Ukraine 2

[Kamaji]

Russia loses its highest-ranking pilot yet in Ukraine as former Air Force Major, 63, comes out of retirement… and is blasted out of the skies

By David Averre For Mailonline
24 May 2022

A Russian Air Force Major General has been shot out of the sky above the Luhansk region, marking the latest in a long line of high-profile military losses sustained by Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine.

Major General Kanamat Botashev, 63, was enjoying retirement when Russian tanks rolled across the border on February 24 and had not flown since 2012.

His Su-25 fighter jet was hit by a Stinger missile at around 8:25am on Sunday morning in the Donbas skies, and he was unable to eject.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10850289/Russia-loses-highest-ranking-pilot-Ukraine-former-Air-Force-Major-63-shot-down.html

[Kamaji]

Kremlin officials 'are already discussing who will replace Putin' because 'there is an understanding he will not run the country in the foreseeable future'

By David Averre For Mailonline
24 May 2022

Top-ranking Russian officials are said to be plotting a government without Vladimir Putin after Kremlin sources claimed the Russian President has turned almost everybody against him amid the invasion of Ukraine.

Three months to the day since Russian tanks first rolled across the Ukrainian border, a government source told Russian-Latvian outlet Meduza 'there are almost no people who are satisfied with Putin' among Kremlin officials and Russian elites.

'Businessmen and many members of the government are unhappy that the president started the war without thinking about the scale of the sanctions - it is impossible to live with such sanctions,' the source said - a sentiment which was later corroborated by two other government insiders.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10850615/Kremlin-officials-discussing-replace-Putin.html

[sneakypete]

Russia loses its highest-ranking pilot yet in Ukraine as former Air Force Major, 63, comes out of retirement… and is blasted out of the skies

By David Averre For Mailonline
24 May 2022

A Russian Air Force Major General has been shot out of the sky above the Luhansk region, marking the latest in a long line of high-profile military losses sustained by Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine.

Major General Kanamat Botashev, 63, was enjoying retirement when Russian tanks rolled across the border on February 24 and had not flown since 2012.

His Su-25 fighter jet was hit by a Stinger missile at around 8:25am on Sunday morning in the Donbas skies, and he was unable to eject.

*  *  *

 

@Kamaji

Are the Neo-Soviets so hard up for fighter pilots now that they need to pull senior citizens out of retirement to fly them?

[DCPatriot]

@Kamaji

Are the Neo-Soviets so hard up for fighter pilots now that they need to pull senior citizens out of retirement to fly them?

Maybe the poor SOB was influenced by the TOP GUN - MAVERICK trailer?  Fantasy vs Reality.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSqVVswa420

[Kamaji]

@Kamaji

Are the Neo-Soviets so hard up for fighter pilots now that they need to pull senior citizens out of retirement to fly them?

It's probably just the macho Russian thing - same reason Putin still thinks he's Mr. Butch.

[240B]

GW accidentally tells the truth about Iraq and Ukraine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y23mTSviCZo

[Elderberry]

Ukraine Army using France’s CAESAR to destroy Russian invaders

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3491436-ukraine-army-using-frances-caesar-to-destroy-russian-invaders.html

The Ukrainian military are launching artillery strikes on Russian invaders with France’s CAESAR howitzers.

The relevant statement was made by Mariupol City Council on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“The inscription ‘For Mariupol’ had been added to one of 155 mm artillery shells fired by our defenders at Russian occupiers,” the report states.

According to Mariupol City Council, France’s CAESAR howitzers are used in Ukraine for the first time.

https://t.me/mariupolrada/9729

[Hoodat]

Maybe the poor SOB was influenced by the TOP GUN - MAVERICK trailer?  Fantasy vs Reality.

Top Gun is a gay movie.

[Hoodat]

Melitopol residents resist Russian occupation

Abdujalil Abdurasulov - BBC, Kyiv  |  1 day ago

Russian forces met fierce resistance from residents when they arrived in the southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol in February.

Locals tried to block armoured vehicles as the convoy of soldiers rolled in to occupy the city, and people flooded the streets waving Ukrainian flags.

When the Russians started cracking down on the protesters, the resistance movement was forced to evolve and new groups emerged.

Melitopol, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War, is an area where partisan warfare has been active since at least the middle of March.

Ukraine's Military Intelligence Directorate has reported that from 20 March to 12 April "partisans eliminated 70 Russian soldiers during their night patrol".

These groups are continuing to carry out attacks.  .  .

