Ukraine 3

[Hoodat]

Russia fired missiles at the Chaplyne railway station in the Dnipropetrovsk region — 15 people were killed

Anna Kholodnova  |  20:51, 24 august 2022

The Russian occupiers launched a missile attack on the railway junction at the Chaplyne station in the Dnipropetrovsk region. 15 people died, approximately 50 were injured.

This was said by President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking via video link before the UN Security Council.

According to the president, before the speech, he received information that the Russians launched missiles at the railway station in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

"Four passenger cars are now on fire... At least 15 people have been killed and about 50 people have been injured. Rescuers are working. But unfortunately, the number of dead may still increase. This is how we live every day. This is how Russia prepared for this meeting of the UN Security Council," said Zelensky.  .  .  .

https://babel.ua/en/news/83410-russia-fired-missiles-at-the-chaplyne-railway-station-in-the-dnipropetrovsk-region-15-people-were-killed

[Elderberry]

Where is the Ukrainian counteroffensive?

Anders Puck Nielsen

Has the Ukrainian counteroffensive started yet, or are we still waiting for it? And how do the explosions in Crimea fit in? In this video I try to sort out these questions.

0:00 Intro
0:58 A counteroffensive or a trap?
2:50 Two goals with Kherson
3:17 Accelerated attritional warfare
4:22 What the counteroffensive looks like
5:05 The three phases of the war
8:05 Attacks in Crimea
9:05 A bigger plan


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a291BJXTRo&t=1s

[Hoodat]

Where is the Ukrainian counteroffensive?

Anders Puck Nielsen

Very interesting.  Thanks for posting.

[Kamaji]

Nuclear disaster fears as Russia plans to disconnect Zaporizhzhia plant from Ukraine's power grid - risking catastrophic cooling system failure... as staff say they are being TORTURED

By RACHAEL BUNYAN FOR MAILONLINE
25 August 2022

Russia is planning on disconnecting Europe's largest nuclear power plant from Ukraine's power grid in a move that would risk a catastrophic cooling system failure, the head of Kyiv's atomic energy company has warned.

Petro Kotin, the head of Ukraine's state nuclear power company Energoatom, said he has seen Russian engineers' detailed plans to cut off the Zaporizhzhia power plant from Ukraine's power grid and instead connect it to the Russian network in the event that fighting severs the remaining power lines.

Kotin fears that Vladimir Putin's men are now targeting the plant's power lines connecting it to Ukraine's grid to make that scenario a reality, reports the Guardian.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11144589/Nuclear-disaster-fears-Russia-plans-disconnect-Zaporizhzhia-plant-Ukraines-power-grid.html



Orcs will be orcs.

[Elderberry]

Ukraine Nuclear Plant Escapes Meltdown, Zelenskiy Says; Moscow, Kyiv Trade Blame

US News By Tom Balmforth and Natalia Zinets 8/25/2022

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-08-25/ukraine-nuclear-plant-escapes-meltdown-zelenskiy-says-moscow-kyiv-trade-blame

KYIV (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the world narrowly avoided a radiation disaster as the last regular line supplying electricity to Ukraine's Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was restored hours after being cut.

Zelenskiy blamed shelling on Thursday by Russia's military for fires in the ash pits of a nearby coal power station that disconnected the reactor complex, Europe's largest such facility, from the power grid. He said back-up diesel generators ensured power supply and keep the plant safe.

"If our station staff had not reacted after the blackout, then we would have already been forced to overcome the consequences of a radiation accident," he said in an evening address. "Russia has put Ukraine and all Europeans in a situation one step away from a radiation disaster."

[Elderberry]

With Russia’s Depleted Forces Stalled, Putin Expands Army

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/25/world/ukraine-russia-war-news

Here’s what we know:

•   The Russian president signed a decree to add 137,000 service members to the military starting next year.

•   Ukraine is hitting Russian forces behind the front lines, but has a long way to go, a top official cautions.

•   The U.S. State Department and Yale identify 21 detention sites in Russian-controlled territory.

•   The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was briefly cut off from Ukraine’s grid, leading to outages, officials say.

