Ukraine 3

[Kamaji]

Russia and US in discussion to resume nuclear weapon reduction talks as Moscow tones down nuke threats following talks with American officials

By RACHAEL BUNYAN FOR MAILONLINE
8 November 2022

Russia and the US are discussing resuming their nuclear weapon reduction talks in the coming weeks.

Talks between the two sides on strategic nuclear weapons have been non-existent since Russia invaded Ukraine on February.

But the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) talks may resume in the next few weeks after Moscow toned down its nuclear threats following talks with American officials.

The talks could be held in the Middle East as Moscow no longer sees Switzerland, the traditional venue, as sufficiently neutral after it imposed sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, sources told Russian newspaper Kommersant.

In September, Russia said it was studying the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between Russian and US negotiators on the landmark nuclear arms treaty.

The treaty is one of the very few diplomatic agreements that remain in place between Moscow and Washington as relations hit rock-bottom over Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

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Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11402909/Russia-discussion-resume-nuclear-weapon-reduction-talks.html

[Hoodat]

Russia and US in discussion to resume nuclear weapon reduction talks as Moscow tones down nuke threats following talks with American officials

Are they going to let Iran serve as the mediator?

[Kamaji]

'The main goal is to physically eliminate Putin': Anti-Russian activists and former Moscow politicians gather in Poland to discuss Vladimir's removal from power

By MAILONLINE REPORTER
8 November 2022

Anti-Russian activists and former Moscow politicians have gathered in Poland to discuss overthrowing Vladimir Putin and 'physically eliminating' the Kremlin leader. The group, who met in Jablonna near Warsaw over the weekend, said that a revolution and civil war was the only way to remove Putin from power, with some suggesting that the Kremlin leader 'should be killed.' Pictured: Putin visits site of construction of the infrastructure facilities of the 'Volga Sea' tourism on November 7, 2022.

Other activists, such as lawyer Alexei Baranovsky, said that those who remained loyal to Putin throughout the Ukraine war should also be killed, reports Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. Former Russian politician Viacheslav Maltsev pointed to how a revolution could occur given that some of Putin's opponents are already involved in a 'guerrilla fight' aimed at ending the war in Ukraine which has seen around 100,000 Russian soldiers killed. 'The main goal is to physically eliminate Putin,' Maltsev, who fled Russia after the Kremlin accused him of being an 'extremist' for opposing the government, said during the meeting.

Maltsev added that Putin's assassination would lead to a civil war, but it would 'not be as bloody as the war in Ukraine.' Another former politician, who was not named, said: 'The fight against terrorists requires terrorists' methods.' But some of the former Russian politicians and anti-Kremlin activists were opposed to a plan of killing Putin, saying instead that the Russian leader should be 'handed over to international courts' for a trial over war crimes committed in Ukraine. Pictured: Volunteers of the Ukrainian World Foundation inspect a former Russian military fortification in the northern Kherson region.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/galleries/article-11403949/Anti-Russian-activists-gather-plot-Putins-elimination.html

[Kamaji]

Russia's army may not recover from the Ukraine war: Putin has lost HALF his tanks and will find it 'very difficult' to rebuild, Pentagon says

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE
9 November 2022

Russia's military may never recover from the damage it has suffered in Ukraine, the Pentagon has said.

Colin Kahl, the under secretary for defence, revealed half of Vladimir Putin's tanks have been destroyed and most of his precision missiles used up since he ordered the invasion a little over eight months ago.

Sanctions mean it will be 'very difficult' for Moscow to rebuild its forces to their pre-war strength, Kahl added, before even taking into account the 'tens of thousands of casualties' suffered since February 24.

*  *  *

'Putin went into this war trying to extinguish Ukraine as an independent, sovereign democratic country. He's failed, and that's not going to change.

'A sovereign, independent, democratic Ukraine is going to endure.'

The true scale of Russia's losses in Ukraine are unclear, but are thought to be high.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11407217/Russias-army-never-recover-Ukraine-war-Pentagon-says.html

[Kamaji]

Putin sends his right-hand man to the frontline: Kremlin's defense minister Shoigu visits Russian command center in Ukraine after marines say 'catastrophic planning' saw troops treated as 'cannon fodder'

By MAILONLINE REPORTER
9 November 2022

Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu (pictured, left with glasses) today visited his military's command center on Ukrainian soil as Putin's troops continue to be pressed back in occupied territories. Images released by the defense ministry showed Shoigu studying a series of documents alongside 'General Armageddon' Sergei Surovikin (pictured, far left) at an undisclosed location in occupied Ukraine.

