[X: 17 part thread] A new analysis has found that mobilised Russians who have been sent to Ukraine have only survived, on average, for 4.5 months before being killed. One in five of the mobilised has not survived longer than eight weeks.
At least 130 died within the first month of mobilisation, with some being killed just days after arriving in Ukraine. 20% were killed within two months, with the average mobik dying within 4.5 months. 0.2% lasted 11 months before they were killed. These are the mobilized. Not included are Wagner convicts and Storm Z, whose life spans are measured in days or weeks.
Cherry Picked Data as the study only reviewed 3000 russian deaths. What's not contrasted is those who are deployed and dont die. How many are they, and what is their life expectancy?
#3
Cherry Picked Data as the study only reviewed 3000 russian deaths.
It's called sampling. The Russians hide the vast majority of their war dead, even from the dead soldiers' families.
If you had bothered to read the thread, three things stick out:
1. The high death rate upon entering Ukraine. That goes with the lack of training for the mobiks as well being used for cannon fodder attacks, and continue to be used this way, instead of the rear jobs they were promised.
2. The dead skew to 30+ years of age. It means the young are better informed and dodging the war like it was the plague. The older are more susceptible to Kremlin propaganda or feel it is their duty. As a consequence, Russia is losing their most productive workers. Even experienced defense production workers are mobilized. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
3. Russian minorities (Asians and Muslims) are suffering disproportionate casualties. But that's old news and a long standing Russian practice.
#6
So, tanks engaged in Vietnam lasted 6 minutes.
Why does it matter? Critical mass?
This seems to be a war of occupation.
"I have it!"
"No we have it!"
"You dropped the ball."
"It was a recovered fumble!"
Kinda missing the underlying motivation and goals.
Were Commonwealth lives so ill-spent?
"Australia: Point five eight percent,
Far less than the gammon
Back home."
"But that famine
In West Bengal... surely?"
Says Wiki, demurely, "All Eenjah: Point five eight percent."
One of those killed after the shelling of the peacekeepers’ car in Karabakh was the Deputy Commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh, Ivan Kovgan, who was also the deputy commander of the submarine forces of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation.… pic.twitter.com/c7N2ImHYq4
#3
From the photo I saw it looked like the SUV was raked by machine gun fire from the front. Lots of entry and exit holes on both windshields. The front showed round entry holes and the rear metal panel showed exit holes.
The olive drab vehicle was not well marked. The front had what looked like a blue circle on the hood (with "MC"?). Same on rear panel. Hard to see by a crouching machine gunner.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:29 By using drones and missiles of its own production to attack Russian ships, Ukraine has largely undermined Russia's military superiority in the Black Sea. This allows, among other things, to resume the work of Odessa ports, where commercial ships have begun to call. Read more in the material Breaking the blockade .
22:24 The statement by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to stop arms supplies to Ukraine was taken incorrectly amid growing tensions between the two countries, said President Andrzej Duda. According to him, Morawiecki meant that “we will not transfer to Ukraine the new weapons that we are now buying, since we are modernizing the Polish army.” After the Prime Minister’s statement, the government clarified that Warsaw will continue to transfer weapons and ammunition to Kyiv under existing contracts.
22:10 The Pentagon has concluded a contract with Starlink in the interests of Ukraine, said US Department of Defense spokesman Patrick Ryder. However, he refused to clarify the details.
22:03 The Russians shelled Zelenovka, Kherson region, one person was killed, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin.
21:41 Zelensky held a meeting with the leader of the Democratic Party in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Republican Party in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, and senators - they discussed the situation at the front, the priority defense needs of Ukraine, the need to strengthen Ukrainian air defense, especially in connection with the approaching winter.
The Ukrainian president also met with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and discussed the supply of artillery systems and long-range weapons, strengthening Ukrainian air defense and the timely supply of necessary weapons and ammunition from partners.
21:16 In the evening, Russia attacked the Belgorod-Dnestrovsky district of the Odessa region with missiles, said the head of the OBA Oleg Kiper. There was a hit to the recreational infrastructure; a fire started at the site, which was quickly extinguished. No people were hurt.
20:52 Biden decided not to provide Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles in the next aid package, but does not rule out such a possibility in the future, said US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
20:23 The first ship with Ukrainian grain arrived in Turkey along a temporary corridor, Reuters reports. The cargo ship Resilient Africa left the Ukrainian port of Chernomorsk with 3,000 tons of grain this week.
20:19 The Russians shelled Kazatske, Kherson region, one person was wounded, the OVA reported.
20:14 In the Donetsk region, five people were wounded today as a result of Russian shelling, the prosecutor’s office reported. In particular, the Russian military attacked the village. Petropavlovka Volnovakha district, Toretsk and village. Molodenkoe, Pokrovsky district.
19:09 During a meeting with American congressmen in the Capitol, Zelensky urged them to approve additional aid funding for Ukraine. “If we don’t get help, we will lose the war,” Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer quoted the Ukrainian president as saying.
In turn, the head of the House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy, said that he has not changed his position and will not support the approval of a $24 billion aid package to Ukraine. At the same time, he added that he asked Zelensky a number of questions, and the conversation with him was “good and productive.”
The Guardian also reports that Zelensky was not allowed to speak at a joint meeting of the upper and lower houses of the US Congress. Kevin McCarthy rejected the corresponding request from the Ukrainian side this morning. He referred to the fact that congressmen allegedly “did not have enough time due to a busy legislative week.”
18:21 The Russians suffer 7-8 times more losses in defense than Ukraine in the offensive, said the speaker of the Eastern Group of Forces Ilya Yevlash. “We continue to knock out and inflict fire damage where the enemy least expects it. I want to emphasize that with much smaller forces we continue to move forward,” he added.
18:12 In Yelenovka near Donetsk, a communications center has been neutralized - including mobile communications of the occupiers. After this, serious problems arose with the mobile Internet, which will complicate the adjustment of fire along the front line, said Advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol Pyotr Andryushchenko.
17:54 The Russian Army dropped four guided bombs on Lvovo, Kherson region, killing one person. Also, two air bombs were dropped on Tyaginka, Otradokamenka and Nikolaevka were shelled, there were no casualties, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.
17:40 Germany transferred another batch of military aid to Ukraine. The package included, in particular, four HX81 tractors and trailers for them, 12 Mercedes-Benz Zetros trucks, spare parts, 17 satellite communication terminals, and an antenna amplifier.
17:13 After the strike on the Russian secret base near the Motor Plant in Melitopol, the occupiers are still clearing out the rubble, said the mayor of the city, Ivan Fedorov. He also said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck a concentration of equipment and ammunition depots in the Vasilyevsky district near the front line, after which the detonation continued for several hours. And in the Prishib area there were attacks on the Russian base.
16:59 The number of victims as a result of the night Russian attack on Cherkassy has increased to 11 people, another 13 people were evacuated, the State Emergency Service reports. Rescuers continue to clear the rubble.
16:15 Sweden transferred ten Stridsvagn 122 tanks (Swedish version of Leopard 2) to Ukraine, the country’s Ministry of Defense reported.
16:08 An official ceremony to present Zelensky with the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards took place in New York. The President said that he dedicates the award to “all Ukrainians and Ukrainian women in uniform, all our children killed by Russian terrorists, all parents, mothers who raised such brave Ukrainian soldiers, as well as all teachers, all doctors who did not leave Ukraine with the beginning of a full-scale war ".
15:47 The Russians shelled Belozerka, Kherson region: according to preliminary information, one person was killed, two were wounded, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin. According to him, the enemy has been attacking populated areas in the region all day. Since the beginning of the day, five people have been killed and ten more injured as a result of Russian shelling.
15:20 The Security Service and the Armed Forces recently attacked a secret Russian base in Melitopol, located at a motor plant, a number of Ukrainian media reported, citing sources in the SBU. As a result of the attack, the commander of the 58th Army of the Russian Federation, which is fighting in the Zaporozhye direction, and the chief of staff were wounded. Several dozen more Russian officers were injured, and about ten died.
14:59 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russian air defense systems allegedly shot down 75 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours - the maximum since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Five Storm Shadow missiles, four HIMARS missiles and a HARM anti-radar missile were also allegedly shot down.
14:14 Zelensky announced important negotiations in Washington today: “Air defense for Ukraine is among the top issues. This night, Russian terrorists launched another massive strike. In particular, on infrastructure. Most of the missiles were shot down. But only the majority. Not all. We are working, to completely deprive Russia of its terrorist potential. More air defense. More sanctions. More support for Ukrainian soldiers on the front line."
13:55 On the night of September 21, the defense forces launched a combined attack on a military airfield near the city of Saki in Crimea , the Strategic Communications Department of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (StratCom) reported.
13:18 In the Bakhmut direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to force out the enemy, they already have fire control over the Bakhmut-Gorlovka highway, which has significantly complicated logistics for the Russian army, said Ilya Yevlash, spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces.
12:39 The state budget received $1.25 billion in grant funds from the United States through the World Bank Donor Trust Fund, the Ministry of Finance reported. The funds will be used for pension payments, payments to employees of the State Emergency Service, salaries of health workers providing services under the medical guarantee program, civil servants and teachers.
11:50 The Rada appealed to international organizations to condemn Russia’s holding of illegal “elections” in the temporarily occupied territories. The parliamentarians also called for recognizing as illegitimate all government bodies of the Russian Federation at all levels, whose members were “elected” during the pseudo-elections, to avoid official contacts with so-called “officials”, to increase sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation and directly on those involved in organizing the “elections”.