•   Cluster munitions have killed nearly 700 in Ukraine, a study reports.

•   Biden and Zelensky reaffirm their alliance as the war enters its seventh month.

•   Russia’s plans for ‘sham’ referendums in occupied territories brings back bad memories in Ukraine.

The Russian president signed a decree to add 137,000 service members to the military starting next year.

President Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday ordered a sharp increase in the size of his armed forces, a reversal of years of efforts by the Kremlin to slim down a bloated military and the latest sign that the Russian president, despite heavy battlefield losses, is bracing for a long war in Ukraine.

The decree, released by Mr. Putin’s office and posted on the Kremlin website, raised the target number of active-duty service members by about 137,000, to 1.15 million, as of January of next year, and ordered the government to set aside money to pay for the increase. Military analysts puzzled over how such a sharp increase could be managed.

It was the first time in five years that Mr. Putin had issued an order changing the overall head count of the Russian armed forces. Officials offered no explanation for the move, and there was little mention of it on state television. U.S. military officials estimate that Russia has suffered up to 80,000 casualties — including both deaths and injuries — during Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

[bilo]

Russia isn't gaining a lot of territory and is losing economically. They are now cannibalizing commercial aircraft for parts to maintain commercial airlines. Boeing and Airbus are no longer providing support so they will be unable to update aircraft. European nations are setting up LNG contracts and transferring stations. The USA is now shipping more LNG to the EU than Russia. In time the EU will have enough oil and gas that they will be able to reverse the flow in the pipelines from west to east. If the EU can overcome their self induced energy crisis then secondar sanctions can be imposed on countries doing business with Russia.

Putin is gambling that the west won't continue their support for Ukraine over the long haul. I think they will because even though the leadership is terribly inept they know if they don't stick it out the alternative is a Russia that grows more aggressive and the fight will be at the door.

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

[Kamaji]

With Russia’s Depleted Forces Stalled, Putin Expands Army

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/25/world/ukraine-russia-war-news

Here’s what we know:

•   The Russian president signed a decree to add 137,000 service members to the military starting next year.

•   Ukraine is hitting Russian forces behind the front lines, but has a long way to go, a top official cautions.

•   The U.S. State Department and Yale identify 21 detention sites in Russian-controlled territory.

•   The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was briefly cut off from Ukraine’s grid, leading to outages, officials say.

•   Cluster munitions have killed nearly 700 in Ukraine, a study reports.

•   Biden and Zelensky reaffirm their alliance as the war enters its seventh month.

•   Russia’s plans for ‘sham’ referendums in occupied territories brings back bad memories in Ukraine.

The Russian president signed a decree to add 137,000 service members to the military starting next year.

President Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday ordered a sharp increase in the size of his armed forces, a reversal of years of efforts by the Kremlin to slim down a bloated military and the latest sign that the Russian president, despite heavy battlefield losses, is bracing for a long war in Ukraine.

The decree, released by Mr. Putin’s office and posted on the Kremlin website, raised the target number of active-duty service members by about 137,000, to 1.15 million, as of January of next year, and ordered the government to set aside money to pay for the increase. Military analysts puzzled over how such a sharp increase could be managed.

It was the first time in five years that Mr. Putin had issued an order changing the overall head count of the Russian armed forces. Officials offered no explanation for the move, and there was little mention of it on state television. U.S. military officials estimate that Russia has suffered up to 80,000 casualties — including both deaths and injuries — during Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Because raw draftees have always made such a cutting-edge fighting force.

[Hoodat]

[Hoodat]

Day 183 - the Russian invasion in pictures


Mykhailo Riabko, 64, walks past a damaged technical school building after a Russian attack in Slovyansk


Debris covers a classroom after a Russian attack


https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-news-live-war-russia-nuclear-putin-latest-crimea-updates-12541713

[Gefn]

Iran and Russia Are Cementing an Alliance With Grain, Drones and Satellites

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran in July after the two countries pledged more economic and military cooperation.Photo: Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS/Zuma Press
TEHRAN—Iran and Russia are forging tighter ties than ever, as their international isolation drives the two staunch American foes toward more trade and military cooperation, alarming Washington.

