What's going on in Ukraine?

[FalseBayFC]

Second one must have been carrying mortar/artillery rounds. Big explosion with secondaries.

[Hellraiser]

[TheFrog]

When I see these images, I wonder what is the actual amount of dead and seriously injured on both sides. 3 months of intense fighting must have taken its toll.

Kudos to the Ukrainian government coms department in controlling information so efficiently as well. Key in maintaining troops morale.

[laurent]

When I see these images, I wonder what is the actual amount of dead and seriously injured on both sides. 3 months of intense fighting must have taken its toll.

Kudos to the Ukrainian government coms department in controlling information so efficiently as well. Key in maintaining troops morale.

Did you see Le monde article on the Azovstal injuries ?

Amputation looksvery common :( . the heavy machine guns and rapid fire canon (12.7 and 30 mm) are going to smash bones beyond what can be fixed...

also in Azovstal they had no more antiseptics :(

https://www.lemonde.fr/international/ar ... _3210.html

[Rinkals]

It all makes sense, now!

[tabascoboy]

Surprise, surprise; the Russian forces being total shits to the people in the occupied areas that they supposedly came to liberate.

Frictions between Russian occupation administrations and pro-Russian collaborators is growing in occupied areas of Ukraine

[Hellraiser]

[MungoMan]

An interesting piece on Ukraine’s unified war-fighting strategy by a retired Australian major general. (Hoping this works given I’m not signed up to twitter).

[Rinkals]

Quite surprised this was allowed to air




EDIT: just seen I was beaten to it.

He has since changed his position.



It was assumed that Putin was attempting to manage Russian public expectations in preparation for a scaling down of objectives in Ukraine and a withdrawal, but it now seems that Putin is still determined to capture Kyiv.

[tabascoboy]

Russian armoured train blown up in occupied Ukraine - territorial defence

Ukrainian fighters have blown up an armoured train carrying Russian troops using an explosive device in the occupied southern city of Melitopol, the Ukrainian territorial defence force said today.

Russia's Ministry of Defence did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.

The city of Melitopol in the region of Zaporizhzhia lies in a belt of southern Ukrainian land that was occupied by Russian forces after they invaded on 24 February.

The Ukrainian territorial defence, the reservist branch of the armed forces, said an explosive device detonated directly under a carriage carrying servicemen.

Their statement, published on Facebook, did not elaborate on the extent of the damage.

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-news ... y-12541713

This seems to be the original source: https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/34 ... topol.html

[Niegs]

Apparently the railway has security, but they were distracted...

Spoiler

Show

[tabascoboy]

"They make a desert and call it peace"

Russian occupation authorities announced plans to destroy the Azovstal Steel Plant and turn Mariupol into a resort city, depriving Russia of some of the most important economic benefits it hoped to reap by taking the city in the first place. Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) Denis Pushilin stated that DNR authorities are planning to level Azovstal after completing its capture.[1] Azovstal was a major element of Mariupol’s economy before the war because of its unique function as a full-cycle metallurgical complex, the 10,000 jobs associated with production at the plant, the billions of dollars of foreign exchange earnings and taxes it generated, and its production output of 7,000 tons of steel, 6 million tons of iron, and 4.5 million tons of rolled metal, according to the Mariupol City Council.[2] Pushilin stated that the DNR intends to rebuild Mariupol to be a “resort city,” while admitting that 60% of the structures in Mariupol have been destroyed to the point where they cannot be rebuilt.[3] The announced plan to turn Mariupol into a center of tourism and leisure following the complete destruction of a major center of economic activity in Mariupol, is indicative of the damage that Russian troops have inflicted on themselves through the destruction of Mariupol. Russia does not need another resort town on the Black Sea. It does need the kind of hard currency that a plant like Azovstal had generated. This announcement epitomizes the kind of Pyrrhic victories Russian forces have won in Ukraine, to the extent that they have won victories at all.

https://understandingwar.org/background ... ent-may-18

Some European countries are once again toying with the idea that Ukraine should be forced to cease fire, even as its forces advance. This would be a disaster for the continent.