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1528503624304713729

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61525477

[Hoodat]

[Elderberry]

Eight more Russian troops accused of 'torturing and killing civilians' in criminal case

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1614940/ukraine-live-sergei-lavrov-russia-vladimir-putin-invasion-war-nuclear-weapon-latest-update

MORE RUSSIAN TROOPS have reportedly been accused of war crimes during the conflict in Ukraine.

The news follows the sentencing of the first Russian soldier of war crimes in Ukraine for killing an unarmed civilian during the early days of the invasion.

Reports of war crimes committed by Russian forces began to emerge from the beginning of President Vladimir Putin’s offensive at the end of February and at a fuller force as Ukrainian troops reclaimed ground from Russia.

According to a tweet from NEXTA, the largest Eastern European media outlet, eight more Russians have been accused of war crimes in Ukraine.

The organisation tweeted: “Eight more Russians are accused of crimes in Ukraine.

[Elderberry]

 Czech Republic gives Ukraine attack helicopters

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3491538-czech-republic-gives-ukraine-attack-helicopters.html

The Czech Republic has supplied to Ukraine a number of attack helicopters and, together with Slovakia, is currently repairing dozens of armored vehicles, which will return to combat once restored.

This was reported on Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal with reference to the Pentagon, Ukrinform wrote.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has thanked the Czech government for their contribution, the newspaper said.

It is specified that the Ukrainian side received Soviet-made Mi-24 attack helicopters, which have already been sent to Ukraine in the context of joint efforts to reclaim its airspace.

More at link.

[Hoodat]

Czech Republic gives Ukraine attack helicopters

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3491538-czech-republic-gives-ukraine-attack-helicopters.html

This was reported on Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal with reference to the Pentagon, Ukrinform wrote.

In other words, Ukrinform reported this only after someone at the Pentagon leaked it to the WSJ.

[Kamaji]

In other words, Ukrinform reported this only after someone at the Pentagon leaked it to the WSJ.

[Elderberry]

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 24

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-24

Russian forces have likely abandoned efforts to complete a single large encirclement of Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine and are instead attempting to secure smaller encirclements—enabling them to make incremental measured gains. Russian forces are likely attempting to achieve several simultaneous encirclements of small pockets of Ukrainian forces in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts: the broader Severodonetsk area (including Rubizhne and Lysychansk), Bakhmut-Lysychansk, around Zolote (just northeast of Popasna), and around Ukrainian fortifications in Avdiivka. Russian forces have begun steadily advancing efforts in these different encirclements daily but have not achieved any major “breakthroughs” or made major progress towards their stated objectives of securing the Donetsk Oblast borders or seizing all of Donbas. Luhansk Oblast Administration Head Serhiy Haidai reported that Ukrainian forces only controlled approximately 10 percent of Luhansk Oblast as of May 15 (compared to 30 percent prior to the full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022).[1] Russian forces have secured more terrain in the past week than efforts earlier in May. However, they have done so by reducing the scope of their objectives—largely abandoning operations around Izyum and concentrating on key frontline towns: Russian performance remains poor.

Russian forces will additionally likely face protracted urban combat if they successfully encircle Severodonetsk (as well as in other large towns like Bakhmut), which Russian forces have struggled with throughout the war. Russian forces are committing a significant number of their troops, artillery, and aircraft to defeat Ukrainian defenders in Luhansk Oblast and are likely pulling necessary resources from the Izyum axis, defensive positions around Kharkiv City, Donetsk City, and the Zaporizhia area. Luhansk Oblast Administration Head Serhiy Haidai has previously compared Ukrainian forces in Luhansk Oblast to the previous defenders of Mariupol, which aimed to wear out Russian forces and prevent further offensive operations.[2] The UK Defense Ministry also noted that a Russian victory over Severodonetsk will only worsen Russian logistical issues and extend Russian ground lines of communication (GLOCs).[3] Russian forces are making greater advances in the past week than throughout the rest of May—but these advances remain slow, confined to smaller objectives than the Kremlin intended, and face continued Ukrainian defenses; they do not constitute a major breakthrough.

