Ukraine Conflict - Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master

[BruceVC]

31 minutes ago, Lexx said:

The internet is arguing that russias new offensive has now started. But it's kinda failing.

Also apparently the first confirmed Terminator-kill:

https://twitter.com/WhereisRussia/status/1623620579646402562

Do you think they created these Terminators in similar labs to what the Ukrainians use for there mutant soldiers?

[Gfted1]

The Russians certainly have a flair for cool looking gear! I hadnt heard about the BMPT Terminator - Wikipedia until now. Sexy.

[Malcador]

3 hours ago, Lexx said:

The internet is arguing that russias new offensive has now started. But it's kinda failing.

Also apparently the first confirmed Terminator-kill:

https://twitter.com/WhereisRussia/status/1623620579646402562

Seems making grinding progress near Bahkmut.  Getting mauled in Vuhledar, guess that goes to show how hard assaults are going to be in either direction.

This was amusing fear mongering too

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Malcador

[Mamoulian War]

3 hours ago, Lexx said:

The internet is arguing that russias new offensive has now started. But it's kinda failing.

Also apparently the first confirmed Terminator-kill:

https://twitter.com/WhereisRussia/status/1623620579646402562

Little bit more insights on alleged Russian offensive  

 

[Malcador]

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/spacex-curbed-ukraines-use-starlink-internet-drones-company-president-2023-02-09/

"SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, which has provided Ukraine's military with broadband communications in its defense against Russia's military, was "never never meant to be weaponized," Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer, said during a conference in Washington, D.C.

"However, Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement," she said."

 

[Zoraptor]

The Russians have been attacking Bakhmut* and Vuhledar for literally months. It's no more The Big Push than Kreminna-Sviatove was the Ukrainian's Big Push, though at least that had some pro UA types saying it was. Don't think I've seen a single pro Russian who thinks The Offensive has started with... exactly what they've been doing for months beforehand.

*Chasiv Yar and especially Kostiantinivka would be the key captures. If they take Chasiv Yar they get Bakhmut as a bonus anyway.

[Malcador]

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/what-russia-got-wrong-moscow-failures-in-ukraine-dara-massicot

Interesting read on what the Russians screwed up. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/09/ukraine-himars-rocket-artillery-russia/

Was wondering what gain is there in advertising the US' role being hands on to that degree with their long rang weapons, but was reminded that this is marketing for ATACMS.

 

[BruceVC]

4 hours ago, Malcador said:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/09/ukraine-himars-rocket-artillery-russia/

Was wondering what gain is there in advertising the US' role being hands on to that degree with their long rang weapons, but was reminded that this is marketing for ATACMS.

 

It doesnt concern me in the slightest even it true, the Russians have been pushing numerous false narratives and hyperbole that they " fighting the US\NATO" to justify there military failures and lackluster performance so the US helping with  navigation coordinates is fine. But saying all that the article does say 

"

 Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said in the statement. “The Ukrainians are responsible for finding targets, prioritizing them and then ultimately deciding which ones to engage. The U.S. does not approve targets, nor are we involved in the selection or engagement of targets.”

The senior Ukrainian official described the targeting process, generally: Ukrainian military personnel identify targets they want to hit, and in which location, and that information is then sent up to senior commanders, who then relay the request to U.S. partners for more accurate coordinates. The Americans do not always provide the requested coordinates, the official said, in which case the Ukrainian troops do not fire"

[Mamoulian War]

The attack at Vuhledar is just few weeks old. If we do not count the RU failure at Pavlivka, there was aa stalemate since the summer. On the other hand, RU started to push hard at Luhansk - Kharkiv Oblast borders this week. Especially at Dvorichne area near the Oskil River, where it could be said, that they had partial success at few villages.

 

edit: assessment of the situation at Vuhledar by Russian sources:

 

[Mamoulian War]

More from Vuhledar offensive 

 

[HoonDing]

Moscow will fall before Spring.

[Mamoulian War]

It looks like, the renewed offensive around the Avdiivka this week, the most fortified defense line in Ukraine, had even worse outcome, than in Vuhledar. They have lost more iron and bodies in that direction. There are rumours in Russian sources, that RU lost since 24.2.22 three brigades worth of equipment and manpower at this single site of the front.

 

On the other hand, they are much more successful N of Bakhmut. They finally captured Krasna Hora, due to coordinated retreat of AFU units to avoid encirclement.