Surovikin (pictured) was appointed overall commander of Russia's armed forces by Putin exactly one month ago, having earned his ominous title overseeing the brutal destruction of Aleppo amid the Russian intervention in Syria. Since his appointment, Russia's military has dramatically stepped up missile strikes on several Ukrainian cities and the use of Iranian made 'kamikaze' drones has been widely implemented. But Moscow's troops have faced staunch resistance from Ukraine's armed forces in the eastern Donetsk and the southern Kherson regions.

It comes as Russian marines said their 'incompetent' generals are treating them as 'cannon fodder' after their unit suffered devastating losses, with 300 men reportedly killed or wounded in four days of heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine. Marines from Russia's 155th Naval Infantry Brigade wrote a scathing letter to their regional governor, claiming they had lost 300 servicemen in a four-day massacre in Pavlivka thanks to the catastrophic planning of Generals Rustam Muradov and Zurab Akhmedov.

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Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/galleries/article-11407487/Putin-sends-right-hand-man-command-center-amid-troops-complaints.html

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I have to say, the very last title I would want today is "Russian military General/Admiral/Commander Force Brigade Commandant (anything)". You either die on the field of battle (noble), or you die by Putin himself or you take the honorable way out.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kS4PZlF_BM

[Hoodat]

Senior Russian-appointed official in occupied Kherson ‘killed in road accident’

Tim Lister, Uliana Pavlova, Anna Chernova and Darya Tarasova, CNN  |  Updated 10:00 AM EST, Wed November 9, 2022

Ukraine CNN — One of the most senior Russian-appointed officials in occupied Ukrainian territory has been killed, Russian officials and state news agencies said Wednesday.

The Russian-appointed deputy head of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, Kirill Stremousov, died in a road accident, the press secretary of the head of the region said, according to Russian news agency TASS.

Stremousov was killed in an accident on the highway between Kherson and Armyansk in Crimea, the Russian state media company Vesti (VGTRK) reported, citing the region’s health minister. Stremousov was 45 years old, according to Vesti.

His death was also announced by the Russian-appointed “head” of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, who wrote in a statement on Telegram: “It is very hard for me to say that Kirill Stremousov died today. He died on the territory of the Kherson region, moving in a car that got into an accident”.

Stremousov, a Ukrainian who was quick to side with the Russian occupation when Kherson fell early in the invasion, had become one of the most vocal and outspoken of Russian appointees.  .  .

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/09/europe/kirill-stremousov-kherson-official-killed-intl/index.html


Looks like his car may have hit a partisan RPG.

[Kamaji]

Senior Russian-appointed official in occupied Kherson ‘killed in road accident’

Tim Lister, Uliana Pavlova, Anna Chernova and Darya Tarasova, CNN  |  Updated 10:00 AM EST, Wed November 9, 2022

Ukraine CNN — One of the most senior Russian-appointed officials in occupied Ukrainian territory has been killed, Russian officials and state news agencies said Wednesday.

The Russian-appointed deputy head of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, Kirill Stremousov, died in a road accident, the press secretary of the head of the region said, according to Russian news agency TASS.

Stremousov was killed in an accident on the highway between Kherson and Armyansk in Crimea, the Russian state media company Vesti (VGTRK) reported, citing the region’s health minister. Stremousov was 45 years old, according to Vesti.

His death was also announced by the Russian-appointed “head” of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, who wrote in a statement on Telegram: “It is very hard for me to say that Kirill Stremousov died today. He died on the territory of the Kherson region, moving in a car that got into an accident”.

Stremousov, a Ukrainian who was quick to side with the Russian occupation when Kherson fell early in the invasion, had become one of the most vocal and outspoken of Russian appointees.  .  .

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/09/europe/kirill-stremousov-kherson-official-killed-intl/index.html


Looks like his car may have hit a partisan RPG.

[Elderberry]

Satellite Images Show A Russian Buildup In Belarus. Experts Say It May Be A Bluff.

https://www.rferl.org/a/satellite-images-russia-buildup-belarus/32121143.html

When Russia held large-scale military exercises in Belarus in February, the two countries described them as defensive in nature, aimed at repelling outside aggression, namely from Ukraine and NATO.

But as the exercises wound down, many of the 30,000 Russian troops stationed in Belarus then poured over the border of Ukraine as part of President Vladimir Putin's invasion, now in its eighth month.

New satellite imagery obtained by RFE/RL's Belarus Service shows thousands of Russian troops may have returned to Belarus, raising questions about whether another incursion into Ukraine from the north is imminent -- or if Moscow, with the help of Minsk, is merely trying to distract Kyiv.

