Russia

Reports are 20,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, ready to deploy to Ukraine. Already one combat battalion (about 600 NKs) and technical advisors on operating the NK missile batteries have been in Ukraine. Confirmed reports from various and reliable sources, from both sides, that the NKs have suffered casualties. Numbers of KIA and wounded not confirmed.

Now, what can these 20,000 NKs do to change the situation on the ground? Depending on who you ask, could be "a lot" or "absolutely nothing." The Ukrans are saying, bring it on, they'll just slaughter the NKs like they have been slaughtering the Russians. Some sources are saying, no, these are crack, elite, well-trained, and highly motivated North Korean troops, and the Ukrans had better get ready for a different beast. Needs to be pointed out that none of these NK troops have actual combat experience, so who knows how they will react when the chit hits the fan? It depends on what Ukrainian units they come up against. If the NKs are deployed opposite some of Ukraine's militia units or their fresh troops, themselves rather new to combat, then the NKs will probably have some success. But if they first go into combat opposite one of Ukraine's elite veteran units, then it won't go well for Fat Boy's boys. Very cleverly, Ukraine plans to contact the North Koreans inviting them to defect and join the good guys. That would be awesome if they did.

Reports that Ukrainian F-16s have become the hunters and are seeking combat with Russian jets. One confirmed encounter resulted in a very easy victory for a Ukran F-16 downing a Russian SU-34. Other reports flooding out of the propaganda world, from both sides, have some wild happenings. Obviously, the wilder reports, from both sides, are just BS. But it has been confirmed by western intelligence sources that Ukrainian F-16 pilots have been ordered to get aggressive and seek combat with Russian jets. So, it's about to get hot in the air.

Special Buryat Battalion of North Korean soldiers, 3,000 strong, has been brigaded within the Russian 11th Air Assault Brigade, paratroopers, considered to be an elite unit in Putin's army. First official acknowledgement by the Kremlin that NK troops are being deployed in Ukraine. The 11th Air Assault Brigade has enjoyed success in Ukraine, usually winning tactically or at least not getting their butts kicked like other Putin units have. Rumors of 100,000 North Koreans headed to Ukraine are just that, rumors. But, there is confirmation of 20,000 NKs sent to Russia. How many of those will actually be deployed in Ukraine is not known. Some sources say a good portion of those 20,000 will be assigned to protect NK arms sent to Russia, trying to prevent a repeat of the loss of all the NK missiles blown to bits last week.

But, this is the very first deployment of foreign troops in the Russia-Ukraine war. Wait, you say, thought there were plenty of foreigners fighting in the war, on both sides. There are, but those are all paid mercenaries or volunteers there on their own dime and volition. These North Korean soldiers represent the first nation-sent troops, nation-sanctioned. Does this, or will this, represent an escalation and will we now see other nations officially send troops into this conflict? Several NATO nations have mentioned it as a possibility, so will this open the door?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

Reports are 20,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, ready to deploy to Ukraine. Already one combat battalion (about 600 NKs) and technical advisors on operating the NK missile batteries have been in Ukraine. Confirmed reports from various and reliable sources, from both sides, that the NKs have suffered casualties. Numbers of KIA and wounded not confirmed.

Now, what can these 20,000 NKs do to change the situation on the ground? Depending on who you ask, could be "a lot" or "absolutely nothing." The Ukrans are saying, bring it on, they'll just slaughter the NKs like they have been slaughtering the Russians. Some sources are saying, no, these are crack, elite, well-trained, and highly motivated North Korean troops, and the Ukrans had better get ready for a different beast. Needs to be pointed out that none of these NK troops have actual combat experience, so who knows how they will react when the chit hits the fan? It depends on what Ukrainian units they come up against. If the NKs are deployed opposite some of Ukraine's militia units or their fresh troops, themselves rather new to combat, then the NKs will probably have some success. But if they first go into combat opposite one of Ukraine's elite veteran units, then it won't go well for Fat Boy's boys. Very cleverly, Ukraine plans to contact the North Koreans inviting them to defect and join the good guys. That would be awesome if they did.

Reports that Ukrainian F-16s have become the hunters and are seeking combat with Russian jets. One confirmed encounter resulted in a very easy victory for a Ukran F-16 downing a Russian SU-34. Other reports flooding out of the propaganda world, from both sides, have some wild happenings. Obviously, the wilder reports, from both sides, are just BS. But it has been confirmed by western intelligence sources that Ukrainian F-16 pilots have been ordered to get aggressive and seek combat with Russian jets. So, it's about to get hot in the air.

