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Online mountaineer

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1000 on: November 03, 2022, 01:52:51 pm »
Pentagon Confirms US Boots Are On The Ground In Ukraine
by Tyler Durden
Tuesday, Nov 01, 2022 - 02:20 PM
Quote
Two bombshell reports by the Associated Press and Washington Post Monday and Tuesday have confirmed that the United States has boots on the ground in the Ukraine conflict. Crucially, these troops are performing tasks separate from mere embassy security.

The American troops are said to be performing "inspections" of US weapon caches after last week the State Department and Pentagon unveiled a new plan to track US-supplied weapons in efforts to implement accountability for the billions of dollars worth of arms and ammunition transferred to Ukrainian forces since near the start of the war eight months ago.

"A small number of U.S. military forces inside Ukraine have recently begun doing onsite inspections to ensure that Ukrainian troops are properly accounting for the Western-provided weapons they receive, a senior U.S. defense official told Pentagon reporters Monday," the AP/WaPo reporting revealed. ... 
More at Zero Hedge

Offline Kamaji

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1001 on: November 03, 2022, 02:04:30 pm »
Pentagon Confirms US Boots Are On The Ground In Ukraine
by Tyler Durden
Tuesday, Nov 01, 2022 - 02:20 PM More at Zero Hedge

In other words, the U.S. military has auditors on the ground to make sure weapons delivered are properly accounted for.  Watch out for those deadly green eye-shades!

Offline sneakypete

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1002 on: November 03, 2022, 02:18:29 pm »
Spot on.  They are still operating off the 15-day plan they initiated last winter.

@Hoodat

Of course they are. After all,they are Soviets,and for people with a Soviet "mind-set" the PLAN is EVERYTHING.
.
Admitting an official plan failed would be the equivalent of saying the sun sets in the east. It would just be so impossible nobody could possibly believe it.

Thus,they are "still winning".
Anyone who isn't paranoid in 2021 just isn't thinking clearly!

Online mountaineer

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1003 on: November 03, 2022, 02:26:03 pm »
In other words, the U.S. military has auditors on the ground to make sure weapons delivered are properly accounted for.  Watch out for those deadly green eye-shades!
Would those be "boots on the ground" or just wingtips?

Offline Kamaji

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1004 on: November 03, 2022, 02:30:13 pm »
Would those be "boots on the ground" or just wingtips?

My guess is that army auditors still wear the boots and the green.  Appearances can be deceiving.

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1005 on: November 03, 2022, 03:15:50 pm »
Would those be "boots on the ground" or just wingtips?

More like accountants on the ground.  But it reveals where the auditing goals of this administration lie.  Wish we had "boots on the ground" inside USAID.

There was a story coming out of Ukraine that was posted on the Ukraine board 2 or 3 months back.  The gist of the story was that the Americans were dropping off arms supplies at the border and that those supplies were not making their way to Ukrainian military units.  The person making the point was saying that the Americans needed to do due diligence to ensure that the arms reached the troops instead of making their way to the black market.  Perhaps the Pentagon is taking them up on this.

(Of course the primary reason earlier on that US weapons weren't making their way to Ukrainian troops is because US weapons weren't being dropped off at the border in the first place).

But back to the gist of the story.  The point being driven home here is that US military forces are indeed inside Ukraine.  For the Pentagon to casually admit this shows the incompetence of our current command structure.
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

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Offline Kamaji

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1006 on: November 03, 2022, 03:47:51 pm »
More like accountants on the ground.  But it reveals where the auditing goals of this administration lie.  Wish we had "boots on the ground" inside USAID.

There was a story coming out of Ukraine that was posted on the Ukraine board 2 or 3 months back.  The gist of the story was that the Americans were dropping off arms supplies at the border and that those supplies were not making their way to Ukrainian military units.  The person making the point was saying that the Americans needed to do due diligence to ensure that the arms reached the troops instead of making their way to the black market.  Perhaps the Pentagon is taking them up on this.

(Of course the primary reason earlier on that US weapons weren't making their way to Ukrainian troops is because US weapons weren't being dropped off at the border in the first place).

But back to the gist of the story.  The point being driven home here is that US military forces are indeed inside Ukraine.  For the Pentagon to casually admit this shows the incompetence of our current command structure.

:thumbsup:

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1007 on: November 03, 2022, 04:59:02 pm »
Flag disappears from Russian controlled Kherson government building

Adam Parker, OSINT editor  |  4h ago  |  08:12


Videos and photos shared online today show the Kherson Regional Administration building in the annexed city without a Russian flag.



Russian-installed authorities in the southern Ukrainian city ordered an evacuation of residents two weeks ago after Ukraine's advances around the city.