The Russians "don't have enough combat power to launch an offensive [from Belarus], and there are no vital Ukrainian points nearby," said Mark Cancian, a military analyst at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Russian forces have suffered significant losses in manpower and equipment since September, when Ukraine launched a counteroffensive that continues in the Donbas in the east and Kherson in the south.

"The Russians probably want to distract Ukrainians and pull some of their forces away from Kherson and the Donbas," Cancian told RFE/RL.

Tent Encampments

Satellite imagery captured by the commercial company Planet Lab on October 31 and obtained by RFE/RL shows Russia has set up more than 300 tents in three locations over the past month to temporarily house soldiers at three training grounds in Belarus.

They included at least 190 tents at Abuz-Lyasnouski in western Belarus where ground forces train, 35 in Repishcha in central Belarus where artillery forces exercise, and 80 in Lasvida outside Minsk where airborne forces train.

Abuz-Lyasnouski is the southernmost of the locations, located about 160 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border.

Hundreds of pieces of military hardware, including trucks and some howitzers, have arrived at the bases as well, according to the images.

More at link.

[bilo]

Russia's army may not recover from the Ukraine war: Putin has lost HALF his tanks and will find it 'very difficult' to rebuild, Pentagon says

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE
9 November 2022

Russia's military may never recover from the damage it has suffered in Ukraine, the Pentagon has said.

Colin Kahl, the under secretary for defence, revealed half of Vladimir Putin's tanks have been destroyed and most of his precision missiles used up since he ordered the invasion a little over eight months ago.

Sanctions mean it will be 'very difficult' for Moscow to rebuild its forces to their pre-war strength, Kahl added, before even taking into account the 'tens of thousands of casualties' suffered since February 24.

*  *  *

'Putin went into this war trying to extinguish Ukraine as an independent, sovereign democratic country. He's failed, and that's not going to change.

'A sovereign, independent, democratic Ukraine is going to endure.'

The true scale of Russia's losses in Ukraine are unclear, but are thought to be high.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11407217/Russias-army-never-recover-Ukraine-war-Pentagon-says.html

It's a good start, maybe if Russia military is completely decimated they will stop trying to impose their tyranny on their neighbors.

[Hoodat]

It's a good start, maybe if Russia military is completely decimated they will stop trying to impose their tyranny on their neighbors.

They didn't fire any cruise missiles last Monday either.  For the last several Mondays, Russia had launched massive cruise missile attacks against Ukrainian civilians.  But nothing this last Monday.  Maybe they ran out of missiles.

[Hoodat]

Little respite for Ukrainian artillery fighters near Bakhmut

09/11/2022 - 07:28  |  Modified: 09/11/2022 - 07:26


Fighting has raged around the eastern Ukrainian city Bakhmut BULENT KILIC AFP

Bakhmut (Ukraine) (AFP) – From the woods at the edge of Bakhmut, a besieged Ukrainian city in the Donbas region, a soldier shouts: "Postril!"

The signal -- meaning "fire!" in Ukrainian -- sends a huge orange fireball spitting from a 130mm field gun and blows away the surrounding vegetation.

In highly choreographed movements, five soldiers quickly remove the smoking hot empty cartridge and replace it, allowing for another "Postril!".

These soldiers are part of the Ukrainian army's 93rd brigade. Their targets are the Russian positions across the Bakhmut frontline.

Fighting has raged for four months around this eastern city, which is still held by Ukrainian troops but surrounded by Moscow's forces.

"We are covering our infantry and chasing out the enemy's artillery units. Right now, we are working a lot more than usual," said artilleryman Dmytro, 25.

After the war started, his unit was given M-46 Soviet field guns, also called M1954 for the year they were introduced during a parade in Moscow's Red Square.  .  .

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221109-little-respite-for-ukrainian-artillery-fighters-near-bakhmut

[Kamaji]

Putin gags Russian officials who dared to criticise the war and BANS state media from quoting them

By RACHAEL BUNYAN FOR MAILONLINE
10 November 2022

Vladimir Putin is gagging Russian officials who have dared to criticise his war in Ukraine, with the Russian leader banning state media from quoting them.

The Kremlin has begun a campaign of silencing prominent politicians who have become frustrated with Putin's invasion, which has seen at least 100,000 Russian soldiers killed.

The list of officials who have been critical of the war has been handed to state media with the instruction to stop quoting them in their reports, sources close to the State Duma and media operation told Russian news outlet Verstka.