---

It's happening already! A gun battle erupted when Russian MPs tried to detain North Korean troops who had just deserted and were trying to reach Ukrainian lines to surrender/defect. No reports on any casualties, but there is confirmed drone video footage, from a Ukranian drone, showing the firefight.

Reports that the elite Ukranian armored brigade, the 47th, is being sent to Kursk. Probably true because an advance unit of the 47th was engaged in a fight in Kursk, along the northern portion of the salient where the Russians have amassed a large force. Is the whole 47th Brigade being sent or just elements of it? Will have to wait for more details to be released. Either way, this represents a true commitment to trying to hold the gains in Kursk. The 47th Brigade has been hugely successful wherever it has fought, and if they are in Kursk that means they won't be defending Ukranian ground.

Australia is sending 49 decommissioned Abrams tanks to Ukraine. This is another huge gain for Ukraine. These Aussie tanks have just been rotated out of their frontline units and are in perfect mechanical condition. All the Ukrans will have to do is enhance the armor for anti-drone protection and they will be deployed to their combat units.

The last few days have been relatively quiet, by this war's standards. Yes, there is combat somewhere along the 900-mile front daily, but there have been no major battles/news to report. Winter is coming on and both sides are digging in and are preparing winter quarters.

Things are slowing down on the frontlines, just sparring, and some gains/losses, back and forth. Both sides have enjoyed some successes and suffered some setbacks.

The only confirmed report of North Korean defections has just 18 NK soldiers now safely with the Ukrainians. It is not known about the number of casualties that occurred when Russian MPs got into a gunbattle with some of the NKs trying to defect. There are reports, some of them too extreme to believe, of hundreds of NKs having defected. And there are reports of some of the NK officers expressing complaints about how the Russians planned to use the NKs...as cannon fodder.

Western intelligence sources say Fat Boy sent NKs to fight in Ukraine so his field commanders can gain combat experience, since no one presently in the NK army has seen actual combat.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

Reports that the elite Ukranian armored brigade, the 47th, is being sent to Kursk. Probably true because an advance unit of the 47th was engaged in a fight in Kursk, along the northern portion of the salient where the Russians have amassed a large force. Is the whole 47th Brigade being sent or just elements of it? Will have to wait for more details to be released. Either way, this represents a true commitment to trying to hold the gains in Kursk. The 47th Brigade has been hugely successful wherever it has fought, and if they are in Kursk that means they won't be defending Ukranian ground.

.

---

Great video shot by a Ukrainian surveillance drone, shows a Ukran tank, of the 47th Brigade, rolling down a road blasting parked Russian vehicles in fields on both sides of the road. The lone tank destroyed 11 vehicles, including 2 tanks, 4 BMPs (their version of the Bradley) and 5 APCs. The drone operators are heard cheering on the tank. All the vehicles had crews in them, this occurred right at daybreak and the stupid Russians were sleeping in their vehicles, no guards placed, no warning. One or two wounded Russians could be seen staggering away from their burning vehicle, but I suspect most of them were killed. The Ukran tank was either an Abrams or a Leopard II, they resemble each other closely and with all the enhanced armor placed on them by the Ukrans, it's hard to tell them apart. This happened in Kursk.

More bodycam footage...brutal...one clip of the 3rd Assault Brigade clearing out Russian trenches and bunkers in Kharkiv. Russians are given a chance, usually one chance to surrender, and the 3rd's soldiers don't ask again.

Also somewhere in Kharkiv a Russian fort was obliterated by Ukrainian (US made) HIMARS missiles. The forest where the fort had been built was nothing but a smoking ruin. There had been wooden structures, trenches, bomb-proof shelters, bunkers, and camouflaged tents to park vehicles under. A Russian soldier is videoing the ruins and narrating what he sees, often cussing and lamenting his dead comrades. On a service I subscribe to shows the raw, unedited video...lots of dead Russians, including corpses burnt to a crisp. The narrator cusses the commanders, calling them all kinds of names, and then you hear gunfire in the distance, getting closer...the Russian narrator shouts toward another soldier asking him what's going on. That soldier replies, "we're under attack by Ukrainian infantry." The narrator then laments, "Damn motherf**kers, bomb us out and now won't leave us be."

