What's going on in Ukraine?

[tabascoboy]

A mystery derailment...

Freight train derails near Russia's border with Ukraine, governor says
Reuters, June 10, 202310:33 PM GMT+1Updated 9 hours ago

June 11 (Reuters) - Fifteen cars of an empty freight train derailed in Russia's southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, the local governor said late on Saturday, adding there was no immediate information about the cause.

"According to preliminary information, there are no casualties," the governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The accident happened near a train station in the Alexeyevsky municipal district and the train was empty, Gladkov said. Reuters could not independently verify the report.

Blasts and attacks on the region's infrastructure have become nearly a daily reality in recent weeks, with officials blaming either Ukrainian forces or pro-Ukrainian saboteurs.

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.

[weegie01]

Not the same, but there is a lively debate locally about the number of Apache (general consensus) helicopters flying up and down our glen, and pulling some pretty extreme manoeuvres. Due to the topography of the glen we get a decent number of training flights. But it has always been fixed wing or Chinooks before. This is unprecedented in terms of type, numnber and frequency.

Evil looking things.

Five days in a row now. It is getting to the stage of complaining as they are frightening the livestock.

It is always two, but we are not sure if we see the same two at different times of the day. There is a roughly four hour gap between them going up the glen and coming down again.

I fianlly managed to get a video, but it is too big to upload.

[tabascoboy]

This is likely to cause more internal friction

[tabascoboy]

I know there's a fear that EU and NATO sanctions could drive Hungary even more into the arms of Russia, but at this point what, really, is there to lose?

Ukrainian prisoners of war who were transferred to Hungary by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) instead of going to Ukraine are reportedly preparing for a press conference, where they are expected to criticize Ukraine and express gratitude to the ROC, the Ukrainian media RBK reports, citing its sources in Ukrainian intelligence.

“The transfer of prisoners of war has not been coordinated with Ukraine in any way, and its rationale is explained by the ‘Zakarpathian origin’ of the soldiers. It is important to understand that all the mentioned soldiers are Ukrainian citizens, and therefore their relocation to any third country is impossible without the consent and direct participation of Ukraine,” a source stated, referring to the Ukrainian region with a significant Hungarian minority, bordering Hungary.

https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/06/10/ ... ox-church/

[Hellraiser]

Telegram sources saying the Russians have suffered 18-19k casualties in the South in the past week;

4,500 - 5,000 KIA
13,700 - 14,500 WIA

meaning that Russia has lost 25% of its forces in the South. Also despite Ukraine not having yet committed the majority of its available forces to battle, the Russians have already burned through 75% of their reserves to plug gaps in the front and reinforce retreating units.

[tabascoboy]

EDIT and also now in Crimea, that sounds planned!

[petej]

In case anyone sees it, there is a report from a Dutch source who states UA forces are in battle 25km from Tokmak with info from a supposed RU deserter. This is completely unsubstantiated and best treated as no more than baseless rumour or mere wishful thinking unless verified. There is however partisan activity in the city itself which appears to be genuine, very little detail though.

Yes, the open question, what to do about the fortified settlements. If you can't outflank them they become an enormous issue. Just what the Ukrainian plan is here with Tokmak is going to be the crux of it.

How much of an advantage is to retake settlements where the population is on your side? With kherson didn't seem to struggle with the city itself compared to Russia and mariupol.

[Flockwitt]

In case anyone sees it, there is a report from a Dutch source who states UA forces are in battle 25km from Tokmak with info from a supposed RU deserter. This is completely unsubstantiated and best treated as no more than baseless rumour or mere wishful thinking unless verified. There is however partisan activity in the city itself which appears to be genuine, very little detail though.

Yes, the open question, what to do about the fortified settlements. If you can't outflank them they become an enormous issue. Just what the Ukrainian plan is here with Tokmak is going to be the crux of it.

How much of an advantage is to retake settlements where the population is on your side? With kherson didn't seem to struggle with the city itself compared to Russia and mariupol.

Hard to say. I'm not sure if we'll find out either, the Ukrainians will be doing everything they can to avoid the urban warfare scenario.

We need to be careful when talking about settlements though, it's been one of the mistakes of the Russians who have fixated on taking places for brownie points rather than the highlands and strategic locations. Tokmak is a road hub in a hollow, it's the heights around it that are fortified, the settlement itself isn't likely to come into play so much in that once the heights are taken the town is going to be tough to hold. But the town is encircled in fortifications with roads leading into it from multiple locations. Difficult to outflank and very difficult to assault directly if held in force.