11:46 Over the past 24 hours, the Russians shelled 13 settlements in the Donetsk region, the National Police reported. Two people died in Toretsk, two more in Severny, one in Ugledar.
11:38 Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that his country is considering the possibility of supplying Ukraine with its F-16 fighters. The Belgian Air Force has 45 of these aircraft in service, and within the next 5-6 years all of them will reach the end of their operational life. Starting next year, the Belgian Air Force will begin receiving four to five new F-35 fighters per year, which will gradually replace the F-16.
11:25 On Thursday, September 21, Russia attacked Ukrainian energy facilities for the first time in six months. Individual facilities in the western and central regions were damaged, Ukrenergo reported. In particular, as a result of the attack, there were partial blackouts in the Rivne, Zhitomir, Kyiv, Dnepropetrovsk, and Kharkov regions.
10:37 On the night of September 21, the SBU and the Navy carried out a special operation in Crimea, inflicting a powerful drone strike on the Saki airfield, a number of Ukrainian media outlets report, citing sources in the Security Service. According to them, the intelligence services used drones that overloaded Russian air defenses and then launched Neptune missiles.
At the airfield there were at least 12 combat aircraft, in particular Su-24 and Su-30, as well as Pantsir MANPADS. The training base for Mojaher UAV operators is also located there. According to sources, the strikes hit the target and caused serious damage to Russian equipment.
10:19 Mariupol hospitals received a large number of wounded Russian military personnel, which is why hospitals stopped accepting sick civilians, said advisor to the city mayor Pyotr Andryushchenko. According to him, people are “pumped full of pills, painkillers and sent home.” Therefore, the mortality rate in Mariupol remains very high: every week from 300 to 400 Mariupol residents die due to such “treatment”.
10:08 The Belarusian armed forces will conduct exercises from September 22 to 26 in the Brest, Grodno and Minsk regions, taking into account “modern approaches to the use of troops” and “based on the experience of modern armed conflicts,” the country’s Ministry of Defense reported.
The commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Sergei Naev, said that these exercises do not create a military threat, “but there is a certain danger, so we are increasing our vigilance and preparing our forces for an adequate response - this is normal military practice.”
10:04 In the Kiev region, three people were injured as a result of falling debris during a night attack, OVA reported. Fires broke out on the territory of several enterprises, and the building of a vocational educational institution was damaged. A fall of debris was also recorded on the territory of a medical facility, without injuries or damage. Private homes and vehicles were damaged in several communities.
09:59 In the morning, the Russians fired at Kherson again, hit one of the apartment buildings, one person was killed, OVA reported.
09:48 Air defense during a night attack destroyed 36 of 43 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 air-launched cruise missiles , the Air Force reported. The launches were carried out from ten T-95ms strategic aircraft from the area west of Engels. The missiles were launched in several waves; they entered Ukrainian airspace from different directions, constantly changing course along the route. In addition, in the morning the Russian Federation launched an attack on Kharkov with S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles.
09:26 At night, the Russians fired from Grad and heavy artillery at Nikopol and the Mirovskaya community of the Dnepropetrovsk region, three people were wounded, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak. 11 private houses, outbuildings, cars, gas pipelines and power lines were damaged.
09:14 The Russians launched several missile attacks in the Rivne region at night. There are hits to the energy and civil infrastructure in the regional center. In particular, a service station and five cars were damaged. Part of the Rivne district was left without electricity, said Vitaliy Koval, head of the Regional Public Administration.
08:58 In Cherkassy, the number of people injured as a result of a night rocket attack has increased to ten people, the rescue operation continues, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.
08:42 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of September 21:
personnel - about 274,470 (+490) people,
tanks - 4638 (+3),
armored combat vehicles - 8883 (+15),
artillery systems - 6137 (+41),
MLRS - 781 (+2),
air defense systems - 528 (+2),
aircraft - 315 (+0),
helicopters - 316 (+0),
UAV of operational-tactical level - 4850 (+29),
cruise missiles - 1479 (+0),
ships/boats - 20 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 8670 (+37),
special equipment - 911 (+5).
08:21 Over the past 24 hours, 23 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In the Bakhmut direction, the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in areas west of Zaitsevo, northeast and east of Andreevka, Donetsk region. The Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to storm the area south of Bakhmut and are consolidating their position on the achieved lines.
In the Maryinsky direction, the enemy unsuccessfully tried to advance in the Maryinka area of the Donetsk region. In the Avdeevsky and Shakhtarsky directions, the Defense Forces hold the defense on occupied lines and have the initiative. In the Melitopol direction, Ukrainian forces continue their offensive and also repelled enemy attacks in the Rabotino area of the Zaporozhye region.
08:07 At night, the Russians fired at residential areas of Kherson and hit the hostel building. As of now, two people are known to have died, and five more people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. Over the past 24 hours, two people were wounded in the region as a result of Russian shelling.
07:53 At night, Russia attacked different regions of Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a hotel building in Cherkassy was destroyed as a result of a missile attack. A fire broke out, as well as a fire in the trading pavilions at the market. Seven people were injured and ten were evacuated; one person was rescued from the rubble.
In Kharkov, a warehouse building was destroyed as a result of an attack, two people were injured. The head of the OVA, Oleg Sinegubov, clarified that six strikes were carried out in the city, including in the Slobodsky district. There is damage to civilian infrastructure.
There are hits and damage in the Rivne region.
In the Kyiv region, fires broke out on the territory of enterprises as a result of falling debris. There was also damage to the private sector, two people were injured.
In the Lviv region, the enemy struck an industrial zone, causing destruction and fire. The head of the OBA, Maxim Kozitsky, clarified that the Russian Federation launched three missile strikes on the territory of Drohobych, two of them on an industrial facility. The workshop caught fire, a three-story warehouse building was destroyed, and there was a fire on an area of about 30 square meters. m. Another missile strike - on a private two-story warehouse, there is a fire on an area of 20 square meters. m. The fires are still being extinguished; there have been no reports of casualties.
07:12 At night, Russia attacked Kiev with missiles, initially of the X-101/555/55 type. Air defense forces destroyed more than 20 enemy targets, said the head of the KGVA Sergei Popko. As a result of falling debris in the Shevchenko district of the capital, a gas pipe was damaged, but there was no fire. In the Darnytskyi district, non-residential premises and parked cars were damaged by debris, and there was a fire.
According to the mayor's office, in the center of the capital, in the Goloseevsky district, windows in a five-story building were damaged, there was no damage or casualties. There were power outages in the Svyatoshinsky district; power engineers have already restored power supply. In the Darnytskyi district, seven people were injured, three of them were hospitalized. The debris fell on the territory of the infrastructure facility, as well as on the territory of the service station and the dormitory of the vocational education institution.
03:04 The Russian Ministry of Defense announced a massive attack on Crimea; air defense systems allegedly destroyed 19 drones over the peninsula. In addition, air defense systems allegedly destroyed one UAV each over the Kursk and Belgorod regions, and two more over the Oryol region, where they tried to attack facilities of the fuel and energy complex.
01:40 Zelensky in New York held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Maria Gabriel on the issue of access of Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU market.
The Ukrainian president also held talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz - they discussed the situation on the front line and the priority needs of the Ukrainian defense forces. We paid special attention to preparations for the International Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine, which will be held in Germany.
Another meeting was with Brazilian President Lula da Silva. “Frank and constructive conversation. We instructed diplomatic teams to work on the next steps in bilateral relations and efforts to restore peace. The representative of Brazil will continue to work in the Peace Formula meetings,” Zelensky said.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Strelnikov
[RIA] Russian peacekeepers died in Karabakh - Baku offered condolences, but Yerevan is silent, but this is no longer important. Because our people came under fire while returning after evacuating refugees - that is, the Russians, at the cost of their lives, saved people from death. And not only civilians - just like three years ago, during the Karabakh war of 2020, Russia saved thousands of Armenian soldiers from destruction.
Now we can say with confidence that the long, bloody and tragic history of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is coming to its natural conclusion - the Armenians of Karabakh capitulated to Baku.
Natural - because it was precisely this ending that all the actions and statements of the Armenian leadership led to.
And as a result of the “operation to restore constitutional order,” also known as a “limited anti-terrorist operation” carried out by Azerbaijan , the armed forces of the Karabakh Armenians suffered serious losses and an agreement was reached on a truce and official negotiations on the future of this long-suffering territory, namely on reintegration of Karabakh into the power system of Azerbaijan.
Russian peacekeepers played a key role in reducing tensions, stopping bloodshed and protecting civilians. In particular, right now , more than 2,260 civilians, of which 1,049 are children, have gathered at the peacekeepers’ base center near the Stepanakert airfield, where the peacekeepers’ medical detachment is located. Our soldiers are doing everything, including at the cost of their lives, to ensure their safety, and notes have been sent to the military and authorities of Azerbaijan, according to which Russia expects and firmly hopes that Baku will ensure compliance with humanitarian law for civilians.
As part of clearly orchestrated “protests” in Yerevan in front of the Russian embassy, Russia was repeatedly accused of not defending Karabakh, betraying Armenia , breaking centuries-old fraternal ties and generally selling itself to Aliyev and Erdogan.
It is difficult and, probably, there is no need to explain anything to these people, but for those who are not entirely initiated, we will outline several important points.
In October 2022, a summit was held in Prague under the auspices of the European Union, at which Armenia and Azerbaijan reaffirmed their commitment to the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of the CIS of 1991. In other words, both countries recognized each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty within the borders of the former Soviet republics, and within the borders of the former Soviet republics, Nagorno-Karabakh was part of the Azerbaijan SSR. And at this summit, not Putin, but Pashinyan confirmed that Nagorno-Karabakh is the territory of Azerbaijan.