[TheFrog]

Nice Freudian slip.


https://www.euronews.com/2022/05/19/gaf ... on-of-iraq

[laurent]

Loks like Azovstal is not yet over...

no clue what they are up to



there was a criptic message from one of the commanders.

[TheFrog]

Looks like news coming from Ukraine are slowing down. Have we entered into the next phase of the war with both sides entrenched in their positions?

[laurent]

The Ukrainians are slowly retreating in the east near sloviansk this is getting worrying as the russians are destroying everything in their path.

Near Karkiv after some progress clearing the city subburbs things are stalled

South is stalled as well with minor advances by Russians

Some of the best twitter account

[Hellraiser]

I'm not sure if this is better or worse than digging trenches in Chornobyl.

[laurent]

I'm not sure if this is better or worse than digging trenches in Chornobyl.

Well that one is for a quick demise the other maybe long and very painful.

[derriz]

The Ukrainians are slowly retreating in the east near sloviansk this is getting worrying as the russians are destroying everything in their path.

Near Karkiv after some progress clearing the city subburbs things are stalled

South is stalled as well with minor advances by Russians

The huge advantages that the Ukrainians had at the start (mobility) is less of an advantage in this type of slug fest. I still expect them to win but it'll be much slower and with inevitable back and forth as the line of conflict is so long - neither side can concentrate their forces along its full length.

Also, it's not a huge surprise that the Russians would eventually revert to the brutal approach - win by destroying everything - if they started struggling. Unfortunately this was pretty much expected - unless the Ukrainians had managed a complete rout quickly in the East and South - which was never really likely.

[Hellraiser]

[TheFrog]

Are Ukraine forces at risk of being routed near Severodonetsk?

[Flockwitt]

Are Ukraine forces at risk of being routed near Severodonetsk?

Certainly not a rout. They may have to retreat out of the salient though if they can't plug the gap in the front on the south.

[TheFrog]

Are Ukraine forces at risk of being routed near Severodonetsk?

Certainly not a rout. They may have to retreat out of the salient though if they can't plug the gap in the front on the south.

Fingers crossed. At times I am concerned that the Ukrainians become euphoric and overstretched as they launch counter attacks.

I wish they had more missiles to hit Russians logistic routes ans bases, as well as missiles to force Russian ships out of range of their cities.

[Flockwitt]

Are Ukraine forces at risk of being routed near Severodonetsk?

Certainly not a rout. They may have to retreat out of the salient though if they can't plug the gap in the front on the south.

Fingers crossed. At times I am concerned that the Ukrainians become euphoric and overstretched as they launch counter attacks.

I wish they had more missiles to hit Russians logistic routes ans bases, as well as missiles to force Russian ships out of range of their cities.

It's a different sort of situation. The Russians were able to successfully penetrate one of the weaker Ukraine units in the front line, one of the conscript ones, doing some smart maneuvers in the process, to lever back and forth in the limited hole they made. Nothing really surprising in that the Ukrainians are fully committed to the field and there are still competent units and commanders in the Russian army. The reservists the UKrainians are arming from Western support and training up aren't due to be ready for a month or so yet.

Ukraine's had trouble simply throwing raw reservist units in the front line before, they're essentially simply light infantry and personally doubt they're going to do more of the same. Rather if they can't counter attack they will have to get out of Severodonetsk and give up a chunk of the salient.

[Hellraiser]

[Hellraiser]

[Hellraiser]

[Hellraiser]

[Flockwitt]

Things are a bit grim. The Russians still have enough heavy units to be able to take advantage of the break through.

[tabascoboy]

Hello, hello - another suspicious fire in Rusland

Russian firefighters have been battling a suspicious fire that broke out at the country’s aerospace institute, where many of their fighter jets have been developed.

The blaze, which broke out on Saturday, May 21, left thick black smoke in the sky over the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (CIA) in Zhukovsky, a facility involved in research on Russian warplanes.

