Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Jimbuna]

[mapuc]

Someone asked who think Russia is behind the explosion of this Gaspipeline

I wrote

I doubt it, to be honest- It would mean an attack on a NATO country

Markus

[Skybird]

Just in:

German media report that German defence carricature Lambrecht will step back next week.

German media also report that Scholz will allow delivery of Leopard tanks next week.


Wowh - why the sudden hurry? (Answer: they have secretly red Subsim GT forums during the last last cabinet meeting)


Mind experiment: If most of the NATO countries would each send one company of Leopards, 14 tanks, then - well, then you end up with around 100 Leopards, maybe more.

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Just in:

German media report that German defence carricature Lambrecht will step back next week.

German media also report that Scholz will allow delivery of Leopard tanks next week.


Wowh - why the sudden hurry? (Answer: they have secretly red Subsim GT forums during the last last cabinet meeting)


Mind experiment: If most of the NATO countries would each send one company of Leopards, 14 tanks, then - well, then you end up with around 100 Leopards, maybe more.

Ukraine wants brigades of them

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Someone asked who think Russia is behind the explosion of this Gaspipeline
I wrote
I doubt it, to be honest- It would mean an attack on a NATO country
Markus

Ah yes. Like with North Stream. Maybe NATO blew that and this pipeline up as a false flag operation?
I guess not. Putin is getting desperate. If it quacks like a duck .. and so forth.

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Ah yes. Like with North Stream. Maybe NATO blew that and this pipeline up as a false flag operation?
I guess not. Putin is getting desperate. If it quacks like a duck .. and so forth.

Another one said it was some Russian gang

And according to a Danish newspaper
"Gas operator Amber Grid at first glance does not see any evidence of a malicious act, says director But the investigation will uncover all possibilities, says Amber Grid's CEO, Nemunas Biknius, at a press conference according to Reuters"

Markus

[Skybird]

Ukraine is getting help in the war from an unexpected source, lowering worries about a renewed invasion by Russian troops from neighboring Belarus. In the Volhynia region on the border with Belarus, beaver dams have caused flooding, submerging additional areas of the territory or turning them into muddy landscapes. Reuters reported this, citing a member of the local territorial defense unit.

Unlike in peacetime, no one has bothered to destroy beaver dams that cause rivers to overflow their banks, he said. As a result, he said, and due to the mild winter, the area, with its many bodies of water and few paved roads, is even more difficult to pass than it already is.



A toast to the beaver marines! Next come air force bats bombing their sh!t from the air and commando squirrels throwing nut grenades!


Not to forget the fearsome German Kampf-Teckel. It holds its ground and drives every rat out of its hole.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Ah yes. Like with North Stream. Maybe NATO blew that and this pipeline up as a false flag operation?
I guess not. Putin is getting desperate. If it quacks like a duck .. and so forth.

Aye

[Jimbuna]

Russia claims victory in battle for Ukraine salt mine town

Russia's military says it has captured the Ukrainian salt-mine town of Soledar after a long battle, calling it an "important" step for its offensive.

The victory would allow Russian troops to push on to the nearby city of Bakhmut, and cut off the Ukrainian forces there, a spokesman said.

This was a very confident and ambitious statement from Moscow.

But Ukrainian officials said the fight for Soledar was still going on and accused Russia of "information noise".

The battle for Soledar has been one of the bloodiest of the war.

The town is relatively small, with a pre-war population of just 10,000, and its strategic significance is debatable. But if it is confirmed that Russian forces have seized control of it, then there will likely be a big sigh of relief in the Kremlin.

Divisions have emerged between regular Russian forces and the notorious Russian Wagner paramilitary group throughout the battle, with a jealous turf-war developing over who should take credit for the advance.

Barely any walls in Soledar remain standing, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week. Describing almost apocalyptic scenes, he spoke of the nearby terrain as scarred by missile strikes and littered with Russian corpses.

Speaking during his nightly address from Kyiv on Friday, Mr Zelensky said the battle in the region continued to rage, but avoided any reference to Russia's claims of control over Soledar.

"Although the enemy has concentrated its greatest forces in this direction, our troops - the Armed Forces of Ukraine, all defence and security forces - are defending the state," the Ukrainian leader said.

