Ukraine 4

[Kamaji]

Kyiv's troops advance around Bakhmut after Wagner chief dismissed 'absurd' Russian claims about huge Ukrainian losses and Western officials cast doubts over Putin's defences as counter-offensive begins

Ukrainian forces have advanced on the embattled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut
Western advisers warn Russia's defensive line may be 'more fragile than thought'

By RACHAEL BUNYAN
6 June 2023

Ukrainian forces have advanced on Bakhmut, Kyiv's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said, describing the embattled city as the 'epicentre of hostilities'.

Maliar said Kyiv's troops had 'some success' on the battlefield surrounding Bakhmut and said they are 'advancing on a wide front', but she dismissed suggestions of a major operation.

'The main focus now is on the Bakhmut sector,' said Maliar. 'This has resulted in certain successes, including advances. We have taken control of certain heights.'

And an enigmatic Volodymyr Zelensky last night praised his troops for the advances near Bakhmut, saying 'the enemy knows that Ukraine will win'.

News of the Ukrainian advances came after the head of the feared paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, slammed claims by the Russian defence ministry it had killed 1,500 of Kyiv's soldiers in two days as 'absurd science fiction'.

Prigozhin, whose mercenary troops have spent months fighting in Bakhmut on behalf of the Kremlin, poured scorn on his country's establishment after it claimed to have thwarted a second major offensive in Donetsk.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12163933/Kyivs-troops-advance-Bakhmut-Wagner-chief-dismissed-absurd-Russian-claims.html

[Kamaji]

What is the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine? Who destroyed it and why?

By DAVID AVERRE
6 June 2023

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of blowing up a major dam and hydroelectric power station, causing a 'catastrophic' flood that could displace hundreds of thousands of people and cause a nuclear disaster by cutting off cooling to a nuclear power plant.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry confirmed this morning that Kakhovka dam over the Dnieper river in the south of the country was damaged by several explosions and called for residents of 10 villages on the river's right bank, as well as parts Kherson city downriver, to evacuate their homes.

Both the dam and the hydroelectric power station were captured by Putin's forces as a priority at the start of the Russian invasion on February 24 last year.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12164333/What-Kakhovka-dam-Ukraine-destroyed-why.html

[kevindavis007]

https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1666036193136455680

[kevindavis007]

https://twitter.com/WarrenPlatts/status/1666041323063857152

[kevindavis007]

from r/UkraineWarVideoReport

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/142afdq/citizens_of_occupied_crimea_show_what_their_tap/

[kevindavis007]

Well, the dam being blown up by the Orcs may cause more problems:

from r/UkraineWarVideoReport

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/142cg1w/the_international_atomic_energy_agency_made_a/




It seems they are going scorched Earth.

[Kamaji]

https://twitter.com/infussambas/status/1666026537320337408

Not getting anything for that link - says the page does not exist.

[kevindavis007]

Not getting anything for that link - says the page does not exist.

The tweet has been taken down...

[PeteS in CA]

That was expected, was it not?

Probably. The top of the dam is/was a roadway that was a major evacuation route for the orcs when they evacuated the area around Kherson city. Destroying the dam denied the Ukrainians an assault route toward the Melitopol-Mariupol area (which would cut off the road supply route to the Crimean Peninsula).
 From the Ukrainian side, I'm not sure assaulting and taking that supply road would be better than using artillery, rockets, and AGMs to wipe out a few convoys, obstruct the road with wreckage, and consume Putin's transport and logistics man-hours in their futile effort to supply the peninsula. Either way, narrowing the orcs's supply options to Sevastopol harbor and the Kerch Strait Bridge - both of which have been attacked before with some success - would be a good goal for the Ukrainians.

[Kamaji]

The tweet has been taken down...

Thanks!

[DB]

One response was that with the river level going down upstream there will be more places to cross it as it drains. Seems thin but possible.

[Kamaji]

One response was that with the river level going down upstream there will be more places to cross it as it drains. Seems thin but possible.

Any ground that was underwater for so long will be thoroughly waterlogged and crossing it with heavy equipment would probably be impossible for a very long period of time.

[bilo]

Sanctions on Russia may not be working, we now know why

European businesses and third countries are actively circumventing sanctions, providing Russia with sanctioned goods and thus helping its war effort.

Berit Lindeman
Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee

Ivar Dale
Norwegian Helsinki Committee's Senior Policy Adviser

5 Jun 2023

On February 25, 2022, a day after Russia undertook a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union introduced unprecedented sanctions against the aggressor. The measures were intended to send a clear signal to Moscow that there would be severe consequences for its actions.

*  *  *

If the sanctions are not working the way they ought to, it is because we are actively undermining them. A recently released report by Norway-based risk consultancy Corisk reveals how that is done.

Its analysis of customs data from 12 EU countries, Norway, the UK, the US and Japan shows that the circumvention of export sanctions on Russia amounted to an astonishing 8 billion euros ($8.5bn) in 2022.

Of the countries studied, Germany appears to be the largest exporter of sanctioned goods to Russia; the second largest is Lithuania. The two provide half of the Western goods Moscow should not have access to.

The research reveals that European businesses, and especially German ones, use third countries to sell their products to Russia. This is apparent from the analysis of the export data for sanctioned goods, including luxury items such as jewellery and perfumes, typically enjoyed by the elites in Moscow, cutting-edge technology, like advanced semiconductors and quantum computers, machinery and transportation equipment.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/6/5/sanctions-on-russia-may-not-be-working-we-now-know-why

Why stay in NATO? We would be much better off just aligning ourselves with real allies.

