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The Ukraine War: After a third month of fighting the battlelines clarify

The Ukraine War as of May 5, 2022
The Ukraine War as of May 5, 2022. Click for full map.

The Ukraine War as of May 5, 2022
The Ukraine War as of June 6, 2022. Click for full map.

With more than three months of fighting since Russian began its unprovoked invasion of the Ukraine in late February and a full month since my last update on May 6th, it is time to do another follow-up to get a clear assessment of the war.

The two maps to the right are simplified versions of those produced daily by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). For their full interactive version go here. The top map comes from its May 5th assessment, while the bottom map comes from its assessment on June 6th. The red hatched areas are regions Russia captured in 2014. The red areas are regions the Russians have captured in this invasion and now fully control. The pink areas are regions they have occupied but do not fully control. Blue regions are areas the Ukraine has recaptured. The blue hatched area is where local Ukrainians have had some success resisting Russian occupation.

Though the changes since early May are small, they make clear that the war’s battlelines have now become very clear. While Russia is very slowly but successfully taking ground in the center regions of its invasion, the Ukraine has been just as slowly but successfully retaking territory at the invasion’s outer edges.

Russia’s relatively small gains in the past month appear to confirm earlier assessments that its overall war-making assets are limited. Its losses at the fringes confirm this, as it apparently does not have enough men and material to hold those fringe regions while also gaining territory at the center. Meanwhile, the Ukraine has shown that its military strength, while unable so far to recapture significant territory, is strong enough to limit Russian gains while pushing back successfully in areas where the Russians have been forced to reduce its strength in order to shore up its central campaign.

This assessment has been confirmed by military experts in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom. The UK’s ministry of defense stated on June 3rd that while the Russians have successfully gained the initiative in that central campaign, “achieving tactical success,” it has not been able to generate much momentum. Meanwhile an analysis by the Rand Corporation released today has a more pessimistic assessment of the Russian effort.

Russia has failed to achieve its strategic goals in the first hundred days of the war and Ukraine need not cede substantial territory to end it, William Courtney, adjunct senior fellow at Rand Corporation, told CNBC’s “Capital Connection” on Monday. … “Over 100 days, the Russians have pulled back their aims at least tactically, perhaps not strategically, quite a lot. The original goal was to seize three major cities: Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa. Russian troops had to withdraw from Kyiv and Kharkiv. And [they] have not been able to get close to Odessa,” said Courtney, who also served as U.S. ambassador to Georgia and Kazakhstan.

All signs now point to a long and brutal struggle. While it is expected by many expects that Russia will declare victory once it completes its capture of the eastern sections of the Ukraine, the Ukraine’s leadership has also made it clear it has no incentive to stop fighting at that point.

We should therefore expect this war to grind on for many more months, with little sign of victory for either side.

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77 comments

  • Realist

    Ukraine. Military Summary And Analysis 07.06.2022

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGElfN6sats

  • Realist

    The above article (and the analyzes of the non-neutral neocon ISW) are pretty much worthless and wrong. The war will end sooner than many think, with a clear victory for Russia. Little by little, the Russian army advances according to plan, with success increasing exponentially over time. (Btw, the western weapons had no effect at all on the war’s trajectory).

    That’s because of the nature of Russian warfare, which many don’t understand. (incl. ISW and Mr.Z) The Russians are not interested in gaining land as quickly as possible, but in crushing and destroying the enemy army much as possible (concept of Clausewitz) . Whereby one’s own losses are kept low. The conditions in the Donbass are ideal for this, where the Ukrainians have entrenched (and fixed) themselves massively with up to four lines of defense in the last 8 years. These lines had to be broken first by the Russians. This is slowly happening now.

    If the Donbass, which is defended by the best part of the Ukrainian army, has fallen, the war will be won for Russia. There is no second reserve army that can significantly defend the rest of the Ukraine. In the Donbass itself, the Ukrainian reserves are already being used, poorly trained men aged up to 50! The daily losses of the Ukrainians are enormous (up to 500 death soldier/day) and increasing rapidly. As a rough estimate, the number of Ukrainian casualties (death soldier) alone should be somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000. About 6.800 are already captured by Russia.

    Russian success is ensured by a) air supremacy, b) the world’s best anti-aircraft defense system, and c) superior artillery firepower. About half a million (!) artillery shells are fired daily by the Russians along the more than 1000 km long front line. In the end, that shattered all of the Ukrainians’ defense lines, no matter how sophisticated.

    In the video linked below, Mr. Dreizin describes how the Ukrainians’ defensive lines are organized in detail.

    One more thing: The Russians only have a very small part of their armed forces (approx. 20% or around 200,000) deployed in the Ukraine. In addition, there are around 50,000 militias from the two People’s Republics. With this quite small army, the Russians have pinned down and immobilized a numerically superior opponent and now sent for annihilation. Out of deference alone to the territories Russia is conquering (and the Russians who live there) and now becoming part of Russia forever, Russia has only been waging a limited war so far. Many in the West don’t understand that either.

    The Snowball Effect by Jacob Dreizin

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JPRQaD8mJk

  • Jay

    Wow, over 2,000 characters!

  • Shallow Minded Readerhttps://sonar21.com/

    Realist, you nailed it buddy. Thanks. Military Summary and Jacob Dreizen are great resources. I’d add Larry Johnson to that list. https://sonar21.com/.

    Bob, for a guy who realized what the Covid propaganda was early on, I’m surprised you’ve swallowed this DS-MSM propaganda from Ukraine.

  • Shallow Minded Reader: I am simply paying attention to the actual territorial gains of both sides, supplemented by a lot of other information. ISW without doubt favors the Ukrainians, but its map has consistently be right, and showed where each side is gaining and losing.

    You can make believe these facts don’t exist, or not. That’s your choice.

  • Let me add that I don’t really have a horse in this race. Though I strongly despise the raw use of power by the Russians, and very much do not wish them to win because if they did, it would signal to the world that might is right and you only have to bully others to get what you want, I also very strongly do not want the U.S. to become a player here. This remains a civil war between Russia and the Ukraine. Let them fight it out.

  • BtB’s Original Mark

    I thought I knew European History until the Ukraine War, & then I realized that like 99.99% of the rest of Americans I did not understand enough of its history.
    I knew Polish & German history from bilingual relatives, but I had little knowledge of the other 20 nations that stretch from the Baltic to the Black Seas.
    I recently finished a Great Courses ‘A History of Eastern Europe’ taught by Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, an award-winning professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
    His 24 lectures were an excellent overview of the 1,000-year history of Eastern Europe.

    https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/a-history-of-eastern-europe

    But it was only an overview, and there are now more history books on my ‘To Read Soon’ reading list.

    Bob has provided BtB readers with tactical assessments from Institute for the Study of War (ISW), and it has generated quite a bit of conflicting commentary.
    In my opinion, ISW & Rand are irredeemably biased and lack a understanding of War Strategy.
    Russia will achieve its Strategic Objectives & this war will not be a stalemate.
    That Congressional vote a month ago for $40B for Ukraine will extend the War.
    More Ukrainian young soldiers will die in a meat grinder & more Civilians will suffer.