Senior Kremlin officials are increasingly openly admitting that the Russian offensive in Ukraine is moving slower than anticipated and are grasping for explanations to justify the slow pace. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claimed that Russian operations in Ukraine are progressing slowly because Russian forces want to afford civilians the opportunity to evacuate, though Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian civilians throughout the war and repeatedly denied Ukrainian attempts to negotiate humanitarian evacuation corridors.[4] Shoigu’s statement is notably his first admission that Russian forces are behind schedule and is the first official statement on the pace of the war since Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that the operation was “dragging” on May 4.[5] Russian milbloggers are criticizing Shoigu’s claimed consideration for civilians and claimed that Soviet troops would not have cared if “Nazi” civilians evacuated, part of the growing Russian nationalist reaction that the Kremlin is not doing enough to win the war in Ukraine.[6] Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin stated that the ultimate goal of the Russian offensive is to ensure “Nazism” is “100% eradicated, or it will rear its head in a few years, and in an even uglier form.”[7] Naryshkin and Shoigu’s statements indicate that Russian officials are likely setting conditions for a protracted war in Ukraine in order to justify slower and more measured advances than initially anticipated.

Forcefully mobilized servicemen from the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics continued to protest the Russian and proxy military command. Servicemen of the 3rd Infantry Battalion of the 105th Infantry Regiment from the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) recorded a video appeal to DNR Head Denis Pushilin wherein they claimed they were mobilized on February 23 and that they have been forced to actively participate in hostilities despite their lack of military experience. The battalion stated that they served on the frontlines in Mariupol and have been redeployed to the territory of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) with only 60% of their original personnel and are now dealing with severe morale issues and physical exhaustion. The battalion notably claimed that the servicemen did not go through routine medical inspection prior to service and that many are suffering from chronic illnesses that should have rendered them ineligible for service. The video appeal is consistent with numerous reports from Ukrainian and Western sources that proxy forces are largely forcibly mobilized, poorly trained, and suffering from declining morale, but is notable due to the willingness of the DNR servicemen to publicly express their discontent.[8]

Key Takeaways

•   Russian forces have likely abandoned efforts to encircle large Ukrainian formations in eastern Ukraine and are instead attempting to secure smaller encirclements and focus on Severodonetsk.

•   This change in the Russian approach is enabling gradual advances—but at the cost of abandoning several intended lines of advance and abandoning the Kremlin’s intended deep encirclement of Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine.

•   Ukrainian forces are likely conducting a controlled withdrawal southwest of Popasna near Bakhmut to protect Ukrainian supply lines against Russian offensives in the southeast of Bakhmut.

•   Russian occupation authorities in Mariupol announced that they will hold war crimes trials against Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol in a likely effort to strengthen judicial control of the city and support false Kremlin narratives of Ukrainian crimes.

•   Russian forces are attempting to retake Ternova in northern Kharkiv Oblast and seek to stabilize defensive positions near the Russian border against the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

•   Russian forces are forming reserves and deploying S-400 missile systems in northwest Crimea to reinforce the southern axis.

•   Several DNR servicemen openly released a video appeal to DNR leader Denis Pushilin stating they have been forced into combat operations without proper support, indicating increasing demoralization among Russian and proxy forces.

We do not report in detail on Russian war crimes because those activities are well-covered in Western media and do not directly affect the military operations we are assessing and forecasting. We will continue to evaluate and report on the effects of these criminal activities on the Ukrainian military and population and specifically on combat in Ukrainian urban areas. We utterly condemn these Russian violations of the laws of armed conflict, Geneva Conventions, and humanity even though we do not describe them in these reports.

•   Main effort—Eastern Ukraine (comprised of one subordinate and three supporting efforts);

•   Subordinate main effort—Encirclement of Ukrainian troops in the cauldron between Izyum and Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts

•   Supporting effort 1—Mariupol;

•   Supporting effort 2—Kharkiv City;

•   Supporting effort 3—Southern axis.

More at link.

[Elderberry]

Henry Kissinger: Ukraine Should Give Up Territory to Russia to Reach Peace

https://www.newsweek.com/henry-kissinger-ukraine-should-give-territory-russia-reach-peace-1709488

Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger has said Ukraine should accept giving up part of its territory to reach a peace deal with Russia, and end the now three-month-long war immediately.

Talking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday, 98-year-old Kissinger said that failing to restart negotiations with Russia and continuing to antagonize Moscow could have disastrous consequences for Europe's stability in the long term.

"Negotiations need to begin in the next two months before it creates upheavals and tensions that will not be easily overcome," he said.

"Ideally, the dividing line should be a return to the status quo ante. Pursuing the war beyond that point would not be about the freedom of Ukraine, but a new war against Russia itself."

Kissinger, who served under the administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in the 1970s, warned against dragging on the war, and pressed for negotiations.

