Russia

A Putin chemical plant has gone kaboom! This one in Azot. A fuel and lubricant warehouse used by the Russian military was destroyed in Pushkino. A reporter was questioning if it was the result of an accident or sabotage. Hmmm...my guess is sabotage. Three more hits on Russian railroad tracks last night. That's the beauty of taking out rail lines. The line can cover 1,000 miles, but if you destroy one section of it, especially a bridge, it renders the whole line unusable...at least until the line is repaired.

Of course, while Ukraine carefully targets military and key infrastructure in Russia, Putin continues to randomly attack civilians in Ukraine. Part of his terrorist strategy. Last night Russian missiles struck apartment complexes in Kharkiv City, 3 people killed, 22 injured. Those numbers likely to rise as rescue workers continue looking through the rubble.

A Russian regiment has been encircled in Sumy Oblast, part of Putin's already failed "grand summer offensive."

Was a Russian supply/equipment train destroyed? Usually when such things happen there is clear evidence, shared all over social media. But in this case the reports have not been verified. Have to wait to see.

The Trump administration has diverted 20,000 anti-drone missiles to "the middle east," which I assume means Israel, that were intended for Ukraine by the Biden administration. This news is not well-received in Ukraine, of course, nor in Europe. And the Putin Propagandists are having a field day with this news claiming Putin has forced Trump to "play nice in the Ukraine sand box" because Trump is nothing but the TACO Man, a real chicken-shit when faced with a true world leader like Putin. If the shoe fits...

Russia has gained some ground, especially in the Pokrosvk area. Same equation: lots of dead Russians, blown to bits equipment in exchange for a few acres of farmland seized.

Confirmation: Ukraine destroyed a Russian supply/equipment train. 13 tanks and 100+ other vehicles were either destroyed or severely damaged. The Train is kaput as is that rail line, at least for a while.

Now, here's the best part, how the Ukrans did it. A boxcar carrying Ukran drones was included in the line of rail cars and then the roof of the boxcar opened releasing attack drones that swarmed the train. Ukrainian Special Ops orchestrated this clever attack but of course, as usual, they got help from anti-Putin Russians. These partisans worked for the RR and introduced the drone car at a routine railcar pickup along the route. And these partisans are now wanted by Putin's Police, but they have disappeared. Good stuff!

As Napoleon said, amateurs focus on tactics, professionals focus on logistics.

The Kerch Bridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNbt8z-kOY4

Good overview by a structural civil engineer on the "over-built" Russian bridge at Crimea. You engineering geeks will enjoy this video.

Putin lost two more crucial plants overnight, one a gunpowder plant, the other a chemical plant that produces needed lubricants, fuel and ingredients used in artillery shells and missiles. Of course, Putin's response was to attack and kill Ukrainian women and children with numerous strikes on apartment buildings. He is a POS.

Putin propagandists were celebrating an incursion into another Ukrainian oblast, this one Dnipro (that's the shortened name of it). Well, with one of their drones videoing, a grand total of 8 Russian soldiers waded a creek that is the boundary between Donetsk and Dnipro oblasts, carrying a Russian flag. These 8 brave souls, the entirety of this "invasion force," then advanced 100 yards up a small hill and were last seen running for their lives when Ukran drones appeared. The Putin version of the released video was edited to show these 8 fellows waving the Russian flag. The Ukrainian version, which is unedited reality, shows at least two of these "invaders" being killed by a drone dropping a grenade. The fate of the other 6 is unknown. It is assumed they retreated back across the creek. END OF GALLANT INCURSION.

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Originally Posted by dawg80

Was a Russian supply/equipment train destroyed? Usually when such things happen there is clear evidence, shared all over social media. But in this case the reports have not been verified. Have to wait to see.

The Trump administration has diverted 20,000 anti-drone missiles to "the middle east," which I assume means Israel, that were intended for Ukraine by the Biden administration. This news is not well-received in Ukraine, of course, nor in Europe. And the Putin Propagandists are having a field day with this news claiming Putin has forced Trump to "play nice in the Ukraine sand box" because Trump is nothing but the TACO Man, a real chicken-shit when faced with a true world leader like Putin. If the shoe fits...

Russia has gained some ground, especially in the Pokrosvk area. Same equation: lots of dead Russians, blown to bits equipment in exchange for a few acres of farmland seized.

