Russia

[dawg80]

The Ukrans have switched to playing defense and as a result the Russian offensive has completely ground to a halt. Reports say the Russians are planning one last major push to try to encircle Andiivka, but the Ukrans have brought up reinforcements and have dug in, and the only thing the Russians will accomplish will be the loss of more men, equipment, and materials.

The Ukrans have struck some targets in Crimea with cruise missiles and drones, including another gathering of Russian senior officers. The Russkies just never learn that their every move is closely watched with spies and Ukran drones and bringing officers together is just inviting a strike. The supreme Russian commander for the southern theater, a general whats-his-name, was rumored killed in the recent attack, but that has not been confirmed. The Ukrans also located and attacked some Russian "hidden" radar sites and missile launcher sites, in Crimea.

[dawg80]

As soon as I post the Ukrans are on defense, they launch a successful attack. Actually, I think this was an opportunity presented when the Russians moved some troops and left a small detachment. This occurred south of Marinka and the Ukrans liberated about 2 miles of ground on a front of about 1 mile wide. Now the Ukrans are on the Russians' left flank for their bulge at Marinka. This will force the Russians to react to this.

Denmark announced they will not be sending F-16s to Ukraine until the summer (July) because they are training Ukran pilots and maintenance crews and need the time to assure the training is completed.

And the goofy Russians shot down one of their own planes, and this time it was a large parachute trooper plane which was conducting trooper training. Two Russians were killed when the plane, damaged by the anti-aircraft missile, had to make an emergency landing. Well, at least those paratroopers got a realistic training session as they might have to jump in combat conditions.

[dawg80]

The Ukrans attack military targets and the Putinites attack civilian targets. Guess Putin's inner circle of criminal thugs gather together and boast to each other about the schools, apartment buildings, hospitals, even a frickin' playground, which thankfully was devoid of children at 3am, and how they murder women, children, and the elderly. The pro-Putin propagandist attack the Ukranian military, specifically the air defense system, and blame them for the loss of civilian lives and the damage to property. Right! it's the Ukrans' fault, and not the fault of the evil Russkie terrorists who launch a barrage of cruise missiles and drones aimed at civilian targets.

Last night the Ukranian air defenses had a bad showing. That is true, and that is tragic. Pundits estimate that about 60% of the Russian missiles/drones got through and struck civilian targets. Usually fewer than 20% of the Russian missiles/drones get through. There have been reports that the Russians have been tweaking their missiles/drones adding radar-blocking materials and electronics designed to make them more stealthy, and in fact, a Russian drone that struck an apartment complex last month was analyzed and shown to have a new carbon-based covering, which is said to block radar signals, or maybe absorb them.

No reports, yet, on the number of killed/injured from last night's attack, but it doesn't look promising. A clinic and an adjoining "old folks home" were completely destroyed by direct hits from powerful cruise missiles. Rescue crews were sifting through the debris, hoping to find survivors. The operative word is "hoping."

How the so-called "civilized" world can watch this go on, day after day, and justify all the anti-Ukrainian BS, such as "let's not aid the Ukrainians any longer because they can't win the war," is beyond me. The "world" has lost its way and there appears to be no more ethical or moral standards left. The bad guys are winning because there are no good guys to stop them.

[dawg80]

At least the Putinites are an equal-opportunity terrorist group, not only bombing innocent civilians in Ukraine, but for the second time in a week, bombing their own citizens too. In this case it was a panicked pilot of a fighter-bomber, fully loaded with guide bombs headed for Ukraine, when he experienced engine problems with his Su-34 fighter-bomber. He decided to return to base and concerned about trying to land his jet with engines failing and carrying bombs...he dropped them. The bombs struck a small village, killing 4 people on the ground. But hey! reports say he was able to get his jet safely down. Russian authorities say they will conduct an investigation into the incident with an eye on changing procedures when a plane is over "friendly" territory. Ya think!

[dawg80]

"We even told them we were going to blow it up," said a Ukran colonel in the Ukranian artillery. And, as promised, they did.

The Russians had spent 6 months rebuilding a key railroad bridge in eastern Donbas, on a critical supply line, and just as they were putting the finishing touches on it and the first, of what they hoped would be many, supply train was all set to go....bam! No more railroad bridge. Using the US-built HIMARS missiles the Ukrans destroyed the bridge. It is utterly blown away, twisted metal dropped into the river below. No reports of casualties, but it is assumed some Russian workers/engineers were on the bridge when it collapsed and are presumed dead.

