Russia

[dawg80]

Stupid Russian general ordered his division to gather for a "pep talk," then left them waiting for 4 hours while he leisurely groomed himself...had to secure a fresh uniform...stopped for lunch and some socializing, and then made his way to the troops. When he arrived, he found his division had been devastated by a Ukran HIMARS attack. Over 200 Russians killed, hundreds more wounded and at least half of their equipment destroyed. Ukran drones detected and tracked the movement of all these enemy troops and then sent the HIMARS batteries the coordinates. There are calls in Moscow for this general to be executed for severe dereliction of duty. He was recently promoted to general by Putin because of false claims made on his behalf of a Russian victory which was actually a defeat.

It's one thing for the Putin propagandists to spin the news, it's quite another for Putin to make decisions based on these false claims. Putin is taking on the seriously delusional behavior displayed by Hitler in the final weeks of his war. Down in his bunker (the movie "Downfall" is a must see) Hitler believed his own crap and issued stupid orders. One instance he ordered the 12th Army Group to launch an attack to push the Soviets away from Berlin. The commander of the 12th Army refused saying he would not send his troops on a suicide charge. Hitler had that general shot. The 12th Army was a mere shadow of itself with less than 20% of it combat ready. Then one of Hitler's advisors lied telling Hitler the 12th Army had enjoyed some success, were driving back the Soviets, but it was hard fighting. Hitler just nodded and said "That's good, very good." The 12th Army never left its trenches in reality.

Putin (and some of his staunchest supporters) is living in a fantasy world.

[dawg80]

Ukrans have captured the high ground north of Bakhmut. It's that 300' high ridge which commands the city and the surrounding ground. The Russkies have held it, for the most part, since the beginning of the war. Now Ukraine has it and they ain't giving it up. No details in the report provided about which units were involved. This is the ridge one battalion of the 3rd Assault Brigade (Azov) had briefly taken a week+ ago but couldn't hold it in the face or a large Russian counterattack. Since then, the Ukrans have been degrading Russian assets with continual artillery and rocket attacks.

In the Kerson region, Ukrans have crossed the Dnipro River (flooded plain) and have attacked the village of Nova K. A lot of the water has subsided as the area is a natural wetland when the river is not dammed up and allowed to flow in the channel in a controlled manner. The reservoir has mostly emptied. Experts say the nuclear power plant is safe as man-made holding ponds (lakes) hold enough water to serve the plant for many months.

Pundits, by studying what the Ukrans are doing, have surmised one target of the offensive in the near-term is the town of Tokmak, an important crossroads.

[dawg80]

Gay wad Syrians? Sure looks that way. Video of the so-called "elite" Tiger Division of Syrians arriving in Crimea to support Putin, shown hugging and kissing each other. The video was on a YouTube channel which is anti-Putin, anti-commie, anti-evil-doers and the narrator referred to the Syrians as "gay wads." So, because of that narrator's comment YouTube felt it was necessary to post a warning that some viewers may find content "offensive."

[dawg80]

So happy Prigozhin has turned on Putin. What evil you deal out tends to be visited on you.

[dawg80]

Putin punted!

Prigozhin will take his thugs to 🇧🇾 Belarus

[Blue Dawg]

What a bizarre 24 hours. The Ukrainian offensive has so far failed miserably (but these things can take time of course, with time and men that Ukraine cannot afford to lose).

Prigozhin, ever the drama queen, tries a mutiny (ha!) on Putin, turns back almost immediately.

Obviously its not a serious coup, only a fool would believe this. The only question is, who is paying for the performance? Is Russia trying to further distract Ukraine, convince them to commit even more men to the southward offensive? Is the GAE paying Prigozhin to mess up Russia's plans? Either is very possible. But based on Prigozhin's prior antics, I think he is just playing the media to get the best deal for Wagner. Think of Bahkmut: he complains Russia is not giving them ammo; next day, fresh ammo supplies.

[OLDBLUE]

Let the snakes fight. We have no business being involved over this mess, and hindering our Grandchildren's hopes of a future, ...... except for the fact "we" must see that "our" unethical ventures are kept secret. Hmmmm....
Please don't bother responding to this.
Just dropped into this to see if the few, the proud, and the arrogant were still alive.

[Blue Dawg]

Let the snakes fight. We have no business being involved over this mess, and hindering our Grandchildren's hopes of a future, ...... except for the fact "we" must see that "our" unethical ventures are kept secret. Hmmmm....
Please don't bother responding to this.
Just dropped into this to see if the few, the proud, and the arrogant were still alive.

So true.

[dawg80]

Let the snakes fight. We have no business being involved over this mess, and hindering our Grandchildren's hopes of a future, ...... except for the fact "we" must see that "our" unethical ventures are kept secret. Hmmmm....
Please don't bother responding to this.
Just dropped into this to see if the few, the proud, and the arrogant were still alive.

Who are the few, the proud…?

If Ukraine had been left totally on their own from the get-go Putin MIGHT have secured some kind of victory, but it would not have been the complete collapse of Ukraine. The Ukrans were stubbornly holding on and achieved some reversals strictly with their own resources.

But absent NATO intervention Belarus
and other Russian puppet states would have been emboldened to go all in and the war would have drug out for years, destabilizing Europe and by extension the world economy.

That’s the pragmatic side of the equation. And what of the moral and ethical implications?

Why should a bully be tolerated?

