic thinkers. They understand that something has to be done, and they do not coordinate this kind of statement with the Americans.'

French diplomatic sources close to Macron tell Le Monde that countries closer to Russia also want to discreetly discuss options of further involvement. That could start with repairing equipment on Ukrainian territory. 'That is not so much about sending infantry battalions,' a source told the French newspaper, rather about mine clearance or medical assistance. As always, all options are being studied - 'the maximum, the minimum, and the zero option' - without any decision having been made. The goal? A strategic signal to the Russians: 'Don't think you can get away with everything.'

mapuc

02-27-24, 02:23 PM

English is not my native language, anyone willing to translate this for me please?

Fox News just asked Trump what he would do differently than Biden on Ukraine.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-ukraine-quote/

The quote seems legit and was said in March 2022.

Hmm what have made him change his mind since then ?

Markus

Dargo

02-27-24, 02:27 PM

The quote seems legit and was said in March 2022.

Hmm what have made him change his mind since then ?

MarkusDo not know he changed his mind, Trump was the one that delivered javelins to Ukraine so one or the other is election rhetoric I think the pentagon can get him to support Ukraine if he is president, they have done it before.

mapuc

02-27-24, 02:34 PM

Do not know he changed his mind, Trump was the one that delivered javelins to Ukraine so one or the other is election rhetoric I think the pentagon can get him to support Ukraine if he is president, they have done it before.

I thought that he had given order to the Rep. who's sitting in the House of representatives to vote against this huge 61 bn. package to Ukraine.

I could remember wrong.

Markus

Skybird

02-27-24, 02:43 PM

It got repported that the Germans negotiated with the Kremlin to swap the so-called Tiergarten-murderer against Nawalny. And yesterday Macronman claimed there is a chance for NATO troops in Ukraine.

Now. Russia learned from the German dwarfling that he is willing to talk and negotiate about just everything. Good for Russia to know, and a stupid self-weakening of the Western position.

And from the French peacock Russia learned that ther eis little untiy and cooridnation in NATO but a big will to at no cost go all the way, even if that means Ukraine looses. Good to know for Russia, and more stupdi self-weakening of the West.

Kann nicht jemand mal diese Trottel aus dem Spiel nehmen...?

Dargo

02-27-24, 02:45 PM

I thought that he had given order to the Rep. who's sitting in the House of representatives to vote against this huge 61 bn. package to Ukraine.

I could remember wrong.

MarkusWe do not really know they tell us he does that but think this is more US politics than it has anything to do with Ukraine do not think Trump is stupid to not know that investment (support) in Ukraine is coming back two or more folds to the US. Defense specialist Stephen Blank note that President Biden is legally entitled "to sell, or gift, US military equipment no longer needed by the armed forces." The US has 3,700 M1 tanks, 2,000 Bradley IVFs, etc. in storage. The US Can Send Ukraine Aid Tomorrow (https://cepa.org/article/the-us-can-send-ukraine-aid-tomorrow/)

It got repported that the Germans negotiated with the Kremlin to swap the so-called Tiergarten-murderer against Nawalny. And yesterday Macronman claimed there is a chance for NATO troops in Ukraine.

Now. Russia learned from the German dwarfling that he is willing to talk and negotiate about just everything. Good for Russia to know, and a stupid self-weakening of the Western position.

And from the French peacock Russia learned that ther eis little untiy and cooridnation in NATO but a big will to at no cost go all the way, even if that means Ukraine looses. Good to know for Russia, and more stupdi self-weakening of the West.

Kann nicht jemand mal diese Trottel aus dem Spiel nehmen...?https://i.postimg.cc/FKXnj82b/taurus.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCAd1QUH1zI

mapuc

02-27-24, 04:48 PM

em2nought

02-27-24, 11:27 PM

Skybird

02-28-24, 08:55 AM

If this is true (I have no clue) then it might be the reason why Scholz is against delivering the Taurus - and maybe he is even right. I would hate to admit that he is right on anything, but if for once it would be so - then it would be so.

[Focus] The "Taurus" has the heaviest warhead among the western systems of the same category and it also has the greater thrust. This gives it unparalleled agility in the final attack phase and enormous effectiveness even against hardened targets such as bunkers. Alternatively, it can also be used to great effect against area targets such as airfields.