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Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11412339/Putin-gags-Russian-officials-dared-criticise-war-BANS-state-media-quoting-them.html

[Kamaji]

Has Putin set a TRAP for Ukraine in Kherson? Russia blows up bridges, lays mines and could even FLOOD the area by destroying dam as forces retreat…and Kyiv admits 'they aren't leaving without a fight'

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE
10 November 2022

Ukraine sees no sign that Russia is leaving Kherson without a fight, a senior adviser to President Zelensky has said, amid fears in Kyiv that Moscow's heavily stage-managed announcement of retreat is actually a carefully laid trap.

Mykhailo Podolyak, one of President Zelensky's most-senior advisers, said last night that Russian troops remain in the city and that Kyiv believes reinforcements are on their way. 'Actions speak louder than words,' he tweeted, 'Ukraine will liberate territories based on intelligence data, not staged TV statements.'

Oleksiy Arestovych, another senior adviser and former head of military intelligence, was a little more optimistic but still cautious - saying that Russian forces do appear to be leaving the region 'but not as much as would be taking place if it was a full pullout or regrouping.'

The Russians are destroying bridges as they flee and mining roads, according to Arestovych, who added: 'For the moment, we don't know their intentions - will they engage in fighting with us and will they try to hold the city of Kherson? They are moving very slowly.'

Zelensky also voiced fears overnight that Russia may try to blow up a dam at Nova Khakovka, flooding the area around Kherson and draining a reservoir which the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant relies on to cool itself - potentially triggering a meltdown.

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Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11411551/Is-Russias-retreat-Kherson-actually-trap-laid-Ukraine.html

[Hoodat]

Has Putin set a TRAP for Ukraine in Kherson? Russia blows up bridges, lays mines and could even FLOOD the area by destroying dam as forces retreat…and Kyiv admits 'they aren't leaving without a fight'

It won't be the first time that Russians killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians by blowing dams without warning.

[Kamaji]

It won't be the first time that Russians killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians by blowing dams without warning.

Yup.

[Elderberry]

Ukraine attacks Russian units in Kherson, saying Moscow didn’t request a ‘green corridor’ for withdrawal

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/10/russia-ukraine-war-updates.html

Russia has suffered another self-inflicted blow to morale this week after it announced Wednesday that it will withdraw its troops from a significant part of the southern Kherson region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed restraint as he reflected on the announcement in his nightly address last night, saying it was important to remain impassive about Russia’s withdrawal, while other Ukrainian officials questioned whether Russia’s announced withdrawal was a feint, designed to lure Ukrainian forces into a trap.

Ukraine said it was skeptical that the withdrawal had actually begun, with one official saying departing Russian troops were laying land mines in Kherson city in a bid to turn it into a “city of death,” as well as blowing up bridges across the Dnieper River to slow Ukrainian forces’ advance.

Serhiy Khlan, a member of the Kherson Regional Council, said that the Russians were moving their equipment to the left bank of the Dnieper River and that Ukraine’s forces were destroying it.

Ukraine’s army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Telegram Thursday that Kyiv could not yet confirm whether Russia was indeed pulling out of the region, but said Ukrainian troops had advanced four miles in the past 24 hours and recaptured 12 settlements.

Since Oct.1, Ukraine’s forces had advanced 22.6 miles in the Kherson region and had recaptured 41 settlements, Zaluzhnyi said on Telegram Thursday. He attributed Russia’s withdrawal from a chunk of Kherson, that was announced yesterday, to Ukraine destroying the logistics routes and support system, leaving Russian units “no other option than to flee.”

More at link.

[bilo]

They didn't fire any cruise missiles last Monday either.  For the last several Mondays, Russia had launched massive cruise missile attacks against Ukrainian civilians.  But nothing this last Monday.  Maybe they ran out of missiles.

It's possible they have depleted their arsenal to the point that they don't dare use anymore. The sanctions have made it very hard to get chips and other parts that they use to import. I remember seeing that they could only manufacture 200 tanks per year and it's probably even less now for the same reason. This has always been a reason to support Ukraine. Obviously, first and foremost was the importance of supporting a sovereign nation from the aggression of another nation, but seeing the destruction of Russia's ability to terrorize it's neighbors is a great benefit of doing the right thing.

[bilo]

Serhiy Khlan, a member of the Kherson Regional Council, said that the Russians were moving their equipment to the left bank of the Dnieper River and that Ukraine’s forces were destroying it.

@Elderberry

I'm sure the Ukrainians will continue to try and destroy as much Russian equipment as possible. It would be dumb not to, if not the equipment will just be used elsewhere to help kill Ukrainians. Also, I'm sure the Ukrainian's will try to kill as many Russians as possible as the Russians retreat for the same reason.

