Current Affairs Ukraine
- Thread starter Mutzo Nutzo
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Things getting bleak for Vlad, seems they've started paying roubles out by the word.
Nobody's taking the phrase 'EU aggression' seriously. Come on, feed that one back up to the Kremlin for a rework. To be afraid of the EU you'd need to be a dyed-in-the-wool Brexit-loving Daily Mail reader, and there can't be many of those left.
Nobody's taking the phrase 'EU aggression' seriously. Come on, feed that one back up to the Kremlin for a rework. To be afraid of the EU you'd need to be a dyed-in-the-wool Brexit-loving Daily Mail reader, and there can't be many of those left.
bluestevon
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ISW latest, more in the link.
Ukraine conducted a successful combined strike against military assets in the Russian rear on the night of November 19 to 20 using drones and Western-provided long-range weapons. The Guardian and Bloomberg both reported on November 20, citing anonymous sources, that Ukrainian forces have conducted the first strikes against military targets within Russia using UK-provided Storm Shadow missiles.[1] Geolocated footage published on November 20 shows the aftermath of a likely Storm Shadow strike near Marino, Kursk Oblast.[2] Several Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces launched up to 12 Storm Shadow missiles at Kursk Oblast, fragments of which struck Marino.[3] The geolocated footage of the strike suggests that the Ukrainian target may have been the Baryatinsky Estate in Marino, which the Ukrainian defense-focused outlet Defense Express suggested was housing a command post for Russian and North Korean troops operating in Kursk Oblast.[4] ISW cannot confirm this claim at this time, but Marino is about 30km from the current Kursk Oblast salient, which would be an appropriate distance for an operational headquarters for troops conducting offensives along the salient.
Ukrainian forces also conducted a large-scale drone strike against the Russian rear on the night of November 19 to 20, particularly targeting military and defense industrial assets in Voronezh, Belgorod, and Novgorod oblasts. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed that Russian air defense systems destroyed or intercepted a total of 44 Ukrainian drones as of the morning of November 20, including 20 over Novgorod Oblast; five over Kursk Oblast; four over Oryol Oblast; three each over Belgorod, Tula, and Tver oblasts; and two each over Bryansk, Moscow, and Smolensk oblasts.[5] Head of Ukraine's Center for Combatting Disinformation Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko stated on November 20 that Ukrainian drones struck the 13th Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) arsenal near Kotovo, Novgorod Oblast, at which Russian forces were reportedly storing ammunition for tube artillery; mortar mines; "Grad," "Smerch," and "Uragan" multi-launch rocket systems (MLRS) missiles; Iskander ballistic missiles; S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missiles; North Korean provided KN-23 ballistic missiles; and Tor surface-to-air system missiles.[6] Ukraine's Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported that Ukrainian forces also struck a command post of the Russian "Sever" (Nothern) Grouping of Forces in Gubkin, Belgorod Oblast.[7] Ukrainian and Russian sources additionally posted footage of the aftermath of a reported Ukrainian drone strike against the EFKO Factory in Alekseyevka, Belgorod Oblast, which Kovalenko stated produces cargo drones for the Russian military.[8] Russian sources reported that Ukrainian drones also hit an unspecified industrial enterprise in Voronezh Oblast and targeted an oil depot in Sosnovka, Samara Oblast.[9]
The November 19 to 20 strike series indicates that Ukraine has already begun leveraging Western-provided long-range weapons systems to assemble more complex and effective strike packages. Ukrainian forces notably utilized both long-range strike drones and Storm Shadow missiles in the November 19-20 strike and struck a diverse range of military targets across the Russian rear.
ISW has long assessed that the systems and capabilities that Western partners are providing Ukraine, alongside Ukraine's indigenous defense industrial production and innovation efforts, are all constituent components of wider capabilities that Ukraine requires to successfully wage a multi-domain large-scale modern war.[10] Ukraine has already proven itself effective in using often domestically-produced drones to strike a variety of military targets in the Russian rear, including air bases, command headquarters, and artillery depots.[11] Ukraine's arsenal already includes aerial and naval drones and Western-provided systems such as F-16s, HIMARS, and ATACMS, although the conditions of use on the latter systems have been restricted enough to limit the benefit Ukraine can accrue by using them.[12] The addition of more powerful and precise Western-provided systems, such as JASSMs and additional ATACMS, Storm Shadows, and SCALP systems, is crucial in enabling Ukraine to scale up the effects it can generate through long-range strikes against the Russian rear.
Russian forces, in contrast, have been experimenting and diversifying their strike packages to inflict maximum damage on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, conducting frequent strikes with a combination of Iranian-provided or Russian-produced Shahed drones and drone variants, North Korean-provided and domestically produced ballistic and cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles, and aerial bombs.[13]
Western restrictions on Ukraine's ability to use Western-provided weapons to strike within Russian territory have limited Ukrainian capabilities in developing commensurate strike packages. Ukraine requires continued Western military assistance, as well as domestic innovation and production, in order to continue building and utilizing strike packages to target the Russian rear and generate tactical to operational-level impacts on the battlefield.