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Now we see the reason for this diversion of the anti-drone missiles. The US knew Israel was going to attack Iran and knew Iran would try to retaliate with drones. It wasn't just for Israel, most of the 20,000 missiles went to our troops/bases in the Middle East.

So...Mark Levin and others in the "MAGA" movement and in the White House are expressing celebratory congrats for Israel striking Iran's nuke program. They say we KNOW Iran will use nukes against Israel and against US targets with nukes because THEY HAVE SAID SO! Oh, so when Iran says they WILL do something evil, we must believe what they say. Okay.

Putin and his regime will attack other European nations if they are ever capable of it. But in this case, we do NOT know this to be true even though THEY HAVE SAID SO!

Do any of you anti-Ukraine supporters (i.e support the US not helping Ukraine) understand why the rest of the world thinks Trump, his administration, and those advocating to make nice with Putin are nuts!?

It’s pretty simple. Israel is more important than Ukraine.

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Originally Posted by PawDawg

It’s pretty simple. Israel is more important than Ukraine.

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Hmmm...I see equal importance in standing up to tyrannical regimes like Iran and Putin. They are both evil and both need to be utterly destroyed. You see, I focus on the evil-doers, not so much their current targets of aggression. Yes, I support Israel 100% but I also support Ukraine because they are both the "low-hanging fruit" of the two evil empires. Here's the bigger point: neither will stop with Israel and Ukraine. And another point, the Chicoms are watching. If the US and our allies don't take a firm stand to defeat evil aggression, including Putin's, this will just encourage Xi to act, and that will lead to World War III for sure.

I support Israel utterly wiping out Iran. Take off the gloves and go for it.

And, Ukraine offers the perfect opportunity to defeat Putin's evil regime, and all we, and our allies, have to do is support Ukraine with equipment/ammo, and...and this is hugely important...slam Putin with REAL sanctions. Not the current bullshit of the EU buying $240 billion worth of Putin's O&G. Japan is ignoring the sanctions of buying oil from Putin's shadow fleet.

I do NOT want a single US serviceman (or woman) put in harm's way defending Israel and Ukraine. But, we don't have to do that. Just support Israel and Ukraine with supplies of arms and ammo, and sanctions against Russia and Iran.

As I have posted before, I find myself in the middle of the "argument" of US support for Ukraine and the seeming support for Putin, as some around the world claim. Case in point, the recent Marco Rubio comment congratulating "Russia" on "Russia Day" some kind of historic celebration for them. European commentators went nutso over this. But, as I point out on several blogs, read carefully what Rubio actually said. He congratulated "Russians" NOT Putin or his evil regime. And, more subtlety, he sent a message to the average Russian citizen that we have their back, should they rise up against Putin's regime. I can guarantee that Trump played a role in crafting this message. I have studied Donald Trump for some 10 years now, and while he often says dumb things, there is usually a hidden reason for it. I think this is one of those times. Rubio's message, just a few sentences, is perfectly stated and harbors Trump's/the US's real intentions.

And this lil tidbit...Putin's military is falling apart, literally. Great video of two Russian SU-25 fighter-bombers making an attack run over Ukranian-held Kursk territory. It looks like the trailing SU-25 shot down the other as they were banking in a sharp turn. This was first reported as a friendly-fire incident, oops! But closer examination of the video, shot by a hovering Ukran recon drone, shows what actually happened. The right wing of the Russian jet tore off under the strain of the hard, banking turn...this to avoid Ukrainian ground fire. The pilot was able to bail out and survived the quick return to Earth, from less than 1,000 feet up. He was injured and has been taken prisoner as he landed in Ukrainian-occupied ground, in Kursk.

Ukraine has been winning lately, the past 72 hours. Ukran special ops (HUR) working with various partisan groups, like ATESH, have delivered blow after blow against Putin's military and important logistic infrastructure. And, for the first time, struck in the Russian-occupied territory of Kaliningrad. A power plant was sabotaged causing the plant to be practically destroyed, given the Russians lack the spare parts to make repairs.

On the ground Ukraine has completely stymied Putin's offensive in Sumy and has destroyed Russian units in Kursk in a brilliant counterattack.

And, Iran's war with Israel is depriving Putin of much-needed drones and other ammo/supplies since Iran was furnishing Putin with drones, etc. but is now using them themselves.

