Russia

Ukraine announces a change in recruiting policy from a conscript system to a contract one. Ukraine lacks sufficient manpower, boots on the ground, to win this war...as long as Russia is still willing to fight it...so I suppose they are hoping this will increase recruitment. It will, for sure, encourage foreign nationals, mercenaries, to join or come as a complete unit, which Ukraine has been seeing some of since the evil Russkie invasion; just not enough of it. This is a good time of the year to float this trial balloon and see how it goes given the pending winter. The next 5-6 months, depending on the severity of the winter weather, will be mostly quiet along the front as both sides will hunker down for the winter months. Like last year the winter months will see a lot of cruise missile, other missiles, and long-range artillery exchanges and very little close-up combat.

The dastardly Putinites have started striking civilian targets again as another Ukrainian city was struck by Russian cruise missiles the past 48 hours. Early reports state no deaths (yet) but 30 injured including 6 young children when an apartment complex was hit. There are no military installations nor any key infrastructure in this town. Now, another Ukrainian city was also struck, again causing some civilian casualties, near a coking plant, which is vital for Ukrainian domestic industrial (military) production. The plant itself was totally missed but houses nearby were not so lucky. It is assumed the plant was the target just that the Russians missed.

Speaking of missing the target...this humorous story was leaked. Russian tankers released a social media video of themselves, eating/drinking/smoking and during their conversation they described a recent incident where they were able to dodge artillery blasts, which they found unusual as, as they said, the Ukrans normally don't miss. They later learned it was their own 30th Artillery Battalion which had mistaken them for Ukran tanks and was firing on them. One of the Russkies grins and says to the camera, "luckily for us the 30th is very incompetent."

Speaking of artillery...a report just released estimates that only 4% of those one million shells sent by North Korea actually work. Which is why NK was so willing to send them, they are mostly duds. Still, that's 40,000 shells that do work and that is equal to a 4-month supply being sent to Ukraine by NATO.

Ukrans got an armored vehicle across the Dnieper River near Krynky, it is a large, Ukrainian-built APC, a BTR-4, "War Thunder." Can carry up to 8 soldiers and mounts a rapid-fire 30mm cannon. Is a large 8-wheeled (rubber tires) vehicle with decent armor plating, can hit 70mph on decent roads. Also sports 4 anti-tank missiles, 7.62mm machinegun, and a 30mm mortar. The BTR-4 was designed and built in Ukraine, dating back 2014 when they realized they needed a domestic military industry. This one was transported across the river in another Ukrainian-built vehicle, a transport craft which can carry one large vehicle across rivers and lakes, including tanks. Reports say the Ukrans are moving additional vehicles across the river but no details on types or numbers.

Confirmation on the destroyed, not sunk, Russian warship at Kerch. Was the guided-missile corvette Askold, now a former ship as it is kaput. Three cruise missiles struck it and the Ukrans are claiming they sent only three cruise missiles, not 15, as the Russkies claimed.

General Z's EO, a major, was killed, assassinated by a booby-trapped package mailed to his house. The major went home for some R&R and to spend time with his family when he opened a package, which exploded killing him. Luckily his family, including two kids, had just stepped out of the room and were only slightly injured by the blast. Ukran intelligence/security have confirmed it was an explosive device but provided no details. Of course, they are investigating trying to ID and locate the assassin(s).

Russians blame the Chicoms for a severed fiber-optics cable under the Baltic Sea. Finland and Sweden pointed to the Russians accusing them of cutting the cable, but the Russians said, nope, a Chicom ship had been hovering over the cable for two days. One source says it was probably just an accident as the Russian firm which owns/operates the cable had contracted a Chinese firm to perform maintenance on it. But, only Finland and Sweden have been affected by the interrupted fiber-optics service. The whole world is on edge, always ready to believe the worst possible explanation. :icon_roll:

Back to the Krinky crossing.... Russian officials in Moscow have gone public with sharp criticism of the Russian commanders in the Kherson region, the overall commander has just been terminated, er, fired. For a year the Russians on the ground there have claimed the river is an uncrossable barrier, which is why they haven't tried to mount a crossing and also saying no way can the Ukrans get armored vehicles across it. Welp! I'm guessing what they meant was trying to bring heavy equipment across in these combat conditions as even small boats, carrying a half-dozen soldiers, have been attacked and destroyed by drones and/or artillery. The Ukrans have done it and are doing it though.

