[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A top Russian rocket scientist who had previously assisted foreign colleagues at NASA has died from poisoning after a two-week illness, it was reported today.
Professor Vitaly Melnikov, 77, who had headed the Department of Rocket and Space Systems at RSC Energia, Moscow's leading spacecraft manufacturer, had been battling a sudden and grave illness before his death. The source of his poisoning was inedible mushrooms, Moskovsky Komsomolets, a Moscow newspaper reported.
Doctors were unable to save Melnikov after battling the 'severe poisoning' for more than two weeks. The circumstances in which he allegedly became poisoned were not revealed.
This is just the latest death of a high-profile Russian due to reported poisonings.
Russia has witnessed a spate of mysterious or suspicious deaths in the past two years since Vladimir Putin started preparing for his war in Ukraine.
Melnikov had worked as chief researcher at TsNIIMASH, a division of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. He was the author of 291 scientific articles, and was regarded among the most imminent eminent space scientists.
He cooperated with foreign colleagues on a number of ventures, including at NASA. Russia's space operations have maintained cooperation with other countries despite the war in Ukraine. Most recently a Russian astronaut set off with an American and two others in a Space X and NASA launch last week.
Latterly, Melnikov was a professor at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.
The recent poisoning comes days after the mysterious death of a top military general, once close to Putin, who was keeper of the secrets about the construction of the Russian leader's Black Sea Palace.
General Gennady Lopyrev, 69, suddenly became ill - gasping for breath - and was told by doctors he had previously undiagnosed leukaemia. Suspicions arose that he was poisoned after it emerged that the general was eligible for parole. Lopyrev was jailed for ten years in 2017 by a military court accused of bribe-taking and illegal possession of ammunition. He maintained his innocence of the charges.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] Libyan Foreign Minister (Government of National Unity) Najla Mangoush was suspended from work immediately after information surfaced about her meeting with Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen . Tripoli does not recognize the Jewish state, and all contacts with its representatives there are prohibited by law.
The meeting took place last week in Rome, but the publication ban was lifted on Sunday evening. It was emphasized that this is the first ever meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries.
Western agent in the Libyan government?
After this publication, protests broke out in Libya demanding the resignation of Najla Mangush. The Foreign Ministry of the Government of National Unity of Libya (GNU) released a statement on Sunday calling the meeting in Rome "random, unofficial and unprepared."
In turn, such a step by Mangush seriously weakens the position of the head of the PNU, Abdulhamid Dbeiba , around whom clouds continue to gather. This is all the more important given the continuing division of the country and the continued activity of the alternative Government of National Stability in the east.
Foreign Minister Mangush herself remained the "face of Libya", turned to the EU and the US, and repeatedly carried out the decisions of Brussels and Washington, without any coordination with the leadership (PNU and the Presidential Council). We can say that she was an outspoken lobbyist for the US and the EU. They had repeatedly wanted to fire her before, but Dbeiba did not dare to take this step so as not to spoil relations with the West.
For example, during a visit to Turkey, Mangush asked the Turkish troops to “go out”, they say, this is the decision of the Libyan forum (despite the fact that the GNU did its best not to advertise this decision, lobbied by the US and the EU, especially regarding Turkish troops). The Turks then got out and even praised Mangush in their statements. Like, everything is correct, and all mercenaries must leave Libya.
Then she was left at her post.
You can also recall how Mangush was removed from work by the Presidential Council after the decision to extradite the person involved in the case of the 1988 terrorist attack on the Scottish city of Lockerbie to the United States. Again, then Dbeiba defended it, because he did not want a break with the US and the EU.
But there are limits to everything, especially since Mangush and her department, in fact, lived their own lives, repeatedly substituting both Dbeiba and PNU, especially, as now, in the most difficult periods.
Elections amid fragmentation
At the moment, things are moving towards new elections in the country, and the chair under Dbeiba has staggered again. This time, the head of the UN mission to support Libya, Abdoulaye Batili , said at a briefing at the UN Security Council on August 22 that the new unified government of Libya is a necessary condition for holding elections in the country.
Thus, Batili signaled that Dbeiba should leave, handing over powers to the new government. Although the same applies to the Government of National Stabilization of Osama Hamad operating in the east of Libya.
Therefore, for conspiracy theorists, the version that Mangush deliberately “set up” Dbeiba, putting him under attack not only from the UN (and the West), but now also from his own supporters, may seem quite capable.
On the other hand, it should be borne in mind that even if Dbeiba leaves and a new government is formed that will lead the country to elections, their holding may mark not so much stabilization as a new escalation and another civil war, as has already happened in recent Libyan history.
The country is still fragmented, with a large number of different groups and factions operating in it, united under various "umbrella commands", the most famous of which is the LNA (Libyan National Army or LAAF - Libyan Arab Armed Forces), operating in the east and south of the country.
However, its leadership does not fully control most of the groups formally subordinate to it. The process of decentralization became especially noticeable after the defeat of the LNA near Tripoli in 2020, and now there can be no talk of assembling a shock fist for a campaign in the west of the country.
In turn, in the very west of Libya, military integration is even more conditional. In Tripoli, military clashes periodically occur between various power blocs that are formally subordinate to Dbeiba.
So, on August 14, battles took place in Tripoli between the two most combat-ready units. On the one hand, these were the Deterrence Forces to combat organized crime and terrorism, and on the other, Colonel Mahmoud Hamza's "brigade 444" .
Therefore, the holding of elections alone without national reconciliation is unlikely to lead the country to sustainable peace.
Libyan "Game of Thrones"
The fight for control of Libya looks so confusing to an outside observer that it is easier to understand the ups and downs of the struggle for the fantasy universe of Westeros by starting to watch the cult series from the middle. But let's try to do it anyway.
In 2014, already in “post-Gaddafi” Libya, a new civil war broke out, when parliamentary elections ended with mixed results. Less than 20% of the Libyan voters took part in them, and in a number of regions they were not held at all. Then part of the country's political forces refused to recognize the results of the vote, and the Supreme Court annulled them.
Another part of the political forces that achieved success in the elections formed a parliament - a house of representatives headed by Aguila Saleh - and teamed up with military leader Khalifa Haftar . Haftar had previously opposed the country's General National Congress, whose powers were expiring in connection with the new elections. This alliance was able to find support in the east of Libya and placed its institutions in the eastern cities of Tobruk and Benghazi.
At the same time, stereotypes often voiced in the media that the confrontation in the country is a war between the so-called. "Islamists" and secular military led by Haftar.
Various "Islamist" groups, as well as "Gaddafi" groups, were present in both opposing camps and changed frequently.
For example, the Libyan "Muslim Brotherhood" (an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation) is now in opposition to the current head of the PNE, Dbeiba, and support the initiatives of Saleh and Haftar. Although, starting a campaign against Tripoli in 2019, Haftar said that he was going to fight precisely with the “Muslim brothers”.
This stage of the civil war, which began in 2014, ended in a draw and ended with the creation in early 2016, at the initiative of the UN, of the Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Faiz Sarraj . The PNS was supported by part of the forces operating in the west of Libya, both "Islamists" and secular "regionalists", for example from Misrata and Zintan, as well as the Berbers.
Nevertheless, the PNS never received a vote of confidence from the House of Representatives, and therefore the legitimacy of the PNS was often disputed (as well as the legitimacy of the House of Representatives itself, taking into account the decision of the Supreme Court that did not recognize the election results).
After that, the division of Libya was fixed.
In the east of the country, its own government was formed, its own national bank and the national oil corporation, which duplicated the functions of the structures located in Tripoli.
How Russia and Türkiye established peace in Libya
A new phase of the civil war began in 2019, when Khalifa Haftar tried to capture Tripoli and remove the Sarraj government.
However, the majority of Western Libyans opposed Haftar, who was assisted by the UAE, Egypt, France and Russian PMCs, and supported the actions of various armed groups operating under the auspices of the GNA.
In addition, Turkey intervened in the conflict on the side of Sarraj, which predetermined the retreat of Haftar's troops from Tripoli.
Relative calm and a ceasefire between the opposing forces was achieved through the efforts of Russia and Turkey.
Then, after the unsuccessful attempt by the Libyan commander Haftar to take Tripoli from Sarraj during the 2019-2020 campaign. Moscow and Ankara were able to agree on the boundaries of the parties along the Sirte-Jufra line and stop the hostilities.
This was facilitated both by the participation of Russian PMCs on the side of Haftar's forces, and the Turkish military and Syrian mercenaries on the side of Sarraj. Without the support of Russian PMCs and the Turkish military, the parties to the conflict could not count on the continuation of hostilities, becoming dependent on Moscow and Ankara in terms of decision-making.
However, the US and its European allies tried to prevent Russia and Turkey from resolving the Libyan issue without their participation.
The West was forced to intervene more actively in the Libyan settlement. In fact, the convening of the Libyan National Dialogue Forum and the formation of a new presidential council chaired by Muhammad Menfi and the Government of National Unity (GNU), headed by Abulhamid Dbeiba, which was supposed to lead the country to elections in December 2021, was the result of Western interference in the process.
Nevertheless, the Dbeiba government itself was far from following in line with the decisions of the West, as before, in many ways continued to focus on Turkey. Although, as mentioned above, certain positions in the new cabinet included politicians with an undeniably pro-Western orientation, such as Foreign Minister Najla Mangush.
The collapse of Western stabilization plans
Given the continued influence of Ankara on Tripoli and Moscow on Benghazi, which jointly ensured the preservation of peace in the country, the West began to pay increased attention to the topic of foreign military personnel in Libya, of course, referring primarily to those associated with Russia and Turkey, from which the US and the EU in every possible way tried to get rid of, making this question fundamental.
Obviously, this was not the problem on which the fate of the Libyan peace process depended, but it was it that diverted all the attention of Western diplomats from the really important issues of the inter-Libyan dialogue. This, in particular, led to the disruption of the elections scheduled for December 24, 2021.
After that, another consolidation of the division of the country into “West” and “East” took place in Libya.
The eastern authorities, led by military leader Haftar and head of the House of Representatives Saleh, refused to recognize the legitimacy of PNE Dbeiba (it should be noted that this happened back in the fall of 2021), and after the December elections were canceled, Saleh initiated the creation of an alternative National Stabilization Government headed by the former the Minister of the Interior in the GNA, Sarraj Fathi Bashaga , who had a strong position in the west of the country and with the help of whom they expected to remove Dbeiba.
In turn, at the same time, there was a rapprochement between the House of Representatives of Saleh and the Supreme State Council (analogous to the Senate) headed by Khaled al-Mishri , in which the Libyan “Muslim Brotherhood” was represented mainly, and their collaboration with Haftar and Saleh against Dbeiba.