In July, Iran became the world’s largest buyer of Russian wheat. This month, Russia launched an Iranian satellite into space in a rare success for Tehran’s space program. And last week, Iran’s military hosted joint drone exercises with Russian forces, as the U.S. warns Moscow is preparing to receive Iranian drones for use in the war in Ukraine.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/iran-and-russia-are-cementing-an-alliance-with-grain-drones-and-satellites-11661605200

[Gefn]

Iran and Russia Are Cementing an Alliance With Grain, Drones and Satellites



https://www.wsj.com/articles/iran-and-russia-are-cementing-an-alliance-with-grain-drones-and-satellites-11661605200

Article has a paywall. :(

[Hoodat]

Let's not forget how Iran acquired their drone technology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93U.S._RQ-170_incident

US acknowledgement

On 5 December 2011, U.S. military sources confirmed that the remains of an RQ-170 had been captured by Iranian forces. Media reports indicated that various U.S. officials declined to confirm whether or not the drone in the video released by Iranian state television was authentic.[18] On 8 December 2011, a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Washington Post that the U.S. cannot be certain the drone shown was real because the U.S. does not have access to it, but also stated that "We have no indication that it was brought down by hostile fire."  A second senior U.S. military official said that a major question is how the drone could have remained "virtually intact," given the high altitude from which it is said to have crashed.  U.S. Navy Captain John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, told a news conference on 8 December 2011 that Pentagon analysts were examining the video.  Both Kirby and fellow spokesman George Little would not comment further on whether the U.S. military believed the drone was the one missing, both did say that the missing drone had not been recovered.  Later that day, CBS reported that the US officials had confirmed in private the authenticity of the drone shown by the Iranians

Yet another 'screw America' from the Obama years.  And the incompetency of John Kirby continues to plague us.

[Kamaji]

Ukrainian 'traitor' official who switched sides to the Russians in puppet people's republic is assassinated by resistance fighters in shocking car bomb attack caught on video

By ADAM SOLOMONS FOR MAILONLINE
27 August 2022

Striking surveillance footage shows the dramatic moment a Russian puppet official who switched sides in Ukraine is assassinated by resistance forces.

Askyar Laishev worked for Ukraine's internal security service (SBU) before joining the Moscow-backed Luhansk People's Republic as head of intelligence in 2014.

But members of Ukraine's National Resistance in the war-torn Donbas, eastern Ukraine got revenge by bombing his car as he drove through the city on August 11.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11151793/Ukrainian-traitor-official-switched-sides-Russians-puppet-republic-assassinated.html

[Elderberry]

Ukraine using US resistance warfare methods to fight back against Russia – CNN

https://english.nv.ua/nation/ukraine-using-us-resistance-warfare-methods-to-fight-back-against-russia-50266168.html

Ukraine is successfully using a method of resistance warfare developed by U.S. special operations forces to fight back against Russia and bog down its vastly superior military, CNN reported on Aug. 27.

The method – the Resistance Operating Concept (ROC) – was developed in 2013 following Russia’s war with Georgia a few years earlier, but its value was only realized after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014.

The doctrine is not intended to create or support an insurgency; its goal is to establish a government-sanctioned force that will carry out activities against a foreign occupier with the goal of restoring sovereignty.

CNN said that the ROC provides an innovative and unconventional approach to warfare and total defense that has guided not just Ukraine’s military, but also involved the country’s civilian population as part of a concerted resistance against Russia’s army.

Early in the conflict, the Ukrainian government created a website that explains different ways to resist. The site describes ways of using of nonviolent actions, including boycotting public events, labor strikes, and even how to use humor and satire. The goal is to disrupt the ability of pro-Russian authorities to govern while reminding the population of Ukraine’s rightful sovereignty.

The resistance doctrine suggests violent actions as well, including using Molotov cocktails, deliberately starting fires and putting chemicals in gas tanks to sabotage enemy vehicles. The doctrine also calls for a broad messaging campaign to control the narrative of the conflict, prevent an occupier’s message from taking hold, and keeping the population united.

More at link.