Let's move on.
In May 2023, another summit was held in Brussels under the auspices of the European Union, where this issue was discussed again, and again the belonging of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan was recorded by both countries and their leaders.
From any point of view (including the legal one), it turns out that, in fact, with the blessing of the current leadership of Armenia, Azerbaijan operates on its territory and resolves its internal issues.
And what is the essence of the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh and the Russian military at the base in the city of Gyumri in Armenia, which some forces in Yerevan (and not only) are now trying to accuse of not interfering with Azerbaijan in strictly establishing constitutional order on its territory?
Let us recall that within the framework of the original trilateral agreement, the status of Russian peacekeepers was defined as observer and they monitored the parties’ compliance with the truce. However, after Pashinyan’s actual recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as the territory of Azerbaijan, their status became uncertain, and therefore their responsibility. Demanding the impossible from Russian peacekeepers is not just stupidity, but one hundred percent provocation.
The Russian military base in Gyumri performs completely different functions. According to the agreement between Russia and Armenia, it is called upon to defend directly the territory of this republic, and nothing outside the official territory of Armenia is included in its zone of responsibility and cannot be included. In the same way, the situation with Nagorno-Karabakh cannot in any way relate to the introduction of CSTO obligations , to which the Armenian leadership appealed. No one attacked the territory of Armenia or encroached on its territorial integrity; accordingly, all the talk about the “inaction” or “profanation” of the CSTO is itself a deliberate profanation.
Particularly noteworthy is the vector of accelerating distancing from Russia on the part of the current leadership of Armenia and the establishment of strong friendship with the United States , NATO and the European Union: it is enough to recall the joint exercises with the Pentagon on the territory of Armenia (which ended on the day the Azerbaijani operation began) with the abandonment of exercises within the CSTO and a trip by Pashinyan’s wife to a certain summit in Kiev with humanitarian aid.
There is a possibility that Pashinyan was prompted to actually surrender Karabakh by his new best friends, and it would be logical and correct to address all questions to them, and not to Russia, which all these years acted within the framework of its mandate, fulfilled and exceeded its allied obligations.
But the stones are scattered, and the next generations of Karabakh Armenians will have to collect them, many of whom will never see the land of their ancestors. We sympathize with their tragedy, which reminds us that it is possible to destroy overnight what your ancestors have created over many centuries.
This is a lesson for many, including those who like to sit on several chairs at once, forgetting that acrobats belong in the circus.
Text taken from Russian ministry of defense website (available only through a VPN
[EngMilRu] Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation (21 September 2023)
Last night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out a group strike with long-range airborne precision weapons and strike drones against military industrial facilities, as well as centres for radio-technical reconnaissance and the training of sabotage groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The goal of the strike has been achieved. All the targets have been engaged.
In Zaporozhye direction, two attacks of AFU 71st Jaeger and 47th Mechanised brigades near Novopokrovka and Rabotino (Zaporozhye region) were repelled by actions of the Russian Group of Forces units, air strikes and artillery fire.
Also, a cluster of manpower of the 46th Airmobile Brigade of the AFU near the locality of Verbovoye (Zaporozhye region) was hit by fire.
Up to 50 Ukrainian personnel, two armoured fighting vehicles, including Bradley IFV, and three motor vehicles were eliminated.
Also, two U.S.-made M777 artillery systems, three 122mm D-30 howitzers, and one U.S.-made M119 gun were hit during counter-battery warfare.
In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces, in cooperation with aviation and artillery, repelled five attacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces near Orekhovo-Vasilyevka Kurdyumovka, Klescheevka, Veseloye, and Khimik (Donetsk People's Republic).
Up to 300 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded, two armoured fighting vehicles, five motor vehicles, one Olkha MLRS, as well as one Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system have been eliminated.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Zapad Group of Forces units supported by aviation and artillery inflicted fire damage on the enemy near Sin'kovka (Khar'kov region) and Novosyolovskoye (Lugansk People's Republic).
The enemy's losses were up to 20 Ukrainian troops, two motor vehicles, and one U.S.-made M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system.
In Krasny Liman direction, coordinated actions of the Tsentr Group of Forces, as well as helicopters strikes and artillery fire repelled three attacks launched by AFU assault groups near Chervonaya Dibrova and Shipilovka (Lugansk People's Republic).
In addition, strikes were delivered at clusters of enemy manpower and hardware near Grigorovka, Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic) and Serebryansky forest.
The AFU losses amounted to more than 75 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, two pickup trucks, as well as one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
In South Donetsk, the Vostok Group of Forces, supported by helicopters and artillery inflicted fire damage on AFU units near Prechistovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and repelled one enemy attack close to Priyutnoye (Zaporozhye region).
Up to 110 Ukrainian troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, four motor vehicles, one 220mm BM-27 Uragan MLRS, as well as one 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system have been eliminated.
In Kherson direction, over 45 Ukrainian servicemen, three motor vehicles, and one U.S.-made M777 howitzer have been neutralised.
One sabotage and reconnaissance group of the AFU 126th Territorial Defence Brigade has been obliterated close to Pereyaslavsky Island.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged AFU manpower and hardware in 102 areas during the day.
In addition, one U.S.-made AN/TPQ-50 counterbattery radar station was destroyed near Kalinovo (Donetsk People's Republic).
Air defence systems have intercepted five Storm Shadow cruise missiles, four HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and one HARM anti-radiation missile.
In addition, 75 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were obliterated in the areas of Mirnoye, Tokmak, Chervonogorka, Pologi (Zaporozhye region), Volnovakha, Artyomovsk, Zolotarevka (Donetsk People's Republic), Golikovo, Lisichansk (Lugansk People's Republic), Olshana (Kharkov region), as well as Novaya Sburyevka, Sagi, Geroyskoye (Kherson region).
In total, 475 airplanes and 249 helicopters, 7,020 unmanned aerial vehicles, 438 air defence missile systems, 12,016 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,154 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 6,473 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 13,281 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
#7
Strong Juche would have gone with semen instead of sermon.
Not picking on ya, just frustrated with how incompetent this whole thing is. I was promised masterminds starting WWIII...that's WW111 tiktokrs...and what we got is so shit the prop doubles can't take stage cues and just walk out on camera.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:55 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 09/21/2023 to 00:00 09/22/2023
Over the past 24 hours Representative officereportedabout 43 facts of firing from the AFU. Information was received about the injury of two civilians in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk and the Chervonogvardeysky district of Makeyevka.
Four residential buildings were damaged in the Kuibyshevsky district of Donetsk, the Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka and the Chervonogvardeysky district of Makeyevka, as well as three civil infrastructure facilities.
Areas of five settlements of the Republic were under enemy fire: Gorlovka (Tsentralno-Gorodskoy, Nikitovsky districts), Yasinovatsky district, the capital city of Donetsk (Kuibyshevsky, Kirovsky, Kievsky, Petrovsky districts), Makeevka (Chervonogvardeysky, Kirovsky districts), Elenovka.
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy carried out 36 attacks from 155mm artillery, incl. with a cassette warhead.
At Gorlovka there were four artillery attacks from 152mm artillery.
On Yasinovatsky there were three artillery attacks from 155mm artillery, incl. with a cassette warhead.
A total of 161 units of various ammunition were produced.
A previous 26 artillery attacks were recorded from the VFU per day.
21:50 Artillery of the 4th Brigade continues to destroy Ukrainian positions in the Bakhmut direction -video.
21:25 South-west of the village of Rabotino and along the forest belts are coming fierce battles.
20:45 Here come the bright ones personnel strike by the Russian Armed Forces on the Khar'kov armored plant last Saturday. Judging by the recording, the rocket hit the building of one of the production workshops and exploded inside.
The company has been repairing armored vehicles since the spring of 2022. It was the target of attacks more than once, but each time the damage was insignificant, after which the plant resumed operation. Now, although the workshop is not completely destroyed, the machinery and equipment located there are clearly out of action.
20:10 That Ukrainian sources issue for a powerful explosion in Sevastopol, is the release of the P-800 Onyx supersonic missile in the direction of the Odessa region. The goal is still unclear, but it will become clear in the near future.
19:30 Vrem'evsky plot: calm at the front and rotation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Relative calm continues at the Vrem'evsky site. Ukrainian formations are actively rotating formations and making up for losses to resume the offensive.
The withdrawal of forces of the 38th Naval Infantry Brigade from the front line from near Novodonetsk began, which took place in single pickups and vans in order to avoid detection and subsequent fire damage. Ukrainian marines in positions in forest belts are replaced by personnel of the 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade.
From the Priyutny area, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were also taken to the rear for restoration of units of the 115th battalion of the 110th TrO Brigade. They transferred their positions to the 249th rifle battalion of the 127th Territorial Defense Brigade.
At Staromayorsky, Ukrainian formations tried to secretly enter the forward Russian positions with two reconnaissance groups totaling 11 people. After discovery and an artillery attack, they retreated northward.
Russian troops continue to strike at enemy strongholds and concentrations of manpower and equipment. Two SUVs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were destroyed under Urozhaynye, and to the south of Volny Pole the Russian Armed Forces disabled the 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled gun.
19:00 Soledarskoe direction: Andreevka in the “gray zone” and the concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces on the flanks
South of Bakhmut, the tense situation continues on the Kleshcheevka-Ozaryanovka line, although the intensity of the clashes has decreased somewhat compared to last week.
The settlement of Andreevka actually does not exist - it is a pile of ruins. Although Ukrainian resources last week posted footage from the supposedly captured village, in reality they left it immediately after taking the photo.