The 6 + 6 committee, which was itself created by the chamber and the council, was supposed to provide preparations for the elections, bypassing the activities of the GNU Dbeiba.
The cancellation of the elections also testified to the collapse of efforts to impose settlement formats on the country under the auspices of Western diplomats and according to their patterns, without taking into account local specifics. Every time, representatives of the United States and leading European capitals (whose representatives, such as Abdoulaye Batili's predecessors, Slovak Jan Kubiš or American diplomat Stephanie Williams , also acted on behalf of the UN) make the same mistakes.
In particular, they then focused on secondary issues of the peace process, turning them into fundamental ones - for example, on the withdrawal of foreign military and armed groups from the country. Others, on the contrary, returned to seemingly priority topics on the agenda, but only when there was practically no chance of their implementation, making rash statements (like Kubis’ statement about supporting the dubious election law adopted by Saleh, in fact, without a vote in the House of Representatives ).
Sons enter the arena
All this led to the fact that two Libyan parallel governments - Dbeib and Bashagi, each of which received international support and was called legitimate, switched to open armed confrontation at the very end of August 2022.
Of course, both the Ukrainian events and the distraction of the main international actors on the Libyan field played a role here.
With Bashaga unable to establish his control over Tripoli as a result of this failed military action, he and his supporters could no longer be relied upon as an effective tool.
Haftar now seeks to build ties directly with the head of the GNU, Dbeiba, having come to the conclusion that it is impossible to remove him through a rebellion. The line of communication between Haftar and Dbeiba was established through their sons.
In turn, the House of Representatives removed Bashaga from office and transferred his powers to Finance Minister Osama Hamad , who is a close ally of Haftar.
In addition, Haftar has established direct contacts with the leaders of the most influential groups in Tripoli, again through his sons, who are beginning to play an increasing role under the aged commander.
Russia is still in the game
At the end of August, it was Saddam , the son of Khalifa Haftar, who led the operation to oust Chadian rebels from southern Libya and close their military camps there. It is significant that at the same time the Libyan National Army (LNA) demonstrated its ability to land an airborne assault.
Also, interestingly, on November 1, 2021, Saddam Haftar visited Tel Aviv for a secret meeting with Israeli officials, allegedly seeking to establish diplomatic relations in exchange for Israeli "military and diplomatic assistance." However, at that time there was no official confirmation of this, nor did it cause any public outcry, in contrast to the Mangush negotiations.
In addition, Saddam met with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov , who visited Libya in August this year. It could be about strengthening military cooperation between Russia and the LNA, especially against the background of the transfer of Wagner PMC assets in this country under the control of the Ministry of Defense.
On the other hand, Russia also maintains relations with the military command in the west of Libya, associated with the Dbeiba government.
For example, in November 2021, a Russian high-ranking military delegation visited Tripoli, where they were received by the chief of the general staff of the armed forces in the west of the country, General Muhammad al-Haddad .
Thus, Russia will continue to participate in the Libyan peace process, maintaining a balanced relationship with all parties to the dialogue.
And the resumption of work this summer of the Russian embassy in Tripoli should improve Moscow's ability to build relations with Libyan politicians not only through military and "informal", but also through official diplomatic channels, making them permanent.
#1
They discouraged us from throwing in woods for this very reason. But I gotta give the guy props for the level heading and quick thinking to bat it away when it was heading back for his foxhole.
Fighting in the suburbs of Verbove. Geolocated Russian 100th counterattack on Ukrainian positions, indicating 82nd Brigade advance on these positions
Some Russian milbloggers have photos of artillery on the south-east road of Verbove and say the Russians are hitting Ukrainian positions. I doubt it, as they would have taken most of Verbove. I suspect it is Ukrainian artillery trying to keep reinforcements and supplies from reaching Russian positions in Verbove.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
23:28 Russia and the DPRK have "seriously advanced" on the issue of arms supplies, said John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council. According to him, representatives of the Russian Federation and the DPRK are constantly discussing possible agreements in the defense sphere - in particular, Moscow wants to receive from Pyongyang "raw materials that will help the Russian military-industrial complex."
23:17 The winner of the first round of debates between the contenders for the US presidency from the Republican Party unexpectedly became a relatively little-known candidate, a millionaire of Indian origin Vivek Ramaswami. Read more about him in the material Candidate v. Ukraine .
22:39 Zelensky said in an evening video message that Ukraine is negotiating the supply of new air defense systems: "Now is not the time to talk publicly about the details, but negotiations are underway with our various partners on additional air defense systems. Step by step we are bringing this success closer to Ukraine" .
22:14 "Head" of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov said that the air defense allegedly shot down a cruise missile in the eastern part of Crimea. Residents of Feodosia report explosions. And the governor of the Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, said that two "Ukrainian UAVs" were shot down over the Bryansk region. Telegram channels write about a fire in the area of the television center.
20:56 Zaluzhny said that he had a telephone conversation with the Chief of the Danish Defense Staff Flemming Lentfer: "The focus is on the training of Ukrainian pilots and engineers on the F-16, which is taking place in Denmark. General Lentfer said that some of our pilots have already successfully completed preparatory measures and can begin flight training. In addition, we agreed with Danish partners to begin work on logistics to ensure the maintenance and repair of F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine."
20:52 During the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the police received more than 93,000 phone calls from Ukrainians who were sexually abused by the Russian military, Sergey Nezhinsky, adviser to the Office of Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishina, said in an interview with Ukrainian Radio. According to him, more than 200 cases were verified by the Office of the Prosecutor General and submitted to the court.
20:47 Germany has handed over another package of military assistance to Ukraine, which includes ten Leopard 1A5 tanks, one TRML-4D radar, 16 Vector unmanned reconnaissance systems, four HX81 tank transporters and more than 13 million small arms ammunition, the country's government said.
20:18 The talks about strengthening mobilization in Ukraine were followed by proposals with concrete steps. People's deputy and presidential representative in the Verkhovna Rada Fyodor Venislavsky believes that only those who receive a first higher education, and not a second or third, should receive a deferment from mobilization. Venislavsky also named the main abuses for evading mobilization. Read more in the material New changes in mobilization .
19:54 The Russians have installed barges south of the Kerch bridge, which should become a barrier against Ukrainian sea drones, Radio Liberty reports. The barges are not flooded, as previously thought, but are most likely anchored in one place.
19:29 More than 70 representatives of foreign states took part in the seventh meeting with diplomats on the Formula of Peace, the Office of the President reported. The meeting was dedicated to the item of the Formula "Food security" and was held on the territory of the enterprise - the manufacturer of bread in the Kyiv region, which suffered from one of the Russian rocket attacks.
19:23 A number of Ukrainian media outlets reported, citing sources in the SBU, that yesterday Ukrainian drones hit the "electoral district" in Kamenka-Dniprovska, Zaporizhia region, in several waves yesterday, at the moment when a meeting of "chairmen of precinct election commissions" was being held there. More than 30 collaborators, guarded by Kadyrov's men, gathered for the event, many of the wounded are known.
In Russia, the blow was confirmed: the "director" of the House of Children's Creativity Larisa Stelmashchuk told the propaganda media that during the attack by Ukrainian drones, "80 children who returned from Crimea" were supposed to be near the building.
19:11 743 people were evacuated from the dangerous communities of the Kupyansky district of the Kharkiv region, including 170 children, the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov said. About 11 thousand people remain in Kupyansk and the surrounding communities, which are constantly under shelling. Among the priority tasks is the removal of families with children.
The Kupyansk District State Administration announced that from September 1, the curfew on the territory of the Dvurechenskaya village, Kondrashevskaya rural, Kupyanskaya city, Kurilovskaya rural, Petropavlovsk rural territorial communities will operate from 18:00 to 06:00, and on the territory of Veliko Burluks rural, Shevchenko village, Olkhovatskaya rural territorial communities - from 20:00 to 06:00.
19:05 Zelensky announced that he had held a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, the topic was military medical commissions. It was decided to conduct a comprehensive review of the validity of the decisions of the IHC regarding disability and unfitness for military service, which were taken in the period from February 24, 2022 and may be related to corruption violations. Based on the results of the check, conclusions will be drawn about those who, on the basis of falsified decisions of the VVK, went abroad during this time.
Also, according to the decision, in all regions of Ukraine, the full expansion of the work of the IHC to civilian medical institutions should be ensured. In addition, it is planned to complete the process of full digitalization of all the work of the IHC, to revise the system for determining fitness for military service in order to give commanders more opportunities to involve military personnel in the performance of tasks and make it impossible to manipulate the concept of limited fitness.
The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to ensure an appropriate level of efficiency in the work of the VVK, the barrier-free nature of all components of its work and the involvement of professional personnel. Law enforcement officers will continue to check the IHC system and clear it "of those who use their positions against the security and defense of our state."
18:49 The Russian Foreign Ministry has proposed an "optimal" alternative to the grain agreement: to supply Turkey with 1 million tons of Russian grain for further processing and shipment to countries in need. Foreign Ministers of Russia and Turkey Sergey Lavrov and Hakan Fidan plan to discuss the details of the initiative and the possibility of its implementation at a meeting.
18:20 Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur called on the EU to expedite the supply of ammunition to Ukraine. According to him, out of the promised million, only 226,000 shells have been delivered so far. Pevkur noted that Ukraine produces about 6,000 rounds a day, while Russia produces 60,000 to 70,000 rounds on peak days.
17:51 Borrell proposed the creation of a fund to support Ukraine for the period 2024-2027 with a volume of 5 billion euros per year, "to ensure the reliability of our military assistance." According to the diplomat, this fund will be linked to the European Peace Fund and should become "a fundamental element of our long-term contribution to the security of Ukraine, as agreed by European leaders in June."
Borrell also said that this year the EU should train 40,000 Ukrainian troops. He noted that 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers had already been trained as part of the mission, and by the end of October their number would reach 30,000.
17:37 A batch of OTRK Iskander-M has arrived in Belarus from Russia, the monitoring group of Belaruska Gayun reports. According to her, a train with at least ten OTRK units arrived at the Osipovichi station in the Mogilev region from the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation. These missile systems have already entered service with the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, and this echelon is not the last to arrive in Belarus.
16:59 Poland will launch on its territory the production of components for American F-16 fighters, Janusz Zakretsky, director of the PZL Mielec plant, said. According to him, the company plans to produce 70-80% of the fighter hull structure by the end of next year.
16:26 Bild military analyst Yulian Repke claims that the Armed Forces of Ukraine broke through the fortifications of the Surovikin Line near Rabotino in the Melitopol direction. We are talking about a line of concrete "dragon's teeth" in the direction of Verbovo. The analyst added that the “dragon's teeth” held back the Ukrainian military for only about a day.