  • Shallow Minded Reader

    Bob,
    This is where you fell off the cliff, the first sentence of your article. Quote “With more than three months of fighting since Russian began its unprovoked invasion of the Ukraine”.

    Please look into:
    1. Shelling and killing of ethnic Russians in the Donbass since 2014.
    2. Massing of Ukranian troops at the Donbass boarder in preparation for an invasion.
    3. Bioweapon labs around Ukraine sponsored by the US (think Hunter Biden companies), and Darpa. Just ask Victoria Nuland (see testimony infront of Marco Rubio in the Senate.)
    4. Ukraine failure to abide by agreements negotiated in Minsk.

    It certainly would be a service to your readers.

  • pzatchok

    Russia is using Ethnic Russians inside the Ukraine just like the rest of the middle east uses the Palestinians now and the Germans before them.

    They have for more than 10 years.

    Pay them, work them up, and arm them.
    Then Russia gets to move in under the excuse of defending them.

    China did the same in Tibet.

  • sippin_bourbon

    Shallow Minded Reader.

    “…since 2014…”

    Remind me again, what happened in March 2014 that triggered Ukraine’s aggressive behavior?

  • Edward

    Shallow Minded Reader,
    None of the items you listed were on the Russian’s ex post facto list of reasons to invade Ukraine. Indeed, they even had claimed that they were not interested in an invasion into Ukraine. Your reasons 2, 3, and 4 aren’t even reasons for an invasion.

  • Shallow Minded Reader

    Sippin
    Maidan revolution engineered by Soros, NGO’s, Neocons and the CIA.

    Have at it!

  • pzatchok

    As for bio labs

    Is Russia going to invade China because the US in some way financed those bio labs also?
    Or will it just throw another drunken fit and invade non nuclear Mongolia instead? ( which would be good for Russia because Mongolia has a huge amount of Rare Earth elements.)

    With Finland and Sweden finally willing to join NATO, Russia gets nothing but a Pyrrhic victory out of the Ukraine no matter what.
    Take the Ukraine and just NATO Poland is on the Russian boarder. Now even if Russia doesn’t take the Ukraine they get two more NATO nations on their boarder.

    How do those French and US ships look in Finland?

  • Realist

    US-General Twitty: Ukraine’s losses could reach 200,000 soldiers

    “Combat losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces can reach 200 thousand people. This opinion was expressed by American Lieutenant General Stephen Twitty, who previously served as Deputy Head of the European Command. USA.

    The American military, whose words are quoted by the German publication Linke Zeitung, noted that approximately 200,000 Ukrainian soldiers have disappeared from Washington’s field of vision. In his opinion, Kyiv either hides their death, or lied about the successful conduct of mass mobilization. At the same time, the White House wants to know the true state of affairs at the front, and not receive misinformation about Russian losses from Ukrainian colleagues.

    Twitty also expressed confidence that Russia would soon win.

    “There is no way the Ukrainians can destroy or defeat the Russians,” he stressed.

    In addition, the American general added that the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have enough combat power to regain control of the already lost territories.”

    https://bb-cntv.com/news/general-twitty-ukraines-losses-could-reach-200000-soldiers-63941/

  • BtB’s Original Mark

    Shallow Minded Reader: I believe you are on target about US involvement in the internal politics of Ukraine.
    http://philosophers-stone.info/2022/03/05/how-obama-and-soros-putactual-nazis-in-power-in-ukraine/

  • LL

    You just read a concise report from the Russian General Staff and the Russian state media (as there is currently none other). This is very educational and enlightening as it nicely shows the [deleted] the Russians are being fed daily. Some phrases are vary revealing, such as “according to plan”, ” the world’s best anti-aircraft defense system” and “People’s republics”.

    Just beware. In WWII, there were not many opportunities for Americans to see what Goebbels was telling Germans.

  • Realist

    Today’s Briefing by Russian Defence Ministry

    ▫️The Ukrainian grouping in Donbass is suffering significant losses in manpower, weapons and military equipment.

    ▫️During the liberation of Svyatogorsk in Donetsk People’s Republic in three days of fighting alone, Ukrainian troops suffered losses of over 300 nationalists, six tanks, 15 armoured combat vehicles of various types, 36 field artillery guns and mortars, 4 Grad multiple rocket launchers and over 20 automotive equipment.

    ▫️The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine.

    ?High-precision air-based missiles have hit armoured plant near Kharkov, which have been repairing and restoring tanks and other AFU armoured vehicles.

    ▫️In addition, high-precision air-based missiles have hit 2 command posts, 13 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration, as well as 1 battery of Uragan multiple-launch rocket systems near Kharkov. 4 weapon and ammunition depots have been destroyed near Malinovka in Kharkov Region, Spornoe in Donetsk People’s Republic and Zvanovka in Lugansk People’s Republic. 1 fuel depot for AFU equipment has been destroyed near Chuhuev, Kharkov Region.

    ✈️?Operational-tactical aviation have hit 63 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration.

    ▫️The attacks have resulted in the elimination of command post of 14th AFU Mechanized Brigade, over 160 nationalists, 8 tanks, 2 Grad multiple rocket launchers, 1 artillery battery, 1 electronic warfare station and 13 vehicles of various purposes.

    ?Russian air defence means have shot down 2 MiG-29 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force near Snegirevka, Nikolaev Region, as well as 1 Mi-8 helicopter near Belaya Krinitsya, Nikolaev Region.

    ▫️In addition, 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down near Donetsk, Rubtsy, Lozovoe, Krasnorechenskoe, Koroviy Yar, Peski Rad’kovskoe in Donetsk Peolple’s Republic, Izyum, Dergachi in Kharkov Region and Chernobaivka in Kherson Region. 3 Tochka-U missiles and 5 Smerch rockets have been intercepted near Chernobaevka, Kherson Region.

    ?Missile and artillery have hit 68 command posts, 172 AFU artillery positions, including 2 batteries of Smerch multiple-launch rocket systems near Aleksandrovka and Kutuzovka, 1 battery of Uragan MLRS near Kitsevka, Kharkov region, as well as 261 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration.

    ▫️The attacks have resulted in the elimination of more than 320 nationalists, 4 ammunition depots near Novolenovka in Zaporozhye Region, 9 armoured vehicles, 3 Grad multiple rocket launchers, 15 field artillery and mortars, 14 special vehicles, and Buk-M1 surface-to-air missile launchers near Shelkoplyasy and OSA-AKM in Verhnyaya Roganka in Kharkov Region.

    ?In total, 192 Ukrainian airplanes and 130 helicopters, 1,150 unmanned aerial vehicles, 335 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,459 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 489 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,822 field artillery and mortars, as well as 3,488 units of special military vehicles were destroyed during the operation.