If the US, the Biden administration, would release the longer range HIMARS, as previously promised, the Ukrans can destroy the key Kerch Bridge. As it is, the Ukrans have damaged the bridge and disrupted traffic/supply convoys, with the use of drones. But the drones cannot deliver enough explosive punch to destroy the large concrete/metal structure. Give the Ukrans the HIMARS that can reach Kerch and let them destroy one of Putin's pride and joys.

[dawg80]

"We even told them we were going to blow it up," said a Ukran colonel in the Ukranian artillery. And, as promised, they did.

The Russians had spent 6 months rebuilding a key railroad bridge in eastern Donbas, on a critical supply line, and just as they were putting the finishing touches on it and the first, of what they hoped would be many, supply train was all set to go....bam! No more railroad bridge. Using the US-built HIMARS missiles the Ukrans destroyed the bridge. It is utterly blown away, twisted metal dropped into the river below. No reports of casualties, but it is assumed some Russian workers/engineers were on the bridge when it collapsed and are presumed dead.

If the US, the Biden administration, would release the longer range HIMARS, as previously promised, the Ukrans can destroy the key Kerch Bridge. As it is, the Ukrans have damaged the bridge and disrupted traffic/supply convoys, with the use of drones. But the drones cannot deliver enough explosive punch to destroy the large concrete/metal structure. Give the Ukrans the HIMARS that can reach Kerch and let them destroy one of Putin's pride and joys.

And, to add insult to injury, the Ukrans blew up the track east of the destroyed bridge just in front of a train load of workers. engineers, and materials presumed to have been meant to repair the bridge. There is conflicting reports on whether the Ukrans purposely missed the train, as the missiles struck the track about 1/2 mile ahead of the slow-moving train, or if they had intended to target the train too and just misjudged its speed. Either way, the track has been utterly destroyed, about 200 yards (600 feet) of it and the train is stalled some 7 miles from the former bridge. There is also one YouTuber who says he has seen drone video of the destroyed bridge and there is no "repairing" the bridge that can be done because it is 100% collapsed into the river. The Russkies will have to start from scratch and rebuild the bridge. The Ukrans have routinely been attacking sections of the track all along its 150-mile length, and the Russians has dozens of repair crews, with spare rails and ties, stationed all along the course. Most of the damage has been small, as they are attacked with drones dropping bombs that cannot do a lot of damage, just enough to cause the track to have to be repaired.

[dawg80]

The Russians are enjoying some recent successes, albeit small ones, but good news for them nonetheless. The most important of these is in the northern region, the Kharkiv region, at the town of Severodonetsk. The Russians have held three sides of the city for over a year but have been unable to finish the job, much as at Andiivka. But now the Russians have destroyed the last bridge across the river interrupting Ukran supplies and putting the garrison at risk. The Ukrans will either have to restore the flow of supplies, somehow, or will have no choice but to abandon the city of Severodontesk.

The Russians also pushed back Ukrainian gains at Verboze, which is on the eastern front. It was only light Ukran troops, but still, they had to give ground. Speaking of Verboze, it was there that three separate times the Ukrans penetrated the main Russian defenses, but did so only with some of those same light troops and they could not hold it against a concentrated counter-attack. The largest incursion included just 80 Ukran soldiers and like the other two times, they had to retreat in the face of a large Russian advance. Those defenses at Verboze are part of the hundreds of miles of prepared defensive works, and they are extensive and well-built. The Ukrans showed some captured video from inside those works. They are reinforced concrete structures with tunnels connecting defensive points, forts, if you will, and having barracks, mess halls, etc. to accommodate Russian soldiers. They have proper HVAC, running water...all the comforts of home. Actually, given what the average Russian citizen is experiencing right now, these Russian soldiers are living better than the folks back home. The Russians have been building these works for many years, dating back to 2014, with more added the past two years. The Ukrans are also building defensive works, so far, not as elaborate as the Russians' but they are using theirs as a model. Both sides are digging in, the main lines are generally about 15-18 miles apart, meaning the ground in-between is the combat zone and might become "no man's land" much like WWI ended up.

The Russians unveiled their latest glide bombs, capable to covering 70km, about 42 miles, fairly accurately. Hardly precision bombing, but close enough for the Putinites.

In the Red Sea, the Houthis attacked and severely damaged a Russian oil tanker, the Klalissa. The damage is such the ship is sinking and reports are it may go down, taking all that oil with it. If the Houthis knew it was Russian they didn't care, but more likely they did not know. Iran is Russia's close ally and will not be happy with this. And here's something funny, a US destroyer was in the area and has been routinely intercepting Houthis missiles protecting shipping. In this case the US destroyer made no effort to intercept these missiles, and the Russians are accusing the US of purposely not protecting this Russian tanker. What can we say....we're sorry?