However, Russian troops still launched an attack with the goal of “recapturing” Andreevka. However, there was simply nowhere to gain a foothold there, and under artillery fire the fighters retreated to their starting point. At the moment, military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces occupy positions east of the railway, and the ruins of the village are in the “gray zone”.
At the same time, the enemy continues to concentrate forces both near Kleshcheevka and east of Soledar near Orekhovo-Vasilievka. The goal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces remains the same - to try in the future to cover the city from two sides and significantly complicate the position of the Russian troops located there.
18:30 Telegram channel “Fisherman” – Massive strike on objects on the territory of Ukraine:
Last night, the Russian Armed Forces carried out strikes on targets in different parts of the country. This is perhaps the first massive raid in recent times - over the past few months, Russian troops have usually limited themselves to targeted attacks on specific targets.
It is significant that for the first time since spring, Ukrenergo reported damage to energy infrastructure and problems with electricity in five regions.
In Rovno, local authorities announced damage to a certain “energy facility.” Reports about the destruction of a thermal power plant in the city are not true - there is simply no thermal power plant or thermal power plant in the city.
Much more likely is damage to distribution substation equipment or overhead lines, causing power outages. One of the car repair shops was also damaged.
Several explosions occurred in Kyiv. Judging by photographs from open sources, the “fall of debris” was recorded near the large industrial zone of the Kyiv Radio Plant, so with a high probability this enterprise was the target of the strike.
In Khar'kov, explosions occurred in the Slobodsky district, and water supply was partially lost in the city. It is unknown what exactly was the target of the raid, but local authorities reported damage to the main water pipeline.
In Cherkassy, the Central Hotel was hit by a direct hit, the building was partially destroyed. In regions of Ukraine remote from the front line, hotels are still used as places to accommodate mercenaries and foreign personnel - there is a good chance that this was the case in Cherkassy.
In addition, explosions were recorded in the Lviv and Rovno regions. In Drohobych, Lviv region, an unnamed industrial facility and a warehouse were damaged, and a fire started at both facilities.
17:55 Mortarmen of the Novorossiysk Airborne Forces unit inflicted fire damage to Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in the Zaporozhye direction
The UAV operators discovered a target - a concentration of enemy infantry. The coordinates of the enemy fortification were immediately transferred to the mortar crew of the Novorossiysk paratroopers for striking.
“The distance allowed us to inflict fire damage,” says the crew commander with the call sign “Elis.” In a matter of minutes, the enemy personnel were destroyed by fire from a 120mm mortar.
17:25 Crews of combat helicopters of the Russian Aerospace Forces are heading to the front line -video.
16:45 Meanwhile, Ukraine’s successes on the battlefield -video.
15:45 Andreevka:
The situation is complicated, the fighting has shifted to the railway area. The radio intercepts contain Polish speech.
The battles are taking place under massive artillery fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
14:25 Cherkassy, the moment a Russian missile arrives at a hotel with Western mercenaries of the Ukrainian Armed Forces -video.
13:50 Telegram channel “Two majors“: after a strike in the Cherkasy region, where one of the hotels was cleared of foreign specialists
In the village of Orshanets near Cherkassy there is a training center based on the border service training. Entry into the village itself is closed to everyone. Any visitors are checked by military police at checkpoints and turned away (unless they are going to a funeral).
Natsiks were trained there every day by foreign specialists, about which we informed whoever should. Day and night at the training ground, in addition to shooting, preparations were underway for work with large-caliber guns and drones.
Residents of the region noted an increase in the number of foreign instructors and mercenaries even on the eve of the so-called “counteroffensive.”
Recently, the situation has not changed, no reduction in their number has been observed, systematic meat preparation has been going on.
Now to the specifics:
According to local reports, the attack hit the Central Hotel and a restaurant with the same name. They tried not to house or serve civilians there, due to the disclosure of the presence of foreign representatives.
There were always a lot of new cars with black license plates parked near the hotel.
After the strike, the area was cordoned off for three blocks; no one was even allowed to work within this perimeter (which, by the way, may indicate the preparation of an information provocation).
When leaving this zone, everything is checked, including phones with “forbidden” content.
According to preliminary information, the number of KIAs may be about three dozen. About 20 people are presumably under the rubble, or have decomposed into molecules.
There was no attack on the training ground in Orshanets. The military instructors who conducted training on it lived and ate at the Central Hotel in Cherkassy. They were delivered to Orshanets by transport, it’s not far away.
13:30 Enemy strengthens defense at the junction of Zaporozhye and the DPR: behind the Ukrainian mobilized are neo-Nazis from Kraken.
12:55 RF Ministry of Defense: on the night of September 20-21, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles on targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped.
Air defense systems destroyed 19 Ukrainian UAVs over the Black Sea and the territory of the Republic of Crimea, one each over the territories of the Kursk, Belgorod and Oryol regions.
12:22 Artyomovsk direction, soldiers of the “GORB” detachment are working with air dumps on the Armed Forces of Ukraine -video.
12:00 “Helping the infantry and artillery”: combat work of the crews of T-80 tanks of the Western Military District
Kupyansk direction
The tankers received the task of destroying targets: enemy command and strongholds -video.
The crews of combat vehicles fired from closed firing positions. Having received confirmation of the destruction of the enemy, they disappeared behind the terrain and departed for the waiting area.
11:25 Ukrainian formations released about 40 rounds on the left bank of the Kherson region over the past night.
The following were under fire: Novaya Kakhovka, Kakhovka, Golaya Pristan, Saga, Kazachi Lagery and Aleshki. In the village of Obryvka, an arrival at a cemetery was recorded.
Local authorities reported artillery attack of the village of Dneryany, in which several houses were damaged, gas pipes and electrical supply lines were broken.
10:50 Kherson direction:
The Russian Armed Forces advanced along the Konka River northeast of the city of Aleshka.
10:25 During the assault operations of the Russian Armed Forces recaptured positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and advanced north-west of Novomayorsky.
10:00 The Russian Armed Forces are making progress in the Sin'kovka area, little by little advanced north of the village.
09:26 Official summary of Representative offices of the DPR in the JCCC from 00:00 09/20/2023 to 00:00 09/21/2023
Over the past 24 hours, the Representative Office reported 26 incidents of firing by the Ukrainian Federal Unitary Forces.
Information has been received about the death of a civilian, a woman, in the Kirovsky district of Donetsk.
Five civilians were injured of varying degrees of severity in the Kirovsky, Budennovsky and Kievsky districts of Donetsk.
Eight residential buildings were damaged in the Kievsky, Kirovsky, Budennovsky and Petrovsky districts of Donetsk, the Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka, as well as six civil infrastructure facilities.
The areas of three settlements of the Republic were under enemy fire: Gorlovka (Kalininsky, Nikitovsky districts), the capital city of Donetsk (Budennovsky, Kuibyshevsky, Kirovsky, Kievsky, Petrovsky districts), Makeevka (Chervonogvardeysky district).
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy carried out 10 attacks from AGM-88 HARM and 155mm artillery.
At Gorlivske there were 16 artillery attacks from MLRS, 152mm and 155mm artillery, incl. with a cassette warhead.
A total of 103 units of various ammunition were fired.
In the previous day, 33 artillery attacks were recorded from the AFU.
09:25 The criminal Kiev regime continues to shell the civilian infrastructure of settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired cannon artillery:
-- in the village of Dnepryany eight rounds;
-- in the village of Peschanovka 14 rounds;
-- n.p. Aleshki 17 rounds;
-- n.p. Krynki nine rounds;
-- n.p. Kazachi Lagery 11 rounds;
-- n.p. Saga six rounds;
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the settlement of Novaya Kakhovka, settlement. Kakhovka, Golaya Pristan, Sagi, Kazachi Largery, Aleshki firing a total of 37 rounds from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being clarified.
08:23 Summary on the morning of September 21, 2023
In the morning, the Russian Armed Forces launched massive missile strikes against targets in Lvov, Kyiv, Ivano-Frankovsk, Rovno, Khar'kov, and Khmel'nitsky. Power outages were reported in some areas of the cities where explosions were heard.
On the Zaporozhye Front they report that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have reduced the intensity of attacks at Rabotino and Verbovoy compared to the previous day - the losses of the day before yesterday could have had an impact. Our fighters point out the strange behavior of some enemy groups on the battlefield: perhaps the enemy command is introducing poorly trained units into battle.
In the Kherson direction, the Russian Armed Forces carried out air strikes on the enemy shore by nightfall. In the Kizomys area, our troops covered with incendiary ammunition the area in which the enemy's special forces and artillery were detected.
In the Vrem'evsky direction there is a transfer of enemy forces, small groups of Ukrainian Armed Forces infantry are conducting reconnaissance in force. Footage from a Russian drone has appeared online: the area of Novodonetsky-Novomayorsky is littered with the corpses of enemies, which no one is trying to pick up.
On the southern flank of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) there are battles near Kleshcheevka and Adreevka. Following the example of Rabotino, the enemy is trying to gain a foothold in Kleeshchevka with small groups of infantry, but in fact the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been sending its soldiers here under Russian artillery fire for several days now.
Yesterday afternoon the enemy attacked Crimea with Storm Shadow missiles, trying to hit airfields, control posts and air defense systems. At night, dozens of Ukrainian Armed Forces drones were destroyed while trying to strike airfields on the peninsula. Within 24 hours, enemy UAVs were shot down over the Kursk, Belgorod and Oryol regions.
In the Belgorod region, due to artillery attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the village. Maksimovka civilian killed, one wounded; in Golovchino, Grayvoronsky urban district, there were no casualties. In the DPR, a woman died under Nazi fire and five civilians were injured.