  • LL

    And here is a great example: the story about the supposed quote from General Twitty references “the German publication Linke Zeitung”. Which is a web site with “All Power to the Soviets” motto and pictures of Marx and Lenin and even the name of which is “The Left Newspaper” (neocons, right?)

    And the article in German is a translation from Russian site svpressa.ru. Which must be another Neocon establishment since the site name means “Soviet press” (“press” as “media”). Of course, none contain any information on when and where General Twitty said this nor any links to the actual quote is given.

    https://linkezeitung.de/2022/06/07/us-general-stephen-twitty-die-verluste-der-afu-koennten-200-000-soldaten-erreichen/

    Just once again: beware. Despite the nonsense about Russian influence electing Trump, the “active measures” are quite real and we see them in action here, although user Realist is most likely an unwitting gullible bearer, rather than an active spreader.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_measures

  • andrew l devlin

    Ukraine will win and Russia will lose. This is not a close call. Ask yourself this question, at the 6th month mark where will Russia get it’s munitions, money and infantry? Answer, it won’t. The Ukraine has an inexhaustible supply line of advanced munitions and money. Russia started the war with Maybe 60 to 80 K in Infantry, Russia has burned through 80% of her infantry, where will the replacements come from? Answer: there are no replacements. Putin has not mobilized and has promised not to use conscripts.
    Look carefully at the youtube videos. The Russians are dirty, poorly led, the equipment is second rate and they look unhappy. Compare to the pics of the Ukrainians, their troops are uniformly well equipped, they wear their equipment correctly and are happy to be killing Russians. The Ukraine can mobilize over a million soldiers and have unlimited equipment to arm them.
    10 years in the Marine Corps suggest to me this will end very badly for the Russians.

  • BtB’s Original Mark

    LL:
    Most of us are aware that the Russians have long been practitioners of ‘Dezinformatsiya’.
    There is nothing we can do about that besides being careful about our sources of information.
    But as American citizens we can challenge the War Propaganda coming from our own Government.
    I would argue that we must guard against that Propaganda since our elected officials are prolonging this War with $40B of our tax dollars.

  • Gary H

    Bob said:
    “I also very strongly do not want the U.S. to become a player here.”

    This is my view. The resources used in/for Ukraine will not be available for use in the Pacific. Our interest involve countering China. Let the Europeans cleanup their neighborhood.

  • LL: Read the rules! No obscenities allowed. I have deleted it, but do it again and you will be suspended for a week.

  • LL: Realist is based in Germany, and is no “unwitting gullible bearer.” From the beginning he or she appears assigned the job of doing this work. See:

    The Russian “Firehose of Falsehood” Propaganda Model

  • Let me add that I don’t mind hearing the Russian perspective. It is always useful to hear all points of view.

    What I do mind is the dishonesty of hiding his or her ties with Russia. I also do not like his or her’s often insulting tone. Both make Realist less convincing.

  • BtB’s Original Mark

    Mr. Z. – Listening to the ‘Russian Perspective’ is not the same as being critical of US Government War Propaganda, Narrative Shaping, & Control over Mainstream Media International News Reporting.

  • Original Mark: Sure. However, reread my post. I am not depending on “narrative shaping” or mainstream media. I am looking closely at the facts on the ground, as have become evident in the past three months.

    Russia could still win, taking over all of the Ukraine. The facts as they presently exist however say no. At best it appears it can expand somewhat the territory in the east that it has already grabbed, but not by much.

    Above all, Putin’s invasion has revealed to the world that Russia’s military is not as powerful as we had thought. This is excellent news, is it reduces the risks to Europe and Russia’s neighbors.

  • Am not nor do I know the Realists but for the record: My ties with Russia; been there. My ties with the Ukraine; been there.

    However I must allow more and more I’m rootin’ for Russia as it isn’t now Putin vs the Ukraine, it’s The New World Order vs Russia.

  • sippin_bourbon

    SMR and Original Mark

    I like how you skip from Euromaiden ( in Ukraine) to Ukrainian aggression against Russia, as if Russia invading across the border as a perfectly normal and acceptable response.

    Your point of view is that Ukraine is at fault for not rolling over to Putin’s imperialist advances.

    You also gloss over Russia’s own actions during the Euromaiden. We know Russia meddles with other nations internal politics, and want us to believe it is only the CIA and Soros and Obama, etc.

    This is false.

  • Biglar

    I second the motion that the US stay out of Ukraine. Unfortunately, the Military-Industrial Complex sees an easy way to make tens of billions of dollars by lobbying the US government to buy weapons for Ukraine. Such weapons, BTW, are mostly inappropriate for Ukraine so the money spent buying them is mostly wasted.

    It’s been pretty clear from the start that Ukraine is going to lose this war. The idea that Ukraine taking strategically unimportant regions on the fringes of the war with small groups of troops can somehow offset Russian gains in the Donbas is ludicrous. Russia is systematically grinding down the Ukrainian army, so once the war in the Donbas is complete, Ukraine will be able to offer only minimal resistance to Russia’s territorial ambitions. The Russians are also getting better at coordinating their artillery and drones; I saw a very interesting video last night which showed Russian artillery systematically destroying a Ukrainian trench complex/fortification, which makes most of the Ukrainian defense at best only a delaying tactic.

    Europe and the US need to prevail on Ukraine to reach a ceasefire and negotiated settlement with Russia. However, this would be another loss for the Biden administration ahead of the already likely disastrous midterms. A problem for the Ukrainians is that any available negotiated settlement with the Russians will be worse than that available to them in the early stages of the war, which Zelensky will be loath to accept lest he pay with his life. So the war will stupidly continue.

  • Shallow Minded Reader

    Hey Bob,
    Will Skeptical Bob be back soon? Is he lost in a cave some where?
    Miss him.

  • BtB’s Original Mark

    Sippin- I do not believe it is acceptable for Russia to invade its neighbor.
    However I do believe it is ‘Normal’ – we live in a world of Nation States & there is no UN Military to stop them. I recommend reading or watching YouTube videos of John Mearsheimer to gain some clarity on the ‘Realist’ school of international relations.

    Bob – I agree that this war has revealed significant flaws in the Russian Military.
    However, IMO it is a strawman argument to say that winning for Russia is “taking over all of the Ukraine”, or even taking the capital Kiev.
    My guess is that Russia had an ‘A’ & a ‘B’ plan for their strategic objectives.
    From my perspective, they will reach their B plan within a few months. That would include:
    – Full control of Donetsk & Luhansk
    – A land bridge between Crimea & Russia
    – Full Military control of the Sea of Azov
    – Significant degradation of Ukraine’s Military in Eastern & Southern Ukraine (Russian Artillery is & will continue to create a meat grinder cauldron).

    These objectives would constitute a Russian ‘Win’.
    Meanwhile your tax dollars and mine are supporting the bloody continuation of a War that clearly requires a negotiated settlement.

  • ymarsakar

    “Most of us are aware that the Russians have long been practitioners of ‘Dezinformatsiya’.”