"Georgie" the Polish YouTuber who normally is spot on with his facts posted some not-so-good stats. He says Ukraine is down to about 20,000 effectives, soldiers actually still engaged in the war. Says Ukraine has suffered over 60,000 desertions the past 4 months, or so. Ukrainian officials, I guess their Military Police, are arresting deserters by the hundreds (thousands?) Some of these "deserters" say they had no choice as they had run out of ammo and support (food and water too) and saw no reason to remain on the front line just to get killed because they could not defend themselves. Guess we'll see what comes of this news.

Now, to show that Ukraine doesn't really need a lot of boots-on-the-ground, 6 members of the 33rd Separate Brigade, manning a trench in the Sumy region faced long odds. No less than 100 Russian armored vehicles, including 20 tanks, some APCs and IFVs, came rolling up two roads in columns. The 6 soldiers, commanded by a woman sergeant, hunkered down and put up a fight. Russian soldiers deployed from the APCs, at least 40 of them, got into the trench and close-up fighting ensued. The 6 Ukrans called for back-up and at first drones appeared and soon Ukrainian artillery began raining down on the Russian armor stacked up on the roads. Then two Bradleys appeared, their 25mm chain-guns blazing away and 10 Ukran soldiers got out and joined the other 6 in the trench. Incredible bodycam video, like watching a Hollywood war movie. One of the original 6 took shrapnel in his leg from a grenade and it was a bad wound, life-threatening with the loss of blood. Finally, another Bradley appeared as did 3 Leopard II tanks. The Leopards had an easy time picking off the Russian armor stuck on the road, blocked on both ends by destroyed vehicles. Results: 25 Russian armored vehicles were destroyed, another 20+ damaged, and a dozen abandoned, and later destroyed. Over 200 Russians were KIA or seriously wounded. The Ukrans suffered the one wounded soldier.

Belgium is sending 6 "experimental" tanks to Ukraine for some real-world battle testing. These are former Leopard I tanks, built in Germany, and have been rendered generally obsolete by drone technology and other factors. So, what to do with these old, otherwise still serviceable tanks? Well...

The Leopard I weighs 42 tons when fully loaded, which is a lot lighter than main battle tanks like the Abrams, British Challenger, and Leopard II which all weigh 70+ tons. It has the same engine as the Leopard II and as such is a lot faster, up to 45 mph on flat surfaces. The Belgians have been studying the war and watching how expensive tanks can be taken out by $250 drones. So, the new revised Leopard I tank has the following features:

1) Instead of 4 it has a crew of 3
2) the turret/gun is fully automated and there is no crewmember in the turret.
3) ammo is NOT stored in the turret, like the Russian T-80 tank has, making it less vulnerable to catastrophic explosions
4) the turret, which is the main target of drones, is set in an explosive base which ejects the turret when struck, saving the rest of the tank and the crew.
5) the turrets can be mass-produced and are easily replaceable, even in the field
6) the ammo box, like the Abrams and Leopard II, is attached to the back of the turret in a separate "explosive box."
7) will have explosive armor on the chassis, which has proven to be effective saving crews' lives
8) because there is no crew in the turret there is no need for a hatch, enhancing the tank's upper armor and allowing the fitting of anti-drone netting
9) under the tank and one side hatch allows the three crewmembers to readily exit the tank in case of emergency

All of these features are born from studying the modern battlefield. The US Army has scrapped the development of several new versions of tanks and other armored vehicles having to rethink the whole thing.

And the Ukrainians continue to lead the world in innovative drone development. They have just introduced the Russians to their latest versions. Dubbed the B-1 and B-2 "bombers" these drones are lighter and faster than previous long-range drones, cost 1/4 of what an Iranian-developed Shahed drone costs, and can carry a 40-pound and 50-pound warhead.

The B-1 drone is designed to be launched from the top of moving vehicle. The truck gets up to 40mph and then the drone is released as it has the airspeed to get airborne. This allows the drone to carry the 40-pound warhead as it needs a smaller motor and less fuel. The operational range of the B-1 drone is about 600 miles.

The B-2 is essentially the same, except it has a larger everything, can carry a 50-pound warhead and can reach 1,000 miles. It has to be launched off a runway, like the current long-range drones do. Or, from a powered catapult device.

Both of these drones are fitted with the very latest electronics marrying satellite GPS with its own on-board AI guidance system that compares what its camera is seeing to programmed topographic features.

Both have already been used in attacks on Russian targets, with a 100% success rate.