Its mission data is loaded before the mission or even needs to be updated during the approach to the target. Planning and mission management is highly complex and crucial for an optimal approach route and attack profile. This requires specialists with many years of training. The Chancellor is right. German soldiers would have to lead the Ukraine either on the ground or rather from a distance - with a lot of additional effort - in the attack operations and also provide and continuously update top secret data libraries with electronic identifiers of enemy defense systems and much more.

This is precisely where Chancellor Scholz's argument comes in, who - unlike England or France - deliberately does not want any German soldiers to be involved in planning or even fighting Russian targets, either on the ground in Ukraine or from Germany. Scholz said: "This clarity is necessary. I am surprised that some people ... don't even think about whether what we are doing could result in involvement in war, so to speak."

If "Taurus" systems were to be delivered to Ukraine, this system would first have to be technically integrated. This would take around a year, even if Ukraine were to use western F-16 fighter jets for this purpose. In view of the limited German stocks of the cruise missile, it should be borne in mind that production cannot be resumed for around a year due to the current long-term supply bottlenecks for some of the electronics and the special metal for the hardened warhead.
-------------------
I again refer to Colonel'S Reisner'S criticism of focussing so exclusively on the Taurus. What Ukraine needs before anything else currently, is 155mm ammo and air defence ammo. But the Ukrainian calculation when insisting on taurus might be right this: to bring Germany and with it: NATO, into the war.
If only I would have stuck to my line of never accepting anything Scholz claims, and wouldnt have posted that.

Short after the above explanation by a German Colonel in defence of the government's refusal of Taurus, he and the government take heavy fire from military experts and Bundeswehr officials as well who insist that the implied claim that Taurus could only be used if German specialists were present in the Ukraine simply is total bollocks and does not hold one grain of truth. Its also reminded of that the Ukrainians so far have obeyed all limitations the Americans and British and French set up for the use and target selection of the missiles they had delivered.

So, for once I seem to have fallen for another Scholzian evasive manouver. I apologize. Will not happen again. :D

But I stick to that Taurus currently is not what really would make the difference in Ukraine. Shells would. AD ammunition would. But shells, shells, and more shells.

It seems Babble Olaf still is determined to not see Russia loosing. I remind of his oh so clever pharasing accoridng to which "Ukraine must not lose and Russia must not win the war." Even with a weapon held to his sleeve he would not say that Russia must lose the war.

In toehr words, he already has given in to Putin's threatenign and already has given up Ukraione. As is so very typical for this little man he just seeks a way to evade being held responsible for any of his actions, decisions or lack of both. An alibi, in other words.
-----------------------
Meanwhile a secret Russian document should reveal that the Russians should plan to use tactical nukes under much earlier conditions than previously assumed in the West.

Lets play it safe and give them those parts fo Ukraine that they want.

For now.

And if later they want the rest, - well, have we ever said that one cannot talk about everything? :roll: :88)

Skybird

02-28-24, 09:25 AM

Trudeau is sending Ukraine $4 million for landmine clearing, as long as it is done under DEI guidelines. :har:

https://nationalpost.com/news/no-joke-ottawa-to-give-ukraine-4-million-to-fund-gender-inclusive-demining
And the West is wondering why South America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, China, Russia, India - why they all are laughing about our "values" and do not want to have anything to do with them and do not mind to obey our examples and demands set? The EU has just suffered two major defeats in economic negotiatiosn with South America and Africa and was unable to enforces its demands. Before you think that is economics and has nothing to do with the general changes in the world, you better think twice. Just a few years ago, none of the two would have been able to afford such an"affront".

https://wildlife-media.at/bild/91161/blauer-pfau-paso-cristatus-rad-schlagend.jpgAren'T we pretty, oh so pretty? Aren't we pretty and witty and gay?

Jimbuna

02-28-24, 10:02 AM

Navalny's body was 'abused' after his death, widow says - as she voices fears over funeral

Alexei Navalny's wife Yulia Navalnaya is speaking now after a brief opening by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola.

She says Strasbourg was one of the couple's favourite cities, but she is "no longer walking around" with her family, instead addressing the parliament on her husband's death in a remote Arctic penal colony.

Ms Navalnaya says Vladimir Putin "killed" her husband.

Mr Navalny was "tortured for three years" on his orders, she says, describing how he was "starved and cut off from the outside world" in a "tiny cell" and denied visits, phone calls and letters.

"And then they killed him. Even after that they abused his body and abused his mother," Ms Navalnaya said.