[dawg80]

Two US-built Bradley Fighting Machines tag-teamed a Russian T-90 tank, eventually destroying it. This occurred at Avdiivka. The Russian tank was coming down a road, which is lined with trees. One of the Bradleys pulled into the road and fired a burst from its 25mm automatic cannon. The T-90 tried to respond, but just as it was about to fire its main gun, the Bradley moved and the trees along the road prevented the T-90 from lining up on the Bradley. Then the second Bradley appeared, pulling into the main road...the Bradleys were at an intersection with a side road. It fired, using its barrage of AP shells and incendiary rounds. The distance was about a 1/2 mile. That made the Russkies very uncomfortable and the T-90 halted and started to back up. It turned its main gun...which is a 125mm smoothbore firing "rockets" and which could destroy a Bradley with a direct hit at that close range...but again, before the Russkies could aim their main gun, the Bradley backed up using the trees as a screen. This went on for nearly 10 minutes, the whole time the T-90 taking round after round from the 25mm cannons. The T-90 caught fire, with flames coming from where the turret sits on the chassis. The Russians tried to flee and did a slow turn around on the narrow road, getting pummeled by 25mm cannon fire. When the T-90 was fully turned around it exposed its weak armor on the rear of the tank and one of the Bradleys rushed up the road in pursuit. Two more 25mm bursts was all it took. The tank driver lost control as the 3-man crew tried to either fight the fire inside the tank or were trying to get out. The T-90 slammed into a tree and then a destroyed house. All three crewmen escaped the burning tank and were taken prisoner by the Ukrans.

The T-90 has only a 3-man crew as the gunner has the use of an automatic loader. That's fine for rapid fire but it is also the reason the T-90, like other Russian tanks, tend to explode in huge fireballs as the ammo is kept in the turret itself. A hit causes the shells to "cook off" destroying the tank. After about 5 minutes of the T-90 sitting there burning, the crew long gone, it exploded in a tremendous fireball.

[dawg80]

Russians lose two high-tech surveillance planes, including their best, a SA-50A radar/electronics plane, of which they had only three, now down to two, apparently. The other plane was an older, 4-engine prop plane, but still stocked with radar/electronics. This has not been independently confirmed, so a word of caution for now. But, if true, then Wow! both planes were over the Sea of Azov and if it was the Ukrans who took them down, then...how? The only weapon, we know of, in the Ukrans' hands that could have pulled this off is the F-16 Falcon. No way their other fighter jets, the old Soviet-built planes, could have done this and gotten away with it. Oh, they could have tried with the SU-25 or SU-30, but it is doubtful they would have made it that far undetected and survived Russian counter-measures. We shall see how true this is. Stay tuned...

[dawg80]

Russians lose two high-tech surveillance planes, including their best, a SA-50A radar/electronics plane, of which they had only three, now down to two, apparently. The other plane was an older, 4-engine prop plane, but still stocked with radar/electronics. This has not been independently confirmed, so a word of caution for now. But, if true, then Wow! both planes were over the Sea of Azov and if it was the Ukrans who took them down, then...how? The only weapon, we know of, in the Ukrans' hands that could have pulled this off is the F-16 Falcon. No way their other fighter jets, the old Soviet-built planes, could have done this and gotten away with it. Oh, they could have tried with the SU-25 or SU-30, but it is doubtful they would have made it that far undetected and survived Russian counter-measures. We shall see how true this is. Stay tuned...

YouTube channels lighting up following this news. Still no independent confirmation, but it is clear something happened to both planes. The prop plane is designated IL-22, the jet is an A-50 "spy" plane. According to sources, the Russians have 8 of these A-50s but five of them are grounded due to lack of spare parts to keep them flying. Plus one of those was damaged last year when the Ukrans landed a drone on a parked A-50 and damaged it with an explosive. There is also intercepted communication from both planes reporting an incident and requesting an emergency landing and medical staff standing by. It is possible the planes experienced mechanical problems...but both at the same time? Or, perhaps it was sabotage by anti-Putin forces who planted a bomb on board or tampered with the planes' engines or something.

One YouTuber reports the head of the Ukran air force put out a congratulations to one of his squadrons for taking down these planes. But, even that requires independent confirmation.