The Ukrans are using a craft, a boat, to ferry equipment across the Dnieper River. But, when it was leaked they are planning a major crossing some questioned how that could possibly be done. Well, via a pontoon bridge because it has been revealed that back in 2020 the Ukrans engaged in a joint combat engineering exercise with the British where they built a pontoon bridge across the Dnieper River...where exactly? Well at Krynky. It was no accident that Krinky was chosen as one the foothold places where Ukran special forces crossed and have been reinforced, most recently by a 300-man battalion, to expand the beachhead and allow the pontoon bridge to be built. And, there are still anchors, poles driven into the banks and out into the river left over from that exercise from 3 years ago. This will greatly speed the process of building the bridge as the secure points are already there and all they have to do is hook the pontoons to those poles. Smart!

A Russian missile, probably a cruise missile, struck the bridge of a Liberian cargo ship, destroying the bridge, killing one and injuring many more. This occurred at Odesa, the main Black Sea port for Ukraine and where various vessels from many countries have been coming and going in the grain trade, primarily. This is an international incident and just another example of the terrorist attacks from the Russkies.

A Bradley Fighting Machine received a direct hit from a Russian Lancet drone...and survived. Not only survived, but appears to be hardly damaged. The crew was unhurt and the Bradley continued under its own power. Was it mostly luck, did the Lancet happen to strike at a place where it would do minimal damage, or did everyone just learn what many pundits have been saying about the US-built equipment?

The Russkies are using AI to create fake news videos, creating images of Ukrainian generals and defense ministers to convey fake information. One looks like General Z who appears to be admitting the Russians are winning and goes on to detail recent losses of western-supply equipment. It looks real and fooled a lot of people. Of course, this is intended to damage the morale of Ukrainians and bolster the sagging confidence of the average Russian. But the Russians are so stupidly incompetent that they screwed this up too. In my instance the fake General Z names off US-made equipment destroyed by the gallant Russian heroes, only none of that stuff has ever been in Ukraine and none of it is planned to be sent. One example is the M198, 155mm howitzer. This fake video claims dozens of the guns destroyed and not one is in Ukraine, or ever have been. There were some other things the fake General Z said that tipped off this was all fake. Of course, the Ukrans, including General Z himself, have gone public denying the authenticity of the video. The Russkies are getting more desperate every day.

One of Putin's inner circle, his merry band of thugs, was giving a press conference and referred to Putin in the past tense. Of course, the worldwide media jumped on this "slip of the tongue" as evidence that Putin is indeed deceased. They are probably generating fake AI videos of Putin so they can pretend he is still alive.

Ukrainian traitor, Mikail Filioponenko was assassinated via a car bomb while he was in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine. He has allied with Putin dating back years and was a vocal supporter of the Russian invasion. Ukrainian intelligence claimed responsibility stating they have identified other traitors and will eventually get them all.

Russians claim that about 400 former Ukrainian soldiers have sworn allegiance to Russia and have joined the Russian army. Well not the actual army but rather the independent DNR Militia which is composed mostly of Ukrainians from Donbas, separatists who have wanted the region to be annexed by Russia. Most of these people trace Russian roots and have historic family ties to Russia. These 400 will be formed into a battalion. They were POWs captured early in the war and have been wallowing in Russian POW camps. The Russians claim they were not forced nor coerced as that is a violation of the Geneva Convention. If they truly volunteered, then that is okay re: international law.

