Russia

More bodycam footage released...

The 3rd Assault Brigade, the Azov Brigade, captured a line of Russian trenches/defenses east of Bakhmut. The video is a Ukran soldier walking the trench, probably close to a 1/4 mile and he is narrating (English subtitles included). Along the way you can see abandoned weapons, ammo, equipment and corpses. About 20 dead Russians left behind to rot in the trench. Several of the bodies were in an advance state of decay meaning they had been there for a while, not soldiers killed in that last attack. The Ukran soldier comments the stench is overwhelming and he can't understand how the Russians, who had just retreated from there, could stand the smell.

More video of Russian tanks and APCs being destroyed. Some of the video is graphic. In one you can see a Russian tanker trying to escape out the hatch but the flames got him and he disappears in the flames. Sometimes all or most of a tank crew, or APC are able to get out, just before the ammo "cooks off" and the vehicle explodes. BTW, I use the term APC to address all of the Russian armored vehicles, which are known as BMPs, BRTs and various other designations. Some are true APCs and others are armored cars which also carry 2-3 soldiers who can fight on foot.

Many former Russian and Wagner soldiers are now "living" in Ukraine. I use the term "living" loosely since they are homeless and abandoned. One video is an interview of two former Wagner soldiers now begging for food and money in a Ukraine train station. The videographer asks them questions: names, where are they from, why did they join Wagner, etc..`pretty pathetic. One says, "I have no one. I cannot walk since my leg was severely damaged by a mortar shell. I will probably die right here."

All of these reveal the human side of war, the raw reality. War is hell! Which is why this war needs to end ASAP. Putin can end this war by simply ordering his invaders to all come home.

Ukans have breached the Surovikin line at Verboze. Reports say Ukran units (no confirmed numbers) have penetrated and seized a segment of the line north of Verboze right at the angle where it makes a 90 degree bend to the east. This is not to say they can hold it as a concentrated Russian counter-attack could compel them to retreat. Just the fact they have gotten this far is encouraging news.

American mercenaries fighting in Ukraine. A unit called The Chosen Company released bodycam footage of American troops clearing a Russian trench. In the video there are about 10 US soldiers, they suffered no casualties. Didn't reveal a location nor how many men are in this unit.

Russians have test flown their first commercial airliner jet, built totally using domestic parts, engineering, and production facilities. This is a result of the sanctions.

Russians appear to have developed and deployed some kind of electronic weapon. Looks like something out of science fiction, Star Wars or something. The one shown on the released video is near a Russian airbase. They targeted an incoming Ukran cruise missile and filled the sky with bursts that looked like lightening. The cruise missile was not hit and went on to hit its intended target. You can hear a crowd in the background cheering on the weapon, yelling and screaming. Then when the cruise missile disappeared down range and the weapon ceased fire, there was a collective moan from the crowd. Regardless, this does appear to be an advance in weaponry. Maybe they just need a better targeting system.

A drone video shows Ukran soldiers capturing two Russian vehicles, one is a tank and the other an APC. The Russians were parked in a line of woods looking forward across an open field and didn't realize their defenses had been breached elsewhere. The Ukrainians literally walked up to the vehicles, knocked on the hatch and ordered the crews to surrender, which they did without resistance. The YouTuber narrator joked, "Hey buds, you can't park here."

Latest report on airbase attack...4 IL-76 transports destroyed, another 6 damaged. The two-wingers escaped without damage, which is good for Putin since he'll need those to defend Moscow! :shocked2:

Putin retaliated last night with a cruise missile attack on Kyiv. Two civilians killed, some number injured in the terrorist attack. The Ukrans attack military targets and some intelligence facilities, and Putin targets civilians. One British source says Putin is using up missiles faster than they can be replaced.

US built M113 APC, originally deployed in 1962, is still a mainstay of the US military, at least some updated versions, and NATO. Ukraine is using the M113 and they are glad of it. It can survive a Russian mine that utterly destroys Soviet built tanks and armored vehicles. Usually the M113 even after striking an anti-tank mine survives to the point all the soldiers in it survive. Some are slightly wounded, but none are killed. So far there have been only a few incidents but half the M113s striking a mine can be salvaged for further use, and there have been zero KIAs. Needless to say, the Ukrans love them, and the Russkies wish they had something even close to it.

Putin has been kidnapping Ukrainian children and sending them to reeducation camps to learn Russian, and Russian history (tainted). Putin and his director of the program, some woman, have arrest warrants on them for this barbaric practice. Recently, as a show of "good will" Putin allowed some of the children to return home to Donbas, except too bad for Putin, the Ukran forces overran the area and when the children arrived via train, it was Ukran soldiers and medics, and social workers there to greet them. The kids revealed their troubling stories, but it's not like Putin was trying to hide it. Russian TV networks had run programs showing, BRAGGING! about all the wonderful work being done at the reeducation centers. Putin is not just evil...he is sick too.