    Ironically, most people don’t realize they are believing in Soviet Ukraine twitter propaganda backed up by Soros, Nuland, NeoMcCains, Twitter, Metabook, and Alphabet’s Google.

    Stalin was Georgian and likely khazarian. Bolsheviks were not Russian.

    Cold War era “public education” goodies, like current modern day “transgender educational therapies”.

  • sippin_bourbon

    Original Mark
    Thank God there is no “UN Military”. I hope that is not a real solution you think would work anywhere.
    I am familiar with Professor Mearsheimer.
    I have already seen a few of his lectures.
    He does not entirely ignore, but tends to gloss over Russia’s meddling in internal Ukrainian affairs.
    He is also a socialist. And yes, that matters, too.

    I do not deny that there was heavy Western influence before and during Euromaiden.
    Do you, Realist, and others concede there was heavy Russian influence?

    And I am very much a realist when it comes to both Foreign Relations and war. I gave up idealism quite some time ago.
    I very much expect to the result of this particular conflict to be Russia gaining the Donbass. I said as much in 2014, when this conflict actually started.

    I also believe one of Putin’s goals that you missed above was political control of Ukraine, much like he has in Belarus. This was his primary motivation to appose Euromaiden and why he attempted to stop it. When it failed, he took direct action.

    You believe we should continue to push for a negotiated settlement? That is ideal, but not realistic. Ukraine has not shown that they are ready to give up yet. War is a test of wills. Their will is not yet broken.

    I am not rooting for one side to Win per se. I want to see a conflict with potential to spread end early, and decisively. Lack of a decisive end in such conflict simply leads to more conflict later. Usually worse. I do not want to see Ukraine “win” per se. I think a return to status quo (if there was such a thing) is impossible. But I do not want to see Russia’s aggression rewarded either. There must be a price. If they gain the Donbass, fine. But the loss of ties to the West for other ventures, the loss of Europe as an energy consumer, the loss of the US as a partner in space, etc, for at least a decade must be the price. Aggression must not be rewarded.

  • pzatchok

    This whole thing was predicted way back in 2014.

    https://www.dw.com/en/the-significance-of-the-donbas/a-17567049

    Read the article. It tells you exactly why Russia wants the Donbas.
    Its heavy industry and coal.
    Russia needs the industry for its military and space endeavors. They need the coal to help keep the upper hand in EU energy production. Control Europe’s energy and you control the EU.

    This invasion is teaching the EU to no longer depend on Russia as a good neighbor and to stop using its natural gas and coal. Russia plans on selling to China to make up a little for the loss.

  • BtB’s Original Mark

    Sippin – I appreciate your argument and the cogent points you make.
    The Russians will pay ‘a Price’ in various ways but Putin must have convinced enough of his Regime that the final outcome will have greater benefits for the Russian Nation than costs.
    I wish that such a civil debate such as ours would have taken place in the halls of Congress before the $40 Billion was appropriated. Even if what I favor lost in the end, a debate over issues of US involvement in Ukraine is important to have.
    And as I indicated in my first post above – Americans have little knowledge of the 20 nations that stretch from the Baltic to the Black Seas. Unfortunately our Politicians, Military leaders, National Security Bureaucrats, & most press outlets have little interest in informing the Voting Public.

  • pzatchok

    The money spent against Russia’s aggression would be spent no matter what.

    If not spent today then it would be spent later. If later we have a higher chance of using our own troops to spend it. Its better to equip Ukrainians now than not use Ukrainians at all.

    If not spent at all then when do we try to stop the Russian expansion.

    Its always more expensive to spend money later rather than now. In all things.

    Think of it this way.
    This is a good way to get rid of all our old stuff without just throwing it away.

    Would you rather one of our old ships go to the scrap yard or be given to a good ally for use?

    That money will NEVER be spent to lower our deficit.

  • Realist

    dreizinreport: “Everyone asks “what’s the Russian air force doing?”

    https://thedreizinreport.com/2022/06/09/since-everyone-asks-whats-the-russian-air-force-doing/

  • Realist

    Ukraine. Military Summary And Analysis 09.06.2022

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXLde0bjGUI

  • Edward

    Robert Zimmerman wrote: “Above all, Putin’s invasion has revealed to the world that Russia’s military is not as powerful as we had thought. This is excellent news, is it reduces the risks to Europe and Russia’s neighbors.

    I agree, however it has also frightened Europe, and rightly so. Two new countries may join NATO, and I suspect that Ukraine will, too, should she survive. We have also learned that the Cold War did not end, as we had been led to believe, and NATO was not as obsolete as many have tried to convince me, over the years.

    There was a tremendous difference between the previous recent Russian aggressions (e.g. Georgia and Crimea) and this one. This time Russia threatened to use nuclear weapons in a way that made it sound serious and credible, frightening many countries around the world. I suspect that this threat will result in a change in the way we treat other countries and the way we negotiate. No other country can be allowed to make such a threat again, much less actually use such weapons.

    Russia has proved to be the bully in the room, and despite our senile, stupid, fool president, we — not the UN — are still the adult in the room.

    pzatchok wrote: “This invasion is teaching the EU to no longer depend on Russia as a good neighbor and to stop using its natural gas and coal.

    Gee, didn’t a recent U.S. president tell Europe the same thing while insisting that Europe pull its own weight in NATO? How many European countries listened to him?

  • Realist

    ???? Highlights of Russian Military Operation in Ukraine on June 9, 2022

    ▪️Russian Armed Forces have destroyed foreign mercenary training centre in Zhytomyr region.

    ▪️In the nothern Kharkiv region, the Russian Armed Forces have cleared the outskirts of Ternova.

    ▪️ First reports on taking of the strategically important Pryshyb height, southeast of Svyatohir’sk, have been received: a full-fledged bridgehead has been created on the western bank of Donets River.

    ▪️The airport in Severodonetsk has been taken and fighting for Borivs’ke continues.

    ▪️Allied forces are cleansing Komyshuvakha and Svitlanove station.

    ▪️In Zaporizhzhia region, sides continue to accumulate forces for offensive

    ▪️ZSU have made another breakthrough attempt in the area between Snihurivka and Davydiv Brid area, but were forced to retreat.

    https://t.me/rybar/33758

  • pzatchok

    Since Russia is using allied forces shouldn’t we be sending in allied troops to help the Ukraine?

    One good thing for the future is Musk’s Starlink system.

    As time goes on Starlink will be more and more complete. This will give every Russian a chance to smuggle in a dish and have free and open access to the internet and the whole worlds news and information. No longer will they be dependent on Russian State TV and radio.
    Seriously. How will Russia stop its own people from using the system if Musk gives them access for free?
    This is the beginning of the end for major dictatorships around the world.