Russia continues to seize ground, slower lately, and continue to lose soldiers at an alarming rate. Just saw a very reliable source claiming in the past 10 days Russia has lost another 15,000 soldiers KIA/severely wounded, and over 1,100 vehicles. Putin doesn't dare push his draft policy any further and his paying Russians to volunteer is not filling his vacant ranks. He hopes Fat Boy will send him enough soldiers to replace his empty battalions, but most pundits don't think so. As of now best estimates place NK troops ready to go into combat at about 11,000, and according to Russian sources, Fat Boy has only agreed to having most of his soldiers fight only in Kursk, not in Ukraine. Sans the one battalion which has seen combat in Ukraine.

On the subject of mercenaries and other volunteers, for both sides. Americans make up 30% of all foreign soldiers fighting in Ukraine's Foreign Legion, as they are called. Putin has a much larger, broader contingent of foreigners fighting for him. This week a company of Egyptians were wiped out in a battle near Chasis Yar. Those not killed were captured, a total of 80 soldiers. The captured Egyptians say they were paid...or were to be paid if they fought for six months. None of them, or the dead ones' families, will see a dime of Putin's money.

In many ways, this has become a "world war" already.

The Russian "elite" 155th Marine Division (or elements of it) was obliterated when they tried a sweeping end-run around the Ukrainian flank in the fighting in Kharkiv. The Russians actually tried some good tactics, by first sending an attack against the Ukran right flank near a village on a lake, an elongated lake which serves as a natural barrier to any Russian advances there, hoping to draw the Ukrainians' attention away from their left flank allowing the 155th to complete a successful movement behind the Ukran defenders. Only the Russians seem to have forgotten (again!) what drones can do and the Ukrans had seen the 155th massing for an attack for the past two days. Therefore, they were ready for it. They allowed the 155th to emerge in open fields about 2 miles beyond their lines, thus isolating the attacking units, and then Bam! Kaboom! drones swooped in supported by concentrated Ukrainian artillery fire. First reports by pro-Ukrainian sources claim 1,700 KIA and the destruction of 40+ armored vehicles, including 15 tanks. Whatever the actual numbers/damage, it is clear the 155th Marine Division suffered a huge defeat.

In a related, and very ironic, story, seems Russian officials in the Kremlin are worried the North Koreans have not been properly schooled/trained in dealing with drones on the battlefield. Well, if the Russians do the training, then the NKs will suffer the same setbacks from Ukran drone attacks. The Russians haven't learned the lesson themselves.

Update on the above post. After the 155th was crushed, the Russians making the demonstration "attack" on the Ukran right, panicked and retreated. Retreated in an unorganized, pell-mell skedaddle, and the Ukrainians followed closely behind, gobbling up prisoners, and because they were mixing in with the withdrawing Russians, the Russians could not cover them with artillery. It was so bad that the Ukran forces crossed the border into Russia, Belgorod Oblast, and at latest report are still advancing capturing hundreds of Russians, seizing abandoned equipment. Not sure how far they could, or should, go, but the wonderful Russian attack has completely collapsed and turned into a disaster.

And this, South Korea announced it is considering sending troops to fight for Ukraine to offset the North Koreans fighting for Putin. This might lead to those two hooking up in their own border war, so I am not sure South Korea should follow through with this move. Doesn't appear Ukraine needs the help, not after what they have been accomplishing recently.

Reports are Ukrainians, in the 501st Infantry Battalion, extracted revenge on 30 members of a platoon in the Russian 155th Marine Division. According to reports, this Russian platoon executed 9 Ukrainian drone operators who were captured a couple of weeks ago when their position was overrun. The Russians recorded the incident and put it out on social media, boasting, laughing while they shot the 9 POWs. They proudly announced who they were holding up a pennant with the unit designation and showing their arm patches as well. The Ukran drone operators were attached to the 501st Battalion. This Russian platoon was included in the hundreds of Russian marines captured yesterday. When the Ukrans realized who they had...and it was a battalion of the 82nd Ukran Paratrooper Battalion who captured those Russians...they contacted the 501st and said they were sending them a gift. According to reports (unconfirmed) those Russians were executed this morning by the 501st soldiers in an act of revenge.

Have to wait for reliable, independent confirmation of this report. It is true, confirmed, that members of that Russian platoon did execute the 9 drone operators.

Whoa! Russia has gotten so desperate trying to retake Kursk that reports are flooding the cyberworld about a massive Russian attack against the Ukrainian left, northern, flank in the Kursk salient. Early reports, as usual, are sketchy with sources mixing in speculation with the facts; that is standard MO. But what is clear is that Russia has indeed launched some kind of large attack in that region.