But, given the above, I suppose they will be declared as traitors and targeted for assassination...that is if not killed first in combat.

Pro-Russian/anti-Ukraine news media sources are gleefully reporting that Russia has amassed a whopping 40,000 fresh troops at Avdiivka and will encircle that city, trapping the Ukran garrison and forcing their surrender very soon. If true, than yeah, I suppose they can accomplish the encirclement, after losing about 20,000 troops doing so. But it's funny the Ukrans aren't reporting such a huge build-up of Russian troops, and with their command of the skies via drones, they would know. Maybe it is true and Ukrainian officials are trying not to panic their own people by reporting it. Regardless, if true we'll all know soon enough when the massive attack begins.

The very liberal, very lame Newsweek online is one of the sources gleefully proclaiming this build-up of Russian troops. They are NOT reporting this as "sources claim" or "rumors are," but rather as documented truth. So, if/when this proves not to be true Newsweek, and the other liars, should shut down operations...they won't of course, just keep on lying.

There are (trusted) reports of Ukran successes near Verboze, that is southeast of Robotyne where the Ukrans have been making slow, but steady progress.

Ukrans sank two Russian landing crafts in the Black Sea. They were old Soviet-era crafts but it's all the Russians have; they have not built any modern amphibious crafts.

But, on the other hand, the Ukrans are crossing the Dnieper River in Kherson with amphibious vehicles, including armored fighting vehicles, the Soviet-era BRT-40, it is designed to float and the Ukrans are crossing the river with them. And! in broad daylight too. In fact, the Ukrans pouring across the river ferrying troops across during the day. There has not been a response by the Russians, which is very surprising. Pro-Putin bloggers, and YouTubers, are banging their heads against the wall screaming "WTF!" Is it a trap? Are the Russians luring the Ukrans south of the river and then plan to attack those isolated troops? That would be a sound tactic, but there are no Russian forces anywhere close to the area sufficient to carry out such an attack. They could use cruise missiles and/or drones, and maybe that's their intention, but then that would deplete Russia's shrinking supply of long-range missiles and drones which pundits think they are waiting to use against Ukran civilian infrastructure during the winter. One YouTuber, a former American special forces member, points out that the Russians have already exhausted their best reserves at Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Robotyne and simply lack the resources to mount any kind of resistance in Kherson.

One would think that Kherson, called the "southern front" would be a high priority, perhaps the highest priority for the Putinites as it is closest to Crimea. Also, over half of the supplies going to the Russians on the "eastern front" which includes Robotyne and Avdiivka, flows from Crimea through Kherson. The Russians cannot afford to have the Ukrans cut those supply lines. Seems like there is no one in charge in the Russian war effort.

At Avdiivka, meanwhile, the Russians gained the railroad berm north of the city, only to be driven off by a Ukran counter-attack. The fighting has been heavy in that area, with attacks and counter-attacks. But, the Russians have not been able to grab and hold ground beyond the RR because it is all open fields, controlled by Ukran artillery and drones. Still waiting for the massive 40,000-man offensive to begin at Avdiivka, as the Putin propagandists have been hailing the past 3 days. If true this will be very interesting. There are fewer than 10,000 Ukran soldiers holding Avdiivka. But they have the advantage of defensive works and massive artillery and drones. The Russians ordered 30,000 more body bags a couple of weeks ago, I guess in anticipation of this massive assault. But...where are all these Russian soldiers? So far long range Ukran scout drones have not detected such massive troop movements toward Avdiivka.

Overnight the Russians regained a section of the RR berm north of Avdiivka and are still holding it as of now. This allows them to threaten the village of Stepove which has no significance except a good road passes through it which is 1 of 5 main supply routes used by the Ukrans to supply/reinforce their garrison in Avdiivka. Losing this one road will have no impact but it would bring the Russians a step closer to encircling the city. As of now the Ukrans still hold Stepove and that road is still open. But, maybe that will change in the coming days. Pro-Putin bloggers are going nuts over the losses being suffered by the Russians. It's not that they really care about the average Russian soldier, after all they are mere peasants meant to serve the greater good, but the Russian army cannot continue to sustain such losses and function as a viable fighting force.