A video posted on the 16 September by Russian state media agency Ria Novosti shows the Russian flag above the same building.



https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-latest-putin-launches-military-satellite-into-space-as-russia-is-accused-of-covert-mobilisation-12541713?postid=4798087#liveblog-body
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline Kamaji

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1008 on: November 03, 2022, 05:09:11 pm »
Flag disappears from Russian controlled Kherson government building

Adam Parker, OSINT editor  |  4h ago  |  08:12


Videos and photos shared online today show the Kherson Regional Administration building in the annexed city without a Russian flag.



Russian-installed authorities in the southern Ukrainian city ordered an evacuation of residents two weeks ago after Ukraine's advances around the city.

A video posted on the 16 September by Russian state media agency Ria Novosti shows the Russian flag above the same building.



https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-latest-putin-launches-military-satellite-into-space-as-russia-is-accused-of-covert-mobilisation-12541713?postid=4798087#liveblog-body

Tacitly admitting to the inevitable.

Offline bilo

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1009 on: November 03, 2022, 07:43:39 pm »
In other words, the U.S. military has auditors on the ground to make sure weapons delivered are properly accounted for.  Watch out for those deadly green eye-shades!

This is how weapons should be sent, and only weapons!
A stranger in a hostile foreign land I used to call home

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1010 on: November 04, 2022, 01:08:17 pm »

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1587884866536083456



There is a marked difference between Soviet and American command structures.  In Russia, things happen because a general wills it.  In the US, things happen because lower officers are taught to take initiative themselves.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2022, 01:10:19 pm by Hoodat »
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1011 on: November 04, 2022, 01:09:39 pm »
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1012 on: November 05, 2022, 01:36:10 am »
Kherson residents describe reign of terror under Russian rule

Alleged hanging of woman in southern Ukraine signifies Moscow’s brutality in occupied territory

FT  |  November 4, 2022


Natalia Chorna had warned her more outspoken twin sister to be careful after Russian forces occupied their home town of Skadovsk near Kherson, southern Ukraine, in February. But Tetyana Mudryenko found it hard to keep her anger about the war to herself.

Last month, Mudryenko paid the ultimate penalty for proclaiming Skadovsk Ukrainian territory. According to several witnesses, she was dragged into the street by the self-appointed pro-Moscow authorities and hanged in a public execution.

“In occupied Skadovsk, you can’t have your own opinion,” said Chorna, 56.

As Ukraine pursues its counteroffensive in Kherson and Russia forcibly relocates tens of thousands of people, those living in the southern region have said the occupying authorities are terrorising anyone who defies them.

Residents of Skadovsk, a Black Sea port of some 15,000 inhabitants, told the Financial Times that people were being jailed and having their possessions confiscated for speaking out against their Russian occupiers.

Russian soldiers are also seizing the homes of Ukrainians who had moved to territory controlled by Kyiv, or who have been deported to Russia or occupied Crimea.

The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday that Russian forces had expanded the area from which they were forcing residents to evacuate, ostensibly to protect them from the fighting but also to make it easier to defend the region.  .  .

.  .  .  Chorna said Mudryenko, a former paediatric nurse who was as passionate about helping disabled children as she was about being Ukrainian, had had several confrontations with Russian troops during their occupation.

On a walk near the seaside one spring day, the sisters ran into a group of Russian soldiers wearing balaclavas and Mudryenko confronted them.

“She looked at the orc, right in his eyes and asked: ‘Why are you here? Will you shoot me?’,” said Chorna, referring to Russian troops by a derogatory term Ukrainians have used since the February invasion.

The most recent incident prior to her death came in early October, when Mudryenko scolded Ukrainian police for collaborating with Russian forces and cried out “Skadovsk is Ukraine!”

On October 7, Chorna, who had left Skadovsk in April for the twins’ hometown of Dnipro in Ukrainian-controlled territory, called Mudryenko to see how she was doing after the altercation. But the connection was bad and the call dropped out.

Some time later, according to Chorna and local eyewitnesses, Mudryenko and her partner, 60-year-old Anatoliy Oryekhov, were abducted from the front yard of their home by Ukrainian police officers collaborating with Russia.

Neighbours told Chorna that the home had also been ransacked by occupiers, who stole the couple’s car and bicycles.

For days, no one knew of their whereabouts. Then, on October 15, Chorna got a call from a woman who said that Mudryenko was not only dead but that she had been dragged into the street by occupation authorities and killed in a public display of terror.