16:17 The Netherlands and Romania have agreed on the creation of a training center for F-16 pilots and maintenance of these aircraft, the Dutch Ministry of Defense said. The base will be located on the territory of Romania. The American aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin will be involved in its work. First, instructors for pilots and technical personnel will be trained at the base, and then they will train the Ukrainian military.
15:35 Orban said that the West should conclude an agreement with Putin, which will not include the return of the occupied Crimea and Ukraine's membership in NATO. He also believes that the best way to achieve peace is to end military support for Ukraine. Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko reacted to this: “We don’t know how it is in Hungary, but Ukraine does not trade either its territories or its sovereignty. And the world will not trade. responsibility for all the evil done to Ukrainians."
14:56 More than 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already been trained at the British training grounds, the General Staff said. Before the exercises, everyone receives everything they need - from summer and winter uniforms and shoes to tactical glasses and gloves, first aid kits, sleeping bags, etc. The volume of support from the UK has already exceeded 2.3 billion pounds.
14:07 Kuleba, in his speech at the conference of French ambassadors, told how a group of 31 fighters made it possible to release Rabotino, the Foreign Ministry reports. According to Kuleba, for several months one Ukrainian unit conducted continuous assaults on this sector of the front, but due to exhaustion and losses, at some point it lost its combat capability, after which radical decisions were made - the leadership was changed in the unit.
The new commander asked to gather the most motivated fighters. A consolidated group of 31 fighters was created, a third of whom had no combat experience. In 18 hours, the group members “creeped literally on their stomachs kilometers of minefields, where the Russians laid six mines for every square meter. Finally, the unit reached the “landing”, drove the Russians out of there and held this position for two days until reinforcements arrived.
This group then walked another 10 km through the minefields. In total, in 40 days they carried out six assaults and two reconnaissance, doing the work of a whole battalion. Of the casualties, seven were wounded, of which only one was severe, who stepped on a mine. “In fact, the work of this group made it possible for an entire brigade to attack Rabotino and liberate it after weeks of assaults. After securing on its flanks, we open the way to Tokmak and, in the end, Melitopol and the border with Crimea,” the minister said.
13:23 Peskov said that Putin "constantly and promptly" receives all the information "about the special operation and massive drone attacks." Commenting on the attack on Pskov, the Kremlin speaker noted that military experts "are working, finding out routes to take measures to prevent such attacks."
12:36 On the night of August 30, Russia was massively attacked by unknown drones. The explosions took place at the Pskov airport, which is located 700 km from the border with Ukraine and much closer to Estonia and Latvia. UAVs also attacked the Moscow, Oryol, Bryansk, Ryazan and Kaluga regions, and the Crimea was attacked by sea drones. Read more about what was destroyed in the article The biggest drone attack on the Russian Federation .
12:07 The representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate Andrei Yusov, in a comment to Babel, confirmed the destruction of four Il-76 transport aircraft during a night drone attack on Pskov. The number of damaged aircraft is being specified.
12:02 In Kiev, catering establishments from September 1 will extend their opening hours by one hour - until 23:00, the mayor's office said, citing the decision of the Capital Defense Council.
11:48 Crimean publics report explosions in Dzhankoy. Local "authorities" claim that "scheduled destruction of ammunition" is taking place in the village of Volnoe.
11:16 At night, the Russians fired artillery from the territory of the Russian Federation on the Shalygin community of the Shostka district of the Sumy region. One of the shells hit a private house in the village. Svarkovo, one person died, the Office of the Prosecutor General said.
10:42 The Atesh partisan movement stated that their agent blew up the election headquarters of United Russia in Novaya Kakhovka at 14 Pervomaiskaya Street on the evening of August 29. Three servicemen of the RF Armed Forces, who were responsible for protecting this object, were also killed. As a result of the fire, all the documentation that the invaders brought to the "elections" scheduled for September 8-10 burned down.
10:37 At the Pskov airfield, as a result of an attack by drones, two Il-76 aircraft were destroyed, four more were damaged, according to the Russian telegram channel Baza.
10:34 At night, the Russians attacked the settlements of the Donetsk region, the Office of the Prosecutor General said. As a result of hits on residential areas of Kurakhovo, seven people were injured. In addition, the Russian army fired on with. Bogatyr of the Volnovakha district (probably from the S-300 complexes). At the epicenter of the explosions was the territory of the farm, where two people died.
10:28 Ukrainian troops were successful in two directions on the southern front: Novodanilovka - Novoprokopovka and Malaya Tokmachka - Verbovoye, spokesman of the General Staff Andrei Kovalev said. In the Bakhmut direction, the Defense Forces continue their offensive south of Bakhmut.
10:03 Kiev has modified Neptune anti-ship missiles to hit ground targets, and now they will be able to reach Moscow and other remote points of the Russian Federation, writes The War Zone, citing a representative of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. For the use of missiles against ground targets, a new guidance system was required, which did not previously exist. According to the publication, Ukraine has developed a new guidance system based on GPS.
09:40 On the evening of August 29, the pre-election regional headquarters of United Russia was blown up in Nova Kakhovka, Petr Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said. According to him, there were no victims, but "the demonstrative action of not accepting the elections was successful." The Russians are trying to hush up the incident.
09:28 Governor of the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation Alexander Bogomaz reported a "pop" in the building of the investigative committee in Bryansk, no one was injured. He also claims that two "Ukrainian drones" allegedly tried to attack the TV tower in Bryansk, the attack was stopped by air defense forces, there were no casualties or damage.
09:24 In the Kiev region, during a Russian night attack, three people were injured as a result of the fall of fragments of rockets and drones, said the head of the regional police Andrey Nebytov. Damaged private houses, garages, cars.
09:12 The situation on the Eastern Front remains difficult, said Alexander Syrsky, commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the Kupyansko-Limansky direction, the most fierce battles are taking place in the areas of the settlements of Raygorodok and Kovalevka, where the Russian army is trying to break through the Ukrainian defenses using assault squads on armored vehicles. At the same time, the enemy is regrouping, bringing in new units from the territory of Russia.
In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy is trying to regain lost positions at any cost, counterattacking units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine several times a day, but the Defense Forces are gradually moving forward. In particular, intense fighting is going on in the areas of Bakhmut, Kurdyumovka, Yagodnoye, Andreevka.
08:49 During the night, air defense forces shot down all 28 missiles and 15 out of 16 enemy drones , the Air Force command said. In particular, Russia fired 28 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 air-launched missiles from 11 Tu-95ms strategic aircraft from the Caspian Sea and the Engels region. Also, 16 strike UAVs of the Shahed-136/131 type were fired from the southern and northern directions (Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk). In total, 43 air targets were destroyed within the Kyiv, Cherkasy, Odessa and Nikolaev regions.
08:20 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed (in Bogatyr), eight more were injured. In the Kherson region, three people were killed, three were injured. In the Zaporozhye region, three people were injured as a result of artillery shelling of Kamensky. In the Kharkiv region in Kupyansk, as a result of the shelling of the building of a meat processing plant, one person was killed, one was injured, and another was wounded in the village. Druzhelyubovka of the Izyumsky district, according to the OVA.
07:53 In the Zhytomyr region, the enemy attacked one of the infrastructure facilities with kamikaze drones. Part of the UAV was shot down, the infrastructure object and the railway track were partially damaged by the wreckage of the downed UAV. There are no victims or injured, said the head of the OVA Vitaliy Bunechko.
07:49 In the Kiev region in one of the districts, as a result of falling rocket fragments, private houses were damaged, people were not injured. Also, debris fell on the territory of the local cemetery, the fire was quickly extinguished. In another settlement, a two-story building was damaged, rescuers are localizing the fire, the National Police reported.
07:34 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of August 30:
personnel - about 262,410 (+570) people,
tanks - 4423 (+9),
armored combat vehicles - 8596 (+17),
artillery systems - 5476 (+26),
MLRS - 733 (+0),
air defense systems - 500 (+0),
aircraft - 315 (+0),
helicopters - 316 (+0),
UAV operational-tactical level - 4395 (+8),
cruise missiles - 1419 (+0),
ships/boats - 18 (+0),
automotive equipment and tankers - 7953 (+44),
special equipment - 825 (+5).
07:19 Over the past day, 35 clashes took place at the front, the General Staff said in the morning summary. In particular, the Russian army unsuccessfully tried to advance in the areas of Novogorovka and Belogorovka in the Luhansk region, as well as Bogdanovka, Kurdyumovka, Ozaryanovka, Maryinka and Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk region.
07:02 At night, the Russians massively attacked Kiev with drones and missiles. In total, more than 20 enemy targets were destroyed, said Sergey Popko, head of the KGVA. As a result of the fall of debris on the territory of the enterprise in the Shevchenko district, two people died, three were injured. There is also destruction and fires in the Darnitsky district - there the debris also fell on the territory of non-residential buildings.
The mayor's office clarified that in the Darnytskyi district a fire broke out due to the fall of debris on the roof of the commercial premises, in the Shevchenkovsky district - in the administrative building. In addition, another place where debris fell in the Shevchenkovsky district was discovered - there was a fire in an open area.
04:29 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced multiple attacks by drones. The department claims that the UAVs were destroyed over the Bryansk, Oryol, Kaluga, Ryazan, and Moscow regions. In addition, four high-speed military boats were allegedly destroyed in the Black Sea.
One of the UAVs shot down over Bryansk fell on the Kremniy EL plant - it is on the list of the largest Russian microelectronics enterprises. Previously, there is destruction, they write telegram channels.
02:34 A fire broke out at the Pskov airport after an UAV attack, Russian media reported, citing rescuers and regional authorities. Local publics also write that the Edelweiss plan has been introduced in Pskov, at least a dozen drones have attacked Kresty airport. It is also reported about getting into fuel tanks at the airport. The emergency services of the Russian Federation reported that as a result of a drone attack on a military airfield in Pskov, four Il-76 aircraft were damaged, and the Russian Defense Ministry later confirmed damage to two Il-76 military transport aircraft. In addition, the media report on a fire in the area of military unit 64044 in Pskov after a drone attack.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Irina Alksnis
[RIA] While the Western media mainstream is sober in assessing the hostilities in Ukraine, the most perspicacious representatives of the expert community in the United States and Europe finally bothered to look even deeper and began to assess the economic lining of what is happening. And it is such that it will make any sane person shudder on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Over the past few days, the Kiev Ministry of Finance has pleased with two impressive facts at once. First, as of July 31, the country's public debt amounted to $132.92 billion. For comparison: at the time of the collapse, the total debt of the USSR was 96.6 billion dollars. Fact two: the state budget of Ukraine is currently financed by more than half from abroad.
Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said that Kiev will spend more than $43 billion this year alone on providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine and conducting hostilities. That's just, according to him, "this is more taxes that we collect."