His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, compared the fight for Soledar and Bakhmut to one of the bitterest battles of World War One, at Verdun.

Regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Thursday that 559 civilians including 15 children remained in Soledar and could not be moved out.

The town's significance for the Russian military is disputed by military analysts because of its relatively small size. The US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War said while it was likely that Russian forces had captured Soledar, it did not believe they would then be able to go on to encircle Bakhmut.

Nevertheless, if it becomes clear that Russia has taken it, then that will be seen in Moscow as progress - even a victory.

That is exactly what President Vladimir Putin needs as Russia has failed to capture a single town in Ukraine since July 2022. Since then, Moscow's forces have suffered a whole series of embarrassing defeats.

Ukraine's successful counter-attack pushed Russia almost completely out of Kharkiv region in the north-east. In October, Russia's Kerch bridge came under attack, with Russian forces retreating from the city of Kherson the following month.

The southern port city had been the only regional capital that Russia had managed to seize since the invasion began.

Capturing Soledar would be something for Moscow to present as some "good news" to the Russian people and the troops on the wintry front line.

But Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern military command, denied Soledar was in Russian hands: "We won't give any more details as we do not want to reveal the tactical positions of our fighters."

Deputy Defence Minister, Hanna Malyar, said fighting had been "hot in Soledar overnight". Ukrainian fighters were "bravely trying to hold the defence", she added, in what was a difficult stage of the war.

Western and Ukrainian officials have said much of the fighting in Soledar and Bakhmut is being done by the notoriously brutal Wagner mercenary group.

Its leader, 61-year-old Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed repeatedly over the past few days that his forces are the only units on the ground in Soledar. He said on Tuesday night that his mercenaries had seized the town, only to be contradicted by Russia's defence ministry the next morning.

Daily updates from the Russian defence ministry have made no mention whatsoever of Wagner, and Friday's briefing was no exception. The military said that paratroopers had played a key part in the capture of the town.

Mr Prigozhin then released a statement saying he was "surprised" to read the defence ministry briefing. There "wasn't a single paratrooper" in Soledar, he insisted, warning against "insulting [his] fighters" and "stealing others' achievements".

And on Friday evening, Mr Prigozhin accused "officials who want to stay in their places" of being the biggest threat to his group's advance in Ukraine.

In a later statement, the defence ministry praised the mercenaries' "courageous and selfless actions" during the fighting, but again emphasised the leading role of regular Russian forces.

Analysts have long spoken of tensions between the military and Mr Prigozhin's Wagner group. The Russian oligarch has publicly criticised senior military leaders, including Gen Valery Gerasimov, appointed two days ago as overall commander of Russian forces in Ukraine.

While Russia has mobilised some 300,000 reservists for the war since the end of September, Prigozhin has looked to recruit extra numbers from Russia's prisons.

Andriy Yermak told French daily Le Monde that Russian criminals had been sent straight to their deaths on the front line: "Soledar is a scene of street battles, with neither side really in control of the town."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64263119

[Jimbuna]

Total combat losses of Russian Federation since beginning of war - about 114,660 (+530), 1,867 UAVs, 3,104 tanks, 2,090 artillery systems, 6,167 armored vehicles. INFOGRAPHICS

Losses of the Russian occupiers as of the morning of January 14, 2023, are approximately 114,660 people.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press center of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 14.01.23 approximately amounted to:

personnel - about 114,660 (+530) people were liquidated,
tanks ‒ 3104 (+6) units,
armored combat vehicles ‒ 6173 (+6) units,
artillery systems - 2090 (+4) units,
MLRS – 437 (+0) units,
air defense equipment ‒ 219 (+1) units,
aircraft – 286 (+0) units,
helicopters – 276 (+0) units,
UAV of the operational-tactical level - 1867 (+2),
cruise missiles ‒ 723 (+0),
warships/boats ‒ 17 (+0) units,
automotive equipment and tank trucks – 4,846 (+13) units,
special equipment ‒ 186 (+2).
"The data is being verified," the General Staff added. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3393246

[Jimbuna]

"Hanging" of Erdogan’s scarecrow: Turkey canceled invitation to speaker of Swedish parliament

The speaker of the Turkish parliament has canceled an invitation to his Swedish colleague Andreas Norlen to visit Ankara next week after the "hanging" of a dummy of Turkish President Erdogan in Stockholm.