Describing what Mr Navalny was like, she calls him an "inventor" who "always had new ideas for everything".

She also discusses his funeral, which will take place on Friday.

She says she cannot be sure if the event will be peaceful or "if the police will arrest those coming to say goodbye to my husband".

Jimbuna

02-28-24, 10:17 AM

Russian response to Sweden's NATO membership 'depends on strategy adopted'

Russia's response to Sweden's NATO membership will depend on its practical steps, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman has said.

Speaking at a news conference Maria Zakharova said: "What will appear on Swedish territory, how contingents will move, what events will take place, what strategy will be adopted - this is what we will respond to specifically."

She went on to say that Sweden's decision to join NATO would contribute to the transformation of the Baltic region and Northern Europe "from a zone of stability and cooperation into a zone of potential confrontation".

Asked about speculations that Moscow may annex Transnistria, Ms Zakharova accused NATO of trying to turn Moldova into a second Ukraine "without thinking about the consequences of this for the country, and for the region on the whole".

Dargo

02-28-24, 10:49 AM

The Russian occupied Transnistria region of Moldova have asked for “Russian protection”. At current rates, my army will arrive in 15 years having suffered 7.5 million casualties while my airforce & navy will no longer exist.

I remain a master strategist. https://twitter.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/1762857178514255998

Poland threatens to increase defence spending to 8% of GDP Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said "if Putin really threatens us we’ll double it, because we will not be a Russian colony again".

https://i.postimg.cc/jdQJsr89/trusttheplan.jpg

Netherlands second country after France open to sending troops to Ukraine. “I think you should not write off any option to see how best to support Ukraine,” - Onno Eichelsheim Commander of the Armed Forces He emphasized that sending troops to Ukraine is a “last option”. Pfff first we need the tanks, artillery, ammunition, ..., etc from the hundreds of tanks we now lease 18 from Germany.

The EU countries agree to buy $1.5 billion worth of shells for Ukraine - Bloomberg. Macron supported the Czechia president's proposal to buy 800,000 artillery shells from outside the EU.

Bulgarian defense minister: Bulgaria to send 100 armored vehicles to Ukraine 'in few days. (https://kyivindependent.com/bulgarian-defense-minister-bulgaria-to-send-ukraine-100-armored-vehicles-in-a-few-days/)

Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced the country will provide €200 million ($216 Mn) to the Czech initiative to urgently supply 800K artillery ammunition to Ukraine armed forces. This will allow more weapons to reach Ukraine in the coming weeks. https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/02/28/belgium-to-fund-216-mn-for-czech-initiative-to-transfer-800k-shells-to-ukraine/?swcfpc=1

Jimbuna

02-28-24, 10:57 AM

“When you see a Russian, it’s an instinct, do or die.” The story of a storm trooper from the 128th Brigade

The sun is at its zenith and burning my head. I can hear the noise of wheeled vehicles in the distance, and the dust is slowly rising. Two armored personnel carriers with soldiers sitting on them are pulling into the forest plantation.

“Wow, there's a whole bunch of them,” I burst out.

“Yes, most of us are newly mobilized. The last assault was not easy for us,” says Karp, a soldier with the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade.

He is a tall, thin man with a black beard. He wears dark sunglasses and a cap with a tail hiding under it, like a Cossack. Karp has been at war for nine years. He was 19 when he went to war. Now Karp is preparing his fellow soldiers from the 128th Brigade for assault operations.

Here is his direct speech.

“My best friend died, so I decided to go to war”

I went to war after the Revolution of Dignity. I spent two weeks with my classmates on the Maidan, and then the invasion of the East began. My friends and acquaintances went to war, and I was working at a construction site doing renovations. A few months after the war started, I found out that my best friend had been killed. They brought his body, we buried him, and I decided to go to war as a volunteer.

They were just recruiting people for Azov, so I got there. Together with the guys, I liberated Mariupol. After 8 months of war, I returned home, but civilian life was not the same, so I decided to sign a contract. I studied at Desna for two months, and then I was left there as an instructor. In 2021, I resigned from Desna and joined the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade in the summer. I have been here for two years now.

“The distance between mines is 1-2 meters”

The Russians have now very densely mined this area. They mine the front line and their rear. The distance between the mines is a meter or two, so there is no way to get around them. They are working well in this regard.

We have a group of sapper infantrymen to counter these actions, who are clearing the front edges and forest plantations. While we are preparing for the assault, our people are clearing the territory along the routes so that we can enter.