  • Realist

    Alexander Mercouris: “West Intelligence Admits Ukraine Outgunned, Suffering Heavy Losses & Desertions, Rouble Strengthens”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPIETVElKOw

  • Garry Owen

    A.Devlin, Are you serious? Has your service so biased you against the Russians that you have bought all the MSM/ISW “armchair genera”l crap?
    Ukraine lost this SMO the first couple of weeks and no amount of wishful thinking will make it otherwise! Artillery trumps infantry every time and without question the Russians have a massive edge in artillery and air supremacy to boot! I won’t even mention the total dominance of the Russian rockets, and missilery. Where is this million man army you claim the Ukies can mobilize?
    As for Russian numbers, nice of you to ignore the 200,000+ well trained force provided by Luhansk and Donets, which are fighting withe Russians and winning solidly against the Ukies.!
    Even Zelensky admits the Ukies are losing a battalion a week in casualties; so all those projections that Russia would run out of ammo by mid-March look rather silly now! Oh, and what happened at Mariupol? Those Ukronazis who surrendered don’t look squared away, while their Russian captors looked shipshape! LOL!
    Do some better and more evenhanded research before you come back peddling anymore propaganda!

  • Realist

    Alexander Mercouris: “Ukraine Admits Losing ‘Artillery War’ and Therefore the War Itself”

    (11 min)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZb-ba4WqGs

  • Realist

    Briefing by Russian Defence Ministry (for 11 June 22)

    ▫️The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine.

    ?High-precision air-based missiles near Andreevka, Kharkov Region, have destroyed a foreign mercenaries’ deployment site.

    ▫️In addition, over the past day, high-precision air-based missiles have hit 9 areas where AFU manpower and military equipment concentration, 5 firing positions of multiple-launch rocket systems near Maloryazantsevo, Volcheyarovka, Podgornoe, Malaya Illinovka and Lisichansk in Lugansk People’s Republic and also destroyed 1 Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system near Minkovka in Donetsk People’s Republic.

    ✈️?Operational-tactical and army aviation have hit 48 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration.

    ▫️The attacks have resulted in the elimination of more than 170 nationalists, 5 tanks, 6 field artillery guns, 8 special vehicles and 1 ammunition depot near Krasnopol’e, Donetsk People’s Republic.

    ?Russian air defence means have shot down 2 MiG-29 aircraft near Snegirevka, Nikolaev Region, and 1 Su-25 aircraft near Alexandrovka, Kharkov Region, over the past 24 hours.

    ▫️Also 12 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down near Illichevka, Chkalovskoe, Krasnoe, Malye Prokhody, Zavody, Brazhkovka, Vernopolye, Ovodmytrovskaya, Hrushevakha in Kharkov Region, Vasilevka, Stakhanov, Teplogorsk in Lugansk People’s Republic.

    ▫️In addition, 3 rockets of Ukrainian Uragan multiple-launch rocket system have been intercepted near Dolgenkoe, Sukhaya Kamenka and Malaya Kamyshevakha in Kharkov Region.

    ?Missile troops and artillery have hit 231 areas of manpower and military equipment concentration, 13 command posts and 42 firing positions of artillery and mortar units.

    ▫️The attacks have resulted in the destruction of more than 300 nationalists, 11 armoured vehicles, 2 Grad multiple rocket launchers, 10 field artillery mounts, 9 special vehicles, and 9 storage facilities for missile and artillery weapons, ammunition and fuel.

    ?In total, 198 Ukrainian airplanes and 130 helicopters, 1,180 unmanned aerial vehicles, 337 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,503 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 506 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,859 field artillery and mortars, as well as 3,545 units of special military vehicles were destroyed during the operation.

  • Col Beausabre

    Col Beausabre
    June 10, 2022 at 5:33 am
    Russia spends around 4.3 percent of its GDP on it’s military. The US about 3..7 percent. (figures from the World Bank)

    https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=US

    Based on the showing of Putin’s vaunted army in Ukraine, I’d say the Russian taxpayers are the ones being ripped off. The corruption in Russia is notorious – like troops in Ukraine getting sent rations from 2015

    “Of the world’s 20 major economies, Russia rates the worst on corruption.

    In 2021, the respected Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by anti-corruption body Transparency International scored Russia 29/100, alongside Liberia, Mali and Angola. This made it the 44th most corrupt nation on the index. (South Sudan was most corrupt, scoring 11/100, and Denmark the least corrupt, on 88/100.)”

    “Money supposed to be for Russia’s military capability has also been plundered. For example, defence minister Sergei Shoigu lives in an $18 million mansion – not bad for someone supposedly on a government minister’s salary.

    A typical rort has been to award contracts to companies owned by cronies, who then provide shoddy products and pocket huge profits. Food and housing in the Russian military is said to be worse than being in prison. Russian soldiers sent to invade Ukraine have been given rations years out of date.

    This has created a “Potemkin military” – all show and little substance – according to Andrey Kozyrev, Russia’s foreign minister from 1990 to 1996:

    ‘The Kremlin spent the last 20 years trying to modernise its military. Much of that budget was stolen and spent on mega-yachts in Cyprus. But as a military advisor you cannot report that to the President. So they reported lies to him instead.’

    https://theconversation.com/military-history-is-repeating-for-russia-under-putins-regime-of-thieves-181164

  • Col Beausabre

    pzatchok. As an old Armor officer, I’d like to comment. The Russians do have the T-14 Armata, which is new, but only exists in risible numbers as they can’t afford them and they rely on embargoed Western electronics and other parts. from the West. This vaunted “great” vehicle has not shown up in Ukraine, where you would think they would want their best weapons and, if nothing else, to prove the design in combat. So, it looks like it’s great for parades but not so great for fighting. You are right about the T-72 and T-90, their “carousel” loading system has proved to be a major design flaw, leading to the “jack in the box tank” – the ammunition detonates and the turret gets blown off. Even when that doesn’t occur, they are death traps. Here’s a T-72 brewing up in Syria. The survivor was dismounted on the opposite side of the vehicle.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65Z8xp6BvzM

    and a combat loaded T-72 being killed by a TOW-2B in a test.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTZpvKuM7mk

    I’d say the Russians may have finally caught up with the combat proven Abrams and its NATO equivalents, Leo 2, Leclerc and Challenger with the T-14. The US is working on its next heavy combat vehicle, with a goal of Initial Operational Capability of 2035 but it may well be autonomous, without a crew on board and controlled remotely.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Generation_Combat_Vehicle

  • This interesting Twitter thread by Trent Telenko — on the subject of Russian casualties incurred during its present Ukrainian invasion — includes diagrams of Russia’s Armata T-14 tank, introduced apparently around 2015, illustrating its superior separate ammo compartment, providing armored protection for the tank’s (3 person) crew compartment — vis-a-vis earlier Russian tanks which bore no such crew protection (see thread element /19 for the Armata in particular).

  • Realist

    Ukraine. Military Summary And Analysis 12.06.2022

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlzXCa2xP8o

  • Realist

    Briefing by Russian Defence Ministry

    ▫️The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine.

    ?Kalibr high-precision sea-based long-range missiles near Chortkov in Ternopol Region have destroyed a large warehouse of anti-tank missile systems, portable anti-aircraft missile systems and artillery shells supplied to the Kiev regime from the USA and European countries.

