Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[mapuc]

Markus

[Rockstar]

Russia may have bodies they can send in overwhelming waves at gun point. Even that will come to an end when more and more front line troops realize their destiny is U.U.U.U. Also from what I’m seeing they lack solid supply chains and command, control, and communications to execute even the most basic coordinated attacks. They are failing and there is definitely dissension among the ranks.

While they roll out decrepit 60 year old T-62’s we have bombers in theatre circling high above ready to obliterate the Russian asshats very way of life and everything they hold dear.

[Jimbuna]

Russian TV pundit turns on Putin warning he 'won't live long enough to see end of war'

ARussian TV pundit has given a chilling warning to Vladimir Putin, predicting the Russian leader won't live long enough to see the war's end. Pundit Sergei Mikheyev appeared on a Russian state TV talk show and said if the current pace of the war in Ukraine continues, neither Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin insiders nor the general population will live long enough to see any success. The show was hosted by Vladimir Solovyov, who is known for being one of Putin's main propagandists.

Mikheyev told the host: "Our position has severely worsened. We either move forward and stop imitating sovereignty and truly achieve success, or we retreat with a massive failure."

The former director of the Russian research company Centre for Current Policy Analysis, spoke out against the Kremlin and Russian military commanders, criticizing their "silence" in response to setbacks on the battlefield.

Mikheyev stated that Russia could not afford to appear weak by retreating and called for long-distance strikes to be launched to demonstrate Russian technological superiority and to create problems for nations supporting Ukraine.

While Solovyov appeared to agree with many of Mikheyev's statements, the other members of the panel looked shocked.

Mikheyev has been a vocal proponent of a hardline approach to Russia's involvement in the Ukraine conflict, arguing for taking as much territory as possible.

Ukrainian military leaders expressed determination Monday to hold onto Bakhmut as Russian forces encroached on the devastated eastern city they have sought to capture for six months at the cost of thousands of lives.

Less than a week ago, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the defenders might retreat from Bakhmut and fall back to nearby positions.

But Zelensky's office said Monday that he chaired a meeting in which the country's top military brass "spoke in favour of continuing the defence operation and further strengthening our positions in Bakhmut".

Intense Russian shelling targeted the city in the Donetsk region and nearby villages as Moscow deployed more resources to try to finish off Bakhmut's resistance, according to local officials.

"Civilians are fleeing the region to escape Russian shelling continuing round the clock," Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine just over a year ago and have been unable to deliver a knockout blow that would allow them to seize Bakhmut.

Analysts say it does not have major strategic value and that its capture would be unlikely to serve as a turning point in the conflict.

The Russian push for Bakhmut reflects the Kremlin's broader struggle to achieve battlefield momentum.

Moscow's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, soon stalled, and Ukraine launched a largely successful counteroffensive.

Over the bitterly cold winter months, the fighting has largely been deadlocked.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...e5b2501f&ei=17

[Jimbuna]

Russian officers stage mutiny and 'abandon attack' on key town after losses

Russian military officers are reportedly refusing to launch a new attack on the Ukrainian town of Vugledar after suffering heavy losses in a tank battle. It has been claimed that Russia lost around 130 tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in a recent offensive to take the town, located in the Donetsk oblast.

Ukrainian military officers told the Kyiv Post that the Russian brigade refused orders to continue attacking the town.

One was quoted as saying: "The leaders of the brigade and senior officers are refusing to proceed with a new senseless attack as demanded by their unskilled commanders - to storm well-defended Ukrainian positions with little protection or preparation."

The Russian military is reportedly close to taking the town of Bakhmut, also in the east of Ukraine, but this battle has also exposed divisions within Russian ranks.

Yevgeny Priogzohin, leader of the Wagner private military group, has accused Russian forces of withholding ammunition from them.

Prigozhin said: "I'm knocking on all doors and sounding the alarm about ammunition and reinforcements, as well as the need to cover our flanks.