08:09 Frontline summary for the morning of 09/21/2023
In the Zaporozhye direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with the support of artillery, tried to advance to Novoprokopovka and Verbovoy. But not so intense anymore. The reason is the counterattacks of the Russian Armed Forces on the flanks that took place in previous days. They forced the Ukrainian command to seriously worry about defense in these areas. Now there is a pause. The positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the settlements of Novodanilovka, Rabotino and Malaya Tokmachka are under fire. Russian ones are in Tokmak, Kopany, Il'chenkovo and Novopokrovka.In the Ugledarsky sector, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, after artillery barrage, attacked Priyutnoye from the north. No promotion. The rest is artillery duels. The Russian Armed Forces worked on Ukrainian positions in Staromayorske and Urozhainy. Armed Forces of Ukraine - according to Russian ones in Zavetny Zhelaniya, Staromlynovka, Kermenchik and Novodonetsky.
On the Donetsk front, traditional assault actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Marinka. No success.
In the Bakhmut direction, Russian troops again counterattacked in the area of Andreevka and Kleshcheevka. LBS has not changed. Encounter battles at Berkhovka. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to seize the lost initiative in this area.
In the Lugansk direction, Ukrainian troops managed to regain part of their positions in Novoselovskoye. The Russians resumed their attack on Petropavlovka and Sin'kovka.
#1
Ukraine reaches Russia's last defence line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast − ISW The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has reported that Ukrainian armoured vehicles are already operating beyond the last line of Russian defensive fortifications, which Ukrainian forces are currently breaking through in the west of Zaporizhzhia Oblast – although it is too early to claim that Ukraine’s Armed Forces have completely broken through this Russian defensive layer.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Ilya Ropshin
[REGNUM] Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to the United States was overshadowed by a publication by The New York Times: on the day of the Ukrainian leader’s arrival, the newspaper published an investigation into the attack on the market in Konstantinovka. Then, on September 6, a missile attack killed 16 people and injured over 30 people.
“Evidence compiled and analyzed by the New York Times, including missile fragments, satellite imagery, eyewitness accounts and social media posts, strongly suggests that the catastrophic strike was caused by an errant Ukrainian air defense missile fired from a Buk missile system.”, the publication reports.
According to NYT journalists, a few minutes before the explosion at the market, the Ukrainian military launched two surface-to-air missiles towards the front line from Druzhkovka, which is located 15 kilometers from Konstantinovka. At the time of the launch, American reporters were just in Druzhkovka. They heard the sounds of rockets being launched at 14:00. Four minutes later there was an explosion in the busy market.
At the site of the supposed missile launch site on the outskirts of Druzhkovka, the authors of the investigation found trenches and tracks from tracks, as well as burnt spots - presumably from missile launches. An NYT analysis of satellite data before and after the impact showed that it was from this location that they were launched. The information was also confirmed to the publication on condition of anonymity by one of the Ukrainian military men.
In Ukraine, the publication of The New York Times was received with anger. The Ukrainian Security Service said that in fact Russia was to blame for the incident, and the investigation into this case continues.
And this is another case when the Western press says that it is Ukraine that is hitting its citizens. Previously, in all cases, the West supported the Ukrainian point of view.
Thus, on April 8, 2022, a strike was carried out from the Tochka-U missile system, which killed 61 people, including seven children. Despite the fact that Russia does not have such weapons, and the fragments of the rocket and the direction of the attack indicated that it was fired from Ukraine, Russia was blamed for the incident.
On January 14, 2023, a tragedy occurred in Dnepropetrovsk, where the entrance to a residential building collapsed as a result of a missile attack. Then 44 people died. And then a resonant resignation took place in Ukraine: under public pressure, Advisor to the head of the President’s office, Alexey Arestovich, resigned from his position. All his guilt consisted in the fact that he publicly admitted: the tragedy occurred due to the fault of the Ukrainian air defense.
Now everything has changed.
THE FIRST TO DOUBT
On the day of the tragedy, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine. But even the visit of a high-ranking guest did not stop Zelensky from writing an appeal on social networks blaming Russia for what happened. He attached video from surveillance cameras in Konstantinovka to the message. They captured the moment of impact and a few seconds before it. The most interesting thing is that from them it became clear that Zelensky’s version is false.
One of the first to look at the screen was Julian Röpke, a journalist for the German publication Bild.
“Judging by where people are looking (after hearing the sound from there) before the impact and the likely reflection of a flying projectile on a car, the rocket that hit Konstantinovka came from the northwest. I hope this can be stated without naming names,” he wrote on the social network X (formerly Twitter - ed.)
Röpke published screenshots of the video and made a detailed analysis of them. A wave of hatred from Ukrainian users hit him. But this did not change the journalist’s opinion. The next day he again made a publication dedicated to the tragedy.
«I didn’t want to go into this topic again, but since some analysts and journalists had to turn into activists again and throw shit at my yesterday’s analysis (and me personally), I again worked on the terrorist attack in Konstantinovka. Conclusions based on facts: a subsonic object crashed into a city market. People heard it approaching and at least four local residents looked in the direction of the sound they heard. Consistent with their impression of the direction of the approaching threat, a missile-like reflection materialized on two adjacent vehicles. The chronology of the reflections, the direction of the people, the direction of the sound of the approaching object, and the location of impact all indicate that the object that entered the market came from the northwest, or about 300 degrees. These are my purely technical conclusions based on the video," Röpke pointed out.
At the same time, he did not unequivocally blame Ukraine, saying that both sides in the conflict use subsonic missiles that are capable of changing the direction of movement.
At the same time, on September 7, the founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), Ruslan Karpuk (better known as Ruslan Leviev), also stated that the missile was fired by Ukraine. He made his statement in the release of a military report on the YouTube channel of journalist Michael Nucky*, and in his opinion, an analysis of the recording, including the reflection of the missile on the bodies of cars, allows us to say that the missile arrived from the territory controlled by Ukrainian troops. It is characteristic that both Naki and Karpuk-Leviev were sentenced in absentia to 11 years in August 2023 in the case of fakes about the army.
He also criticized the version that had already appeared that the Russians allegedly fired a missile from the S-300. According to Leviev, the missiles of this complex did not fly at such distances (and the closest positions of the Russian Armed Forces to the north-west of Konstantinovka were 200 km away - in the Belgorod region). And there were no goals in the city for which it was worth spending such missiles.
In addition, the closest positions of the Russian army are 25 km in the east, within striking distance of cannon artillery, which is several times cheaper, and much simpler and more effective. A missile fired from the Belgorod region would have to fly over an area saturated with Ukrainian air defense systems.
Moreover, the main version, according to Leviev, is a “tragic accident.” In subsequent comments, he pointed out that Ukraine may have been let down by the state of Western weapons and ammunition supplied to it, as well as the fact that Western missiles are launched from converted Soviet fighters.
And if the Ukrainians lagged behind Röpke, they did not with this man. Moreover, on September 7, in disputes with Ukrainians, the German also appealed to the opinion of a Russian expert. 10 days later, the Ukrainian project “Toronto TV” dedicated a separate issue to him, where he analyzed all the Levi’s mistakes made since the beginning of the Northwestern Military District. Ironically, presenter Roman Vintoniv (also known as Michael Shchur) referred to one of the publications of The New York Times.
And the very next day this American publication “delighted” the Ukrainians with its own publication.
ARTICLE FOR A REASON
The coincidence of the date of publication with the beginning of Zelensky’s visit to the United States aroused suspicion among many that the publication of the NYT was sending a signal to the Ukrainian president. And this is not without reason. In the modern United States, led by Democrats, the status of the publication is somewhat reminiscent of the newspaper Pravda in the USSR or the People's Daily in the modern People's Republic of China.
The fact that the publication supported the version of the Russophobe Röpke and Leviev’s Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) project, which exists on Western grants, and supplemented it with new facts, led some to assume that they were a kind of “initiators” of the information attack on Zelensky.
At the same time, Bellingcat expert Arik Toller highly praised the activities of CIT. In 2018, the Wikileaks project declassified documents indicating Bellingcat’s cooperation with MI6. And in 2023, it was Toller who turned out to be the person who helped to find out the source of the so-called “Pentagon leaks.”
It is noteworthy that the New York Times was the first to report on the secret documents of the American military department.
It later turned out that Toller took part in that same NYT investigation. According to the newspaper's head of investigations, Mark Scheffler, the publication usually did not involve people from outside to work on such materials. But in the case of Toller, who helped de-anonymize the source of the leak - US Air Force soldier Jack Teixeira, the NYT made an exception. Scheffler explained this by saying that the newspaper had been looking at Toller for a long time and wanted to collaborate with him.
In general, it can be assumed that Leviev has at least several channels of communication with Western intelligence services: both through grants and through Toller. In the latter case, this is also a connection with The New York Times. In any case, whether he was the “instigator” of the publication or not, the very fact is that the West did not ignore one of the many Ukrainian strikes on civilians, and even released an investigation in the “mouthpiece” of the ruling party in the United States on the day when The President of Ukraine flew into the country and was very eloquent. And this cannot be a mere coincidence.
MISSILES ARE IN DOUBT
The main purpose of Zelensky’s visit, as reported by both Ukrainian and American media, is to provide Ukraine with long-range American ATACMS missiles. Theoretically, there should be no difficulties with this: there are already Western long-range missiles there - the Anglo-French Storm Shadow. Any day now, Kyiv will also receive German Taurus. But in the United States they still doubt whether it is worth raising rates so high.
Russia “swallowed up” supplies of artillery, MLRS, Western tanks and air defense systems to Ukraine. But at the same time, Kyiv is too unpredictable.