    ?High-precision air-based missiles have hit 2 command posts, 15 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration.

    ▫️The following have been destroyed: 1 Buk-M1 missile launcher near Barvenkovo in Kharkov Region, 1 airspace control radar near Slavyansk in Donetsk People’s Republic, 1 target detection and tracking radar of S-300 anti-aircraft missile system near Krivoi Rog, and 2 batteries of multiple launch rocket systems near Zvanovka in Lugansk People’s Republic and Zakotnoe in Donetsk People’s Republic.

    ✈️?Operational-tactical and army aviation have hit 3 strong points and 25 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration. The attacks have resulted in the elimination of more than 150 nationalists, 6 tanks, 5 field artillery mounts and 10 special vehicles of various purposes.

    ?Fighter aviation have shot down 2 Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian air force in the Raigorodok and Cherkaskyi districts of Donetsk people’s republic.

    ?Russian air defence means have shot down 1 Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force near Dolgen’koe, Kharkov Region.

    ▫️Also, 8 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down near Boroven’ki, Druzhba in Luhansk People’s Republic, Vladimirovka in Donetsk People’s Republic, Brazhkovka, Bolshye Prokhody in Kharkiv region, including 1 Bayraktar TB-2 near Velikaya Kamyshevakha.

    ▫️In addition, 2 Tochka-U ballistic missiles and 3 Uragan multiple-launch rockets have been intercepted Kakhovka and Chernobaevka, Kherson Region, near Dolgen’koe, Sinichino, Kharkov Region, and Popasnaya, Lugansk People’s Republic.

    ?Missile troops and artillery have hit 248 areas of manpower and military equipment concentration, 21 command posts and 37 firing positions of AFU artillery units.

    ▫️The attacks have resulted in the destruction of more than 320 nationalists, 5 armoured vehicles, 6 field artillery mounts and mortars, 15 special vehicles and 5 ammunition and fuel depots.

    In total, 201 Ukrainian airplanes and 130 helicopters, 1,188 unmanned aerial vehicles, 338 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,514 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 508 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,870 field artillery and mortars, as well as 3,570 units of special military vehicles were destroyed during the operation.

  • Realist

    Ukrainian artillery struck an open market in Donestk. Killing multiple civilians and injuring dozens.

    https://t.me/mighty_russiaOP/2235

  • Realist

    Cotour, some insights for you and other reader of this blog (taken from https://rattibha.com/thread/1526793674809561088):

    “KIMBERLY KAGAN runs The Study of War—

    —who is married to FRED KAGAN, of the American Enterprise Institute, taught at West Point—

    —who is brother of ROBERT KAGAN, of the Brookings Institute—

    —who is husband of VICTORIA NULAND, at the State Department.

    Who are these people?

    FRED KAGAN was part of the neo-con Project for the New American Century. At West Point, he helped create a culture of American military arrogance and hubris. He convinced W. Bush to carry out the “surge” in Iraq, and to NOT negotiate with other Middle-Eastern powers.

    ROBERT KAGAN is in the words of Andrew Bacevich “the chief neoconservative foreign-policy theorist”. He has not worked in government since the ’90’s—but all his acolytes have gone on to prominent jobs at State. He’s a kingmaker in the US national security establishment.

    VICTORIA NULAND, the current Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, engineered the Maidan Coup in 2014. She is the driving force at State Dept. for Russian regime change. She is the visible face of her family’s outsized and nefarious influence on US foreign policy.

    Cancers often have many tendrils—vampire squids have many tentacles to wrap your face and suck you dry. We on Twitter see the [deleted] lies of the ISW—but we have to understand that this is just one tendril of a well-oiled war machine. Look up these names—you’ll see.”

  • Realist: You really can’t follow any rules, can you? I have deleted the obscenity from your comment and approved it. However, you will no longer get any second chances, at all. This is the second time you have broken this rule, and the third time you broken my rules in general. The next time you will be gone, for good.

    It is now entirely up to you.

  • Realist

    Link description says: “Captured Space X satellites dishes from Ukrainian forces found a better use.”

    https://t.me/mighty_russiaOP/2270

  • Realist

    “How the Ukrainian government is recruiting their troops.” (0.:4 min)

    Please watch out for the man in the green shirt. By the way, Ukraine is now working on plans to conscript women as well because they are running out of (male) soldiers. Too many are already fallen or wounded. Unfortunately, you cannot replace the lost officers in this way.

    https://t.me/mighty_russia/168765

  • Realist

    Briefing by Russian Defence Ministry (15th June 22)

    ▫️The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine.

    ?High-precision long-range Kalibr missiles near Zolochev, Lvov region, have destroyed a warehouse of ammunition for foreign weapons transferred to Ukraine by NATO countries, including 155-mm M777 howitzers.

    ?High-precision air-based missiles in Nikolaev region have destroyed aircraft of the Ukrainian air force at Voznesensk military airfield.

    ▫️A large number of weapons and military equipment from the USA and European countries delivered to the Ukrainian grouping in Donbass have been destroyed near Dobropolye, Pokrovsk railway stations in Donetsk People’s Republic and Orlovschina in Dnepropetrovsk region.

    ▫️The attacks have resulted in the destruction of 1 airspace radar station near Lisichansk in Lugansk People’s Republic, 1 Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system near Soledar in Donetsk People’s Republic, ammunition depots near Gorskoe and Verkhnekamensk in Lugansk People’s Republic, and 2 AFU command posts and 1 communications centre near Pereezdnoe and Ivano-Dar’evka in Donetsk People’s Republic.

    ✈️?Operational-tactical, army and unmanned aviation have hit 24 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration.

    ▫️The attacks have resulted in the elimination of more than 300 nationalists, 1 electronic warfare station near Malinovka in Kharkov Region, 10 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 3 Grad multiple rocket launchers, 18 special vehicles, 3 mortars and 11 field artillery mounts, including 4 M777 155-mm howitzers.

    ?Russian air defence means have shot down 1 Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian air force near Krasnopol’e in Donetsk People’s Republic. Also, 6 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down near Donetsk city and Pavlovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Balakleya, Malaya Kamyshevakha, Chervonyi Shakhter in Kharkov region, and Lisichansk in Lugansk People’s Republic.

    ▫️In addition, 12 shells of Uragan multiple-launch rocket system have been intercepted near Donetsk city and Gorskoe and Vasil’evka in Lugansk People’s Republic.

    ?Missile troops and artillery have hit 313 areas of manpower and military equipment concentration, 43 command posts and 62 firing positions of AFU artillery units.

    ?In total, 203 Ukrainian airplanes and 131 helicopters, 1,211 unmanned aerial vehicles, 339 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,558 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 524 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,958 field artillery and mortars, as well as 3,623 units of special military vehicles were destroyed during the operation.

  • Cotour

    A little history of the region:

    https://youtu.be/90ATT8GW_fU 17 min.

    They just killed EVERYONE.