"If everyone is coordinated, without ambition, screw-ups and tantrums, and carries out this work, then we will block the armed forces of Ukraine. If not, then everyone will be s*****d."

He also warned that the "front will collapse" of Wagner stops helping Russia.

Prigozhin added: "If Wagner retreats from Bakhmut now, the whole front will collapse. The situation will not be sweet for all military formations protecting Russian interests."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...ca9c0a9e&ei=15

[Jimbuna]

Europe warned over Russian 'nuclear issue' as Iron Curtain draws on continent once again

"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic," Sir Winston Churchill said during an impassioned speech while visiting Missouri under the watchful eye of US President Harry Truman. "An iron curtain has descended across the Continent." His remarks, made 77 years ago, came a year after World War 2, and just as the threat of the Soviet Union became unnervingly real. Dividing Europe into two separate entities in the aftermath of the bruising conflict, the Iron Curtain was supposedly brought down in 1991. But many believe history is moving towards repeating itself.

Russia's hostility towards the West has endured despite the Cold War ending decades ago, its bloody war with Ukraine demonstrating Moscow's ruthless desire to assert what it sees as lost control.

The war, which has seen NATO members ply Ukraine with military support, and humanitarian and financial aid to tackle Vladimir Putin's invasion marked its grim one-year anniversary in late February, with thousands dead and little progress made.

As the months have gone on, with pressure piling on Putin to achieve a victory, the analyses of how the war could pan out have grown increasingly worrying.

Among the most concerning scenarios include Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine and its allies should the West become more directly involved in the conflict.

All of this has led to speculation around the Iron Curtain returning, including by Timothy Phillips, author of, The Curtain and the Wall: A Modern Journey Along Europe's Cold War Border.

Speaking to TimesRADIO in October, Mr Phillips, who travelled the length of the former Iron Curtain, described how he felt the war could end up going - with the nuclear option still a significant possibility.

He said: "There is a growing division between the ethos and values of Eastern Europe, even the bits of Eastern Europe that are in the European Union and NATO in terms of cultural issues around gender politics and sexual politics and those things that do mean that when you cross you can still feel that you're leaving one part of Europe and entering another.

"The nuclear issue is what caused Iron Curtain and the Cold War to go on for so long, and we still have that with us."

Europe could well be on the brink of returning to a Cold War-type divide - many believe it has already happened.

Reports this week suggest that a Russian defence ministry journal insists Moscow has begun developing new forms of strategies to protect their interests in the war.

Whether Russia would actually use nuclear weapons has been mulled over by insiders, with Italy claiming earlier this week Putin would not use such devastating bombs to win its war.

Previous comments by Putin, though, offer a different angle as to whether he actually will unleash the deadly weapons. During a meeting with Russia's Human Rights Council at the Kremlin in October, he said Moscow would fight by "all available means at our disposal".

He added: "As for the idea that Russia wouldn't use such weapons first under any circumstances, then it means we wouldn't be able to be the second to use them either - because the possibility to do so in case of an attack on our territory would be very limited.

"Nevertheless, we have a strategy... namely, as a defence, we consider weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons - it is all based around the so-called retaliatory strike. That is, when we are struck, we strike in response."

More recently, the nation's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow could be forced to respond were the US to get further involved in the war. This is despite the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) being in place.

He said the situation regarding the treaty was "causing more and more concern." He continued: "The responsibility for the fact that the Treaty has not entered into force for more than a quarter of a century of its existence lies, in fact, with the United States, which defiantly refused to ratify it and is showing an obvious inclination to resume testing.

"We cannot remain indifferent to what is happening. If the United States nevertheless decides to take such a step and be the first to conduct nuclear tests, we will be forced to respond adequately. No one should have dangerous illusions that global strategic parity can be destroyed."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...d28cda69&ei=19

[Skybird]

As a reminde,r the non.ratificaiton by the Us was due to China not willing to limit its nuclear arming up, thus the treaty opuwld limit the US, but allows the Sino-Russian axis of evil to nevertheless raise the number of systems by a Chinese raise.