Of course, most of the funds are provided to Ukraine as loans, some - under rather mild conditions, and, for example, the IMF traditionally gives money under frankly enslaving requirements.
In Russia, this fact is usually interpreted in the spirit that the West will eventually squeeze every cent invested out of Kyiv, and even with draconian interest. However, the reality is much more complicated, because it is necessary to have something to squeeze out from where and what to squeeze out - and there are serious problems with this.
The Polish Institute of Economics summarized official Ukrainian statistics: 20 percent of the population left the country, unemployment exceeded 25 percent, 50 percent of the energy infrastructure was destroyed, 40 percent of enterprises reduced production, sown areas decreased by 30 percent, inflation is 27 percent, the budget deficit in 2022 was 17 .5 percent (much more this year). The state survives solely due to external injections, which, as noted above, was officially confirmed by the country's finance minister. In general, according to the Poles, the restoration of the Ukrainian economy - with the help of the West - will take at least a quarter of a century.
Of course, neither Europe nor the United States has the slightest interest or desire to do so. On the contrary, their entire strategy is based on the postulate of the inevitability of victory over Russia, which in the end will pay for everything - in general for everything. It is no coincidence that the topic "Moscow must pay for the restoration of Ukraine" is regularly heard at a very high level, including the UN.
The problem for the West is that reality does not want to come in line with its wishes. Victory over Russia - both on the battlefield and in the economy - is becoming more and more illusory, but the everyday reality is a devastated Ukraine, which requires constant impressive funding. Twenty, ten and even five years ago it was possible to brush aside, they say, Washington has the world's main printing press in its hands - and all these tens and even hundreds of billions of dollars are an insignificant trifle for it. Now the situation in both the American and European economies is such that these amounts, like the entire war against Russia, are beginning to go sideways - and the further, the more sensitive it will be.
The situation is aggravated by the following: Moscow managed to turn things around in such a way that Ukraine lost the lion's share of its ability to earn even from those that it still had. As the German publication FOCUS put it , Moscow took "the Ukrainian economy into a choke hold." You can remind about the stop of the grain deal. It brought living billions to both Kyiv and global corporations that barbarously exploit Ukrainian black soil. And now the loss of money from this source for the state budget, one way or another, will be forced to make up for the same West.
And there would be no problems with this: they would have given ten or twenty times more if the intended goal - victory over Russia - was achievable. The result obtained would compensate for any costs for it. But the plans did not work out - and the West began to realize this.
This means that it is necessary to change the strategy - and progress in this area is already noticeable. The further we go, the more clearly there is a shift from the attitude “We will defeat Moscow with the hands of Ukrainians” to the approach “Let's turn Ukraine into an unhealed wound for Russia”.
But here the question of expediency arises before the West. It’s one thing to pump tens of billions into Ukraine with an eye on a quick military victory, and it’s quite another to take Kiev on permanent and very expensive maintenance, which will be stolen a little less than completely and for which he will report in the format “we did a petty nasty thing to Moscow here - give me more money." And it is also impossible to leave Ukraine to the mercy of fate, because Russia will immediately "pick it up" and in general this will mean a severe geopolitical defeat for the West.
After the Euromaidan, Russian analysts quite often heard the idea that Kyiv, without ties and cooperation with Russia, would become a suitcase without a handle for the United States and Europe. Events have shown that this was an erroneous assessment. In 1991, Ukraine went on an independent voyage as a country so developed and rich that even many years of unrestrained plunder did not lead to fatal consequences for it. Between 2014 and 2022, the process accelerated and expanded many times over, but the country still supported itself, plus the West made excellent money there, pumping out everything it could.
And now the situation has finally reached that long-predicted stage of a suitcase without a handle: the Americans and Europeans are forced to finance Ukraine, and on a very large scale, because as soon as they stop the process, a collapse is inevitable there, but they cannot leave it either, because it is too there's a lot at stake on this card. The deepening economic crisis within the West itself and the growing global process of de-dollarization make this attraction especially exciting.
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 (30 August 2023)
On 30 August, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have launched a group strike with long-range air- and sea-based precision weapons against enemy command and reconnaissance posts.
The goals of the strike have been reached. All the assigned targets have been neutralised.
In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces, supported by aviation and artillery, have repelled five enemy attacks close to Belogorovka, Zaitsevo, and Krasnogorovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy losses were up to 380 Ukrainian servicemen killed and wounded, four armoured fighting vehicles, seven motor vehicles, two 152mm D-20 howitzers, one 152mm Msta-B gun, and one 100mm Rapira anti-tank gun.
In addition, ammunition and fuel depots of the AFU 35th Naval Infantry Brigade have been hit near Prechistovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
In Zaporozhye direction, as a result of active actions by units of the Russian grouping of troops, aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrower systems, nine attacks by assault units of 46th Airmobile and 82nd Airborne Assault Brigades of the AFU have been repelled close to Rabotino and Verbovoye (Zaporozhye region).
The enemy losses were up to 85 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, three armoured fighting vehicles, two pickup trucks, three M777 artillery systems, and three U.S.-manufactured M119 howitzers, Gvozdika, Bogdana, as well as UK-manufactured AS-90 self-propelled artillery systems.
In Kupyansk direction, as a result of actions by units of the Zapad Group of Forces, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems, three attacks by 43rd, 115th Mechanised and 68th Jaeger Brigades of the AFU have been repelled close to Sin'kovka (Khar'kov region), Sergeevka and Novoyeogorovka (Lugansk People's Republic).
The enemy losses were up to 100 Ukrainian servicemen, three armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, two U.S.-manufactured M109 guns, one 122mm D-30 howitzer, 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, and one Polish-manufactured Krab artillery system.
In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces, in cooperation with aviation and artillery, have repelled an attack by an assault group of the 42nd Mechanised Brigade of the AFU near Serebryansky forestry.
The enemy losses were up to 60 Ukrainian servicemen, two armoured fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles.
In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces have inflicted a comprehensive fire attack on an AFU manpower and hardware concentration area near Novodarovka (Zaporozhye region).
The enemy losses were up to 120 Ukrainian servicemen, two armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, as well as 152mm D-20 and 122mm D-30 howitzers.
In Kherson direction, the enemy losses were up to 15 Ukrainian servicemen, two motor vehicles, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have neutralised manpower and military hardware in 138 areas.
In addition, the headquarters of the Donetsk Operational-Tactical Group and a signal node of the 24th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU have been destroyed near Rovnoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
One aircraft of the Black Sea Fleet naval aviation destroyed four high-speed military boats with landing groups of up to 50 servicemen of the Ukrainian Special Purpose Forces in the waters of the Black Sea.
Air defence facilities have destroyed one HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system projectile.
In addition, 28 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down close to Shipil'ovka (Lugansk People's Republic), Spornoye, Zeleny Gai, Verkhnetoretskoye, Vodyanoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Ocheretovatoye, Pyatikhatki, Tarasovka, and Berdyansk (Zaporozhye region).
In total, 466 airplanes, 247 helicopters, 6,234 unmanned aerial vehicles, 433 air defence missile systems, 11,570 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,146 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 6,128 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 12,528 special military motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation.
23:59 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 08/30/2023 to 00:00 08/31/2023
Over the past day, the Representation reported 78 facts of firing by the AFU.
Over the past day, information was received about the death of a civilian - a man in the settlement. Dugouts.
Wounds of varying severity were received by 15 civilians in Petrovsky, Kirovsky districts of Donetsk, Svetlodarsk, Kalininsky district of Horlivka, incl. two children born in 2011, 2006 #ChildrenNotTarget
A total of 27 houses were damaged in Voroshilovsky, Kievsky, Kirovsky, Petrovsky, Budyonnovsky districts of Donetsk, Yelenovka, Svetlodarsk, and 11 civil infrastructure facilities in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, Yasinovataya, Svetlodarsk, Nikitovsky, Kalininsky districts of Gorlovka.
Under enemy fire were areas of nine settlements of the Republic: Svetlodarsk, Gorlovka (Kalininsky, Nikitovsky, Central City district), Yasinovataya, Yasinovatsky district, the capital city of Donetsk (Voroshilovsky, Budennovsky, Kuibyshevsky, Kirovsky, Kievsky, Petrovsky districts), Makeevka ( Kirovsky district), Yelenovka, Blagodatnoe, Vladimirovka.
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy made 51 artillery attacks from the MLRS, AGM-88 HARM, 155mm artillery, incl. with a cluster warhead.
On Gorlovsky 15 artillery attacks from 152mm artillery, shock UAV.
On Yasinovatsky eight artillery attacks from MLRS, shock UAV, artillery 155mm, incl. with a cluster warhead.
On Svetlodar two artillery attacks from MLRS, artillery 155mm.
On Volnovakhskoye two artillery attacks from 155mm artillery.
Having fired 247 units of various ammunition.
In the previous day, 77 artillery attacks were recorded from the side of the VFU.
22:51 According to new information from the JCCC, as a result of the artillery attack of settlements in the DPR, 1 person was killed.
N.p. Makeevka (Kirovskiy district): a man died on Frunze Street, 1, personal data is being established.
21:09 Six Ukrainian pilots died in the Artyomovsk direction, reported speaker of the 18th Separate Brigade of army aviation as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yevgeny Rakita.
“Yesterday, six pilots from the 18th Separate Army Aviation Brigade named after Igor Sikorsky died in the Bakhmut (Artemovsky) direction while performing a combat mission,” Strana.ua quoted him as saying.
19:35 Khar'kov region. Local channels report the sound of an explosion near the APU repair shop on the outskirts of the region, writes Front Bird. Technical buildings are not uncommon during the work of our VKS and rocket scientists.
18:39 During the artillery attack of the Kirovsky district of Donetsk by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a child was injured
The girl's face was slashed by fragments of a Ukrainian shell. Also, a fragment hit the neck, which was successfully removed in a medical institution.
18:05 Another HARM rocket Ukrainian nationalists released in the Budennovsky district of Donetsk. A woman was injured due to artillery attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, her hand was cut with a piece of glass, our correspondent reports.
17:21 Rabotinsky ledge as of 30.08:
After weeks of assaults on Rabotino, the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered significant losses without occupying the settlement. The RF Armed Forces still control the southern outskirts and the surrounding heights. As previously reported, under such conditions, it is futile to continue the assault or is associated with heavy losses.
Therefore, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decided, with the help of units that had previously stormed Rabotino (and this is mainly the 82nd Brigade), to increase the pressure on the line of heights controlled by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and towards Verbovoye.
Today's reports of heavy fighting near Verbovoye are connected with this, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to take a number of positions in the fields and approach the settlement, after which they came under artillery strikes. In the future, we expect the continuation of intense attacks in this direction, but the pressure on Rabotino will decrease in the future.