    Very interesting, and a stark lesson about the real nature of man related to the acquisition of and the retention of power.

    We, especially in America, live in a fantasy and we are never really that far from such reality of the 14th century.

  • Realist

    “Review of US made Switchblades in Ukraine that keep crashing. By Russian troops” ?.

    https://t.me/mighty_russiaOP/2294

  • Jay

    So Realist, do you get paid in Rubles or Dollars for your posts?

  • Realist

    “Ukraine suffering up to 1,000 casualties per day in Donbas, official says”

    “Up to 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are being killed or wounded each day in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, with 200 to 500 killed on average and many more wounded, a top Ukrainian official said on Wednesday.”

    https://www.axios.com/2022/06/15/ukraine-1000-casualties-day-donbas-arakhamia

  • Realist

    One of the best daily analysis (non-partisan):

    “Ukraine. Military Summary And Analysis 15.06.2022”

    My comment: The Russian army and its allies, despite its relatively small manpower, have meanwhile managed to encircle the Ukrainian army in the Donbass around many small cauldrons (see video), which will soon be completely closed (some already are today). We can expect many thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war in this area in the coming weeks. At the same time, the Ukrainians are being crushed at a casualty rate of about 1000 men/day.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZxPMm9Iybc

  • Realist

    Alexander Mercouris:

    “EU Leaders Empty Handed in Kiev, Gas Crisis Deepens in Europe, Putin & Xi Reaffirm Partnership” (53 min)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO0UyBBNUek

  • Realist

    The US has changed its mind about sending military drones to Kiev for fear that they will be captured by Russia

    The implementation of the plans of the White House to sell Ukraine 4 reconnaissance and strike drones MQ-1C Gray Eagle has been suspended due to fears of Pentagon officials that UAVs could fall into the hands of the Russian army, Reuters reports.

  • Realist

    Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine (June 19, 2022)

    ▫️Offensive towards Severodonetsk is being successfully developed. Units of People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic supported by the Russian Federation Armed Forces have liberated the settlement of Metyolkino.

    ▫️Several units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are abandoning the operation area due to low moral and psychological condition, as well as lack of munitions and logistic supply. Thus, a plattoon of the 1st company of the 1st battalion from the 57th Mechanised Infantry Brigade that had been defending near Lisichansk left heavy armament and abandoned its position.

    ▫️Russian Federation Armed Forces continue launching attacks at military facilities located in Ukraine.

    ?At 12.30 PM, Kalibr high-precision long-distance sea-based missiles were launched at a command post of the Ukrainian troops near the village of Shirokaya Dacha (Dnepropetrovsk region) at the moment when there was being held a working meeting of the commanders of Aleksandriya operational-strategic group.

    ▫️The attack has resulted in eliminating more than 50 generals and officers of the AFU, including those of the General Staff, the Kakhovka group, airborne assault troops and units that operate towards Nikolayev and Zaporozhye.

    ▫️At 08.20 AM, Kalibr high-precision long-distance missiles destroyed 10 M777 155-mm howitzers and up to 20 armoured combat vehicles delivered by the West to the Kiev regime over the past 10 days that were located in a transformer plant in Nikolayev.

    ?At 07.20 AM, high-precision air-based missiles neutralised an echelon of personnel, armament and military equipment of the 1st battalion from the 14th Independent Mechanised Brigade that arrived from Vladimir-Volynskiy to the operation area in Donbass.

    ▫️The attack at the disembarkment point near Gubinikha railway station (Dnepropetrovsk region) has resulted in eliminating more than 100 servicemen of the AFU, 30 tanks and armoured combat vehicles.

    ▫️At 02.05 AM, the AFU 56th Mechanised Infantry Brigade manpower and military equipment have been neutralised near Selidovo (Donetsk People’s Republic). The attack has resulted in the elimination of up to 20 militants, including foreign mercenaries that formed part of the abovementioned brigade, as well as 2 combat vehicles equipped with Grad multiple rocket-launching system, 10 infantry combat vehicles and armoured personnel carriers.

    ▫️7 Grad system plattoons and 1 artillery plattoon have been neutralised at their firing positions towards Donetsk within counter-battery warfare.

    ✈️?Operational-tactical and army aviation have destroyed 4 artillery missile and munitions depots near Maksimilyanovka, Avdeyevka, Zelyonoye Pole and Georgiyevka (Donetsk People’s Republic), as well as 1 launching ramp of Buk-M1 air defence missile system near Seversk (Lugansk People’s Republic).

    ?Missile troops and artillery have neutralised 22 command posts, 48 artillery units at their firing positions, the AFU manpower and military equipment in 123 areas.

    ▫️An attack launched by Iskander operational-tactical missile system at Kharkov tank reparation plant has resulted in destroying 2 launching ramps of Uragan multiple rocket-launching system.

    ▫️Ukrainian Armed Forces suffer considerable losses caused by counter-battery warfare. A serviceman from the 22nd Mechanised Infantry Brigade of the AFU captured near Peremoga has told that the artillery units involved in operation towards Kharkov had lost 380 servicemen, including 90 who resulted dead over the past 10 days.

    Attacks launched by aviation, missile troops and artillery over the past 24 hours have resulted in eliminating more than 400 nationalists, 10 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 11 field artillery mounts, 11 launching ramps of multiple rocket-launching systems and 28 special vehicles.

    ?Russian air defence troops have shot down 1 Su-25 airplane of the Ukrainian Air Force near Chervonnaya Dolina (Nikolayev region).

    ▫️In addition, 8 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down near Zavody, Chervonniy Shakhtyor, Dementiyevka, Glubokoye (Kharkov region), Krinitsa (Kherson region), Popasnaya (Lugansk People’s Republic) and near the Snake Island.

    ▫️3 Tochka-U tactical missiles have been intercepted near Novozvanovka and Novoaleksandrovka (Lugansk People’s Republic), 2 projectiles launched by Uragan multiple rocket-launching system near Bolshiye Prokhody (Kharkov region) and Chervonnaya Dolina (Nikolayev region).

    ?In total, 207 airplanes and 132 helicopters, 1,249 unmanned aerial vehicles, 344 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,683 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 562 combat vehicles equipped with multiple rocket-launching systems, 2,043 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 3,715 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

    ❗️Big losses of the AFU in manpower force the Ukrainian command to involve unprepared personnel in combats, despite their lack of necessary skills in using armament and military equipment.

    ▫️At 01.30 PM, 2 Su-25 assault fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force launched an attack at the positions of its units near Shirokoye (Dnepropetrovsk region).

  • Realist

    DOUGLAS MACGREGOR: “When The Lies Come Home”

    After lying for months, the media are preparing the public for Ukraine’s military collapse.

    https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/when-the-lies-come-home/

  • wayne

    Realist–
    dude…. personally, I don’t care.

  • Realist

    Wayne: You do not care about the truth and reality? Do you prefer to live in “la-la-dream land”?