As warfare practice shows, as soon as the first line of defense is broken through, the second and third fall apart. Then it should be easier. Here, in some places, we have already broken through the first line of defense, but there is a section where we have only come close to the first line.

“I killed up to 173 occupiers in 9 years”

The most difficult part of an assault is interaction because each unit and company works differently. It is also difficult when you are hit by enemy artillery, and you are going as fast as you can to your area because you need to get there. It happened that we were hit, but, thank God, we remained unharmed.

This makes the infantry confused, and it is psychologically difficult because not all of us are the military. Some people came as a result of mobilization. That's why we, sergeants and officers, are here to train people.

During the storming of Piatykhatki, we had four prisoners – two of them were captured in the trenches and surrendered, the others were captured near the houses and were wounded. We provided them with medical care, put on tourniquets, and reported to higher-ups that we had prisoners. They were all from Siberia. They were mobilized.

There, in Piatykhatki, we also captured their weapons – assault rifles. They don't keep a good eye on them. A Russian with an assault rifle came up to me near one of the houses and watched me. His assault rifle had the safety on, he wanted to take it off, but mine was ready, so I shot him.

We took the weapons, cleared a few huts, and then started to examine the assault rifle. It was very rusty, so the Russian could not take the safety off. I tried to do it with one finger, then two, until we hit the safety with a hammer.

During an assault, your adrenaline is pumping, because the shells are hitting somewhere, and somewhere the territory is being cleaned up. It's not easy to work like this, because in defense you stand in a trench and that's it, but here you have to move constantly.

And when you see a Russian, it’s an instinct: do or die, either you shoot him or he shoots you, whoever is first to do it. I saw a lot during the 9 years of war, so my head works in such a way that I act immediately, and my weapon is always ready. I counted that I killed about 172-173 occupiers in 9 years.

“I saw my friend die from machine gun fire”

War is impossible without losses – there are wounded and killed people. If you don't work with people in training, the losses will be high. We train till late because we are preparing for assaults.

If someone is wounded, we provide first aid right on the battlefield. It's unpleasant, because if a person is wounded, or even several of them, there are not enough people in the unit at once. But we have reserves.

After an assault, there are different emotions. Sometimes it happens that you have successfully taken the enemy's positions, without losses, all your men are safe, you have trophy vehicles, and you are cheerful. And when there are heavy battles and losses, you are depressed.

Even when there are wounded, it's still good, because the main thing is that they are alive. And when you lose a friend, your brother-in-arms, it's very hard. In the morning, you were drinking coffee and smoking together, and he died during the assault.

In the first days of the assault in the Kherson region, my friend died. We had known each other for 4 years, we were like brothers. We even had similar call signs, I am Karp and he was Kep. We were always together and were the first to go everywhere. No matter what the task was.

Machine gun fire started, I managed to fall, but he did not. I saw my friend die from machine gun fire. For the first few seconds, I was in a panic. I crossed the road, knelt, and remembered how much we had overcome together and tears started flowing.

I am holding on because I want to get home. My home is under occupation on the left bank of the Kherson region. I am fighting for Ukraine and our territory to liberate my home as soon as possible.

I was seriously wounded in the Kherson region, but I did not resign from the army. After four surgeries, I'm back in the ranks, training my men and participating in assaults. I will stay as long as I can. To the end.
https://hromadske.ua/en/posts/when-you-see-a-russian-its-an-instinct-do-or-die-the-story-of-a-storm-trooper-from-the-128th-brigade?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA0PuuBhBsEiwAS7fsNSexWIsEee6PWc2Et1sv w_rzpqHiSeX8amoGwauxucLhotJwnF9k4hoCVF8QAvD_BwE

mapuc

02-28-24, 11:00 AM

Dargo

02-28-24, 11:05 AM

More about these troops France mentioned.

From what I have heard here in the news-It will not be combat soldiers, it would be non-combatant soldiers working behind the Ukrainian frontline.

They even mentioned sending some MASH-units and other things

MarkusYeah it is only the talk hours later others started to explain what Macron had said if you see that it is all bull.

Jimbuna

02-28-24, 11:05 AM

More about these troops France mentioned.

From what I have heard here in the news-It will not be combat soldiers, it would be non-combatant soldiers working behind the Ukrainian frontline.

They even mentioned sending some MASH-units and other things

Markus

Non-combatant eh?