Thus, Ukrainian officials hint that they are striking Crimea with Storm Shadow, although this is the use of Western weapons to strike deep into Russia, one of the “red lines” that were discussed in the Russian Ministry of Defense. Attacks by Ukrainian drones deep into Russian territory have also become commonplace. And who will guarantee that the next strike on the Russian airfield, located 300 km from the border with Ukraine, will not be carried out using ATACMS or that Ukraine will not use these missiles to attack Crimea.
“There has been a long discussion going on here in the United States about these long-range cruise missiles, and that conversation is continuing even as we speak. “No decision has been made yet,” John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the US National Security Council, said in an interview with the Telegraph on the day of Zelensky’s visit to the United States.
One of the evidence of the US reluctance to provide missiles to Ukraine is the harsh criticism of a number of congressmen.
And the “cherry” on the cake was the statement of the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin , who emphasized: Ukraine needs air defense systems more than long-range missiles. A very harsh statement, given the fact that, according to The New York Times, a missile was fired at Konstantinovka from the Buk air defense system.
Austin, along with the press, makes it clear: the Ukrainian military uses the weapons they have very poorly and for other purposes. And if, with the help of air defense, Ukraine harms its own citizens, then what will happen if we provide Kyiv with long-range missiles? So yesterday, Reuters, citing an American official, reported that the United States plans to announce assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $325 million, but there will be no ATACMS missiles there. And the same Kirby announced a summit meeting, within the framework of which they want to listen to the Ukrainian guest, but do not promise anything.
Ace has a meet and greet with Elenskyy and Brandon.
Team Ukraine insists Elenskyy is 6'2". Which makes Brandon, what, 7'? Maybe taller if he wasn't hunched a bit trying to such his dentures and spittle in. I can hear the dentist mouth drain tube noise.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gevorg Miryayan
[REGNUM] On September 21, Armenia celebrates Independence Day. And, by coincidence, on this day the Armenians surrender Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan, having lost in the last, one-day war.
On the morning of September 21, a delegation of the Armenian population of Karabakh (which refers to the leaders of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh) arrived in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh to meet with representatives of Baku, TASS reported .
According to the Azerbaijani Trend agency , Karabakh representatives arrived accompanied by Russian military personnel from the peacekeeping contingent. The Azerbaijani side sent an invitation to the meeting in Yevlakh to the Stepanakert authorities at the height of the one-day war.
On September 20, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s assistant on foreign policy issues, Hikmet Hajiyev, said : Baku has prepared a plan for the socio-economic reintegration of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The plan was the result of the fact that the authorities of the unrecognized Artsakh (another name is the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, NKR) accepted the conditions of Azerbaijan on the morning of the same day. Units of the Armed Forces of Armenia (whose presence is denied by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan) are being withdrawn from the deployment zone of Russian peacekeepers. The Artsakh Defense Army is being disbanded and disarmed, its military equipment is being disposed of.
Thus, the history of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which was proclaimed even before the collapse of the USSR, in September 1991, should be considered completed, won, with the support of Armenia, victory in the First Karabakh War of 1992-94, but was never recognized by any state in the world, including the same Armenia.
NOT PLAYING BY THE RULES
The NKR delegation in Yevlakh is negotiating with the Azerbaijani side on the terms of surrender and “reintegration” into Azerbaijan, however, with a high degree of probability, there will be no reintegration. There will be an exodus of tens of thousands of Armenians from their lands - if, of course, Azerbaijan releases them.
“For many decades since the beginning of the 90s, there have been wars, surges of tension, clashes - but there have also been attempts to resolve the Karabakh issue diplomatically. The issue was discussed within the framework of various associations, the UN, the OSCE. They argued in the capitals of the countries participating in the Minsk Group on Nagorno-Karabakh. As always, military force and political cunning, demonstrated by Azerbaijan, and not Armenia, won,” international political scientist and expert at the Russian International Affairs Council Elena Suponina told IA Regnum.
To some, the ending of the Karabakh drama will seem strange, even unfair. However, it is quite natural, experts say. The denouement was a completely logical consequence of the mistakes that Armenia has made over the past 30 years, and especially over the last five of them.
Exactly 32 years ago, on September 21, 1991, 99.5% of the population of the Armenian SSR voted in a referendum to confirm secession from the Soviet Union and the formation of an independent state. In 1994, for the first time in many centuries, the Armenians managed to expand the territory under their control - the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, with the support of the Armenian army, were able to oust Azerbaijani troops from their lands, as well as the territories surrounding Karabakh.
But no one has canceled the rules of geopolitics. Armenia was and remained a small state, which in all indicators of power (population, territory, natural resources) was inferior even to Azerbaijan, which dreamed of revenge, not to mention its ally Turkey. And this meant that in order to preserve statehood, Armenia had to follow a clear set of rules developed by the Israelis (who found themselves in approximately the same situation in 1949).
The rules are very simple and can be listed briefly.
Total mobilization of society. Focus on economic growth. Search for those sectors of the economy where you can earn big money in limited conditions (in the case of Armenia we were talking about a logistics semi-blockade).
Concentration of the diaspora on the development of the state. Demographic growth (including by stimulating the resettlement of compatriots). Technological development of the armed forces up to the creation of nuclear weapons as an absolute means of deterrence.
And, finally, complete, unconditional, unquestioning loyalty to the great power that provides security.
In reality, everything was different.
Armenia was never able to build an economic system - instead of a stable, developing model, it turned out to be a real oligarchy. The republic was unable to overcome large-scale corruption, due to which representatives of the diaspora very quickly lost interest in investing in this country. And they began to spend money on senseless and even to some extent humiliating lobbying of Western officials for their recognition of the fact of the Armenian Genocide in 1915.
These “investments” did not contribute in any way to the development of Armenia, or the influx of citizens there (the country was experiencing depopulation - the population decreased by 17 % from 1991 to 2019 ), or strengthening the defense capability of Karabakh. The Karabakh people met the Second Karabakh War in 2020 wearing the helmets they wore in the first.
HAD A FIGHT WITH AN ALLY
The only rule that was observed was not to spoil relations with our ally, Russia. And even this was enough to ensure their safety.
But in 2018, as a result of the coup of the year, Nikol Pashinyan came to power. The new Armenian prime minister began to purposefully purge power of pro-Russian figures and set a course for a geopolitical divorce from Moscow.
Actually, this is why a campaign was launched in Armenia to discredit Russia, which “did not help defend Karabakh in 2020” (despite the fact that Armenia itself then refused to fight for the region), as well as the CSTO, “which did not protect Armenia in 2021-2022 during military conflicts with Azerbaijan” (despite the fact that Armenia did not even announce mobilization, refusing to fight with the Azerbaijanis who invaded the territory).
And this anti-Russian propaganda found understanding in the Armenian society, part of which wanted to throw off the “Karabakh burden”, but at the same time blame someone else for it.
“Armenia, in principle, abandoned Karabakh a long time ago. Pashinyan was not going to provide assistance to Karabakh in 2020, and the population as a whole was not eager. There are even sentiments - that’s what you, the people of Artsakh, need,” writes Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, senior researcher at IMEMO RAS.
The first reason, he said, was that “there was fatigue from the Karabakh clan, which had dominated Armenian politics for many years . ” And this is true - for almost 20 years (from 1998 to 2018), the country was ruled by people from Karabakh, Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan .
The second reason, according to Ofitserov-Belsky, is that “the Karabakh people themselves are people with a slightly different mentality - tough, more prone to crime and, by the way, very pro-Russian . ”
This is, of course, a social myth about crime - however, in general, the “Karabakh people” were really very different in mentality from the conventional “Yerevan people”. For example, it is believed that they are more hardworking and persistent (hence the half-abusive, half-respectful expression “Karabakh donkey” - that is, a stubborn, hardworking, persistent person).
“MOSCOW’S WINE” AND TEHRAN’S WORRIES
During the current conflict, they are again trying to make Russia guilty - simply because there were Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh who “did not stop.” And this despite the fact that Pashinyan directly stated his refusal to protect the Karabakh Armenians, and also made it clear that he was not interested in their fate at all.
Instead of following the trilateral Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani plan to resolve the situation (and as a result of the stopped Second Karabakh War, Yerevan actually had in its hands a road map for settlement), Pashinyan ran to the West and at its negotiating platforms twice confirmed in writing that recognizes Karabakh as the territory of Azerbaijan without any conditions.
This was, in particular, pointed out by the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova .
“There is not a word in the text about the need to ensure the rights and safety of the inhabitants of the region... This became Yerevan’s final solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Why did Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian authorities do exactly this, why did Paris and Brussels push official Yerevan to do this?” - Zakharova asks rhetorical questions.
Now is the time to diplomatically formalize the new status quo in the region. “The status of the new regions needs to be recorded on paper, a peace agreement must be achieved between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and security guarantees must be accepted for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh,” reminds Elena Suponina.
A number of external players will pursue their own interests. The Americans want to oust Russia, the Turks want to oust all external players from the region. And the Iranians want to prevent Turkish domination in the region.
“There is an opinion in the Iranian expert community (it sounds quite loud) that the Islamic Republic may ultimately turn out to be the losing side. An anti-Iranian alliance will strengthen near its borders, and its goal will be the Zangezur corridor . Let me remind you that this project, which presupposes the claims of Baku and Turkey to the Armenian Syunik (Zangezur), was called in Tehran many times its “red line,” international affairs expert Abbas Juma explained to Regnum news agency .