    Col. Richard Black (ret.) (U.S.); former head of the U.S. Army’s Criminal Law Division at the Pentagon; former Virginia State Senator: “”Ukraine Has Lost the War: But Thermonuclear War Still Threatens”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_54M0muoJU

  • Realist

    Intel Slava says:

    Captured French self-propelled guns “Caesar” were taken to “Uralvagonzavod”

    The well-known French lawyer and politician Régis de Castelnau said that Russia had seized two undamaged French-made Caeser self-propelled guns in Ukraine and was now studying them at Uralvagonzavod.

    “Another achievement for Macron. Two French CAESAR self-propelled guns were captured by the Russians unharmed. Currently, they are at the Uralvagonzavod plant for reverse engineering. Thanks Macron. We pay for it,” Castelnau writes.

    Tweets from “Foreign Policy” journalist:

    According to him, an “unnamed” Ukrainian military official told him that if US supplied Grey Eagle drones they will get shot down by Russian AD. He remarked that they will suffer a similar fate to Turkish TB-2 drones describing them as “almost useless”

    https://t.me/mighty_russiaOP/2600

  • Realist

    Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine (June 23, 2022)

    ❗️ The enemy continues suffering considerable losses.

    ▪️ The defeated 34th Battalion of the 57th Mechanised Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has lost over 150 persons killed and about 450 persons wounded near Mirnaya Dolina (Lugansk People’s Republic).

    ▫️ There are no more than 15-20 soldiers left in each company of this battalion. Junior commanders have abandoned their personnel and deserted from the operations area.

    ▪️ Units of the 30th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU near Klinovoye (Donetsk People’s Republic) have been left with less than 50% of personnel as a result of attacks launched by the Russian Armed Forces. More than 170 other critically wounded soldiers and officers have been evacuated by their command from the operations area.

    ▫️ Russian Federation Armed Forces continue launching attacks at military facilities located in Ukraine.

    ? On June 22, high-precision armament of Russian Aerospace Forces eliminated 49 fuel storage facilities designed for AFU military equipment, as well as up to 50 combat vehicles with multiple rocket launchers in hangars, including foreign-manufactured ones.

    ? High-precision armament of Russian Aerospace Forces has also neutralised 3 armoured vehicle reparation bases near Nikolayev, 4 command posts, manpower and military equipment at 18 areas.

    ✈️ Operational-tactical and army aviation has eliminated manpower and military equipment at 96 areas and 1 radar post near Konstantinovka (Kharkov region).

    ? Missile troops and artillery has neutralised 26 command posts, AFU manpower and military equipment at 364 areas, as well as Ukrainian artillery units at 58 areas, including 1 plattoon of M-777 155-mm howitzers on Kubansky island and 1 plattoon of Smerch MRLS near Novopokrovskoye (Donetsk People’s Republic).

    ▪️ 3 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mobile control posts have been destroyed near Zhovtnevaya, Kiselyovka and Barmashovo (Nikolayev region).

    ? Within the counter-battery warfare towards Donetsk, high-precision armament of Russian Aerospace Forces, missile troops and artillery have neutralised: 8 Ukrainian plattoons of Uragan MRLS near Avdeyevka, Vesyoloye, Dzerzhinsk, Novoluganskoye and Kurdyumovka, as well as 11 AFU cannon artillery plattoons at their firing positions near Novopokrovskoye, Galitsinovka, Artyomovsk, Chasov-Yar, Krutaya Balka, Avdeyevka, Novovesyolovka and near Kleban-Byk water storage basin that had been shelling the city of Donetsk and other settlements of the Donetsk People’s Republic.

    ✈️? Attacks launched by aviation, missile troops and artillery have resulted in the elimination of over 650 nationalists, 17 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 3 combat vehicles with Smerch MRLS, as well as 17 special vehicles.

    ?Russian air defence troops have destroyed 21 Ukrainian UAVs near Snake Island, Petropolye, Strelechye, Malaya Kamyshevakha, Dementiyevka (Kharkov region), Skadovsk (Kherson region), Donetsk, Gorlovka, Donetskiy (Donetsk People’s Republic), Gorskoye, Oknino (Lugansk People’s Republic) and Novaya Sburyevka (Kherson region).

    ? 1 Tochka-U ballistic missile has been intercepted near Peski Ratkovskiye (Kharkov region) and 22 MRLS projectiles near Donetsk, Makeyevka, Gorlovka, Kamyshevakha (Donetsk People’s Republic), Chervonoye, Izyum, Sukhaya Kamenka (Kharkov region) and above Snake Island.

    ? In total, 211 airplanes and 132 helicopters, 1,329 unmanned aerial vehicles, 349 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,750 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 647 combat vehicles equipped with multiple rocket-launching systems, 2,088 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 3,818 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

    https://t.me/mighty_russiaOP/2623

  • Realist

    Alexander Mercouris: “Day of Disaster for Ukraine in Donbass, UK Military Think Tank Confirms US Unable to Re-Arm Ukraine”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqXC22fRCBE

    The Return of Industrial Warfare

  • Realist

    “The situation in Ukraine is ‘overwhelmingly’ in favor of Russia: Lt Col Daniel Davis”

    Lt Col Daniel Davis discusses the advantage Russia holds over Ukraine

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/situation-ukraine-overwhelmingly-favor-russia-daniel-davis

  • Realist

    Alexander Mercouris: “Resistance Collapsing in Donbass, Economic Crises Wrack Europe, UK’s Johnson about to Fall”

    37 min

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2M9-ThmwyA

    Commenter NP332 (10 hours ago):

    “Every Ukrainian man, woman and child owes you a debt of gratitude Alexander. Why? Because you are spreading the truth about this unwinnable suicidal war that the Ukrainian government has forced upon its people. Although I stand with Russia on principle in this Special Military Operation, it is a tragedy that the Ukrainian military is being used as expendable cannon fodder in such an inhumane way and by spreading the truth I believe you are helping to bring this conflict to an end. You are one of the few handful of individuals that I have been listening to and you’ve earned my respect brother. I salute your efforts.”

    Commenter Daniel Hammersley (11 hours ago):

    “They have retreated from Severodontesk, to avoid encirclement, and now find themselves in a larger encirclement situation. Again, too little too late thanks to “Stand & Die” orders. Great coverage Alexander! Thank you once again for clarity, sobriety, and wisdom here.”

  • Cotour

    “In the future you will own nothing, and you will be happy”

    https://youtu.be/vn_os3ClS_k

  • Realist

    Military report for June 25th (Ukraine)

    https://t.me/mighty_russiaOP/2807

  • Realist: You are banned. You attempted to post another comment with obscenities, the third time you have violated this rule. I warned you the last time I would ban you if you did it again.

    I fully expect your operations to attempt to regain access with another ip address and new nickname. If so, I will be watching and will ban that new operative. You, like Russia, do not respect others.

  • Andi

    The article says 20 stone, which is 280 lbs. but I would tend to agree with you, Cotour, he looks a lot heavier than that.

    Five meals a day, washed down with a litre of vodka – wow, that’ll sure keep him in top shape…

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