[Skybird]

Deutsche Welle:
Ukrainian top generals have vowed to continue to defend the contended eastern city of Bakhmut amid reports suggesting that Russia is inching closer to capturing it.
After months of fighting in and around Bakhmut, Russian forces remain adamant about capturing the city, which would be their first significant battlefield victory in some six months.
Western strategists and officials suggest a Russian occupation of the city would be of more symbolic than strategic value.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, however, said control of Bakhmut would allow Moscow's forces to mount further attacks deeper inside Ukraine.
"The city is an important hub for defending Ukrainian troops in the Donbas. Taking it under control will allow further offensive actions to be conducted deep into Ukraine's defensive lines," he said.
Reports from the battlefield suggest that Ukrainian troops have recently been reinforcing positions west of the city, apparently preparing to withdraw.
However, in his nightly address on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held discussions with top generals and they agreed "not to withdraw."
"The command unanimously supported this position. There were no other positions. I told the commander-in-chief to find the appropriate forces to help our guys in Bakhmut," Zelenskyy said.
The battle has drained both sides' artillery reserves, with thousands of shells fired daily.
----------------------

It makes sense to defend Bachmut:
1. It binds Russian forces and attrites them drastically. For as long as the Russian losses are dysproportionally bigger than the Ukrianian losses, it makes sense to continue doing that.
2. It leaves the Russians distracted while the Ukrainians collect forces elsewhere in preparation of an own offensive south of Bachmut.
3. It buys time for Ukraine.
4. It gives Russia the time to let its conficts in leadership simmering on and developing further.
5. It protects urban settlement areas west of Bachmut, and leaves Ukrainian artillery in reach of eastern supply lines of the Russians that run in North-Southern direction, east of Bachmut. That extends these supply lines, forcing the Russians to invest more time.
6. I thinders the Russians to take positions for artillery from where they could strike deep into the third - and last - defence line of the ukrainians.

Bachmut may not have a value on the operational level as many Western analysts claim, but I strongly think on the tactical and strategic level it has. Questioning the above reasons may come from trying to use standards from peacetime-thinking for assessing the needs of war.To me, Bachmut is pretty much an Ukrainian deception that prepares the offensive they plan. We will see when the Western tanks have arrived and the according batallion(s) have been formed up.

[Jimbuna]

Shooting for phrase "Glory to Ukraine": previously, killed soldier of 30th SMB Timofii Shadura. PHOTO

According to preliminary data, the deceased, who was shot by the occupiers for the phrase "Glory to Ukraine" is a serviceman of the 30th separate mechanized brigade Tymofii Mykolayovych Shadura.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press center of the brigade.

"Yesterday, social networks and mass media published a video recording of the shooting of a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who was killed by the Russian invaders after he said "Glory to Ukraine!" According to preliminary data, the deceased is a serviceman of the 30th separate mechanized brigade, Tymofii Mykolayovych Shadura," the message reads.

It is also reported that Timofii Shadura is considered missing since February 3, 2023, after hostilities in the area of the city of Bakhmut.

"Currently, the body of our serviceman is in the temporarily occupied territory. The final confirmation of the identity will be established after the return of the body and the relevant examinations.
The command of the 30th separate mechanized brigade and the brothers of the Hero express their sincere condolences to his relatives and friends. Revenge will be inevitable," the message reads.

The press center of the General Staff also confirms the previous information about the person killed.

"According to preliminary data, the deceased is a serviceman of the 30th separate mechanized brigade named after Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozky (Operational Command "North" Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine) Tymofii Mykolaiovych Shadura," the message says.