Putin murdered the head of Russian space science, whatever his official title was. In case you didn't know, Russia was trying to flex its technology muscle and land a robot, called Luna 25, on the moon. Instead, the craft crashed and was destroyed. Still another embarrassment for Putin. Well, seems this chief rocket scientist was very fond of some gourmet mushroom and Putin had sent a box to the space agency, to an assistant of the chief, with instructions to hold them until after Luna 25 had completed the mission. After the failure, Putin told the assistant to give the box of mushrooms to the director. Said chief scientist died that night of poisoned mushrooms.

And to add to Putin's dismay, the very next day, less than 24 hours later, India successfully landed a robot on the moon.

This also shows where the rest of the world is in comparison to the USA. Hell, we walked on the moon 50 years ago and have been successfully landing robots on Mars. The world is just now sending robots to the moon.

BTW, to rub salt in Putin's wound, one of my favorite Ukrainian YouTubers produced a video where he pretended to congratulate the Russians for landing on the moon. His joke video goes something like this: let's zoom in on the craft Putin sent to the moon...oh wait, that's not a robot, it's the turret from a blown-up T-72 tank! he then shows drone footage of a Russian tank exploding and the turret going up 30 feet and landing a distance from the destroyed tank.

The Russkies are deploying...no, not deploying, that's a legit military term...they are dropping/spreading "butterfly" mines all over Ukraine. These are small, plastic explosives that look like a toy and is designed to terrorize civilians. They can be lethal but usually mame/wound/injure as they have small charges. They can be dropped from aircraft, delivered in an artillery shell that airbursts and scatters the mines, or by a rocket warhead. They will float to the ground spinning like a top and its "wings" provide a soft landing such that they don't usually explode on impact. They have a minimal legit military usage as professional soldiers are trained to watch for them and they can be detonated safely with poles and other tools. The real danger is to civilians, especially children. These devices were developed by the US military and first used in Vietnam. Since then, just about every country has their own version. The Russians used them a lot in Afghanistan.

Russians attacked Odesa with drones and apparently some went off-course and struck a town in Romania, which is a NATO country. A few months ago, Russian missiles struck in Poland. They say it was an accident, which it probably was since Russkie technology is wantoning and mistakes happen...a lot. In fact, the Russians just blew themselves up! A Russian surface-to-air missile, intended to shoot down a Ukran drone, locked on to the missile battery's radar and destroyed the launcher. No reports of casualties, but the size of the explosion, since missiles stacked ready for use, detonated, indicates there had to have been Russian casualties at the site. Back to Romania...they are denying the incident, saying no Russian drones or missiles struck their side of the border. Pundits are assuming the Romanians are trying to side-step escalation of the war, but NATO did not declare war on Russia after the Polish incident.

Not much to report along the front. Perhaps later tonight when two of my sources release their reports, usually about 9PM our time.

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Originally Posted by dawg80

US built M113 APC, originally deployed in 1962, is still a mainstay of the US military, at least some updated versions, and NATO. Ukraine is using the M113 and they are glad of it. It can survive a Russian mine that utterly destroys Soviet built tanks and armored vehicles. Usually the M113 even after striking an anti-tank mine survives to the point all the soldiers in it survive. Some are slightly wounded, but none are killed. So far there have been only a few incidents but half the M113s striking a mine can be salvaged for further use, and there have been zero KIAs. Needless to say, the Ukrans love them, and the Russkies wish they had something even close to it.

Putin has been kidnapping Ukrainian children and sending them to reeducation camps to learn Russian, and Russian history (tainted). Putin and his director of the program, some woman, have arrest warrants on them for this barbaric practice. Recently, as a show of "good will" Putin allowed some of the children to return home to Donbas, except too bad for Putin, the Ukran forces overran the area and when the children arrived via train, it was Ukran soldiers and medics, and social workers there to greet them. The kids revealed their troubling stories, but it's not like Putin was trying to hide it. Russian TV networks had run programs showing, BRAGGING! about all the wonderful work being done at the reeducation centers. Putin is not just evil...he is sick too.

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A Russian "journalist," really a propagandist, published an article claiming 320,000 Ukrainian children have been "removed" to education centers, i.e. KIDNAPPED! He is so proud of this program saying these children, and more to follow, will come to despise the Ukrainian race and nation and embrace Mother Russia. Isn't it glorious! Other reports say Ukrainian parents, grandparents, other relatives and friends were shot when they tried to prevent their children being hauled away.