The Putinites, thanks to Wagner and the many thousands of morons fed into the meat grinder, captured Bakhmut with a loss of 100K+. They didn't even accomplish that with the strategy being tried at Avdiivka, an encirclement. They tried to, but much like at Avdiivka, the Wagners learned that trying to cross flat, open ground is suicide. The Wagners never did capture the two main supply routes into Bakhmut, but rather took the city with a blunt, massive human wave assault after the Russians firebombed the city burning down every structure and driving the Ukran defenders out, to escape the flames. Those same tactics would cost the Russians 10X the losses, yes a million KIA, at Avdiivka. Plus, it would partially defeat one of the main purposes Putin wants to capture Avdiivka, the industry there. Russia, suffering from western sanctions, needs the products produced in Avdiivka, as does Ukraine. The Russians cannot afford to level the city and destroy the very factories they want/need. Now, the situation is 5X harder for the invaders. There are 5, not just 2, supply routes and the Ukrans have prepared defenses there, something they did not have at Bakhmut.

Meanwhile, at Kherson, the Ukrans continue to expand their foothold south of the Dnieper River. Again, the pro-Putin bloggers are losing their pea-sized minds screaming, "Where is our army!? Why can't we stop them!?" News flash: there is no Russian army in Kherson. However, overnight, the Russians did strike civilian areas in Kherson City with cruise missiles. No reports yet on casualties. Pathetic, evil SOBs...

Very latest news. The elite Russian 810th "Firefighters" Brigade was deployed to Krynky several days ago...only to be decimated! Most of their officers and staff were killed/wounded in a missile attack when the morons foolishly occupied a hotel as their HQ. Both sides have learned, or SHOULD HAVE learned by now, you don't do dumb things like that. Then, in the past 24 hours, leaderless, the troops of the 810th did not take up proper defensive positions and a small group of Ukran commandos waded in and killed/wounded scores of them. A company commander, a captain, of the 810th took command of the brigade as best he could, absent field-grade officers, and has pulled the unit back to a safer position. But there are still isolated groups of its soldiers cut off and trapped by the Ukrans. Based on one source, the 810th arrived with 3,500 soldiers, mostly properly equipped, which is not a given for Russian units these days, and now has perhaps 2,500 or so hunkered down several miles back, leaderless and ineffective.

One unnamed person attached in some way to the 810th (for obvious reasons this person wishes to remain anonymous) has posted on a social media site a stinging attack on the whole mess. He (assuming it's a "he") blasts the Russian army, its leaders, the political idiots back in Moscow, and the "immoral" war they are trying to fight. Mostly he laments the loss of some of his comrades in the attack the past 24 hours and how is it that their unit, considered to be an "elite" brigade, has so quickly fallen unto such hard times. Whose fault is this? he asks.

Meanwhile a Ukran blogger just released a short video of some of those Ukran special forces, high-fiving over their unexpected victory, their ass-kicking of this "elite" brigade. Of course, most of this brigade still exists and can create trouble for the Ukrans, provided it gets proper leadership.

And still, many days into it, there is no tangible proof that Putin is still alive. The world is being told he is, but all we have is the word of evil scumbags prone to lie about everything.

More good news! Ukran forces have liberated the town of Topoli, in the Kharkiv region. Russians have held it since the invasion in February, 2022. The northern front has been mostly quiet, especially in comparison to the eastern and southern fronts, but there is still fighting occurring there. Video of townspeople pouring into the streets kissing and hugging the Ukran soldiers who have finally chased the evil invaders out of the town.