RUSSIAN HUMANITARIAN COVER
Now that the end of the Karabakh conflict in favor of Azerbaijan has become an obvious fact that is changing the political alignment in the Transcaucasus, Russia faces new challenges in this region, experts say.
In a situation where Pashinyan continues to be in power in Yerevan, Moscow does not have many tools to protect its interests (to ensure a stable South Caucasus and the presence of a Russian bridgehead in Armenia there).
It will not be possible to outbid or convince Pashinyan - and not only because he is strictly indoctrinated.
As Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky reminds, Pashinyan is personally dependent on the West, because he understands that he will have to emigrate there in the future. Explaining to Armenians that abandoning Moscow will lead to the seizure of their country by the Turks is also not easy due to the fact that Moscow does not know how to defend its interests using “ soft power ” tools .
“Our military diplomats work very well, as do peacekeepers. But what we lack is “soft power”. We didn’t have enough of it in Ukraine, in Azerbaijan, anywhere,” reminds Elena Suponina.
However, the tools still exist, experts believe. Both at the highest political level and at the humanitarian level.
First of all, we need to take care of the Karabakh refugees, if only because by bringing peacekeepers into Karabakh, Moscow assumed moral obligations. “Against the background of rumors about Pashinyan’s reluctance to accept refugees from Karabakh, I think it would be fair to provide refugees with the opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner,” said State Duma deputy Evgeny Popov .
With this step, Moscow, according to experts, could solve several problems at once.
First, Russia will effectively shield itself from any accusations that it has “abandoned the Armenians it pledged to protect.” Secondly, he will demonstrate that he does not abandon his own people. It is precisely their own - Nagorno-Karabakh is (along with Transnistria) one of the most pro-Russian regions of the post-Soviet space. Thirdly, it will acquire several tens of thousands of new hardworking Christian citizens.
[Eurasian Times] In an unprecedented daylight strike on September 20, Ukraine launched 8 Strom Shadows stealth cruise missiles from 11 Su-24M tactical bombers targeting Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF) at Sevastopol.
Despite the use of sophisticated tactics such as flying low over the Black Sea to escape detection by Russian air defense (AD) systems and the use of 3 AGM-160 MALD decoy missiles, the attack failed completely. Not one Storm Shadow missile struck its target!
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
09/22/2023 00:00 ||
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#1
As I pointed out a few days ago, NATO feeds their wunderwaffes into the Ukrainian bonfire one by one - and Russians learn to cope with them one by one.
#2
^Incidentally, I've discovered this guy - an ex-soviet naval officer who lives in USA: publishes books on military history/theory and runs a blog/vlog - by accident. IMO, if nothing else, he's extremely entertaining.
Warning. He's (extremely) offensive for people who confuse patriotism with "cheering for our team" & "only Americans have the right to criticize US"
#4
Still the 20th and the main strike: Saki Airbase in Crimea attacked. 12-15 Su-30, Su-24s based there as well as Shahed drone launchers. 30 reported dead. Waiting for sat photo damage assessment. “According to the data from our sources, at least 12 combat aircraft (Su-24 and Su-30) were in the airfield, as well as the Pantsir missile system. A training base of the Mojaher unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators was also located there. Russians use these UAVs to coordinate their air attacks and as combat drones,” the interlocutors told.
#5
Sept 21: Headquarters of the 58 Combined Arms Army in Melitopol destroyed. Russia's 58th CAA is responsible for Zaporozhye. As a result of the strike, the Commander and Chief of Staff of the Russian 58th Army was wounded. According to open sources, Lieutenant General Denis Lyamin has been Commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army since July 2023.
According to Liga’s sources, in addition to high-ranking commanders, several dozen more Russian officers were injured, approximately ten died.
Russian state media TASS reported that debris was “scattered for hundreds of meters” following the missile strike. TASS added that a large number of ambulances were on their way to the scene of the attack.
#13
Shoddy Hindu Times level of outsourcing propaganda work.
We should all know by now what is the first thing to fly out the window when the shooting starts. It's tough to find reliable information. But I suppose I could be reading twitter feeds.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
09/22/2023 12:16 Comments ||
Top||
#15
#11 Francis, Anikin I don't expect much from Enver, but surely the two of you have realized that the building in question was NOT hit with 500 kg (1000 pounds) warhead?
[Eurasian Times] On the night of September 13, Ukraine struck the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet home base, using cruise missiles and maritime kamikaze drones.
Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the strike in a statement, saying that Kyiv forces had fired ten cruise missiles at the Sevastopol Shipyard overnight.
"Last night, the Armed Force of Ukraine fired ten cruise missiles at the ship repair plant named after S. Ordzhonikidze in Sevastopol and three uncrewed boats at a detachment of Black Sea Fleet ships on a sea crossing," the statement reads.
"Air defense systems shot down seven cruise missiles. The patrol ship Vasily Bykov destroyed all the unmanned boats. The enemy cruise missiles damaged two ships under repair."
The commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleshchuk, confirmed that British Storm Shadow cruise missiles attacked Sevastopol.
Unconfirmed reports identified the vessels damaged in the attack as a Ropucha-class landing ship and Kilo-class Russian Black Sea Fleet submarine.
Following social media reports that both warships had been destroyed, the RuMoD clarified that the damaged warship would be restored and they would rejoin the Black Sea fleet.
"Two Navy ships undergoing scheduled repairs at the ship repair plant named after S Ordzhonikidze in Sevastopol, damaged as a result of today’s missile strike by the Kyiv regime, will be fully restored and will continue to serve in combat as part of their fleets."
UKRAINIAN ATTACK ON RUSSIA’S BLACK SEA FLEET ANALYZED
Since the start of Russia’s Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russian Black Sea fleet warships with maritime drones and missiles. Russia has lost the following warships of the Black Sea fleet as a result of Ukrainian attacks.
Saratov, a Russian Navy Alligator-class landing ship, docked in Berdiansk, Ukraine, caught fire on 24 March 2022 and was reportedly scuttled.
Moskva, a Slava-class cruiser, was hit by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles on April 13, 2022. The ship caught fire and sank while being towed to port.
A Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 drone on Snake Island struck and sunk a Serna-class landing craft on May 7, 2022.
A Buyan-M class corvette and a tug towing it were reportedly lost on June 17, 2022.
Olenegorsky Gornyak, a Project 775 Ropucha-class landing ship, was seriously damaged on August 4, near the Port of Novorossiysk.
Rostov-on-Don, a Kilo-class submarine, and Minsk, a Project 775 Rapoucha class landing ship, were damaged on September 13.
The Ukrainian attack on the night of September 13 will likely raise alarm bells in Russian military leadership, not just because it put two warships out of action, but because it is easily repeatable.
THE IRONY IN UKRAINE’S TARGETING OF BLACK SEA FLEET WARSHIPS
Ukraine’s attacks against Black Sea fleet ships take a lot of resources. Ironically, the warships are not participating in the SMO substantially, other than through an occasional launch of cruise missiles from a submerged submarine near Odesa. Using a submarine reduces warning time, which is not critical to Ukraine’s air defense capability.
Ukraine’s war aims to regain its territories that switched allegiance to Russia forcibly. So why is Ukraine repeatedly striking Russian air and naval assets in Crimea instead of focusing on its three-month-old counteroffensive? Despite considerable losses in personnel and weapons, the counterattack has made little progress in over three months.
US/NATO FIGHTING A WAR
The reason is straightforward. The resources being expended on attacking Black Sea fleet warships are almost entirely those of the US and NATO. The attacks aim to weaken Russia, a clearly articulated US/NATO war aims. Yes, the US and NATO have a war aim.
Make no mistakes, on an aside to the Ukrainian conflict, the US & NATO are waging a separate low-intensity war aimed at weakening Russia, mainly Russia’s grip on the Black Sea and its influence in the region.
Scores, possibly hundreds of personnel, contributed to the success of the Sevastopol attack on the night of September 23. Of those, only a handful were Ukrainians — ten pilots and some Su-24M technicians. The rest were US/NATO personnel, including pilots and ISR aircraft crew (RC-135, MQ-9, RQ-4), and data analysts in US and NATO nations who identified:
Targets from the data gathered by the ISR assets;
Russian AD systems use radar and communication frequencies;
Location and state of readiness of Russian AD systems.
Others in leadership positions helped in target selection at a command and control center. Technicians from the UK, based at Starokonstantinov airbase in Ukraine, programmed the Storm Shadow missiles to follow a specific route and attack a particular target.
WHY RUSSIA TURNS A NELSON EYE
Russia has chosen to turn a Nelson eye towards the sub-kinetic US & NATO war being waged against it. A war that doesn’t help Ukraine regain its lost territory. A war that is militarily weakening Russia.
Russia has ignored the war on the side because it is adhering to the first and foremost principle of war — Selection and maintenance of aim.
Russia aims to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine. Fighting NATO will not help Russia achieve that aim.
The US and NATO don’t want Russia to succeed with its war aims. So they are trying to get Russia embroiled into a wider conflict or relinquish its war aims out of fear of Western might. In pursuit of its aim, the US is escalating the conflict in a carefully calibrated manner.
US ESCALATION EXPLAINED
The US is on the verge of supplying ATACMS 300 km range guided rockets to Ukraine. Germany, too, is toying with the idea of providing Taurus air-launched stealth cruise missiles.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, speaking in the context of the proposed ATACMS supply on ABC, clearly stated, "In terms of their targeting decisions, it’s their decision, not ours." He was overstepping a Russian red line that the US had earlier accepted. In the past, President Biden has acknowledged that ATACMS supply could provoke Russia to escalate the conflict.
As such, the attacks on Russian Naval and air bases in Crimea are not just likely to persist; they are likely to intensify and get more deadly.