"The shooting of an unarmed prisoner is a cynical and brazen disregard for the norms of international humanitarian law and the customs of war. This is what worthless murderers do, but not soldiers. The Russian occupiers have once again testified that their main goal in Ukraine is only the brutal extermination of Ukrainians. The identity of a courageous Ukrainian soldier has already been established. The final answer will be given by appropriate examinations. Not a single death of our warrior will go unpunished.
But we will do it in a legal and fair way - on the battlefield, in court, or in an international tribunal. With a cool head, with observance of the rules of war, and with honor, we will definitely take revenge for everyone!" added the General Staff.

As reported, footage of Russian invaders shooting a Ukrainian soldier after his phrase "Glory to Ukraine" appeared on the network. Where and when the video was shot is still unknown.

On March 6, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, sent a video of the shooting of a captured Ukrainian serviceman by Russian invaders to Ukraine's international partners and fellow ombudsmen as an example of yet another Russian war crime. Source: https://censor.net/en/p3404165

[Jimbuna]

This week, Poland will send 10 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, - Ministry of Defense

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak confirmed that 10 of the promised 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks will arrive in Ukraine in the coming days.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Sky News.

"Four tanks are already in Ukraine, 10 more will go to Ukraine this week," he said.

It was previously reported that Poland will soon hand over 60 PT-91 tanks - a modernized version of the T-72M - to Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3404201

Belarusian dictator Lukashenko called Zelensky names and gave him "challenge"

Belarusian dictator Oleksandr Lukashenko criticized President Zelensky and said that he asked for "a non-aggression pact".

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to BelTA.

He was commenting on the explosions at the "Machulyshchi" airfield.

"I used to think that Ukraine needed peace, that Zelensky was rooting for his people. President Zelensky is just a nit. Just a nit! Such operations are not carried out without coordination with the head of the country and the commander-in-chief. I am telling you this as the president," Lukashenko said.

According to the self-proclaimed "president," Zelensky is allegedly "running around Belarus, sending people and asking" him "to conclude a non-aggression pact."

"To which I said: 'We are not going to attack.' - 'No, let's sign a treaty under the auspices of the United Nations that you will not attack us.' You heard all these statements of mine. And at this time ... Well, the challenge is over," added Lukashenko. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3404204

Exports from European Union to Russia fell to 11-year low

In 2022, the European Union reduced its exports of goods to Russia by more than a third due to its invasion of Ukraine - to a minimum since 2012.

This follows from Eurostat data, Censor.NET with reference to Radio Liberty.

The export of goods from the EU to Russia amounted to 55.2 billion euros (in 2012, its value was twice as high), having decreased by 38% over the year.

Exports of equipment and vehicles fell the most - by 59%, and other industrial goods - by 39%. This became a serious problem for Russian business, and the Central Bank of Russia found out. At the same time, the export of food and beverages remained unchanged.

At the same time, imports from Russia to the EU amounted to 203.4 billion euros, having increased by 24% over the year and almost reaching their maximum value (2012 - 203.6 billion euros). Import of energy carriers increased the most - by 42%. It was reported that on the eve of the oil sanctions, the EU countries sharply increased the supply of oil, and the import of Russian liquefied gas increased significantly.

At the same time, Eurostat notes that, compared to March 2022, in December, when the oil sanctions came into effect, total imports from Russia decreased by 53%.

During the year, 2.9 thousand Russian organizations were sanctioned, writes the Russian publication Kommersant. Import restrictions have become a key problem for Russian business: foreign companies refuse to supply raw materials, components, spare parts and equipment.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than 1,200 organizations closed down their activities in Russia, of which 519 left the country completely.

In 2022, the trade turnover of Russia and its main trading partner - China - reached a record level. Exports from China to Russia increased by 12.8%, reaching 76.1 billion dollars. Imports from Russia to China grew by 43.4%, amounting to 114.2 billion dollars. A significant part of it was energy carriers, which, as traders reported, Russia sold at a discount of up to 30%. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3404216

[Skybird]

Der Tagesspiegel summarizes a new report by the NYT on the Nordstream pipeline:
-------------------------
US intelligence findings: pro-Ukrainian group may have blown up Nord Stream pipelines

As reported by the New York Times with reference to U.S. officials, there are first concrete clues about the perpetrators of the attacks on natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. But much remains unclear.