[dkm57]

Take the heights, cut the supply/communication routes. Ukranians have good night and thermal vision drones, even their sniper rifles have good night vision scopes.

[Flockwitt]

Take the heights, cut the supply/communication routes. Ukranians have good night and thermal vision drones, even their sniper rifles have good night vision scopes.

A lot easier said than done as we're seeing right now as the Ukrainians struggle to get momentum even through the first line of defence. Still they're grinding forward.

[Blackmac]

Take the heights, cut the supply/communication routes. Ukranians have good night and thermal vision drones, even their sniper rifles have good night vision scopes.

Plus I wouldn't imagine that and Russians cut off in these areas will be well supplied for a siege.

[Hellraiser]

[Hellraiser]

[fishfoodie]

Take the heights, cut the supply/communication routes. Ukranians have good night and thermal vision drones, even their sniper rifles have good night vision scopes.

Plus I wouldn't imagine that and Russians cut off in these areas will be well supplied for a siege.

Yeah, the bitching from the Orcs over the lack of ammo has been consistent for months now, & you have to imagine that they're saving the resupply for the last stand position, so these ones are bugging out when they've more or less run out.

The Ukrainians know how bad the supply situation is, & that's why they're going after the trains, & ammo dumps, so they can limit any resupply.

[Hellraiser]

When Russians complain about lack of ammo it generally has to be contextualised. For the most part they are complaining that they don't have the thousands of shells available to haphazardly carpet strike their assigned target into oblivion as a substitute for precision fire.

[Hellraiser]

[Gumboot]

Fascinating thread. Thanks.

[tabascoboy]

Could the RU propagandists have falsely claimed that UA took Makarivka just so they say they took it back?



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I wouldn't put it past them...

In the temporarily occupied Armiansk in the north of the Crimean Peninsula, the russians are preparing for the evacuation of both representatives of the occupation administration and the local population, — Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine.

Due to the terrorist attack at the Kakhovka HPP, production processes at the "Crimean Titan" plant in Armiansk were disrupted to a critical level. At the same time, the russians are mining the factory, which is still operating.

The terrorist attack on the "Crimean Titan" enterprise, for which the russians are preparing, will mean an artificial man-made catastrophe, terrible in its consequences. About 200 tons of industrial ammonia are used in the company's refrigeration equipment.

[Flockwitt]

^It's perfectly possible, the Russians counter attacked previously driving the Ukrainians out of a settlement... only to lose it again as the Ukrainians attacked again from another direction. Makarivka is in the lowlands, it's holding the higher ground which is more important of course and the Ukranians likely quite happy to retreat without taking unnecessary casualties. Still the reports I've seen have the Russians pulling right out of the salient to form a second line of defence. Not quite back at the full line of fortifications.

[tabascoboy]

The more pressure they get put under, the more they lose the plot

[tabascoboy]

Although this is reported on from other sources too, NOTE - This image is from May 1 and taken in the Bryansk region in Russia NOT in Melitopol last night.

[tabascoboy]

[Hellraiser]

[tabascoboy]

[derriz]

I know there's a fear that EU and NATO sanctions could drive Hungary even more into the arms of Russia, but at this point what, really, is there to lose?

F*ck 'em - I wish there were a legal mechanism to kick them out of the EU and NATO. Orban's Hungary is not just a dead weight in the EU, it's actively a liability. Let them cuddle up to Russia if they want.

[tabascoboy]

Best of friends, no really...

[Hellraiser]

[Hellraiser]

[tabascoboy]

Had been claimed by UA and now confirmed

russians announced the liquidation in Ukraine of the Chief of Staff of the 35th Combined Arms Army of the russian federation, – Major General Serhiy Horyachev.

The officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Anatolii Shtefan confirmed that on the night of June 13, soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated Horyachev and a number of other senior officers of the headquarters of the 35th Army of the russian federation.

[tabascoboy]

[Hellraiser]

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[tabascoboy]

[dkm57]

That was impressive.

[Blake]

Nice

[tabascoboy]

From another area of the conflict zone, near kreminna

[tabascoboy]

[tabascoboy]

More tyrant muscle flexing

[tabascoboy]