The fire began at a power substation supplying the institute, 43 miles southeast of Moscow, as fears of a Ukrainian sabotage programme grow.

https://euroweeklynews.com/2022/05/21/s ... institute/

[fishfoodie]

Hello, hello - another suspicious fire in Rusland

Russian firefighters have been battling a suspicious fire that broke out at the country’s aerospace institute, where many of their fighter jets have been developed.

The blaze, which broke out on Saturday, May 21, left thick black smoke in the sky over the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (CIA) in Zhukovsky, a facility involved in research on Russian warplanes.

The fire began at a power substation supplying the institute, 43 miles southeast of Moscow, as fears of a Ukrainian sabotage programme grow.

https://euroweeklynews.com/2022/05/21/s ... institute/

Now that's one place I would love to wander around !

If you look on google maps, there's everything from a Bear, to Concordski, & a Buran around the taxiways in TsAGI

[Hellraiser]

[tabascoboy]

[FalseBayFC]

Drone footage of the 240mm SPG getting nailed by UA arty. A massive secondary explosion.

[tabascoboy]

[tabascoboy]

Russian paratrooper alleged to have been present in Bucha during the massacre identified from a photo published in an article in the NYT concerning the murder of 9 civilians. A native of Magadan in the far east of Siberia served with one of the two Air Assault Regiments charged with "cleaning up" the town. Even if he is not responsible personally, it gives hope that it's not impossible to find those who were - though getting any of them out of Russia to face war crimes charges might be.

[fishfoodie]

Russian paratrooper alleged to have been present in Bucha during the massacre identified from a photo published in an article in the NYT concerning the murder of 9 civilians. A native of Magadan in the far east of Siberia served with one of the two Air Assault Regiments charged with "cleaning up" the town. Even if he is not responsible personally, it gives hope that it's not impossible to find those who were - though getting any of them out of Russia to face war crimes charges might be.

Or just do what Israel did after Munich, & say fuck the rules of civilized Nations; because we aren't dealing with a civilized Nation, & send out assassination squads, & kill the murdering/raping bastards, & worry about the legal implication,when & if anyone gives a damn !

[Guy Smiley]

Or just do what Israel did after Munich, & say fuck the rules of civilized Nations; because we aren't dealing with a civilized Nation, & send out assassination squads, & kill the murdering/raping bastards, & worry about the legal implication,when & if anyone gives a damn !

Of course that's appealing... but any mission carried out on Russian territory invites a shitstorm that no-one needs.

[TheFrog]

Russian paratrooper alleged to have been present in Bucha during the massacre identified from a photo published in an article in the NYT concerning the murder of 9 civilians. A native of Magadan in the far east of Siberia served with one of the two Air Assault Regiments charged with "cleaning up" the town. Even if he is not responsible personally, it gives hope that it's not impossible to find those who were - though getting any of them out of Russia to face war crimes charges might be.

Or just do what Israel did after Munich, & say fuck the rules of civilized Nations; because we aren't dealing with a civilized Nation, & send out assassination squads, & kill the murdering/raping bastards, & worry about the legal implication,when & if anyone gives a damn !

Define a civilized nation....

[MungoMan]

Russian paratrooper alleged to have been present in Bucha during the massacre identified from a photo published in an article in the NYT concerning the murder of 9 civilians. A native of Magadan in the far east of Siberia served with one of the two Air Assault Regiments charged with "cleaning up" the town. Even if he is not responsible personally, it gives hope that it's not impossible to find those who were - though getting any of them out of Russia to face war crimes charges might be.

Or just do what Israel did after Munich, & say fuck the rules of civilized Nations; because we aren't dealing with a civilized Nation, & send out assassination squads, & kill the murdering/raping bastards, & worry about the legal implication,when & if anyone gives a damn !

Define a civilized nation....

Unnecessary, since the Israelis in any case weren’t dealing with a ‘nation’ in the modern sense of sovereign state.