As reported by the "New York Times" with reference to U.S. officials, there are for the first time clues as to who could have perpetrated the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines. According to the report, a pro-Ukrainian group could be responsible. The U.S. officials are said to be familiar with relevant intelligence information.

As the "NYT" journalists point out, there are no indications that the attack was ordered by the government in Kiev or officials in Ukraine. So far, investigators around the world are in the dark about who might have commissioned and carried out the attacks. While Western governments have been reticent to assign blame, Moscow has blamed the U.S. Washington rejected the accusations.

As reported by the NYT, the group is said to be opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin. How exactly the group was composed and who financed or commissioned it is not clear from the intelligence information. It is also unclear exactly where U.S. intelligence obtained the information. It is also unclear how valid the information is. Final conclusions can therefore not be drawn from the information, the "NYT" journalists emphasize.

The U.S. officials assume that the perpetrators have Ukrainian, Russian or both citizenships. British or U.S. citizens were not involved, according to the report.

The information, they said, was the first hot lead to emerge from investigations by various Western intelligence agencies. However, it was unclear how long further investigations could take, leading to a definite assessment of how the crime took place. The Europeans were informed of the new findings, the NYT said.

The report confirms what the "Washington Post" already reported shortly before Christmas, citing an anonymous source: "There is no evidence at this point that Russia is behind the sabotage."

Severe damage and several underwater leaks had been discovered on the two Nord Stream 1 pipes and one Nord Stream 2 pipe in the Baltic Sea following explosions in late September. According to findings so far, at least two detonations had occurred, resulting in four leaks.

The leaks in the pipelines leading from Russia to Germany are located near the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm, partly in Danish and partly in Swedish waters. Enormous amounts of gas leaked for days. The EU, NATO and security circles, among others, immediately spoke of sabotage as the cause of the explosions.

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Deutsche Welle:
Ukrainian top generals have vowed to continue to defend the contended eastern city of Bakhmut amid reports suggesting that Russia is inching closer to capturing it.
After months of fighting in and around Bakhmut, Russian forces remain adamant about capturing the city, which would be their first significant battlefield victory in some six months.
Western strategists and officials suggest a Russian occupation of the city would be of more symbolic than strategic value.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, however, said control of Bakhmut would allow Moscow's forces to mount further attacks deeper inside Ukraine.
"The city is an important hub for defending Ukrainian troops in the Donbas. Taking it under control will allow further offensive actions to be conducted deep into Ukraine's defensive lines," he said.
Reports from the battlefield suggest that Ukrainian troops have recently been reinforcing positions west of the city, apparently preparing to withdraw.
However, in his nightly address on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held discussions with top generals and they agreed "not to withdraw."
"The command unanimously supported this position. There were no other positions. I told the commander-in-chief to find the appropriate forces to help our guys in Bakhmut," Zelenskyy said.
The battle has drained both sides' artillery reserves, with thousands of shells fired daily.
----------------------

It makes sense to defend Bachmut:
1. It binds Russian forces and attrites them drastically. For as long as the Russian losses are dysproportionally bigger than the Ukrianian losses, it makes sense to continue doing that.
2. It leaves the Russians distracted while the Ukrainians collect forces elsewhere in preparation of an own offensive south of Bachmut.
3. It buys time for Ukraine.
4. It gives Russia the time to let its conficts in leadership simmering on and developing further.
5. It protects urban settlement areas west of Bachmut, and leaves Ukrainian artillery in reach of eastern supply lines of the Russians that run in North-Southern direction, east of Bachmut. That extends these supply lines, forcing the Russians to invest more time.
6. I thinders the Russians to take positions for artillery from where they could strike deep into the third - and last - defence line of the ukrainians.