[Smokin Joe]

One response was that with the river level going down upstream there will be more places to cross it as it drains. Seems thin but possible.

Sediment accumulates behind dams, which means any reservoir that has been in place for a long period of time will normally have either a developing freshwater delta at its headwaters, an accumulation of silt and clay throughout, or both, depending on sediment load of the contributing tributaries.

Such 'river bottom mud' is notoriously difficult to traverse with a vehicle, especially heavy equipment, and can be so even on foot.

At times of low water here, for instance, sportsmen have been known to band together and rescue deer that got literally stuck in the mud--no small feat.

[DB]

Sediment accumulates behind dams, which means any reservoir that has been in place for a long period of time will normally have either a developing freshwater delta at its headwaters, an accumulation of silt and clay throughout, or both, depending on sediment load of the contributing tributaries.

Such 'river bottom mud' is notoriously difficult to traverse with a vehicle, especially heavy equipment, and can be so even on foot.

At times of low water here, for instance, sportsmen have been known to band together and rescue deer that got literally stuck in the mud--no small feat.

Yep, just stating what someone posted on Twitter.

[Elderberry]

Europe, US reacts in shock to Russia’s destruction of Kakhovka dam in south Ukraine

World leaders and politicians have reacted to the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam by invading Russian forces overnight on June 6, which resulted in dozens of settlements in Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast being flooded.

https://english.nv.ua/nation/europe-us-reacts-in-shock-to-russia-s-destruction-of-kakhovka-dam-in-south-ukraine-50329882.html

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called the incident the biggest man-made disaster in Europe in recent decades.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said he was “shocked by the unprecedented attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam.”

“The destruction of civilian infrastructure clearly qualifies as a war crime – and we will hold Russia and its proxies accountable,” he tweeted.

“Will raise the issue at the European Council in June and propose more assistance to the flooded areas. My thoughts with all the families in Ukraine affected by this catastrophe.”

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić also condemned Russia’s destruction of a dam in Ukraine, calling it “criminal and reckless.”

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “the destruction of the Kakhovka dam today puts thousands of civilians at risk and causes severe environmental damage.”

“This is an outrageous act, which demonstrates once again the brutality of Russia’s war in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who was on a visit to Ukraine on June 6, said it was too early to give a meaningful assessment of the details behind the destruction of the dam in southern Ukraine, but that it had happened because of Russia’s invasion, the Reuters news agency reported.

“We’ll continue to assess the developing situation, but the best thing Russia could do now is withdraw their troops immediately,” Cleverly said.

The demolition of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam could also have negative consequences for the occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. Water from the dam is needed for the plant to receive water for turbine condensers and safety systems.

Ukrhydroenergo, the state hydroelectric power company, has reported that the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant has been completely destroyed and cannot be repaired.

More at link.

[Smokin Joe]

Yep, just stating what someone posted on Twitter.

I knew that Sedimentology course was good for something...

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Why stay in NATO? We would be much better off just aligning ourselves with real allies.

Literally the only time that NATO's Article V was ever invoked was after 9/11.  It was invoked for our benefit, and NATO allies supported us in Afghanistan because of that.

If Russia ends up crippled militarily because of this war, then the major threat to European members of NATO is ended, and the U.S. once again would seem to be the most likely nation to invoke Article V.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Hydro-electric dam?  ... attack on Ukraine electricity grid

[Maj. Bill Martin]

One response was that with the river level going down upstream there will be more places to cross it as it drains. Seems thin but possible.

They already have no problem crossing the river further upstream -- that's how they've managed to keep all their troops in the east supplied, maintained contact with Kharkiv, etc..  No real upside for Ukraine other than more international support.

[Kamaji]

Were any of the Russian defensive lines damaged by the resulting flood?

[kevindavis007]

Were any of the Russian defensive lines damaged by the resulting flood?

Yes

[Timber Rattler]

They already have no problem crossing the river further upstream -- that's how they've managed to keep all their troops in the east supplied, maintained contact with Kharkiv, etc..  No real upside for Ukraine other than more international support.

Which makes me think that the Ukrainians benefitted a lot more from that dam getting blown than the Russians, especially since the Russians' lines around Kherson are now deluged.

[Smokin Joe]

Which makes me think that the Ukrainians benefitted a lot more from that dam getting blown than the Russians, especially since the Russians' lines around Kherson are now deluged.

Move in from upstream, force the Russians to abandon vehicles they cannot maneuver in the mud, come back in a couple weeks and dig the vehicles out...

[Elderberry]

Володимир Зеленський
@ZelenskyyUa

https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1666052695445196801?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Russia has been controlling the dam and the entire Kakhovka HPP for more than a year. It is physically impossible to blow it up somehow from the outside, by shelling. It was mined by the Russian occupiers. And they blew it up.

Russia has detonated a bomb of mass environmental destruction. This is the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades. It is the most dangerous terrorist in the world. And that is why Russia's defeat – a defeat that we’ll ensure anyway – will be the most significant contribution to the security of our region, our Europe and the entire world.

However, don't we know what constantly fuels Russian revanchism? This is the belief of Russia's rulers that Europe will allegedly show weakness. Weakness is the main hope and bet of terrorists.

No more weakness in Europe against the evil of aggression! No more uncertainty about security prospects in Europe! Every step, decision and summit of ours must strengthen us all in our defense against Russian terror. No doubt, the Vilnius #NATOSummit must ensure this.