17:05 Ukrainian militants fired an AGM-88 HARM missile at the Budennovsky district of Donetsk.
16:56 The Armed Forces of Ukraine fired at a kindergarten in Nova Kakhovka - a fire started on the spot, which is now being localized. Special services have already arrived at the place of arrival and have begun to localize the flame -video.
16:40 Kherson direction setting as of 16.00 August 30, 2023
In the Kherson region, assault detachments of the 126th unit of the Terodefense again landed in the gray zone on the left bank of the Dnieper, four kms northwest of Podstepne near the eco-farm. A boat with supplies and provisions was sent there at night.
Probably, in the near future, attempts will again be made from there to storm the positions of the Russian army near the Kazachi Lagery, as we said a couple of days ago. At the same time, detachments of the 121st troop troop of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are waiting on the opposite bank.
Another enemy DRG, under the cover of mortars and copters with a grenade drop system, again landed on Pereyaslavsky Island. It is under fire from artillerymen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
To the west, units of the 406th Artillery Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Novodmitrovka-Belozerka line fire at Staraya Zbur'yevka and Kozulikhsky Island. The strikes on the island indicate that this area is at least in the gray zone, on which our reconnaissance groups operate.
Also yesterday, closer to midnight, another Tekever UAV took off from Odessa, which flew to Tendrovskaya Spit and Karkinitsky Bay, and another Tekever flew from Kobzartsev in the direction of Skadovsk through Antonovka.
They probably had to track the landing of the DRG GUR, which could not reach the peninsula. Unlike the previous flight to the Crimea, the Armed Forces operated at a distance from air defense systems. But the very fact of another unhindered passage through the Kherson region is alarming.
16:30 According to the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for August 30, as of 16:30, information was received about victims among civilians in the cities of the Republic:
Donetsk:
Petrovsky district: -eight civilians received injuries of varying severity: women born in 1948, 1962, 1968, 1976, 1987, men born in 1960, 1963, 1971.
Kirovsky district: -po str. Biryuzova, 11 wounded girl born in 2011
Additional information was received about damage as a result of the artillery attack of the VFU cities of the Republic:
Donetsk:
Voroshilovsky district:
- st. Embankment, 137 "a" - a direct hit in an apartment building;
- st. Embankment, 137 "b" - an apartment building.
Petrovsky district:
- a direct hit in the building of the shopping center "Galaktika" on the street. Dobrovol'sky;
- st. Dobrovol'sky, 5 - apartment building.
Kirovsky district:
- st. Biryuzova, 10 - a direct hit in an apartment building;
- st. Biryuzova, 7, 11 - apartment buildings;
- he is. Nizhnekrynskaya, 16 - private residential building.
Kyiv district:
– "Donetsk" station infrastructure along Siverskoi Street;
- administrative building on the street. Siverskaya;
- st. Artyoma, 285 - apartment building.
n.p. Gorlovka (Nikitovsky district): - UAV detonation on the territory of Correctional Colony No. 5.
n.p. Yasinovataya:
– As a result of the shelling, the infrastructure of the State Unitary Enterprise of the DPR “Donetsk Railway” was damaged;
– UAV detonation on the territory of LLC “Yasinovatsky agrokombinat” on the street. Oktyobr'.
n.p. Svetlodarsk:
- MBOU "School No. 11, Svetlodarsk" on blvd. Youth;
– damaged pumping station;
- a direct hit on the Hermes store;
- apartment buildings 49, 50, 51.
15:54 Three residents of Svetlodarsk in the DPR were wounded during shelling,reportedmayor of the city Maxim Kozlovsky.
“As a result of the artillery attack of residential areas of the city of Svetlodarsk by Ukrainian-fascist troops, three citizens were injured using NATO-style weapons. The victims were hospitalized in a medical institution with diagnoses: mine-explosive injuries, shrapnel wounds of soft tissues," Kozlovsky told the Telegram channel.
According to him, three residents of Svetlodarsk born in 1966, 2004, 2006 were injured.
15:50 The situation in the Kupyansky direction from the front bird
“Shooting has resumed in places. Our BMD worked out at several strong points. In addition, the infantry worked from RPGs on enemy armored cars. Promotions and more to come."
15:48 Combat work of the artillery units of the Ussuri paratroopers in the Artemovsky direction, the village of Kleshcheevka -video.
15:31 Orekhovsky area setting as of 15.00 August 30, 2023
At Rabotino, due to huge losses in manpower and the futility of moving south through the village, the command of the Ukrainian group adjusted plans, pulling the forces of 82 Separate Airborne Brigade to the area east of Rabotino.
With the joint efforts of two battalions of the 82nd and 46th Brigades of the Airborne Forces of Ukraine, they attacked the positions of the Russian army northwest of Verbove with the support of artillery artillery attack the front line with cluster munitions.
Also, separate assault groups of the DShV, reinforced by detachments of the SSO of Ukraine, launched an offensive south to heights 136.8 and 110.3 in the area of Balka Krivoy and were able to make some progress in this direction. They are under fire from artillery and aviation.
In the second line to Malaya Tokmachka, reinforcements from 118 Separate Mechanized Brigade, 10 Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as second-echelon units from the 15th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine were transferred. At the same time, their movement to the south is complicated by the destruction of the crossing over the Konka near the village.
At the moment, the efforts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are focused on fire suppression of anti-aircraft missile systems and radar stations of the RF Armed Forces. Three Su-27s armed with HARM missiles operate daily in the air. In Krasnaya Krinitsa, the Bukovel electronic warfare crew operates.
And as part of the counterbattery fight in the settlements north of Orekhov, units of the 148th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were deployed, supplemented by UAV crews as part of the formation of reconnaissance and strike complexes as part of the artillery troops.
The idea of the enemy is clear in principle: they want to penetrate the defenses between the villages, flooding the front line with meat and destroying the defensive positions of the RF Armed Forces with artillery.
The example of Rabotino shows that this was not particularly successful. But a little to the east, they were able to squeeze out the RF Armed Forces from several strongholds and at the moment they continue to put pressure, despite the losses.
14:30 AFU attacked the Boulevard City building in Donetsk with an American missile -video.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the Boulevard City building in Donetsk with an AGM-88 HARM missile. As a result of the detonation of the warhead of the rocket, the facade, the ceiling were damaged and the glass was broken. Fortunately, there were no casualties in this attack.
14:10 Vremyevsky section setting as of 14.00 August 30, 2023:
In the Vremievsky sector, Ukrainian formations are regrouping due to heavy losses during attempts to occupy the Staromayorskoye-Urozhaynoye line. Marines of the 35th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy were withdrawn to Shevchenko for restoration.
At the same time, Russian fighters are engaged in a shooting battle with units of the 1st rifle battalion of the 1st Tank Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a landing a few kilometers west of Staromayorsky, knocking out the Armed Forces of Ukraine from their positions. Now Russian artillerymen are conducting a massive artillery attack of the front line.
However, the enemy continues to accumulate reserves for an offensive with the aim of breaking through to the Sea of Azov. Three groups of the 23rd Separate mechanized Brigade arrived in Rovnopol after being understaffed, and assault detachments of the 31st Separate Mechanized Brigade also returned to the line between the Shelter and Cherished Desire after restoration.
And to the north, five artillery crews of M777 howitzers with long-range precision-guided munitions and six 152mm self-propelled howitzers "Akatsiya" were pulled together to the north to Berezovoi and Shevchenko.
Also, five British Challenger tanks and an unidentified air defense system were deployed to the Kurakhovo railway station. It is not yet clear where the weapons will be sent: it could be both Mar'inka and Avdievka.
But it can also be the South-Donetsk direction, which is more important and promising for the Ukrainian command due to the need to cut off the land supply of the Russian Armed Forces grouping in the Zaporozhye region.
13:32 Statement of head of the press center of the Vostok group:
In the South-Donetsk direction, the advanced units of the group of forces "Vostok", with the support of artillery, inflicted a fire defeat in order to prevent offensive operations.
Rocket and cannon artillery stopped the activities of the reconnaissance group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and hit two points of temporary deployment of militants in the Staromayorsky area, a point of temporary deployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the outskirts of Novopol, an observation post and a truck with ammunition in Urozhayne.
During the counterbattery fight, mortar crews were destroyed north of Novodonetskoye and Vladimirovka, two 152mm towed howitzers "Gyatsint" in the area southeast of Privol'noye, areas of concentration of manpower in Novomikhailovka, Urozhaynoye and Neskuchny were hit.
The strike of the Iskander OTRK destroyed wagons with ammunition at an unloading station northeast of Velikaya Novoselka. Attack UAVs destroyed two pickup trucks with militants in the areas of the Oktyabr state farm and Levadny. Loitering ammunition "Lancet" destroyed the artillery installation "Acacia" in the Novoselka area.
Aviation hit the places of accumulation of manpower and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of Staromayorsky, Harvest and to the north of Nikol'sky. The calculations of the Osa air defense system shot down an UAV of the Leleka aircraft type.
13:00 The situation in the direction of Rabotino remains tense. The enemy is rushing, each time they bring up new mobilized to replace those who fell in the very first minutes of their so-called assaults. This was stated by the Acting Governor of the Zaporozhye region Evgeny Balitsky.
According to him, only last night in the Zaporozhye direction, about two hundred soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed.
“This morning, at about 0900 hrs, another assault group attempted offensive operations on the outskirts of Verbovoye and was destroyed by our forces. The same fate awaited the next group, which crawled closer to eleven o'clock. The gray zone of Rabotino-Verbove becomes a mass grave of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the head of the region wrote on his Telegram channel.
12:41 In the Kupyansk direction, assault detachments of the 6th Army and 1st Tank Army continue to push through the enemy's defenses. Over the past day, the enemy was knocked out of two more strong points.
12:34 Consequences of the artillery attack of the Kievsky district of Donetsk by Ukrainian militants -photo.
12:00 Deputy Head of the National Guard for the DPR, Alexander Khodakovsky, on the situation at the front near the Vremevsky ledge and in the Ugledar direction:
“The enemy decided to activate. After Yrozhaynoye, things are not going very well for him yet, and he changed tactics: he tightly processes the cutting edge with all available methods. Western gifts prevail - cluster munitions. Now everything he sends to us is Western gifts….
Our intensity of fire, unfortunately, is inferior, and therefore the enemy feels more comfortable than we do. Processing our positions during the day, at night he tries to crawl into the gray zones with infantry and gain a foothold, however, while not risking an attack. But not everywhere the initiative is in his hands: in the area of the village of Nikol'skoye, the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade recaptured several positions from the enemy and strengthened its position. At the Urozhayny sector, our troops also periodically organize counterattacks, but so far without much success - the lack of ammo is taking its toll.”