Bachmut may not have a value on the operational level as many Western analysts claim, but I strongly think on the tactical and strategic level it has. Questioning the above reasons may come from trying to use standards from peacetime-thinking for assessing the needs of war.To me, Bachmut is pretty much an Ukrainian deception that prepares the offensive they plan. We will see when the Western tanks have arrived and the according batallion(s) have been formed up.

NATO estimates Russia lost 5 times more soldiers in Bakhmut than Ukraine NATO intelligence estimates that for every Ukrainian soldier killed defending Bakhmut, Russian forces have lost at least five, a military official with the North Atlantic alliance told CNN on Monday.

The official cautioned the five to one ratio was an informed estimate based on intelligence. The official spoke to CNN on the condition they remain anonymous because they are not allowed to discuss this intelligence. Despite the favorable ratio, they also said Ukraine was suffering significant losses defending the city. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly claimed they were inflicting heavy losses on Russia as Moscow tried to take Bakhmut.

“Our defenders inflicted significant losses on the enemy, destroyed a large number of vehicles, forced Wagner's best assault units to fight and reduced the enemy's offensive potential,” Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of the Ukraine’s land forces said after a visit to Bakhmut on Sunday. The Institute for the Study of War also said Russia’s efforts to capture Bakhmut had significantly deteriorated its capacity for additional offensives. “The Russian military will likely struggle to maintain any subsequent offensive operations for some months, giving Ukraine a chance to seize the initiative;” it said on Monday. https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-...bbf082fb3b6888

[Jimbuna]

Putin starts new offensives and continues missile attacks, NATO’s response is to help Ukraine to win, - Stoltenberg

NATO allies will provide Ukraine with everything it needs to defeat the Russian invaders.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this in Brussels at a press conference following a meeting with Albanian President Bayram Begai, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"We just discussed Russia's war against Ukraine. President Putin is launching new offensives and continuing missile attacks. Our response is to continue to give Ukraine everything it needs to win. Allies are increasing their unprecedented support, and I welcome the commitment of such assistance from Albania We should continue our assistance as long as it is necessary," the head of the Alliance said.

He noted that Albania plays a key role in maintaining stability and cooperation in the Western Balkans region, which is strategically important for NATO. The Alliance will continue its peacekeeping mission in Kosovo and will contribute to the continuation of the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade on the normalization of relations, which is taking place under the auspices of the EU.

It will be recalled that on March 7, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will begin a visit to Sweden, which presides over the EU. He will take part in an informal meeting of defense ministers of the European Union. The main topic of this forum will be the acceleration of the provision of military aid to Ukraine from the EU countries for the realization of the right to self-defense against Russian aggression. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3404242

During storming of Bakhmut, Russia lost 20,000 to 30,000 invaders, - Guardian

According to The Guardian, Russia lost 20,000 to 30,000 people during the attempt to capture Bakhmut.

As Censor.NET informs about this with reference to the LIGA.

Western official sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Guardian's chief military correspondent, Dan Sabbagh, that they estimate Russian forces lost between 20,000 and 30,000 in the attempt to capture Bakhmut, with a kill-to-wound ratio "worse than one to three".

The journalist notes that he was not informed of the data on the losses of Bakhmut's Ukrainian defenders, they only said that they were "smaller", but at the same time "other sources say about five Russians for one Ukrainian and even more".

The Guardian's source believes that the battle for Bakhmut "may well last another month", but "the Ukrainians may decide to leave within a week." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3404261

[Jimbuna]

[Skybird]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/07/u...e-ukraine.html


Hmmm. I definitely put a tracker on this story as it moves around on my radar screen. So far I hold myself back from any "ifs" and speculations.

[les green01]

Originally Posted by Skybird

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/07/u...e-ukraine.html


Hmmm. I definitely put a tracker on this story as it moves around on my radar screen. So far I hold myself back from any "ifs" and speculations.

don't know how reliable the times is or the official personally i'm still leaning towards the ruskies if you didnt know the locations of the pipes you be mowing the lawn a lot trying to find them subs not cheap buying or operating them.