Also, reports of 15 attacks by the Russians near Bakhmut, all repelled by the Ukrans.

"Glide bombs" Not really new, but I think it's the first I have mentioned them here. Well, I suppose they are new since the Russkies just kind of invented them this past year. They are regular 500lb or 1,000lb "dumb" bombs, usually dropped by Russia's fighter-bombers, like the SU-24, but are attached to wings and made to "glide" for pretty good distances, like up to 10 miles or so. The Russians have gotten pretty good at delivering these glide bombs on target, from all their use of them for many months. Why are they using them? Well before the Russian fighter-bombers would directly attack Ukran targets and they were losing planes to anti-aircraft weapons, like the Stinger missile, so they invented this method allowing their planes to deploy bombs many miles away and thus protecting them from ground fire. Ukran bloggers and YouTubers admit the glide bombs have been a game-changer allowing the Russians to continue to have air superiority without risking losing so many planes. Of course, the F-16s can and will change that dynamic should Ukraine ever actually get the Falcons in a fully operational capacity.

All of that to say, the Russians are attacking Ukran units south of the Dnieper River with glide bombs in an attempt to stem the flow of troops crossing the river. These glide bombs don't really "glide" as much as they still speed in at very fast speeds, after all, the aluminum wings can't provide that much lift to a 1,000-pound bomb! But they do allow them to be dropped many miles away and from high altitudes. And obviously, there is no real counter measure to them. Kind of hard to shoot down a glide bomb speeding in at steep angles.

The Russian advance has been turned back north of Avdiivka, and for some reason those Russian troops have shifted their direction to the northwest, which is taking them away from Avdiivka. They struck against a Ukran patrol, of about 10 men, and then continued to attack in that direction, following an undefended woods line for a mile or so, and then tried to cross an open field and came under drone attack, so they retired back to the woods and just stopped there. The Russkies are leaderless, just wandering around without any real purpose. The YouTuber providing the details of this kind of shrugged and offered, "beats me!"

And this just in, Moscow announced a "strategic withdrawal" of troops from the Kherson region for redeployment for offensive actions to come elsewhere. No mention of any units in the official release, but one blogger assumes it's the battered 810th Brigade since it lost most of its officers. Of course, the Putin propagandists try to spin it into a planned movement, rather than tucking their tails and running. One British Think Tank says it has proof that in addition to the officers of the 810th, the overall regional commander and two of his key staffers were also killed in that missile attack.

Sweden has delivered their state-of-the-art mobile artillery system to Ukraine, the "Archer." Specifically, 8 of the howitzers and supporting vehicles to compose one artillery company. In addition to the 8 guns, there are two tanks and four mobile anti-aircraft units, each composed of an AA missile launcher and a 4-barrel rapid-fire 30mm cannon, 12 supply "trucks" which are 6-wheel-drive, AT, vehicles, two APCs, and a mobile HQ vehicle with radar and other electronic tracking, targeting, and communication capability. The two tanks are Strids 122s, their main battle tank and considered one of the finest in the world. These units are designed to be able to function and survive on their own on the battlefield, thus the various vehicle types for overall defense of the howitzers.

The Archer is a 155mm howitzer with a range of 35 miles that can deliver 25 rounds in just over 2 minutes. They are mounted on a 6-wheel-drive AT vehicle capable of rapid movement (up to 60mph on good roads).

Needless to say the Putinites protested this delivery calling it a provocation and then making silly threats against Sweden. One goofy TV Putinite pundit said a nuke dropped just offshore of Stockholm would cause a tsunami destroying the city. A dumb threat since Stockholm is located on a rather narrow fjord, and is not really a coastal city per se.

Ukraine getting 60 more German-built Gepard mobile anti-aircraft weapons, these coming from Jordan in a deal where the US (that would be us :icon_roll:) bought them from Jordan and are donating them to Ukraine.

https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.2dCx07...pr=1.1&pid=1.7