[Mamoulian War]

Little bit of “conspiracy” that Crimean Bridge destruction was part of the Prigozhin’s, Kadyrov’ and Surovikin’s plan, to usurp the power in Russia. By Russian investigative newspaper gulagu.net.

Reports say, that the name Prigozhin is now banned to say in official Russian media. And it is most likely, that he will be sipping tea very close to open window in the near future

 

[xzar_monty]

10 minutes ago, Mamoulian War said:

Reports say, that the name Prigozhin is now banned to say in official Russian media. And it is most likely, that he will be sipping tea very close to open window in the near future

Which reports, where?

I read a comment where he apparently said that it takes or would take 18 months to capture some area in Ukraine, and three years to capture another, larger area (sorry, can't remember their names, but the quote is very recent). I found this surprising, because if it is true, then it's definitely not in line with the official Russian story.

[Mamoulian War]

7 minutes ago, xzar_monty said:

Which reports, where?

I read a comment where he apparently said that it takes or would take 18 months to capture some area in Ukraine, and three years to capture another, larger area (sorry, can't remember their names, but the quote is very recent). I found this surprising, because if it is true, then it's definitely not in line with the official Russian story.

My bad, I think I should not have used plural. This is all from connection to gulagu.net. Anyway the above statement by Prigozhin were not aired on official Russian media, here is the translation of his interview. Which probably should not be taken seriously.

 

[Mamoulian War]

@xzar_monty here is another source. I have absolutely no way how to find out, if this is real or just psyops. We'll see in few weeks for sure...

 

[xzar_monty]

Ok, thanks a lot for that. You are almost certainly right: we will see in a few weeks' time. For now, we don't know.

[Malcador]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-10/russian-missiles-aimed-at-ukraine-crossed-romania-kyiv-says

Ukrainians sure jump the gun a lot.

[BruceVC]

https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2023-02-11-vucic--serbia-will-have-to-impose-sanctions-against-russia-due-to-pressure-from-the-west.SkqQGrrTo.html

Well done @Sarex, its good to be on the right side of history. The next step is for Serbia to join the EU 

 

[xzar_monty]

Serbia being in the EU might not mean much, given that Hungary is in the EU, and look at what it does. The EU itself is in trouble with some of its members and policies.

[Mamoulian War]

Because they have decided for ages to turn blind eye on rampant corruption in these countries. Paradox is, this helped pro russian and anti EU movements the most. Because surprise surprise, these are the most corrupt and take money from anywhere I know, because I live in one such country, where in the next election, might have neonazi populists in government…

[Sarex]

I can assure you that politician get much more money from our western friends. I think that our whole opposition is funded with western funds. Not counting the protest from time to time they also fund.

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/hunter-biden-asked-fathers-top-white-house-aide-to-help-serbian-businessman-campaign-for-un-chief/

[Lexx]

I guess it's some sort of balancing-out? If the west doesn't fund them, someone else will, so we try to out-fund them? No clue if that's what is going on, but would make sense to me.

[Mamoulian War]

 

1 hour ago, Lexx said:

I guess it's some sort of balancing-out? If the west doesn't fund them, someone else will, so we try to out-fund them? No clue if that's what is going on, but would make sense to me.

Speaking now directly from Slovakia POW. The difference is, that the west funds here think tanks and some non-government bodies. Russia on the other hands funds/bribes politicians directly, or through special Russian foundations. Prime example would be Blaha, who is paid directly from Usmanov's foundations. Usmanov is on the sanction list as a person who funds Russian government. Usmanov also owns in Slovakia a construction company, who was winning during last 12 years significant state deals for building Highways. It is well known "leaked secret" that during these 12 years, the company who wanted to win such a big deals, which included funding by EU, have "paid back" to the people at the top of the governing parties up to 30% "royalties"

I bet it is very similar in most of the Eastern EU countries, and I bet something similar might be happening in less corrupt western world as well.

[xzar_monty]

I wonder if stuff like this reliable: https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-may-have-lost-an-entire-elite-brigade-near-a-coal-mining-town-in-donbas-ukraine-says/

@Mamoulian War: The difference is indeed noticeable. It would be naive to regard "the West" as somehow uncorrupt, but it would be equally naive to claim that everyone is as corrupt as everyone else. There are some major differences than run through the entire fabric of the society. One good measure of how the society works is whether you can protest against your government on the street, and what happens if you do.