11:58 A fragment of a HARM rocket that hit a Donetsk high-rise building -photo.
11:30 Military expert, captain 1st rank Vladimir Gundarov - on the direction and timing of the main Russian strike after repulsing the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
“NATO members expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine were dispersing forces along the entire front, and demanded that the Ukrainian commander-in-chief Zaluzhny concentrate on the southern direction, go towards the Crimea and the Sea of ??Azov. Indeed, the number of brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has increased there in recent days, and the number of artillery attack of our positions has also increased.
At the same time, on the northern flank of the contact line, we are advancing towards Kupyansk. We could continue to break through the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the north. We have a chance to achieve something on the weakened northern flank of the Ukrainian troops. I think that either at the beginning of autumn or at the beginning of winter, when the southern grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be defeated and when the ground becomes harder, we could develop an offensive in the north.
If we take the direction to Kherson and Nikolaev, then the Dnieper in the lower reaches has become not at all as full-flowing as before. It is better to force it, of course, in winter. But there is one problem. We have created powerful minefields there, and before moving forward, we will need to make passes for our troops. Therefore, in this sense, it is easier for us to go on the offensive in the north.
If we repeat the maneuver - from the territory of Belarus to move troops to Kyiv, there the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to build a powerful line of defense. In that direction are the famous Pinsk swamps. They will have to be overcome. These swamps cut the strike force and thereby weaken it. It would be disadvantageous for us.
The direction from Bryansk to Chernigov is also unprofitable, there are forests all around. I cannot say that they are impenetrable, but it is very difficult to advance in the forest with large forces. This is a trap for tanks and armored vehicles, where a grenade launcher can sit behind every bush.”
11:22 Circumstance in the South-Donetsk direction:
In the Vremevsky sector, the enemy is completing preparations for a further offensive. The reserves have been redeployed, and the formation of assault groups has begun. If there is some calm on the Zavetnoye-Zhelaniya-Staroml'ynovka-Kermenchik line, then on the Priyutnoye-Staromayorskoye line the enemy became more active yesterday, drove up to a company into the forest belts north of the Sheltered Territorial Defense Unit, at first they were thinned out with artillery and heavy weapons, then the attack aircraft from the 127th Motor Rifle Division left for a sweep, after which the 15 remaining militants were destroyed.
The same attack aircraft were very surprised when they were told in a conversation that the enemy had managed to announce some kind of advance in this direction.
No dynamics are observed in the Ugledarsky section. FPV drones, artillery duels, sometimes the work of our aviation.
10:53 Statement of officer of the press center of the group "West":
In the Kupyansk direction, the advanced units of the Zapad group of forces repelled two enemy counterattacks with forces up to a reinforced platoon each, supported by tanks and artillery from the 44 Separate Mechanized Brigade.
At the Kopanki-Novosergeevka line, the enemy used a Mi-8 helicopter to support his defending units, but as a result of underflight, he inflicted fire damage on his positions.
Assault and army aviation of the Zapad group inflicted 12 strikes on personnel and military equipment of 14 and 43 Separate Mechanized Brigades. The total losses of the enemy amounted to up to a company of personnel, two mortar crews and a pickup truck in the area of the settlement. Dvurechnaya and Tabaevka.
10:52 Footage of the consequences of the strike of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the public reception party "United Russia" in Nova Kakhovka -photo.
10:35 Another artillery attack of the center of Donetsk - there was a direct hit on the unfinished high-rise residential complex -video.
The enemy has been again pouring fire on the capital of the republic since early morning. One of the arrivals came to the unfinished residential complex "Boulevard City" in the Voroshilovsky district - on several floors, the lining around the windows was torn off, black smoke rises. It is still unknown about possible victims.
10:27 The situation in the Zaporozhye direction at 10:00 reports Archangel Spetsnaz:
n.p. Rabotino - At night, aviation was working out with FABs along the forest belts today, judging by the intercepts from the enemy in the direction, everything is sad, the reserves are being depleted, it is becoming increasingly difficult for evacuation groups to travel due to heavy shelling. The concentration of enemy UAVs has decreased due to the active work of our electronic warfare.
n.p. Pyatihatki - The situation is stable and controlled, if we see the enemy, something immediately flies at them, the equipment has stopped driving, they move in small groups.
10:11 Soldiers of the Dnipro group of troops destroyed the enemy hangar of weapons and military equipment of one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
In addition, as a result of fire damage by the formations of the Dnepr group of troops in the island zone:
- two 120mm mortar crews with ammunition were destroyed, seven fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed, five were injured of varying severity;
- the 122mm D-30 howitzer with ammunition was liquidated, three AFU militants were killed, four were injured of varying severity.
As a result of fire damage by formations of the Dnepr grouping of troops in the Kherson direction:
- the position of one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed, five servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed, three were injured of varying severity.
As a result of fire damage by the formations of the Dnepr group of troops in the Kakhovka direction:
- a 152mm MSTA-B howitzer with ammunition was destroyed, five fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed, two were injured of varying severity.
10:00 On the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for August 29, as of 10:00, additional information was received about civilian casualties in the cities of the Republic:
n.p. Alexandrovka: - on the street. School, 12 "a" a woman born in 1972 suffered.
Thus, the total number of civilian casualties from VFU attacks on August 29 is four people (three died, one injured). The information continues to flow.
On August 30, information was received through the operational lines of the DPR JCCC about damage as a result of artillery attack of the VFU cities of the Republic:
Donetsk (Petrovsky district): - MBDOU "Kindergarten No. 314 of Donetsk" on the street. Architects.
n.p. Gorlovka (Nikitovsky district): - a 110 kV line was damaged in the section from the Gorlovsky meat processing plant to the mine named after. N. A. Izotova.
09:49 Summary from the Orekhovsky direction of the Zaporozhye Front:
The fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with massive artillery support, continue their attacks in the village of Rabotino, bypassing this settlement to Novoprokopovka and from the west to Verbovoye.
The RF Armed Forces attacked Ukrainian positions in Plavni, Kamenskoye, Pyatikhatki, Maly Shcherbaki, Novodanilovka, Malaya Tokmachka, Charovny, Gulyaipol'sky and Poltavka. The Armed Forces of Ukraine hit the Russian units in Zherebyanki, Nesteryanka, Kopani and Novofedorovka.
At a minimum, an enemy Leopard tank, an M777 howitzer, and three AFVs were destroyed. Our aviation strikes at the forest belt where the Nazis are hiding. Artillery constantly covers, does not allow the enemy to move freely. The situation is under control.
The enemy controls the north of Rabotino, the RF Armed Forces - the south, the center is in the "gray" zone.
09:20 On the South-Donetsk direction of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed mortar crews and two 152mm towed howitzers "Hyacinth".
In the same direction, Russian troops prevented attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to develop an offensive. Also, our army eliminated the enemy reconnaissance group, two points of temporary deployment of militants, and an observation post and a truck with ammunition in Urozhayne.
Including the affected areas of concentration of manpower in Novomikhailovka, Yrozhaynoye and Neskuchny. The strike of the Iskander OTRK destroyed wagons with ammunition at an unloading station northeast of Velikaya Novoselka, two pickup trucks with militants at the Oktyabr' and Levadny state farms, as well as a 152mm Akatsiya gun mount in Novoselka and a UAV.
09:15 Artillerymen of the Airborne Forces stopped attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Kleshcheevka in the DPR.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the artillery units of the 120mm 2S9 Nona-S self-propelled guns of the Ussuriysk Separate Guards unit of the Airborne Forces daily conduct combat work "to destroy the manpower and equipment of Ukrainian nationalists."
09:05 Russian troops continue to advance in the Kupyansk direction. The army of Kyiv, in turn, is actively preparing defensive positions -video.
08:49 The criminal Kiev regime continues to shell the civilian infrastructure of the settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Armed Forces of Ukraine were fired from barrel artillery:
-- n.p. Kazachi Lagery 12 rounds;
-- n.p. Krynki 11 rounds;
-- n.p. Podstepnoye nine rounds;
-- n.p. Aleshki 12 rounds;
-- n.p. Dnepryans 10 rounds.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the settlement of Nova Kakhovka, the settlement of Kakhovka, Podstepne settlement, Sagi settlement, Dnepryany settlement having fired a total of 32 rounds from cannon artillery
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure to be confirmed
08:37 During the day, the DPR representative office in the JCCC recorded 77 facts of firing from the AFU, 276 ammunition was fired.
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy made 52 artillery attacks from MLRS, 155mm artillery, incl. with a cluster warhead.
On Gorlovsky - 19 artillery attacks from 152mm artillery, shock UAV.
On Yasinovatsky - five artillery attacks from artillery of 155mm caliber.
On Svetlodarsky - one artillery attack from 155mm artillery. The enemy fired at Donetsk, Makeevka, Yasinovataya, Lugansk, Gorlovka, Zaitsev, Svetlodarsk.
Over the past day, three people died in the Central City district of Gorlovka.
Five residential buildings and one civil infrastructure facility were damaged in Donetsk, Yasinovataya, Gorlovka.
08:27 Frontline summary on the morning of 30.08.2023:
In the Zaporozhye direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with massive artillery support, continued attacks in the village of Rabotino, bypassing this settlement to Novoprokopovka and from the west to Verbove. The RF Armed Forces attacked Ukrainian positions in Plavni, Kamenskoye, Pyatikhatki, Maly Shcherbaki, Novodanilovka, Malaya Tokmachka, Charovny, Gulyaipol'sky and Poltavka. The Armed Forces of Ukraine hit the Russian units in Zherebyanki, Nesteryanka, Kopani and Novofedorovka.
In the Ugledar sector, Ukrainian troops attacked in the direction of Volodin. There is a promotion. Russian units withdrew from a number of heights. A forced step: the threat of encirclement from Staromayorsky.
The Russian Armed Forces fired at the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Novodarovka, Novosyolka, Blagodatny, Yrozhaynoye, Zolotaya Niva, Prechistovka, Vugledar and Vodyany (not to be confused with the settlement of the same name northwest of Donetsk). They themselves were under attack in Sheltered, Cherished Desire, Staroml'ynovka and Novodonetsk.
On the Donetsk front, Russian troops again, after artillery preparation, conducted assault operations in Mar'yinka. The Armed Forces of Ukraine once again held their positions. The Russian Armed Forces hit Ukrainian units in Novomikhailovka, Konstantinovka (not to be confused with the settlement of the same name southwest of Bakhmut), Yekaterinovka, Elizavetovka, Pobeda, the city of Krasnogorovka, Pervomaisky, Severny (a settlement west of Avdeevka), Avdeevka, Novokalinovo, Alexandropol, N'ew York and Toretsk. Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donetsk, Makiivka, Yasinovataya and Gorlovka.