[bilo]

Ukrainian 'traitor' official who switched sides to the Russians in puppet people's republic is assassinated by resistance fighters in shocking car bomb attack caught on video

By ADAM SOLOMONS FOR MAILONLINE
27 August 2022

Striking surveillance footage shows the dramatic moment a Russian puppet official who switched sides in Ukraine is assassinated by resistance forces.

Askyar Laishev worked for Ukraine's internal security service (SBU) before joining the Moscow-backed Luhansk People's Republic as head of intelligence in 2014.

But members of Ukraine's National Resistance in the war-torn Donbas, eastern Ukraine got revenge by bombing his car as he drove through the city on August 11.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11151793/Ukrainian-traitor-official-switched-sides-Russians-puppet-republic-assassinated.html

Good

[Hoodat]

It would be very cost effective for the US to support these partisan actions.  The tools of this warfare are far less expensive than MLRS systems or APCs.  But to date, the Biden Administration has provided exactly $0 of support for these efforts.

[Elderberry]

Russian Force Won't Return From Mission Fearing Ukraine Deployment: Report

Newsweek By Xander Landen On 8/27/22

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-force-wont-return-mission-fearing-ukraine-deployment-report-1737586

Russian troops in Kazakhstan are refusing to return to Russia because they do not want to be deployed to the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian intelligence officials said Saturday.

There are roughly 1,000 Russian troops in Kazakhstan according to Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. The directorate says that the the military contingent stationed in the country "does not want to replenish the composition of the occupation contingent" in Ukraine, according to a translation of a post on Telegram.

However, it also said that the "formal reason for the refusal is the lack of special air transport, which is fully engaged in the war with Ukraine."

Ukrainska Pravda first reported on the claims from the intelligence officials on Saturday.

More at link.

[Elderberry]

German state leader 'not wanted' in Ukraine after war remarks

https://www.dw.com/en/german-state-leader-not-wanted-in-ukraine-after-war-remarks/a-62953505

The state premier of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, drew the ire of Ukraine's ambassador in Germany over a suggestion that the Russian war be "frozen" to give diplomacy a chance.

Kyiv's ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, rescinded an invitation to the Premier of Germany's Saxony state, Michael Kretschmer to visit Ukraine.

"I invited you to Ukraine. This invitation has been canceled. You are not wanted. Period," the diplomat wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

He was upset over Kretschmer's suggestion that the war in Ukraine be "frozen" to give diplomacy a chance.

The German Christian Democrat politician made the remark during an appearance on the "Markus Lanz" television chat show.

"With your absurd rheoric about the freezing of the Russian war you are playing into Putin's hands and fueling Russian aggression," Melnyk said.

What exactly Kretschmer said

During the TV show Kretschmer argued that the debate on the war in Ukraine had become too one-dimensional and that more European and global efforts should be made to set up peace talks, even if Russia currently claims not to be interested.

"I think a big problem in the current debate is that we have a narrowing of opinion to one point of view, with one line of argumentation, and I think we need much more of a broad debate, a mix of arguments, for and against. Particularly with such vast questions of war and peace, it's extremely important."

He said he considered negotiations the only way to end the war.

More at link.

[Elderberry]

Ukraine Situation Report: Kyiv Claims Russia Is Running Low On Missiles

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-situation-report-russia-running-low-on-missiles-six-months-in

Kyiv estimates Russia has just 20 percent of its Iskander ballistic missiles left as other stocks have dwindled from constant strikes.

More confirmation that Russia is running low on missiles after six months of strikes has emerged, with two of its preferred weapons systems said to be facing major shortages.

Ukrainian intelligence reports Russia has at most 45% of its missiles remaining. Vadym Skibitskyi with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Directory claimed Russia faces a “difficult situation” with its 3M14 Kalibr land-attack cruise missiles (LACM), and at most 20% of its 9K720 Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) remain.

Russia has made the Kalibr a fixture of its war against Ukraine, with its range allowing strikes deep in Ukrainian-controlled territory. Some of the war’s first images were Kalibrs skimming over the Ukrainian countryside before slamming into targets as the sun rose on February 24. Similarly, nighttime Iskander-M launches targeting Kharkiv from Belgorod became equally notorious.