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 20, 2024
Ukraine conducted a successful combined strike against military assets in the Russian rear on the night of November 19 to 20 using drones and Western-provided long-range weapons.www.understandingwar.org
Who runs the institute of war, oh yes, just happens to be Robert Kagan, the husband of ..... Victoria Neuland the same one who was in Kiev in 2014 handing out cookies to protesters, the same one who worked for the US state department.
No agenda
Yeah, well in this instance Russia launched an invasion of the Ukraine. Great both sidesing though
I'm trying to think of the last time the UK invaded another country.
I think this may mean you’re conveniently ignoring that since the war (sorry, SMO) begun, we have seen a large scaled mobilisation, including conscription.
Back in May, projections put over half a million Russian troops being involved 'at that time' in the attack on Ukraine, which was 26 months after it started.
If you compare it with regular troops numbers in Feb 2022, you're looking at between 55% and 70% of their original total standing army now being involved.
If you then factor in the obscene casualty rate since their war begun (conservative estimated looking at over 700,000), the figure balloons considerably.
You can then put in their number of tanks, IFVs, APCs, aircraft, SAM systems et al. lost (I could go on), and objective people will say they've thrown a lot at it...
... and failed. He's still throwing troops at it now, in large numbers, including DRK troops. And you then refer to the thinking that Kyiv would have fallen.
Looking back, the largest combined operation since 1945, including the beloved VDV landing outside Kyiv, was not some form of token force. It was huge.
The VDV landed at Hostomel Airport and were repulsed. A large column from the north, passing through Cherhiniv, aimed at Kyiv was also repulsed.
More Russian troops drove from the north-east (passing near to Sunny) and aimed at Kyiv, was repulsed. So to put it all simply, they tried to take Kyiv and failed.
Likewise, they tried to annexe large swathes of Ukraine at a minimum, and they failed. If you believe anything else, it's a time to pull out of the sand.
Any persecution is wrong, but have you read up Latvian history? Have you ever considered why Latvia may wish to politically align westward rather than to Russia?
Lativa was occupied by Russia - it wasn't mutual. Native Latvians were harshally persecuted under the Soviet machinery and the ethnic Balts minimalised.
This included restrictions on land ownership, religion and cultural; the political landscape changed to a structure of non-Latvian control of legislature.
The % of the population being native Latvians fell from over 3/4 to close to 1/2 in a 30-40 year period as the Soviet-block allowed unchecked migration to the region.
This was after a period from 1920 of independence, which had been sought after for years before due to the repressions under a previous Russian seizure of power.
So I'll go back to my point of Russia's tendrils weaved themselves into states within close proximity, influencing and bullying. Would this rebuttal damage pride?
It's almost as if Ukraine is something similar, with a history of repression under Russian control, and a miraculous desire to be independent of Moscow.
To try and succulently rebuke the whole 'NATO' aggression part: would Poland be justified in attacking Belarus due to a foreign belligerent massing troops there?
Would this not be an aggressive stance that would justify an invasion? Should the US have invaded Cuba due to its proximity?
While I will fully acknowledge how it may be uncomfortable for Russia to see NATO expansion, the elephants in the room are a) it's a by-product of Soviet policy...
... and b), NATO is a defensive organisation rather than aggressive. Putin and his cronies are more concerned about their 'pride' and lack of influence, nothing else.
I think if we froze the battlefield now you'd might be looking at Russia keeping the current 18% of the Ukrainian territory it occupies but in turn Ukraine joining NATO as part of the deal.
No matter how you look at it this whole "special military operation" has been a complete disaster for Putin's reputation, militarily, financially and strategically.
While trying to sure up his borders against NATO's movement eastwards,which to be fair to has happened,he's pushed Nordic states into the arms of Nato and will probably see Ukraine eventually join as well.
Just out of curiosity if you think Putin could have go all the way to Kyiv why didn't he?
Surely one of the main aims was to remove the "Western backed puppet government".
In your experience what does Putin think this existential threat is to the Russian state?
Surely this existential threat has no gripe with the everyday Russian on the streets?
It almost feels like a bogeyman created in his own mind into frightening the average Russian and in the process giving him carte blanche into invading countries who HE perceives as an existential threat to the state.
Spadge Vernacular
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Another late night in Russia eh
12:41, is that 03:41 Moscow area time. Proper night owl you Chico.
Spadge Vernacular
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Spot on Phil. Those initial days demonstrated how years of corruption and incompetence had rendered the Russian military into a third rate force.
Another late night in Russia eh
12:41, is that 03:41 Moscow area time. Proper night owl you Chico.
Strange hours for a teacher to be keeping too ?
Spadge Vernacular
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Indeed, the consistent posts around this time are one of the many things, as you say such as guise of being a teacher that have blown it for Steveski. This thread is casting a light over many of the GOT stable of managed accounts. The Spanish kid watcher is surely due to be tagged in soon
bluestevon
Player Valuation: £80m
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