The public Russian announcement of retreat was just a poor PR stunt for the benefit of the Russian people who are just starting to realize more than 70,000 Russian soldiers have been killed fighting an enemy who was supposed to surrender 10 days after the war was started by Russia.

[Hoodat]

Analysis: Russian withdrawal a 'necessary humiliation'

Deborah Haynes  |  20h ago  |  15:47

A very public decision by Russia to order the withdrawal of its forces from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson appears to be a necessary humiliation.

Exposed on the west bank of the Dnipro River, commanders faced the choice of stay and slowly die under Ukrainian bombardment or retreat and live to fight another day.

Ukrainian troops will rightly be wary of a trap, designed to draw them forward into Russian fire.

But if – as it seems – President Vladimir Putin's forces are genuinely retreating to new defensive lines on the opposite side of the river, it will mark an important win for Ukraine as well as a much-needed psychological boost after more than two and a half months of a bloody counter-offensive in the south.

The big question now is whether the Ukrainians can exploit their momentum to keep pushing the Russians back or will the frontlines literally and metaphorically freeze until the spring?

Both sides are exhausted, have suffered heavy casualties and face increasingly difficult fighting conditions as winter closes in, temperatures drop and visibility worsens.

But there is little doubt that Ukraine's armed forces will want to continue to fight, provided their Western partners continue to deliver weapons and ammunition.

That is the single biggest factor on the Ukrainian side that the government in Kyiv cannot control - beyond keeping up the pressure on their US, British and other NATO suppliers.

For Russian President Vladimir Putin, though, he will doubtless be hoping – as has happened all too often in the past – that the ability of the West to stay the course will falter when things become too tough and drag on beyond too many election cycles.

He will be counting on soaring energy prices, tanking economies and increasingly unhappy populations in Western nations piling pressure on their respective governments to change course on Ukraine.

Despite his troops underperforming and failing in the north, east and now the south, the Russian leader is showing no sign of backing down or altering his plans to seize Ukraine.

He just needs time to regroup, re-arm and wait for the bulk of some 300,000 reservists recently mobilised to gain a semblance of training so they can attempt new offensives.

That means the West's will and ability to stick with Ukraine needs to outlast Putin's will to wage war.

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-latest-russia-signals-retreat-in-kherson-but-kyiv-fears-trap-mod-says-russian-commanders-probably-ordered-to-shoot-deserters-12541713?postid=4842831#liveblog-body

[Hoodat]

US refuses to give Ukraine advanced drones - report

1h ago  |  10:36

The Biden administration has refused to hand over advanced drones to Ukraine, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Ukraine had requested the weapons to help fight back against Russia, but the Pentagon declined.

US officials were reportedly concerned that providing the drones could escalate the conflict and signal that America was supplying weapons able to target positions inside Russia.

Western officials have refused to become directly involved in the conflict to avoid an all-out war with Russia.

Last week, the US announced an additional $400m in military aid to Ukraine.

This included refurbishing T-72 tanks and missiles for HAWK air defence systems.

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-latest-russia-signals-retreat-in-kherson-but-kyiv-fears-trap-mod-says-russian-commanders-probably-ordered-to-shoot-deserters-12541713?postid=4846318#liveblog-body


The Biden Regime once again blocks a quicker path to a victorious ending.  They want this war to drag out.

[Hoodat]

Ukrainian troops approach outskirts of Kherson after taking key town

Peter Beaumont and Isobel Koshiw, Kyiv  |  10 Nov 2022  |  09.44 EST

Ukrainian forces were closing in on the outskirts of Kherson city as Russia said on Thursday it had begun the retreat from the southern city that it announced the previous day.

Hours after Ukraine claimed the liberation of the key town of Snihurivka, images emerged of relaxed-looking soldiers from Ukraine’s 28th Mechanised Brigade with a Ukrainian flag in Kyslivka, a village just outside Klapaya and about nine miles (15km) from Kherson’s city centre.

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1590690124232527872

The Russian defence ministry, confirming that its withdrawal was under way, said: “The Russian troop units are manoeuvring to a prepared position on the left bank of the Dnipro River in strict accordance with the approved plan.”

Witness reports said Russian forces were still visible in Kherson, with Ukrainian troops continuing their advance from three directions – from the north, east and west – as the large pocket around the city once held by Russian forces appeared to be shrinking.

Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy military intelligence chief, estimated over half of the Russian forces that were stationed on the right bank were still there – a force that had previously been put at some 20,000.  .  .  .

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/10/ukraine-capture-snihurivka-kherson-russia-war

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