The shortage may be growing dire, if the latest news from Syria is any indication. Russia withdrew the battery of S-300 surface-to-air missiles (SAM) that it famously 'gifted' to Syria (although Russia has maintained control over it), with observers tracking their eventual delivery to Novorossiysk in the Black Sea. You can read more about the transfer and its implications in both regions in our story about it here.

More at link.

[Kamaji]

German state leader 'not wanted' in Ukraine after war remarks

https://www.dw.com/en/german-state-leader-not-wanted-in-ukraine-after-war-remarks/a-62953505

The state premier of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, drew the ire of Ukraine's ambassador in Germany over a suggestion that the Russian war be "frozen" to give diplomacy a chance.

Kyiv's ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, rescinded an invitation to the Premier of Germany's Saxony state, Michael Kretschmer to visit Ukraine.

"I invited you to Ukraine. This invitation has been canceled. You are not wanted. Period," the diplomat wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

He was upset over Kretschmer's suggestion that the war in Ukraine be "frozen" to give diplomacy a chance.

The German Christian Democrat politician made the remark during an appearance on the "Markus Lanz" television chat show.

"With your absurd rheoric about the freezing of the Russian war you are playing into Putin's hands and fueling Russian aggression," Melnyk said.

What exactly Kretschmer said

During the TV show Kretschmer argued that the debate on the war in Ukraine had become too one-dimensional and that more European and global efforts should be made to set up peace talks, even if Russia currently claims not to be interested.

"I think a big problem in the current debate is that we have a narrowing of opinion to one point of view, with one line of argumentation, and I think we need much more of a broad debate, a mix of arguments, for and against. Particularly with such vast questions of war and peace, it's extremely important."

He said he considered negotiations the only way to end the war.

More at link.

Considering that Russia has now said it will not consider diplomacy, that was a rather stupid statement by the German.

[Hoodat]

Considering that Russia has now said it will not consider diplomacy, that was a rather stupid statement by the German.

You got that right.  Ukraine has insisted that Russia withdraw from Ukraine.  And that is something that Russia has zero willingness to do.

[bilo]

It would be very cost effective for the US to support these partisan actions.  The tools of this warfare are far less expensive than MLRS systems or APCs.  But to date, the Biden Administration has provided exactly $0 of support for these efforts.

We agree.

Biden only does what he's told and no one has told him to give Ukraine the tools to WIN this war and expel the invaders. It's clear that the Ukrainian strategy is to force the Russians to withdraw because they can't supply their forces. The Ukrainians are not going to attack fixed positions where they will suffer loses far and above the invaders, especially since they can't control the skies. Partisan attacks on any Russians and traitors adds a lot of pressure on the invaders to pull back.

[bilo]

Russian Force Won't Return From Mission Fearing Ukraine Deployment: Report

Newsweek By Xander Landen On 8/27/22

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-force-wont-return-mission-fearing-ukraine-deployment-report-1737586

Russian troops in Kazakhstan are refusing to return to Russia because they do not want to be deployed to the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian intelligence officials said Saturday.

There are roughly 1,000 Russian troops in Kazakhstan according to Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. The directorate says that the the military contingent stationed in the country "does not want to replenish the composition of the occupation contingent" in Ukraine, according to a translation of a post on Telegram.

However, it also said that the "formal reason for the refusal is the lack of special air transport, which is fully engaged in the war with Ukraine."

Ukrainska Pravda first reported on the claims from the intelligence officials on Saturday.

More at link.

It always surprises me when I read about Russian troops (orcs) refusing to go to Ukraine. I've always thought that soldiers don't have any say in where they are sent.

[bilo]

Considering that Russia has now said it will not consider diplomacy, that was a rather stupid statement by the German.

He represents the soft underbelly of the EU. They have not had to make any real sacrifices for a generation and have become so accustomed to others paying for what they want they don't know how to stand up to tyrants. They think if you sit at a table and work out a deal with a tyrant that he will honor it. Thankfully, the Eastern European countries are a lot tougher having lived under the boot of the USSR.