[dawg80]

Confirmed! the Ukrans attacked the two planes with Patriot missiles, which were at the extreme range of the system. The 4-engine prop IL-22 plane, which dates from 1957, survived and was able to land, albeit severely damaged and with casualties onboard. The jet spy plane, the A-50, is lost having crashed into the Sea of Azov. The two planes were on a routine flight path, circling over land in Donbas and back out to sea. The Ukrans simply plotted when the planes would be in the range of the Patriot missiles and launched the attack.

[dawg80]

Ukrans unleash latest drones! They have enhanced their sea drones, not only are they larger and faster, but are now equipped with weapons, such as a 30mm automatic cannon, and rockets. And, the Ukrans have deployed their new ground-attack drones. These are ATVs-like, 4-wheel drive on "sponge" tires capable of negotiating even the roughest ground, and like the sea drones, mounting an automatic cannon and rockets. Great video of one chasing retreating Russian vehicles down a road. One of the Russian vehicles, an APC, poured machinegun fire into the drone, the tracers, and thus, the bullets striking it with seemingly no damage being done. It continued in pursuit, knocking an APC out of action, the Russians inside scattering in every direction.

The Ukrans have been so creative and innovative (out of necessity) and have changed the modern battlefield forever.

[dawg80]

Wow! Ukrans destroy a Russian oil refinery! It is gone, kaput! And they also destroyed a Russian powder factory that makes powder for both bullets (gunpowder) and the powder for artillery shells. It too is completely destroyed. The Ukrans attacked another oil refinery located close to St. Petersburg but failed to do substantial damage. So, they will just try again. The two destroyed plants were located close to the Ukrainian border, within easy reach. St. Petersburg is a lot further away and thus a tougher challenge for Ukrans' drones to strike.

This is what we need to do to Iran. Destroy all their oil refineries and ammo-producing plants. They have factories building drones, which they sell to Russia and other malcontents.

Anyway, good show Ukrans!

[dawg80]

Good Lord! The Ukrans are learning what they have in the Bradley Fighting Machine and have gained confidence in being bold in their attacks. Great video just released of three Bradleys attacking a Russian armored column, which had two tanks, 4 APCs, and 3 trucks. All 9 Russian vehicles are nothing but smoldering hunks of melted metal now. Brutal! No mercy! Over-whelming firepower from the Bradleys and determined, pissed-off Ukrans delivering retribution to the evil invaders. The Bradley carries an anti-tank TOW missile, but they don't have to use it as the 25mm automatic cannon is sufficient to knock out the inferior Russian vehicles, including the tanks.

My brother-in-law, who is retired army and who served in a tank brigade told me, when I asked him how would the US-built equipment perform in this modern era of drones, that the Russians, the world, have no idea what they are dealing with. I thought he was just being overly-optimistic and boasting about good ole American technology, but if these encounters between Ukran-manned Bradleys and Russia's main battle tanks is an indication, I would say he under-stated it! India, who lost confidence in their alliance with the US under Biden, just purchased more of that Russian crap. Bet they are having second thoughts about that now. When Trump gets back in office just watch how fast India and the rest of the free world flock back to the US for renewed alliances and partnerships.

Anyway, the video is...awesome and also brutal. Some of the Russian crews were able to escape their burning vehicles, with most of them being machinegunned down by the Ukran Bradleys. But a few of the Russians managed to reach a patch of woods and make good their escape. A Ukran drone followed them for over a mile, but the Bradleys didn't want to pursue, no sense taking the risk. And a good number of Russians never emerged from the burning vehicles. No telling how many Russkies perished in this fight, but at least they are all "good" Russkies now.

And the three Bradleys never even got a scratch!

[dawg80]

Massive anti-Putin protests are happening across Russia. The largest so far occurred in an eastern province near the Ural Mountains, fairly remote part of Russia. Just good ole, hard-working farmers and laborers and family folks tired of Putin's crap and especially sick of this war. Riot police supported by some Home Guard troops, rushed in to contain the protest, and it ended mostly peacefully. But the next day people had gathered again in a town square and now other protests are popping all over Russia. The first protests occurred in Moscow and St. Petersburg and other larger cities, but those protestors were met with brutal force and arrests were made. If those riot police and Home Guard troops support Putin, then they should carry their sorry asses to Ukraine and really show their support for the evil dictator.

This is what it will take to topple Putin and his inner-circle of thugs. Clearly the free world does not have the stomach for taking on Putin directly, so it is up to the Russian people to make a regime change. And I hope and pray they can, and do.