This was reported by Sveriges Radio, Censor.NET informs with reference to European Pravda.

Norlen planned the trip with his Finnish colleague Matti Vanhanen. Due to the revocation of the invitation to the Swedish politician, Vanhanen's visit has also been canceled.

"We had a planned trip together on a Swedish government plane, so my visit is technically not possible," Vanhanen was quoted as saying by Yle.

As Censor.NET reported, on Wednesday the "Rojava Committee" organization posted a photo and video of a rally near the Stockholm City Hall with a scarecrow of Erdogan hanging by its feet. The "Rojava Committee" calls itself "a network of solidarity and exchange with the revolutionary movement throughout Kurdistan." Turkish media call them supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, recognized by Ankara as a terrorist organization.

The Turkish prosecutor's office opened a criminal case over the incident in Stockholm, and the Swedish ambassador was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told TV4 on Friday that the act was "extremely serious" and that he considered it sabotage against the NATO bid. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3393279

Russians hit Kyiv with ballistics, so missiles were not detected and shot down, - Air Force

The air strike on Kyiv in the morning of January 14 was carried out along a ballistic trajectory.

This was stated by Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrainian Pravda.

"Most likely, these are missiles that flew along a ballistic trajectory. From the north. Ballistics are not available for us to detect and shoot down," he said.

According to Ihnat, specialists will study the type of rockets used by the enemy on Saturday. But it is obvious that these were either ballistic missiles or S-300 anti-aircraft missiles flying along a ballistic trajectory.

The warning about the missile threat came late due to the lack of radar data and information from other sources.

Unfortunately, the Armed Forces do not have effective means of detecting and destroying ballistic missiles, Ihnat emphasized.

An Air Force spokesman also confirmed that a group of Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers are currently in the air, but it is not known whether they will launch missiles. Their flight is tracked. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3393272

[Jimbuna]

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed the UK will provide Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in a call with President Zelensky, No 10 says.

The BBC understands the initial commitment is for around a dozen tanks.

Meanwhile, Russian missile attacks have hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv and the eastern city of Kharkiv.

Journalists heard a series of blasts in Kyiv before the air raid siren even sounded, which is highly unusual.

The governor of the central Cherkasy region is also warning Russia could launch a massive missile strike later on Saturday.

And, Russia’s defence minister says its forces have taken control of the Ukrainian salt-mining city of Soledar.

Ukrainian officials said the fight for the small but significant town is still going on and accused Russia of "information noise"

[Jimbuna]

Russian Federation speaks at UN about its readiness for negotiations. Conditions - absence of "threat" from Ukraine

Moscow is ready to "achieve the goals of the war" through negotiations, if "there will no longer be a threat of the Russian Federation in Ukraine" and "discrimination against the Russian-speaking population."

This was stated by the permanent representative of Russia, Vasyl Nebenzya, at a meeting of the UN Security Council, Censor.NET reports with reference to the Russian mass media.

"It will be possible to end hostilities only when the threat of Russia no longer emanates from the territory of Ukraine and when discrimination against the Russian-speaking population of this country ends," he said.

Nebenzia insists that Russia is allegedly "destroying Ukraine as a state, its de-Ukrainization, and violent Russification." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3393285

Russia is going to mobilize 500,000 people, - Times

The leadership of the Russian Federation intends to mobilize 500,000 people and throw them into a new offensive in April.

This is reported by The Times with reference to Western intelligence data, Censor.NET informs with reference to the Correspondent.

It is noted that the decision will be made within a few weeks, and up to half a million people will be sent to the front by April "to start a new large-scale offensive." It is clarified that by this time there should be less dirt and debris due to bad weather.

"Serious preparations are underway in Russian regional military committees, the Kremlin has conducted a closed survey. Russian citizens are worried about the war, but they also do not want to accept defeat," the publication quoted an unnamed official as saying. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3393322

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]