In the Bakhmut direction, the RF Armed Forces recaptured a number of previously lost positions near Kleshcheevka. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are already on the defensive in this area. Russian artillery worked on Ukrainian positions in Ivanovsky, Bogdanovka, Privol'ye, Razdolovka, Controversial and Verkhnekamensky. The Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked Andreevka, Kleshcheevka and Bakhmut.
08:10 Paratroopers from the self-propelled gun "Nona-S" inflictedblowon the nationalists advancing near Kleshcheevka
Every day, artillery units destroy the enemy, who is trying to break through the Russian defenses near the village of Kleshcheevka. Intelligence reported that units of the RF Armed Forces occupied the most advantageous firing lines.
The crews of 120mm self-propelled guns "Nona-S" went to the firing positions. From closed firing positions, after aiming, the paratroopers fired on a hinged trajectory at the advancing Ukrainian troops.
08:05 Summary on the morning of August 30, 2023:
At night, the Russian Armed Forces launched strikes on Kyiv - it is reported that six enemy targets were hit. Explosions are also reported from the Odessa and Kirovograd regions, a number of which were caused by the fall of Ukrainian air defense missiles.
On the Zaporozhye Front, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to attack the Rabotino-Verbove line. In Rabotino, the enemy introduces heavy armored vehicles: one Leopard and several armored vehicles were destroyed near the village. The Russian Armed Forces brought into battle the subdivisions that were understaffing, previously replaced by 7 Airborne Division. There are heavy bloody battles.
In this sector of the front, signs of a change in the strategy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been revealed: after the West is openly dissatisfied with the results of the Ukrainian strategic offensive operation, the enemy is concentrating all his forces into a shock fist, trying to achieve success before the autumn thaw.
In the Kherson direction, boats were destroyed, on which the enemy tried to land troops on the islands in the floodplain of the river. Dnieper.
Fighting continues near Kleshcheevka south of Artemovsk (Bakhmut).
The Korenevsky district of the Kursk region was fired upon; Klimovo: six people were injured, incl. children. The artillery attack of the Belgorod region does not stop. In the DPR, three civilians were killed by the fire of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
by Sergey Adamov
Months after the start of the counter-offensive, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were able to achieve the first, rather modest tactical successes. Several settlements in the Zaporozhye region have passed under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - including the Ukrainian command claims to have captured the village of Rabotino, 70 kilometers north of Melitopol. Both the command of the Ukrainian army and the Western media place special hopes on this tactical success. The loss of Rabotino, however, was refuted by the Acting Governor of the Zaporizhzhya Region Evgeny Balitsky.
The New York Times sources believe that the "retreat" of Russian troops from Rabotino could give Ukrainian troops the opportunity for a larger breakthrough on the southern front.
Although, the newspaper notes, it is unclear how far they can go. Journalists also report that the Ukrainian offensive is being conducted in two directions at once: to Melitopol and from Velikaya Novosyolka to Berdyansk, to the coast of the Sea of Azov.
Ukrainian sources link the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in this area with overcoming either the first or the second lines of Russian defense, drawing a variety of plans for a possible offensive.
Its targets are the city of Tokmak (a district center 20 kilometers south of Rabotino), Melitopol, and in some cases even the Crimea.
According to some reports, a large grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is concentrating in the Rabotino area, which will have to break through the front line in this area.
Separate sources speak of the deployment of 10 to 20 units of the Ukrainian army in the area.
What forces are used by the enemy
According to an informed source of IA Regnum , most of the formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were preparing to participate in the offensive at the training grounds of NATO countries, are really concentrated on the Zaporozhye sector of the front.
However, there are several areas where the enemy can go on the next offensive.
“At the first stage of the offensive in the Orekhovo direction, where Rabotino is located, formations of the 47th and 65th Ombre (separate mechanized brigades) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were involved,” the source explained. - These are the parts that the Leopard 2 tanks and the Bradley IFV use. As these units wore down, the reserve, freshly formed 116th, 117th and 118th brigades, units of the Ukrainian National Guard - the so-called "Advanced Guard" were sent to help them on the Zaporozhye Front .
These are the "brigades" "Kara-Dag", "Spartan" and "Azov", the source listed IA Regnum . “Regarding Azov, don’t confuse it with a neo-Nazi group banned in Russia, this is a different connection,” the interlocutor explained. - And on the flanks, parts of the National Guard from among the personnel are also involved. Of the latter, the 82nd airmobile brigade was sent to the breakthrough zone on American Stryker armored personnel carriers .
Actually, while the 82nd brigade is trying to move forward, the units involved earlier are replenishing, repairing equipment and so on, the source added.
According to the interlocutor of IA Regnum, the main actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are focused on advancing between the villages of Verbove and Novoprokopovka, which are located south and southeast of Rabotino. Due to the predominantly flat landscape, the main battles are fought for the possession of forest belts. Separate reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to advance in an open field, but they cannot gain a foothold and retreat.
At the same time, part of the formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had to be withdrawn to the rear due to the advance of Russian troops in other sectors of the front. “According to some reports, the 44th and 41st mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were transferred to the Kharkiv region . And part of the forces they were forced to transfer to the Artemovsk region . - the source told IA Regnum .
Consequently, they cannot yet use all the prepared reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the offensive. “And, apparently, they won’t be able to,” the interlocutor believes.
Where can a breakthrough attempt be expected?
It should be taken into account that significant enemy forces are already concentrated in the Zaporizhia sector - which, however, are stretched for one and a half hundred kilometers, from the Dnieper to the Ugledar region (southwest of the DPR), the source of IA Regnum notes .
The fact that the enemy will attempt to break through somewhere in the Zaporozhye direction is quite expected.
According to The Guardian, the "offensive" in the area was one of the main topics at a recent meeting between the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzny with the commander of US forces in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli and British Admiral Anthony Radakin . According to journalists, the West strongly advises the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to concentrate a large strike force for the subsequent breakthrough of the front.
The Orekhovskoye direction is the most likely for the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military expert Maxim Tumbartsev told IA Regnum . In his opinion,
"the next attempt by the enemy to seize the initiative at the front should be expected before the start of the autumn thaw."
“As long as they have the opportunity, the offensive in the Rabotino area will continue,” Tumbartsev predicts. According to him, the enemy will use all available forces and reserves for this, transferring combat-ready formations from other directions.
“The situation is somewhat similar to Artyomovsk, where they also threw everything they had.
Only there was defense, and here they are trying to attack. Accordingly, we will also pull up some combat-ready units there, to the Rabotino region, in order to contain them to the maximum and, possibly, counterattack, ”the expert notes.
Acting in this direction, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine expects to cut the land corridor to the Crimea, Tumbartsev points out.
It is the direction from Rabotino to Tokmak and further to Melitopol that makes it possible to break through to the Sea of Azov along the shortest route. The distance from the front line to the sea coast is just over 100 km.
There is also an alternative offensive option - to Berdyansk and Mariupol, but here it will be more difficult for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to realize their tasks.
“If you look at the map and estimate the distance from the front to Mariupol, you can see that the direction is not the most convenient ,” Tumbartsev explains. - Even in the event of a breakthrough to the Sea of Azov, no tasks are solved in this area. Far from Crimea, but close to the border with Russia, on the contrary.
Even if we allow a breakthrough of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in this direction, then “the supply of the Russian army in the Zaporozhye region will have little effect, but on the other hand, it will be more convenient for us to transfer reinforcements,” the expert believes. So, he believes, here the offensive should be expected in the second turn.
There are also alternative offensive options, not in the Zaporizhia, but in the Donbas sector, but they are much less promising.
One of them is an offensive from Artyomovsk, with the aim of reaching the Lisichansk-Popasnaya-Svetlodarsk line, that is, the line of contact before the start of the NWO. However, this scenario does not solve any of the tasks facing Kiev. Since the Ukrainian leadership is considering the option of a breakthrough to the Crimea as an opportunity to start peace negotiations on their own terms.
“Actually, at the end of winter, the Western media wrote, and Zelensky confirmed this in a recent interview: they say, we will reach the Crimea, and then we will put diplomatic pressure. Therefore, it is in the Orekhovskoye direction that we should expect further attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to move forward,” Tumbartsev notes.
A few weeks before the start of autumn rains remain at the disposal of the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, after which it is definitely not worth waiting for attempts to break through from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Tumbartsev also points out. At a minimum, you should not wait until winter until the ground hardens, and in the long term - until next summer. However, it is unlikely that Western partners will wait another six months or a year, and most likely, the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be resumed in the near future, the expert believes.
by Sergey Adamov
On the night of August 30, Ukrainian troops carried out the most massive attack using drones in the entire period of the armed conflict.
UAVs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular, hit the airfield in Pskov and damaged four Il-76 transport aircraft, which are used by airborne units. In addition, the enemy tried to attack other Russian regions with drones. In the Bryansk region, air defense shot down three drones, in Ryazan - two, Oryol and Kaluga - one each. Another drone was liquidated in the Moscow region, over the Ruza district.
Kiev did not officially acknowledge involvement in the attack on the airfield in Pskov. However, a number of Ukrainian sources report that new Beaver kamikaze drones were used for the attack.
Drones of this model were designed to deliver strikes at a considerable distance from the front line, military expert, author of the Russian Engineer Telegram channel, Alexei Vasiliev, explained to IA Regnum .
“The Bober UAV, both conceptually and in terms of its functionality and dimensions, is very similar to our Geran-2 drones, which are a licensed version of Iranian drones,” Vasiliev said .
"Beavers" are assembled by the enemy in order to hit objects in the depths of our territory. “They made their own housing for drones, there is nothing complicated here. It remains to install the engine from the conditional "moped", the GPS guidance system, the warhead - and the drone is ready, ”said the expert.
The development of a new kamikaze drone at the enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine was first announced in October 2022. For the first time, "Beaver" was presented this May, after passing factory tests and launching into a series.
Judging by data from open sources, the range of the drone is from 500 to a thousand kilometers. It was these drones that were used for terrorist attacks on objects in Moscow, in particular, on the skyscrapers of the Moscow City complex.
Where could launch "Bobrov"
Theoretically, drones could be launched from the territory of Ukraine and fly to Pskov. But, Vasiliev notes, there are several alternative routes for drone attacks.
“The question, of course, is a big one, where the drones were launched from. The first option is that they were launched from the Baltic states, since Pskov is very close to the border with Estonia, ” the expert said.
The distance from the Russian-Estonian border to Pskov in a straight line is about 35 kilometers, for comparison, to the border of Russia and Ukraine is about 830 km. If the Ukrainian drones that attacked Pskov were launched from the territory of Estonia, this can be considered the direct participation of a NATO country in hostilities, military blogger Mikhail Onufrienko noted in a comment to IA Regnum .