“She told me that ‘Tanya’ was hanged,” said Chorna, using her sister’s nickname. “They poured something into her mouth and then hanged her in front of the courthouse.”

https://www.ft.com/content/99349f01-c587-4ab4-86df-85ff3c0fcd3b

Reprint:  https://ukrainetoday.org/2022/11/04/kherson-residents-describe-reign-of-terror-under-russian-rule/
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline sneakypete

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1013 on: November 05, 2022, 04:45:35 am »
Sounds like "International War Crimes" to me.

Where is the UN and NATO on this?

Are they able to skim off so much money from the AID "pile" that they just can't afford to fulfill their obligations?
Anyone who isn't paranoid in 2021 just isn't thinking clearly!

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1014 on: November 05, 2022, 11:33:02 pm »
Russian troops loot Kherson as lines redrawn ahead of final battle for city

Luke Harding, Kyiv  |  5 Nov 2022  |  09.00 EDT



A woman in the Kherson region village of Arkhanhelske, which was formerly occupied by Russian forces. Photograph: Bülent Kılıç/AFP/Getty Images

Moscow is deporting residents along with stolen art, tractors and cars as Ukraine’s forces close in

Things are disappearing in the Ukrainian city of Kherson at a rapid rate. Some are physical objects. Russian troops are taking away ambulances, tractors and stolen private cars. Cultural things are going too: archives, and paintings and sculptures from the art and local lore museums. Even the bones of Catherine the Great’s friend and lover, Grigory Potemkin, have been grubbed up from a crypt in St Catherine’s cathedral and spirited away.

Russian soldiers are ferrying this loot across the Dnieper river, to the left bank of the Kherson region. They have also been deporting local citizens under the guise of a humanitarian rescue mission. Others have refused to leave. A round-the-clock curfew has been introduced. Nobody knows how many of Kherson’s 300,000 pre-war inhabitants remain. According to relatives of those still there, the city is mostly empty, its ghostly fate likely to be decided over the next few weeks in a series of bloody battles.

Last Thursday, the Russian flag was taken down from Kherson’s neo-classical regional state administration building. The gesture prompted speculation that Moscow was about to abandon the city, which it seized in early March, paving the way for the Ukrainian army’s triumphant return. From a military perspective this would make sense, as the Russian contingent is effectively surrounded. At the same time it seems far-fetched Vladimir Putin and his generals would leave Kherson without a struggle.

Locals are unconvinced by Moscow’s machinations. “It’s probably a trick,” Alyona Lapchuk told the Observer. “The Russians are dressing up as civilians and hiding in houses.”

Lapchuk, who left Kherson in April, said it was more likely Russian troops were preparing for bitter street-to-street fighting over the autumn and winter. If this strategy failed, the Russian army would probably “destroy” Kherson, in much the same way it flattened Mariupol, killing tens of thousands of civilians, she suggested.  .  .

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/05/ukraine-russian-troops-loot-kherson-as-lines-redrawn-ahead-of-final-battle-for-city



No different than the Nazis looting the Louvre in 1940.  Putin may claim this as Russian territory, but he certainly doesn't treat the people living here as Russian citizens.
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1015 on: November 06, 2022, 03:03:34 am »
Now Putin turns on his own men: Desperate Russian army brings in 'blocking units' which 'threaten to shoot their own retreating soldiers'

CHRISTIAN OLIVER  |  06:18 EDT, 5 November 2022  |  UPDATED: 08:12 EDT, 5 November 2022


Vladimir Putin is set to deploy special units to shoot his own military if they retreat from the war in Ukraine, UK government defence chiefs said on Friday.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said that Russia will deploy so-called 'blocking units' which 'threaten to shoot their own retreating soldiers in order to compel offensives'.

With low morale at a peak among Russian soldiers, Putin is turning on his own men.

'Due to low morale and reluctance to fight, Russian forces have probably started deploying 'barrier troops' or 'blocking units',' the Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update on Friday.

'These units threaten to shoot their own retreating soldiers in order to compel offensives and have been used in previous conflicts by Russian forces,' the briefing added.

'Recently, Russian generals likely wanted their commanders to use weapons against deserters, including possibly authorising shooting to kill such defaulters after a warning had been given. Generals also likely wanted to maintain defensive positions to the death.'

Stalin used 'barrier troops' in the Second World War as part of his 'No One Turn Back' order.  .  .

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11393197/Putin-turns-men-brings-blocking-units-shoot-retreating-soldiers.html



The NKVD is back.  They possibly killed more Russian soldiers than the Germans did in WWII.
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline Smokin Joe

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1016 on: November 06, 2022, 03:07:45 am »
Shades of "Enemy at the Gates"...how Soviet of him.
How God must weep at humans' folly! Stand fast! God knows what he is doing!
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C S Lewis

Offline bilo

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1017 on: November 06, 2022, 03:09:15 am »
According to relatives of those still there, the city is mostly empty, its ghostly fate likely to be decided over the next few weeks in a series of bloody battles.