Best i say nothing and avoid getting into trouble with myself:)

Jimbuna

02-28-24, 11:19 AM

Netherlands orders DITA self-propelled howitzers for Ukraine from Czech Republic

The Dutch Defence Ministry has reported that the country has ordered the latest DITA howitzers from the Czech Republic, and intends to supply them to Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda, citing an official statement from the Dutch Defence Ministry

According to the Dutch Defense Ministry, the DITA howitzer is a modern self-propelled cannon capable of hitting targets tens of kilometres away.

"Ukraine is in great need of these weapons. That is why the Netherlands recently ordered nine such howitzers for Ukraine," the statement said.

The weapons are part of a large Dutch order of supplies for Ukraine, and they will be supplied by two Czech arms manufacturers. General Onno Eichelsheim, the Commander of the Armed Forces of the Netherlands, visited the arms production plant.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/netherlands-orders-dita-self-propelled-howitzers-for-ukraine-from-czech-republic/ar-BB1j2c2w?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=5af894c920ec4c8a9af53bd1046dd10c&ei=29

mapuc

02-28-24, 11:48 AM

Yeah it is only the talk hours later others started to explain what Macron had said if you see that it is all bull.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyP5OWkInTA&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

Dargo

02-28-24, 11:54 AM

Following translated article surprised me.

I have until now been convinced that it was the country who raised the money for Ukraine, was the one who bought the weapon and/or ammo on the market and then send these to Ukraine.
According to this article we are sending money to Ukraine and let them buy it by them self on the market and thereby letting some authorities steal the money.

https://www-dr-dk.translate.goog/nyheder/udland/anklager-om-korruption-en-kvart-milliard-skulle-gaa-til-granater-til-det-ukrainske?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=da&_x_tr_pto=wapp

MarkusIs there any proof of this fraud, corruption not really the US keep checks what happens other countries also and there is no large scale fraud committed by Ukraine this is Russian disinformation and rather hypocrite of us it happens also here in the West.The War Dogs (2016) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2005151/) is a biopic based on the true story of two low-level arms dealers who win a $300 million contract with the Pentagon to arm American allies in Afghanistan. While the movie takes some creative liberties, the core narrative remains faithful to the real events. The movie accurately depicts the backstories of the two protagonists, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who were involved in arms dealing and utilized their expertise to secure lucrative deals. The government's involvement in their lives and the pressure to level the playing field is also accurately portrayed. However, the movie embellishes certain elements for dramatic effect. The action-packed sequences and dangerous situations that the characters find themselves in didn't actually happen in real life. Additionally, the kidnapping of Packouz by a character played by Bradley Cooper is purely fictional. Nevertheless, overall, War Dogs stays true to the essence of the story and characters.

Jimbuna

02-28-24, 11:55 AM

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s lawyer ‘arrested in Moscow’

A lawyer who represented the late opposition politician Alexei Navalny was arrested on Tuesday in Moscow, Russian news media said.

The detention of Vasily Dubkov was due to “violating public order” as reported by newspaper Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s last independent news outlets.

Mr Navalny, 47, a fierce critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, died unexpectedly while imprisoned at an Arctic penal colony on 16 February.

After his death Mr Dubkov accompanied Mr Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, to the remote area of Russia to collect her son’s body after it was held by authorities for more than a week.

Russian authorities have not yet confirmed Mr Dubkov’s arrest.

The death of the firebrand politician prompted hundreds of Russians across the country to stream to impromptu memorials with flowers and candles.
Authorities have detained scores of people as they seek to suppress any major outpouring of sympathy for Mr Putin’s fiercest foe before the presidential election he is almost certain to win.

Mr Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has accused Mr Putin of killing her husband, and was critical of authorities keeping the body for such a length of time.

“No true Christian could ever do what Putin is now doing with the body of Alexei,” she said, asking: “What will you do with his corpse? How low will you sink to mock the man you murdered?”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected allegations that Mr Putin was involved in Mr Navalny‘s death, calling them “absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state”.

It comes as Mr Navalny‘s spokeswoman said on Tuesday that his allies had been unable to find a venue in Russia where people could pay their respects to the opposition leader.

In a post on X, Kira Yarmysh said: “Since yesterday we have been looking for a site where we can say farewell to Alexei. We called round most private and public funeral agencies, commercial sites and funeral halls.”