The former secretary of state said Russia has been an essential part of Europe for 400 years, acting as balancing power in critical times for the continent. Kissinger said Western countries should remember the importance of Russia in Europe and not get swept up "in the mood of the moment."

More at link.

[Kamaji]

Russian forces 'begin secret operation to remove the dead from sunken cruiser Moskva' amid new claim that conscripts were 'left to drown' as officers 'fled the ship like rats'

By WILL STEWART FOR MAILONLINE
25 May 2022

Russian forces secretly conducted a macabre operation to remove the dead from the sunken cruiser Moskva, reports have claimed.

The flagship of Putin's Black Sea Fleet was sunk on 14 April by a suspected Ukrainian Neptune missile strike.

Russia has still not acknowledged the huge death toll, so far only admitting one casualty from the embarrassing blow to the Kremlin war effort.

But Ukrainian military intelligence has claimed Russia carried out a two-week salvage operation involving seven vessels following the sinking.

It comes amid a new claim that young naval sailors were 'left to drown' while 'officers fled the ship like rats'.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10852517/Russian-forces-begin-secret-operation-remove-dead-sunken-cruiser-Moskva.html

[txradioguy]

Czech Republic gives Ukraine attack helicopters

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3491538-czech-republic-gives-ukraine-attack-helicopters.html

I've been buzzed by on of those before in Czech. They are more impressive in person than they are in pictures.

[sneakypete]

Henry Kissinger: Ukraine Should Give Up Territory to Russia to Reach Peace

 

@Elderberry

Kissinger has always been a surrender monkey.

[sneakypete]

Russian forces 'begin secret operation to remove the dead from sunken cruiser Moskva' amid new claim that conscripts were 'left to drown' as officers 'fled the ship like rats'

 

And you think YOUR job sucks!

[Elderberry]

And you think YOUR job sucks!

A diver friend was tasked with removing bodies from a jackup rig that sank in the Mississippi River while being moved during a storm. He said it was so muddy he couldn't see anything and was just feeling himself around. Something grabbed his leg. He then discovered several crewmen in an air pocket and was able to rescue them.

[sneakypete]

A diver friend was tasked with removing bodies from a jackup rig that sank in the Mississippi River while being moved during a storm. He said it was so muddy he couldn't see anything and was just feeling himself around. Something grabbed his leg. He then discovered several crewmen in an air pocket and was able to rescue them.

@Elderberry

I am assuming he had no trouble cleaning the "sludge" out of his dive suit after surfacing?

[mountaineer]

And you think YOUR job sucks!

A former neighbor of ours, now deceased, served in WWII and Korea. I interviewed him many years ago for an article marking the 50th anniversary of the Korean war. His sole job in Korea was unloading bloodied corpses that were brought in from the battlefield - day after day. 

[Hoodat]

Henry Kissinger: Ukraine Should Give Up Territory to Russia to Reach Peace

Kissinger does a great job of playing 'good cop'.  Unfortunately, there is no Nixon around to play 'bad cop'.

[sneakypete]

A former neighbor of ours, now deceased, served in WWII and Korea. I interviewed him many years ago for an article marking the 50th anniversary of the Korean war. His sole job in Korea was unloading bloodied corpses that were brought in from the battlefield - day after day. 

@mountaineer

I met a guy back in the late 70's from a small country town where he had lived all his life,and he had been drafted into the army during the VN,sent to VN,and assigned to a Graves Registration Unit. I might have the title wrong,but his job,as an 18 year old away from home for the first time in his life,was to go over battlefields after a fight and police up the bodies,and the parts of bodies of American troops and then try to match the parts with the bodies,and bring them back to the Graves Registration Unit he was assigned to.

The VN bodies were just pushed into a big hole using a bulldozer,and covered  up.

This was maybe the saddest,quietest,man I have ever met. Didn't even date or get married until his 30's and even then it was a widow wanting a good husband that snatched him up and basically told him to marry her.

Probably the best thing that ever happened to him. He was already married to her when I met him,but she gave him a safe place to stay and seemed to be very protective of him. Even to the point where she would sometimes answer questions for him when he was in one of his "moods",and would just stare at the floor.

Worked for both of them,and I am glad they found each other.

Still,I can get a little depressed even today just thinking about the horrors this innocent young boy had to face against his will.

AND....,the army being the army,I met a guy at Bragg after coming back from VN who was a 3rd Generation undertaker from a family in Ohio. He also got drafted during the VN war,and the freaking army made HIM a radio operator!

Sometimes there just ain't no rhyme or reason for stuff.