@Hoodat

I don't think the Ukrainians are going to rush into Kherson. It's more likely they will encircle Kherson and then start attacking with artillery the Orcs new forward defense line across the river and also cut off Kherson from any aid. Also, why rush into urban warfare when they are killing so many Orcs elsewhere.
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Offline Smokin Joe

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1018 on: November 06, 2022, 03:11:50 am »
According to relatives of those still there, the city is mostly empty, its ghostly fate likely to be decided over the next few weeks in a series of bloody battles.

@Hoodat

I don't think the Ukrainians are going to rush into Kherson. It's more likely they will encircle Kherson and then start attacking with artillery the Orcs new forward defense line across the river and also cut off Kherson from any aid. Also, why rush into urban warfare when they are killing so many Orcs elsewhere.
Rather than risk killing Ukrainians, let the orcs come out to play. Cordon the city off, and shell the known troops. One caveat, however, the Russians are likely to disperse press ganged refugees among troop concentrations, so there is risk of blue-on-blue while shelling.
How God must weep at humans' folly! Stand fast! God knows what he is doing!
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C S Lewis

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1019 on: November 06, 2022, 03:12:58 am »
I don't think the Ukrainians are going to rush into Kherson. It's more likely they will encircle Kherson and then start attacking with artillery the Orcs new forward defense line across the river and also cut off Kherson from any aid.

Agreed.
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline bilo

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1020 on: November 06, 2022, 03:28:04 am »
Rather than risk killing Ukrainians, let the orcs come out to play. Cordon the city off, and shell the known troops. One caveat, however, the Russians are likely to disperse press ganged refugees among troop concentrations, so there is risk of blue-on-blue while shelling.

@Hoodat

The only thing I've seen where the Ukrainians could be accused of being reckless has been how they attack weakened Orc positions by driving their vehicles at the highest speed possible right at the Orcs and then jump out, or off the vehicle, to kill the unprepared Orcs. I think they've tried to keep civilian deaths down as much as possible as well as trying to minimize their losses.

The Ukrainians have so depleted the Orcs they're buying drones from Iran and grabbing young men off the street in Russia to go fight with no training and inadequate weaponry. It really is just a matter of time until Russia will have lost so many Orcs they will have to withdraw. Maybe then Putin and Brandon can talk about what foreign policy geniuses they are.
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Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1021 on: November 06, 2022, 03:41:43 am »
I expect the Russians to lay waste to the city to create a better defensive position.  And I expect the Ukrainians to make a point of sparing/protecting as many civilians as possible.

The best thing Ukraine has going for it is poor Russian morale.  They will be patient and use this to their advantage in Kherson city.
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1022 on: November 06, 2022, 10:56:58 pm »
Ukraine War Diaries: Ghost cities and patriots

Robert Mulhern  |  5 November 2022  |  03:06, UK


Often driving alone, sometimes with a small group, Seva Koshel is no stranger to frontline supply drops into eastern Ukraine.

From medical kits to modified army vehicles and more recently, generators, the 40-year-old military volunteer completes regular assignments for Ukrainian soldiers positioned at the very spear-tip of the fight against Russia.

In the last eight months, now part-time CEO Seva has witnessed everything from war crimes to deadly air attacks. He has also suffered the loss of fallen comrades.

After eight months of fighting, war and its associated horrors have become something of a grim routine. But this week, at the end of a lonely road that leads to one of the war's fiercest battlegrounds, there's a surprise - unshakable resolve in the form of Russian-speaking Ukrainian fighters.

"If I say to someone [in Kyiv or in Ukraine] 'Bakhmut district', they understand that it's one of the most difficult places to fight," he explains in the latest episode of the Sky News Ukraine War Diaries podcast. The city of Bakhmut is part of Ukraine's Donetsk region, which Seva has visited several times as part of his volunteering.

"In Donetsk, there have been a lot of guys whom I met [who are] from [Bakhmut] and, they're a bit jealous at the commander of the armed forces because we are de-occupying south of Ukraine and they are dreaming when we will de-occupy Donetsk and Luhansk and to say, honestly, I have never seen such patriots.

"They are Russian-speaking, but they hate Russia, [despite being] connected with Russia even more than we [are] here in Kyiv or the western part of Ukraine.

"For me it was quite a surprise."  .  .