RUSSIA’S DILEMMA
How many more warships of the Black Sea fleet does Russia want to lose to what are essentially US/NATO attacks aimed at weakening Russia? Once the Russian Black Sea fleet is debilitated, the next logical step for the US would be to move a carrier group into the Black Sea. Turkey’s desire and ability to stop the US, a NATO ally, from moving a carrier group into the Black Sea is questionable.
Once a US carrier group moves into the Black Sea, Ukrainian special forces, who currently get cluster bombed into oblivion in their high-speed boats when they make surreptitious attempts to beach in Crimea at night, will be able to arrive unscathed in Crimea in beachwear on sailboats whistling tunes during the day!
Ukraine’s ability to wrest Crimea from Russia would increase significantly. A Russian defeat could well be on the cards. Victory will still be a grind to the last Ukrainian, and it will take time.
After the US fleet moves into the Black Sea, Russia’s only option to prevent defeat would be to fight NATO by shooting down US/NATO ISR assets and, if necessary, attacking their low earth surveillance and communication satellites.
So the big question for Russia is — Why not fight NATO now when it still has its Black Sea fleet intact?
Before we go any further, let us make a fact very clear. A conventional war between NATO and Russia will certainly not lead to a Russian defeat. Here are some excellent reasons why I believe that is the case.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
In a US-Russia conventional war, being a continental island protected by surrounding oceans, the US will largely remain unscathed while Russia will experience a lot of devastation. What is, however, not true is the extrapolation that Russian inability to hit the mainland US will translate to an American victory.
Here is the problem with that thinking. Russia will experience devastation because the Russian military could be positioned within Russian borders. When the Russian military is attacked, there will be collateral damage, hence the destruction.
Most US military might be positioned outside its borders, in bases in Europe and Pacific nations. When the US military might be attacked, host nations will suffer the corresponding collateral damage.
US ISR, COMMUNICATION, AND AIRBORNE REFUELLING ADVANTAGES
The sophistication and large number of aerial ISR assets available to the US and its allies will give the US an overwhelming advantage over Russian forces. A gift that will indeed ensure a Russian defeat. This is why Russian forces shot the ISR assets and tankers out of the sky from the start of the war with an extended range of Russian air defense and air-to-air missiles.
The US will still enjoy a significant advantage based on its space-based ISR and communication satellites. Russia can use kinetic kill ASAT weapons and lasers to degrade US imaging (optical and radar) and navigational satellites.
It may not exercise the option initially to avoid space debris, but if the tide turns against Russia, the need to survive will leave Russia no choice.
Bereft of their ISR and navigational assets, US forces will never emerge victorious in any war game, let alone a war.
RUSSIA STILL HAS A LESS RISKIER OPTION
With time, the going will likely become increasingly more challenging for Russia because the US and NATO will continue tightening the noose.
With time, the going could get increasingly more challenging for Ukraine if Russia tightened its own noose around the Ukrainian neck. Some reasonable indications are that Russia has a lower-risk plan to stave off its existential threat without resorting to escalation from its side — using North Korean artillery!
Just as the lowly rated Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones have imposed heavy monetary and personnel costs on Ukraine and its Western backers, North Korean artillery will also likely prove game-changing.
I am not just talking about North Korean 152 mm shells for Russian barreled artillery. I am talking about North Korean MLRS systems such as the 170-mm, 40/60 km self-propelled artillery units M-1989, the 240 mm, 65 km range M1985 / M1991, and the 600-mm, 380 km range KN-25.
The first two mimic capabilities already available with Russian forces so that they could cover gaps in Russian supply. The KN-25 MLRS represents a capability that Russia currently does not have.
It is a more robust and longer-range weapon system than the M270 ATACMS. Its 3-ton rockets follow a controlled ballistic trajectory and feature a 300 kg warhead. They are possibly guided using inertial navigation with SATNAV updates.
For Russia to improve the accuracy and EW resistance of these long-range rockets, as they did with the Iranian kamikaze drones, will not be a big challenge. It would also be possible for Russia to develop cluster bomb warheads for the rockets.
The US is on an irrational, escalatory trajectory and indicative of a leadership void. NATO nations, even erstwhile great powers such as Germany, France, and the UK, now come through as US vassals. The US president’s demeanor and lack of coherence sometimes don’t inspire confidence. Russia faces grave danger and has to tread very carefully.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
09/22/2023 00:00 ||
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#1
A war that is militarily weakening Russia.
Note that subsequent attacks with storm shadow failed. NATO is literally training Russia to cope with its most advanced weapons.
Well, we're talking about countries that conduct a de facto war to extinction against their own native populations. In light of the above, training an enemy (which they created) to be more effective is only to be expected.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Viktor Lavreninko
[REGNUM] This year in Latvia, the virtual collapse of the opposition party “Consent” took place, which a year ago had the largest faction in parliament and consolidated the votes of the majority of local Russians.
After the total loss of the parliamentary elections in October last year, the party leadership was mired in internal conflicts. As a result, people fled en masse from Harmony, having lost faith that this political force, to whose leadership the former “Russian mayor” of Riga Nil Ushakov returned , would at least to some extent defend their interests.
One of its most authoritative representatives, the mayor of the city of Rezekne, Alexander Bartashevich , who has held his post since 2009, tried to save the party. On January 27, a congress of Harmony members was to take place. However, Bartashevich said that delegates from regional organizations controlled by him would not go there, and he himself was ready to take over the leadership of the party. Dialogue with the former leaders did not work out: the rebellious mayor was expelled from the party.
But when leaving, Alexander Bartashevich managed to loudly slam the door goodbye. About 120 party members left Harmony , and at the beginning of April the founding congress of the regional party “Together for Latvia”, founded by Bartashevich, took place.
The program of the new political force could not help but alert the Latvian authorities: it mentions the creation of a society free from ethnic discrimination and the return of the right to study in their native language to the local Russian population.
And already in August, part of the deputies of the Rezekne City Assembly organized a second attempt to overthrow Bartashevich. The mayor was accused of failing to cope with his responsibilities: the municipality does not have enough money to cover all expenses this year.
Five deputies submitted a request to remove Bartashevich. They justified this step by the fact that the mayor does not analyze his mistakes, and therefore there is no confidence that he is “able to lead the city out of the financial crisis . ” However, the impeachment failed: five voted “for”, seven voted “against”. One deputy did not participate in the meeting. A similar distribution of votes was observed in previous votes on this issue.
Here you need to keep in mind that Bartashevich at one time inherited a deindustrialized city, which he himself once talked about in an interview with IA Regnum . Having lost the industry of the Soviet period plundered in the 90s, Rezekne barely survived in the modern Latvian reality, gradually losing population.
Recently, the city suffered a new blow, which it had to share with the whole of Latvia - after being deprived of direct access to cheap Russian energy, costs for literally everything increased sharply. Trying to soften the consequences of this blow, the far-sighted Bartashevich began to transfer Rezekne to alternative energy sources ahead of time.
On September 1, the Rezekne City Council approved the financial stabilization plan. Among the projects that the municipality plans to complete are a recreational center, a business cluster, the reconstruction of one street and the renovation of one kindergarten.
At the same time, it is planned to cancel funding for most sports and cultural events, reduce costs for street lighting, optimize (read - reduce) the network of schools, and reduce the number of municipal employees. The main goal of the process is to obtain a stabilization loan in the amount of 6 million euros.
But while Alexander Bartashevich was trying to “steer out” and bring the city out of a state of financial instability, he was stabbed in the back by some of the city’s politicians.
Since it was not possible to overthrow the mayor with the votes of local government deputies, the government had to get involved directly and remove Bartashevich by ministerial decree. At the beginning of September, the Ministry of Regional Development raised the issue of removing the inconvenient mayor.
Mayor Rezekne noted that the ministry requested documentation on investment projects that worsened the city's budget. “But there are no such projects,” Bartashevich said. According to him, all implemented investment plans will bring income to the city.
The politician also repeatedly mentioned that the Ministry of Finance never gave any response to Rezekne’s request for a loan. According to him, the Ministry of Finance, if it does not act in accordance with the law and the financial situation of the municipality worsens, “will have to answer.”
Mayor Rezekne emphasized that for now the financial problems the city is experiencing “are only a minor difficulty” and that “after the situation stabilizes, everything will be in order, we just need to rebuild a little.” In a conversation with Latvian Radio, Bartashevich said that there would be no need to stabilize the municipal budget if the Ministry of Finance considered the municipality’s applications for loans, which it has every right to apply for.
The mayor believes that he governed the city entrusted to him quite conscientiously: “So far I do not see evidence that I am guilty of anything. There are no arguments required by law. At the moment we are preparing and next week we will adopt more changes to the budget - to save 1.3 million euros, and then redistribute them accordingly.” He emphasized that the government is deliberately putting a spoke in the city’s wheels instead of providing support.
As a result, the Minister of Regional Development, Maris Springuks, decided to simply remove Bartashevich from his post.
The irony is that this decision was made by a person who was in the status of a “political dead man” - the government, of which the minister was a member, was living its last days. Springjuks rolled out an additional “trump card” by accusing the mayor of a “possible conflict of interest . ” The fact is that at one time the Rezekne self-government entered into agreements with the construction company Latgalija, which is owned by members of the mayor’s family.
However, since Springjuks left his post, the final verdict on the fate of the mayor of Rezekne will be made by the new minister - Inga Berzina . She has already said that she will first wait for the conclusion of the State Audit Office on Bartashevich’s activities. And on September 21, members of the “Together for Latvia” party held a rally in Rezekne in support of the mayor.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