Yesterday, a company of North Koreans walked into an ambush and were wiped out. This has been confirmed as there is video, and photos, of Ukrainian soldiers standing over the bodies of 8 dead NK officers, ranks from lieutenant to major. And video of a trench being dug by an excavator with piles of dead NK soldiers to be buried. The Russians had warned the NK commander not to advance along a road until drones could be sent ahead to scout it. The NKs thought they knew better and literally marched up the road and were slaughtered. Reports are of 100+ dead NKs, one report saying 150 were killed and another 40-50 wounded and now POWs, being treated in a Ukran field hospital. One of my favorite old sayings is: SOMETIMES YOU WIN, SOMETIMES YOU LEARN.

Back to the reports, we should get reliable information on this large Russian attack sometime today.

Poland to transfer about 30 Mig-29's to Ukraine. Older jets, but the Ukrans already know how to fly them and maintain them, so they will be operational soon after arriving. This is good news for Ukraine's long-term security. After they defeat Putin they will need a strong national defense and can use all the help they can get.

It's not all good news. The Russians are about to capture Selydove, another town along the eastern front. The Russians brought in reinforcements and using small unit infantry tactics they were able to work their way through the central part of the town, which has high-rise apartment and commercial buildings, and they simply wore down the much out-numbered Ukrainian defenders. The western suburbs are still being held by Ukraine, but those will be overrun in the next few days.

This fight is typical of most of the urban battles being fought in Ukraine. Both sides use sewers, and also dig tunnels connecting basements of adjacent buildings. In this way they can advance without being exposed to drones and artillery fire. It becomes a close-up, grind of a fight, usually lasting many months and costing many hundreds, even thousands of lives. The battle for Selydove began in earnest in July, so some three months of intense street, house-to-house combat.

The Ukran defenders were two battalions of the 21st Infantry Brigade. One of the commanders said his men have been involved in almost non-stop fighting for three months, day after day, with no rest. The Russians enjoy huge advantages in numbers, and can rotate the units involved in the fighting, while the Ukranian defenders just have to remain and tough it out. The Ukran commander says such situations put an enormous strain, physically and mentally, on his soldiers. In many ways, these fights are repeats of "The Alamo." Only, the Ukrainians get most of their men out and leave behind many hundreds dead Russians.

Heros...

A YouTuber showed a graph on the actual ground Putin has seized since his evil invasion in February, 2022. It's a month-by-month accounting based on square kilometers. The graph peaked in March, 2022 when Putin held about 27% (including Crimea) of Ukrainian territory. By April, 2022 it was down to 18% and it has pretty much stayed around that number ever since. When Russia seizes ground, like recently at Selydove, they always lose ground elsewhere, like they did over night near Pokvosk. And, of course, since Putin's March, 2022 highwater mark, he has lost portions of his own country in Kursk Oblast.

Lithuania is gearing up for war. They are fortifying their borders with Belarus and Kaliningrad (Russian enclave). They are not planning to go on the offensive...except maybe to invade Kaliningrad... but rather are expecting to be invaded by Putin and his allies in Belarus. The other Baltic states, Latvia and Estonia, are taking a more passive stance not wanting to provoke Putin, but both have said they will defend their sovereign territory against any and all would-be invaders.

Still going! After Ukraine smashed Russia's recent offensive in Kharkiv they followed the retreating Russians across the border into Belgorod. As of this morning the Ukran units are still advancing. A Ukrainian officer responded to a reporter's question about destroying the remnants of those Russian forces, being asked when will this operation end? The Ukran commander replied, "They are retreating faster than we can advance."

Unconfirmed reports of a Ukranian counterattack on their left flank in Kursk. One, probably over-zealous, report claims the 20,000 Russians directly involved in their attack of last week, have been cutoff and trapped. Doubtful, given the disparity in the numbers. Best estimates show those 20,000 Russians were opposed by fewer than 2,000 Ukrainians. Most reliable sources place the entire Ukrainian force operating in Kursk as less than 15,000...the ISW still shows 11,000 on their official website. It is true Ukraine has sent some reinforcements, like the recent deployment of the 47th Armored Brigade, into Kursk. But they have also rotated some exhausted units out. Keep in mind some of these reports are purposely inaccurate to prevent the Kremlin from knowing exactly what they are up against.

What is confirmed is after an initial success the Russian counterattack against the Ukran left flank in Kursk has stalled.