“Some places say the space is busy, some places refuse upon mention of the name ‘Navalny‘. In one place we were directly told that funeral agencies were prohibited from working with us.”

Meanwhile, an ally of Mr Navalny’s, Leonid Volkov, has called for Russians to turn out in big numbers for an election day protest against Mr Putin next month that Mr Navalny had called for shortly before he died.

In a video published on YouTube, he said: “Now this is no longer just a political action aimed at overcoming political loneliness and isolation. Now this is a rally of mourning and a civic memorial, an action in memory of Navalny, who asked us to hold it,” he said.

“People will thus fulfil the last will of Alexei Navalny, so this is very important. Do it. And in the time remaining before the election, convince as many people as possible to do this.”

Kremlin spokesperson Mr Peskov has warned there would be consequences for anyone who took action based on “provocative” calls from Mr Navalny’s supporters.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russian-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-s-lawyer-arrested-in-moscow/ar-BB1iYLCm?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=5af894c920ec4c8a9af53bd1046dd10c&ei=14

Dargo

02-28-24, 12:10 PM

Pentagon considering tapping last source of Ukraine military funding as Congress stalls on additional aid The Pentagon is weighing whether to tap into the last remaining source of funding it has for military aid to support UkraineÂ’s war effort against Russia even without guarantees that those funds will be replenished by Congress, multiple defense officials told CNN. The Defense Department still has around $4 billion in presidential drawdown authority funds available for Ukraine, which allows the Pentagon to draw from its own stockpiles to send military equipment to Kyiv. But the Pentagon had previously been reluctant to spend any of that remaining money without assurances it would be reimbursed by Congress through the administrationÂ’s $60 billion supplemental funding request, because taking from DoD stockpiles with no plan to replenish that equipment could impact US military readiness.

But with Ukraine growing increasingly desperate for US military aid and Republican leadership in the House refusing to hold a vote on providing more funding, senior defense officials are discussing whether there is any financial cushion internally that would allow the department to spend at least part of that remaining $4 billion to help Ukraine fight Russia. No decisions have been made yet, officials emphasized. But the conversations about that option and other potential plan Bs have become increasingly urgent over the last several weeks as the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine has become more dire, the officials said. Ukrainian troops have been forced to ration ammunition and have lost some ground in the east, including the key city of Avdiivka, which fell to the Russians earlier this month. Asked about the possibility of tapping into the remaining $4 billion, Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Garron Garn said in a statement, Â“The DoD continues to urge Congress to pass a supplemental to support Ukraine in its time of need and to replenish our stocks.Â”

Officials said the department could go ahead and spend part of that $4 billion even without finding money internally that could be used to replenish it. But it would not be unprecedented for the Pentagon to find additional, unexpected sources of funding. Last year, the Defense Department announced that it had discovered an accounting error that led to DoD overvaluing the amount of aid it was providing to Ukraine by $6.2 billion. That extra money provided a cushion to the department that allowed it to draw out military assistance to Ukraine for longer than anticipated, CNN previously reported. Asked on Tuesday whether the department was considering spending some of the remaining money, Pentagon press secretary Gen. Patrick Ryder said he had nothing to announce but that the Pentagon was continuing to explore ways to keep supporting Ukraine. Â“WeÂ’re going to continue to look at ways that we can support Ukraine in their fight for freedom and to preserve their sovereignty,Â” Ryder said. Last month, however, Ryder spoke about some of the concerns the department had in tapping into those funds.

Â“At issue here again is the question of impacting our own readiness, as a nation, and the responsibilities that we have,Â” he said last month when asked about the money. Â“And so, yes, while we do have that $4.2 billion in authority, we donÂ’t have the funds available to us to replenish those stocks should we expend that. And with no timeline in sight, we have to make those hard decisions.Â” A separate defense official told CNN that the next aid package to Ukraine, if it comes, Â“will absolutely include critical munitions.Â” There are also discussions about how and where to preposition military equipment so that it can be sent as quickly as possible to Ukraine once additional funding sources are identified, the official said. The last Ukraine security package, worth up to $250 million, was announced on December 27. Some weapons and equipment from previous drawdown packages and Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) packages are still flowing into Ukraine, but the US has not announced any new packages since then.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN this week that Ukraine will not win the war without continued US support. Â“People will be prepared, but ammunition will not be prepared and brigades will not be readyÂ… not only for our counter-offensive, they will not be ready to defend, to stay strong. It will be very difficult,Â” he said. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/28/politics/pentagon-considering-tapping-last-source-ukraine-funding/index.html

Non-combatant eh?