Yet, still, there are those who want us out of Ukraine. No more aid of any kind. There are those who still cast Putin as a hero...and I don't mean just his paid propagandists.

The good news is that even older men are being conscripted for Ukraine, so there's still an opportunity for you to put your money where your mouth is.

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Originally Posted by Blue Dawg

The good news is that even older men are being conscripted for Ukraine, so there's still an opportunity for you to put your money where your mouth is.

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I have. I contribute monthly to an organization sending aid to Ukraine. And of course, I know you have been supporting your boy Putin financially too. Right?

No I get a check for 500 rubles every week

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Originally Posted by Blue Dawg

No I get a check for 500 rubles every week

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A Putin paid propagandist, well, good for you.

The Ukrans have taken Klishchiva, a village south of Bakhmut, which the Russians have held since the beginning of their evil invasion. After 18 months of occupation the Putinites have been ejected. This has trapped a group of Russians in a pocket with their backs to a river. North of Bakhmut, more success as a company of Russians, or what was left of it, surrendered. This all part of the plan to retake Bakhmut by encircling it and forcing the occupiers to surrender or be blasted to pieces by artillery.

In the area of Robotyne, as previously posted, the Ukrans had penetrated the main defense line at Verboze, but couldn't remain there. The total of Ukrans who had done so was a mere 31 soldiers. They retired before they got trapped by a Russian counter-attack. For now, the Ukrans have solidified their position a 1/2 mile from Verboze. Directly south of Robotyne is another key position, the village of Novoprokovika, this west of Verboze and part of the main defense line. The Ukrans have captured the advance defensive line but have yet to attempt to attack Novoprokovika. It is a very strong position.

In the north the town of Marinka remains in a tug-of-war. Since the beginning of the evil invasion, the Russkies have held the eastern part of the town, the Ukrans the west. Yesterday, under intense aerial attacks and heavy artillery shelling, the Ukrans fell back two blocks. There aren't many, if any, civilians still there. The town has been blasted to pieces, every house, every building utterly destroyed in the back-and-forth fighting.

Drones have forever changed the battlefield. Of course, drones are not a totally new concept as the US used naval drones in World War II, specifically in the "second D-Day" landing in southern France, August, 1944. But, thanks to the war in Ukraine and not the least of which the ingenuity of the Ukrans, drones have reached a new importance and are here to stay. However, with the use of drones comes new concerns and "better watch out!" warnings.

Recently the Ukrans tracked a Russian surveillance drone back to its lair. Russian drone operators were using a bombed-out building in a village east of Bakhmut as their base. Actually, upon aerial surveillance by the Ukrans with their own drones, the silly Russians had hung those blue tarts over holes in the roof, to keep rain out, and by doing so marked their location. Still, the location was just on the edge of artillery range, so the Ukrans decided to use kamikaze drones to attack the position. With their own surveillance drone hovering to video record the attack, the Russian scout drone returned from a mission. It paused just outside the building, and then slowly disappeared through a hole in the roof, clearly showing the Ukrans where best to enter the lair. Minutes later a swarm of Kamikaze drones appeared and one by one entered through the same hole. A series of explosions rocked the complex, one huge explosion ripped the roof off the main structure. The Ukrans declared the site eliminated and subsequent drone footage the next couple of days confirmed it, as Russian soldiers were seen removing body bags from the complex.

Moral of this story is your own scouting drones can be followed so be careful to cover your exact location.

Reports that Russia has used poison gas. The only documentation, so far, is the word of a platoon of Ukran soldiers who say they were attacked with poison gas delivered by mortars. One soldier has been taken to the hospital displaying symptoms of some type of severe respiratory ailment. The others say their eyes were burning and it was impossible to breathe in the "cloud of gas," but fortunately the wind blew most of it away from them and they were able to retreat along the trench escaping the worst of it. Only one source has reported this so far and we only have the word of these soldiers. But, if true, Russia has violated the Geneva Convention's ban on the use of poison gas, mustard gas. Stay tuned.

One British Challenger II tank has been destroyed. The tank hit a mine and became disabled losing a track. The crew had to abandon the tank, hoping one of those retrievers could get to it, or mechanics could replace the track. But a Russian drone spotted it and soon artillery shells began raining down on the site. The tank was struck many times, finally catching fire. Some of the shells had been removed by the crew, as was other equipment prior to the shelling. The Ukrans had 14 Challenger II tanks, now 13. There were no casualties.

But, Putin has China problems. See the China thread.