[dawg80]

It is tough sledding for the Ukrans trying to make progress in their offensive. Understandable since the defending army enjoys an enormous tactical advantage. There are strategic reasons for the slow-go, best summarized by the length of the front. Recently Ukran units captured ground that has been held by evil Putinites since 2014. So, there is some measured success, but small gains when measured against the size of the front. And, the Ukrans have not even reached the main defensive lines held by the Russians along about 95% of the front. The fighting is still focused in the forward defensive areas of the Russians.

This has settled into a WWI type battle of the trenches. To achieve a break-through will require heavier weapons for the Ukrans....like maybe B-52 saturation bombing. Just saying...

[dawg80]

The Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk, Ukraine (Donbas) killed 6 adults, 4 children at a pizza restaurant. This city is northwest of Bakhmut, about 80 miles, as best I can make out on the tiny map. According to a British missile expert, after investigating the explosion, it appears this was a surface to air rocket that may have gone off course, making this an accident. This is unconfirmed but appears likely.

Kramatorsk is one of three mid-size cities, population about 150K, along a semi-circle just behind the main defensive line in the hills that it was assumed the Ukrans would be forced back to after the fall of Bakhmut. Of course, that has not happened as the Russkies never advanced beyond Bakhmut and are actually giving ground now.

[dawg80]

Ukrans making slow and steady progress south of Bakhmut, have now captured the second of three key forested/hilly positions. The latter one was held by "elite" Russian paratroopers...the whole regiment surrendered. The third and final position is the key one. It is a ridge, some 350' in elevation that commands the countryside. The Ukrans have taken the hill north of Bakhmut, adding this one will give them tactical superiority over the whole area.

It is true the Ukrans have yet to test the main Russian defensive line, except in one small spot. But some western pundits are convinced the Russian defenses only look good on paper, that it is a house of cards which will collapse, roll up, when the Ukrans actually strike it in force. Guess we'll see. One thing is certain, Donbas will be easier to retake than Crimea will be. Putin will not give up Crimea without a protracted fight.

[dawg80]

Stay away from windows in Russia...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...2ef09c76&ei=19

[dawg80]

President Lukashenko of Belarus has issued a warning to anyone/nation who dares to attack the new Wagner camp established along the Russia-Belarus border. Drone footage has been released of the camp...and what a tempting target it is! Lukashenko says he will not hesitate to retaliate with tactical nukes.

Prigozhin is said to be the founder of the Wagner Group. He is not. Dmitry Utkin is the true founder, a former Russian army officer whose call-sign is "Wagner." Prigozhin is a chef, by training and trade, who became Putin's personal chef. It is true Prigozhin is the one who has grown the group and turned it into the international terrorist organization it is today. Saw a list of financial supporters for Wagner. Most of the names are foreign to me, don't really know much about them. Many are Russian oligarchs, one from India, and several from the Middle-East. George Soros has funneled money to Wagner via his International Crisis Foundation operating in Africa, and directly through one of his gold mining companies. Wagner is cooperating with the cartels in Libya and Somalia to engage in slave-trafficking for the operation of their very unsafe mines, for gold, diamonds, and other precious metals.

In 2018 the Wagner Group, together with some of Assad's Syrian thugs, attempted to attack and take a CONOCO oil field/refinery in eastern Syria. It was guarded by a handful of US Special Forces who warned the approaching column to back off or be destroyed. In less than 15 minutes all 35 vehicles, including tanks, in the convoy were destroyed and 215 of the 500 thugs killed. Another 120 were wounded. For the next 24 hours US Apache helicopters and F-15 fighter-bombers hunted down and killed more of the Wagner thugs. The Wagner Group is a joke when trying to take on a real military.

​If you can't run with the big dogs, stay under the porch.

[dawg80]

According to one western source, the Ukrans have committed only 3 of their 19 heavy brigades during this "counter-offensive." A "heavy" brigade is a full-strength unit, about 8,000 troops in the Ukrainian organization. That is the infantry portion. Armor brigades are numbered differently. There is little rhyme or reason in the number of vehicles but seems to depend on the type of main battle tank in them. One mechanized brigade shows 100 tanks, 100 armored fighting vehicles, like APCs, and now Bradley Fighting Machines. But, like other nations, Ukraine also has "light" brigades, special op brigades, and other brigades with specified duties.

If this is true then the Ukrans have been holding 16 heavy brigades in reserve. Also it appears they have yet to commit an entire armor brigade to the fight, preferring instead to insert tanks in at company strength, which would be 10 main battle tanks, 10 APCs, and support vehicles. Pundits say this is because the one thing the Russians do have is good artillery and plenty of it. The Russians have been building a defensive network for about 10 months and have over-lapping fields of fire, trenches supported by other trenches, and all covered by layers of artillery batteries who have had months to train and zero-in on roads, bridges, intersections, open fields, etc...The Russians have also laid tens of thousands of mines, both anti-tank and anti-personnel. They have dug "traps" for tanks such as covered trenches. This is why the Ukrainian counter-offensive is going slowly.

Now, as is the case with any fixed fortifications, they can be flanked and once punctured are rendered useless. When asked about the vaunted German Seigfried line of defenses, General Patton famously said, "When oceans and mountains can be overcome, anything man-made can easily be defeated."
Historic Note: a battalion of Patton's tanks and support infantry paid a heavy price for his over-confidence, as they were shot to pieces when approaching the Seigfried line. Lessons learned.