Best i say nothing and avoid getting into trouble with myself:)Let me help you :D the UK have about 50 SAS in Ukraine already, theyÂ’re not in combat roles. U.S. security assistance experts point to their presence as one reason the UK has led on tanks, long-range missiles, etc. over the U.S. They see up close what other militaries are only told about.

Busting the myth that the US is shouldering the burden of supporting Ukraine as a % of GDP, the US is 30th out of 32 NATO member states. Moreover, European states have contributed a greater share of their weapons inventories, also creating a $90B orders boom for US arms companies. Countries like France and Italy -- which are net contributors to the EU budget overall -- have disbursed little in bilateral assistance, that seems true, but they've paid a lot through the EU instruments. And their total efforts are actually 0.67% and 0.65% of GDP - not 0.07% - such that France and Italy are each making roughly DOUBLE the total financial effort that the United States is making. Could they do more? Absolutely. And I believe that will come, at least with France, on the issue of you being selective with arguments and also selective in your response: look, America has larger military inventories than all of Europe. You can complain that that's a historical mistake by the Europeans if you wish, but we are where we are.

So, here too, one can look at a measure of effort: What % of available military inventory has gone to Ukraine? This is hard to measure, but the Kiel Tracker does have an estimate for major equipment, and it is this:
Average EU: 10%
United States: 5%
(Note: all the large European countries score higher than the U.S., some of them much higher)

For further illustration, we have many examples of European countries making exceptional efforts that go far, far beyond what America has done. Here are a few significant ones:
Poland has given Ukraine 10 times more tanks than the U.S. has done. It also started with such deliveries one full year before America felt courageous enough to make a similar move.
The Netherlands has pledged to transfer 24 F-16s to Ukraine. So far, it appears the U.S. pledge in terms of combat aircraft for Ukraine is zero. And it was hard to get America to agree. Here too, Europeans were more courageous, being ready to move forward before America was.
The UK and France are the two allies that have transferred the longest-range weapons to Ukraine so far (Storm Shadows / SCALP-EG). The United States still hasn't transferred to Ukraine any missile that has as long a range as those.
Denmark is giving all of its artillery to Ukraine. This is an official pledge: they're emptying the entire shelf. That takes some guts.
Circling back to the question of total assistance measured in currency terms, again if you use the latest release of the Kiel Tracker, you will find that the totals (military and non-military aid together) that are now pledged are as follows:
Europeans: 159 billion euros (EU members bilaterally, EU funds, and UK)
United States: 69 billion euros

So, Europeans collectively are doing two thirds of the total financial effort, the U.S. one third. That's something that it is only fair for you to acknowledge. But it doesn't stop there. As a result of all the events in Europe, European defence budgets are on the increase, especially acquisitions. And many of those acquisitions are U.S. equipment. So, U.S. arms exports are in fact booming. I'm very happy that Europeans are buying plenty from the biggest, most important ally, the United States.

But do take note of this estimate: according to the Polish Foreign Minister, since the war began, the U.S. defence industry has received new orders from European allies worth around 90 billion dollars. That's more than America's total military assistance to Ukraine. So, it's important to recognise that context -- that Europeans are carrying a bigger share of the burden than the U.S., and that the U.S. defence industry is doing well thanks to U.S. allies -- rather than moan and moan non-stop about the small amount of money your country is actually paying to help a country under attack to defend itself.

Especially given that your country promised to do this "as long as it takes" and that your country is now breaking that promise in front of the whole world. And given that, the rupture of that promise presents your European allies with a much higher risk of dangerous consequences in the face of a Russian aggressor that is capitalising on your country's lack of reliability. https://twitter.com/EHunterChristie/status/1762603390398325134

Czech defense policy chief, Jan Jires, brings the heat: "Some crucial segments of the European defense industry are now performing better than US defense industry.... Rheinmetall in Germany is producing way more 155 artillery shells than the entire US defense industry combined." Jires on Czech finding ammo for Ukraine: "we have been able to identify a huge number of already existing artillery ammunition...sitting in non-western countries. Most of these countries [are] unwilling to support Ukraine directly for political reasons, so they need a middleman." https://twitter.com/paulmcleary/status/1762848086152421393

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKDkl__flRI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFW5V4IB_PA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rnKvTDg7Xs