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-diaries-ghost-cities-and-patriots-12737313
If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.     -Dwight Eisenhower-

"The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals ... it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government ... it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government."     -Ayn Rand-

Offline Hoodat

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1023 on: November 07, 2022, 12:31:17 am »
RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, NOVEMBER 5


.  .  .  [Wagner nazi] Prigozhin continues to rely on ineffective convicts to staff his forces.
Prigozhin declined to comment on a reporter’s question regarding ongoing recruitment drives at Krasnoyarsk Krai penal colonies, despite previously openly discussing prisoner participation in the war with Russian outlets like RiaFan.[7] Russian opposition outlet The Insider, however, found that over 500 prisoners recruited into Wagner units have died in the past two months.[8] The publication added that Wagner lost between 800 and 1,000 mercenaries in Ukraine, indicating convicts comprise a large proportion of Wagner’s forces in Ukraine. Ukrainian intelligence officials also previously reported that many prisoners suffering from infectious diseases infected Wagner troops, to which Prigozhin responded that he does not discriminate on the basis of illness.[9]

.  .  .

Former Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) Security Minister and current DNR military commander Aleksandr Khodakovsky claimed on November 5 that Russian friendly fire may have caused up to 60% of total Russian losses since the end of Russian offensive operations in Mariupol in mid-May.[14]
Even if this statistic is exaggerated, the fact that a Russian commander is publicly speculating on such a damning indicator of Russian and proxy competency indicates the deep challenges Russian forces face. Friendly fire typically does account for a limited number of losses in war but ordinarily nowhere near 60% of total casualties, which demonstrates a lack of communication and command and control coordination between Russian forces. Russian and Ukrainian sources also reported that a Russian rotation returning to its base near Pavlivka, Donetsk Oblast on November 5 drove into a ditch constructed by army subcontractors without prior discussion or warning, further demonstrating a widespread lack of cross-training and coordination between Russian troops.[15] The frequent replacement of Russian military leaders, promotion of inexperienced soldiers, and cobbled-together Russian force composition including Russian contract soldiers, Russian mobilized soldiers, DNR and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) forces, and Wagner Group forces exacerbate the fragmented nature of the Russian chain of command and ineffectiveness of Russian forces and likely contributes to frequent friendly fire incidents.

https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-november-5
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Offline Elderberry

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Re: Ukraine 3
« Reply #1024 on: November 08, 2022, 01:35:53 am »
Turkey Bitchslaps Russia

https://www.battleswarmblog.com/?p=53161

Commenter Greg The Class Traitor asked about this on another thread, so I thought I would throw this Anders Puck Nielsen video up with a bit of context.

Basically Ukraine managed to hit (but not sink) some Russian warships in Sevastopol harbor with some waterborne drones, and Putin threw a hissy fit, declaring the Ukrainian grain export deal was off. Turkey promptly went “No it isn’t” and said exports would continue with Turkish flags on the grain ships in question, causing Russia to back down and rejoin the deal pretty much immediately.

Historically, there’s no love lost between Turkey and Russia. (Honestly, you could swap out any other of either of those two country’s neighbors in that sentence, and it would still be true.) The fact that there were ten different Russo-Turkish wars (plus the Crimean War and World War I) should give you an inkling of how deep and bitter that enmity extends. That’s one of the factors that made NATO such a useful ally against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Even today, Russia and Turkey are fighting a quasi-proxy war between Russian-backed Armenia and Turkish-backed Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, and Russia is on the losing end there as well.

Takeaways:

•  “It looks like a diplomatic defeat in a stand-off with Turkey, and it shows that Russia is essentially unable to control the maritime domain in the Black Sea.”

•  “Russia was clearly very upset about the attack. It was a big deal in the Russian media, and they put a lot of effort into portraying it as a terrorist attack. And just to be clear, when there is a war going on, it is not terrorism to attack the opponent’s military.” This is clearly a “Duh!” point, but one worth spelling out given the vast swarms of pro-Russian bots who argue otherwise.

•  “The deal was made such that it had a duration of 120 days, so it was up for renewal in November…For quite a while is has seemed that Russia has been unhappy about the grain deal. I don’t think they had expected that it would be such a big success.”

•  “As I am recording this we are up to 477 shipments and more than 10 million tons of cargo. That’s a lot. I don’t think the Russians had expected Ukraine to be able to make a safe corridor that quickly.”

•  “If we remember how the war was going back in July, then Russia was still on the offensive. People were still talking about Russia closing the land corridor to Transnistria and maybe taking Odessa. So from a Russian perspective the idea might well have been that the deal would never work. Because it was going to take months for Ukraine to make a safe corridor, and before that time, Ukraine would have lost the access to the ports.”

More at link.

Let’s look at Russia’s backdown over the grain deal.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqSxjm2CCq4