The second option, purely theoretically, drones could be launched from a ship, Vasiliev pointed out. Ukraine could send a cargo ship around Europe to the Baltic Sea area. “Catapults can be installed on board, then drones pass over the sea, enter our airspace in the Leningrad Region. And there is Pskov nearby, ” explained the expert.
The third option, " which also should not be written off" : the Ukrainian military reconnoitered the location of our air defense systems, built a route bypassing their coverage area and sent drones along it. “Given that they fly to Moscow, why shouldn’t they fly to Pskov?” - the expert notes.
Such a drone is beyond the power of the DRG
At the same time, Vasiliev rejected the version with the possible launch of drones by a Ukrainian sabotage group, which was reproduced by a number of Russian publications. According to the expert, it is extremely unlikely that the Ukrainian special services managed to transport a large number of drones of this size across the border:
“The same Beaver has a wing size of up to three meters, and a wing span of twice as much. To carry it out unnoticed, to assemble it is not a trivial task. Considering that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB work quite well and identify all sabotage groups, the task becomes even more complicated .”
It’s much easier to bring a small FPV drone, attach a grenade, a TNT bomb to it, or take a copter with an ammunition drop system, Vasiliev pointed out. “It’s easier to smuggle the Beaver by sea, through the Baltic, but then, again, it’s easier to launch it from a ship from the Baltic Sea,” the expert noted.
How to cover Eli
The raid of Ukrainian UAVs on the place where our aircraft are based once again made us wonder why the air bases of the Russian Aerospace Forces are not protected from unmanned attacks. The incident in Pskov is not the first incident of its kind.
Earlier, a Ukrainian drone attacked the Soltsy air force base in the Novgorod region. Then the Tu-22M3 bomber was seriously damaged, which also did not have a hangar or any protection against drone attacks.
The issue of aircraft protection has been a sore subject over the past years, but the solution to this issue is associated with a lot of infrastructure problems, a military pilot, a veteran of military operations in the Russian Aerospace Forces, told Regnum news agency . The interlocutor emphasized:
“Actually, we have been asking this question since the operation in Syria.
Take our comrades from the Syrian Air Force - they have concrete shelters at all air bases, where they always drove their fighters. As a result, not a single aircraft was hit as a result of air strikes.
Only after the attack on the Khmeimim VKS base, “when plywood drones damaged our aircraft,” only then did real work begin to create shelters, the pilot noted. “Not concrete shelters, of course, but those that allow you to hide aircraft,” the source said.
Aircraft shelters help not so much to protect this or that car, but to hide its location from drones or satellite reconnaissance equipment, the source explained to IA Regnum . Aircraft can move inside the hangar, which seriously reduces the attack effectiveness of a small drone.
But the subtlety is that this approach works with small-sized equipment - fighters and helicopters - and larger targets are much more difficult to cover. “As for the Il-76 or Tu-22 of the same, then, of course, everything is much more complicated,” the interlocutor noted. “There is no longer a need for shelter, but a full-fledged such design with the involvement of engineering. You can’t build concrete hangars for such hulks from scratch.”
For example, the wing area of the Il-76 is 300 square meters, the expert recalled. “ It’s a good house. Are we solving the issue of building shelters for such aircraft? On paper, yes. In fact, there are a lot of problems with the redevelopment of air bases, with the admission of builders, building materials. We need GOSTs, engineering solutions, both universal and unique - taking into account the characteristics of each base , ”the expert is sure.
Now a number of bloggers have suggested protecting aircraft with chain-link mesh and other improvised means that can at least delay the drone, the source noted. But, he pointed out, this option is hardly effective.
“The problem should be solved in a complex way. Half measures will not work, because the same mesh will not protect, for example, from hitting striking elements, ” the interlocutor explained. When the drone flies into the mesh, an explosion occurs and the planes still take damage.
“This is still not an option, we need to work on detection tools, defeating drones, means of covering air bases, and only then - on protecting aircraft directly. If the drone flew to the airbase, then something is already wrong, this must be prevented in any case, ” the specialist said.
With the massive use of kamikaze drones by the enemy, the priority task should be to protect fighter and ground attack aircraft at airfields that are closely adjacent to the NVO zone and border areas, the source said.
It seems that the VKS command is already working on means of protecting aircraft from the "unmanned" threat.
Satellite images of the Engels-2 airbase, where strategic aviation aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces are based, have appeared on the network.
The photo shows Tu-95 strategic bombers, which received a new camouflage that copies the pattern of the runway and makes it difficult to identify aircraft from the air. In addition, fences made of sand baskets - gabions - were installed between the aircraft, which make it possible to protect neighboring aircraft from fire in the event of a hit on one of the cars. As previously reported by IA Regnum, ships of the Black Sea Fleet received a similar camouflage.
Moscow , August 30, 2023, 16:40 - IA Regnum. The gross grain harvest in Russia has already amounted to more than 105 million tons, the Ministry of Agriculture reported.
“In general, grain harvesting has crossed the equator across the country, over 105 million tons have been harvested,” the ministry said.
It is noted that according to the schedule, other crops are being harvested, including rapeseed, potatoes, sugar beets and vegetables.
As for winter sowing, which has already been sown on 1.7 million hectares, it is planned to reach 20 million hectares this year.
As IA Regnum reported , earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the country would be able to replace Ukraine's grain both commercially and free of charge. This is favored by the forecast of a record harvest.
Russia will continue to work on the supply of grain, food, fertilizers to Africa, despite the sanctions, the head of state assured.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A failed counter-offensive will lead to the fact that in the autumn the Ukrainian army will go on the defensive, the head of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, believes . He stated this on the air of the Sputnik in Crimea radio station.
“Now they didn’t succeed in a counteroffensive, in the fall they will go on the defensive, they will prepare for spring, they will feed everyone with breakfast, give this, give that,” the parliamentarian said.
In his opinion, the Western economy does not lose anything, and all of Kyiv's allies earn on the conflict. Konstantinov noted that the Ukrainian authorities do not value their people and territory, and they need provocations.
In addition, the head of parliament pointed out that Kiev is trying to keep Russia in a state of conflict due to failures at the front, disappointment from the West, and also against the backdrop of growing dissatisfaction with the entire team of the Kiev regime. Konstantinov added that because of this, the leadership of Ukraine would benefit from further confrontation.
Earlier, IA Regnum reported that ex-CIA analyst Larry Johnson admitted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would not be able to seize Crimea even in the event of direct military intervention by all NATO members. The peninsula is of great importance for Russia, so any threat of its capture will be considered as real, the expert noted. According to Johnson, Russia's powerful air defense systems do not allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to strike at Crimea even with modern Western weapons.
Member of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of Russia, political scientist Bogdan Bezpalko, commented on the opinion of American officer Daniel Davis on the importance of Kiev to freeze the conflict. From the point of view of Bezpalko, according to the logic of the West, the conflict in Ukraine should be frozen for a period of difficult weather conditions in order to re-equip the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but in fact NATO wants to continue military operations against Russia until the Ukrainian state system is completely exhausted and destroyed.
The expert drew attention to the fact that Russia can now completely close the grain corridor, destroy the ports of Ukraine or constantly strike with air forces and missiles in order to prevent the possibility of building back the military reserve of Ukraine.
[X] China has declared part of Russia as its territory on new official maps
#China's state-owned Standard Map Service has presented a set of geographic maps for 2023, on which for the first time part of #Russia's territory is indicated as part of China. It is about the Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island on the Amur River.
According to a 2008 treaty between Russia and China, the island was divided between the two countries. The new official map of China marks the whole island as the easternmost point of the Chinese territory. The explanatory note emphasizes that "the map is made in accordance with the national standards for drawing borders of China and other countries of the world."
The Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island covers an area of 327 to 350 square kilometers, depending on the water level in the river. From the early 19th century there was a long struggle between Russia and China for control of it, but in the 1920s and 1930s the island was "taken under guard" by Soviet troops.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the island remained under Russian jurisdiction. China has had a particular interest in the territory, disputing its status since 1964. In 2008, Russia handed over the western part of the Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island and other territories to China. Experts at the time pointed to Moscow's long-term interests in stable relations between the two countries.
The Russian military has prevented a series of attempted Ukrainian drone strikes overnight, with over half a dozen unmanned aircraft shot down across five regions spanning from the Ukrainian border to Moscow, the Defense Ministry claimed early on Wednesday. I guess, they've developed tech/procedures for dealing with drones the way they've developed tech/procedures for dealing with "unstoppable HIMARS" earlier - haven't heard anything about HIMARS lately.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
08/31/2023 02:29 ||
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#1
Himars systems are still quite active and the military installations being targeted are helping the Russian air defense systems catch those pesky buggers before the SAM systems do.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/31/2023 10:04 Comments ||
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#2
I guess, they've developed tech/procedures for dealing with drones the way they've developed tech/procedures for dealing with "unstoppable HIMARS" earlier - haven't heard anything about HIMARS lately.
Doubt it. HIMARS have been artillery hunting and hitting C&C bunkers now. For the first time, Ukraine has artillery superiority in the south because of HIMARS.
It is true, however, that Ukraine doesn't use the HIMARS systems so much as before being that they have new 'toys' that seem to suit their needs for a broader range of targets. The HIMARS is reserved more for larger troop concentrations and when pesky larger facilities need to be removed.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/31/2023 10:21 Comments ||
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#5
Both sides are blowing each other up on a regular basis, so no winners at this point in my view anyway.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/31/2023 13:03 Comments ||
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#6
It is a slug match Richard. Just like WW1. One side will get exhausted and collapse quickly after a time. If the West stopped supporting Ukraine, Russia will win. With the West supporting and giving weapons the Ukrainians can interdict supply lines with, Ukraine has a half decent shot at pulling a win.
With the news of a breakthrough in the south, that might come sooner than later but I ain't holding my breath for this to end this year.
#8
According to your chap MacGreggor - Ukrainians are paying a man per square matter "conqueering" Russian kill zones.
Don't know who that is but have to call bullshit on that claim. Only in WW1 did we have that many losses and only at the beginning when the units fought the old ways and bunched up before machine gun fire.
The Ukrainians are taking heavier losses than when they were just defending. That is the nature of war, but I have serious doubts they are that high. I expect a 20% rise in casualties and from the videos from combat units I have seen that seems to be bearing up. Most can be healed and returned after a month or two, but many are permanently out of the fight from their injuries or death.
#10
I think what most Americans want is common sense and decency as sort of a baseline and the gummint out of the business of non-stop promotion of perversion and mental instability.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
08/31/2023 15:40 Comments ||
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#11
You know, I think you Americans are just jealous - you'd like Vlad to be your president.
Nope. I don't want Putiee the Peter Puffer as president any more than the rest of these cocksuckers.
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.
