Ukraine 4

[sneakypete]

Putin's purge: Russian strongman arrested 'at least a dozen' high ranking military officers after Wagner mutiny to 'clean the ranks' of traitors

General Sergei Surovikin, head of aerospace forces, is among those detained
Maj Gen Ivan Popov claimed he had been relieved of duty for being a 'threat'

By MATTHEW LODGE
13 July 2023

Russia has detained multiple high ranking military officers as the Kremlin looks to purge the military of those it suspects of disloyalty following the Wagner uprising.

Well placed sources claim that at least 13 senior officers have since been detained, with some later released , with others suspended or fired from their roles as Vladimir Putin's inquisition looks for betrayal in the ranks.

Among those believed to have been taken into questioning are General Sergei Surovikin, the head of Russia's aerospace forces who is known as 'General Armageddon' for his bloody bombing campaigns in Syria, the Wall Street Journal reports.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12297389/Russia-detains-dozen-high-ranking-military-officers-days-Wagner-uprising.html


Good.  The more Russia cannibalizes its own forces, the better.

@Kamaji

And so it begins.

Once a  national leader who starts a war and then fails to win it starts to turn on his own General Officers in order to try to shift the blame of losing to them,it is just a matter of time before he is deposed,and most likely executed by his own military.

This is a sign of weakness and panic,not competence.

Chances are Putin is doing this because someone he trusts whispered the word "revolution" into his ear,and told him he would likely be executed if the rebels win.

Hell,it might even be someone who just wants his own enemies in the Soviet military executed,and is using paranoia as a useful tool to accomplish that.

And we all know that once Paranoia starts,EVERYBODY becomes a suspect.

[sneakypete]

Frankly high ranking officers and Putin all need arrest for using troops as cannon fodder.

@Weird Tolkienish Figure

I honestly think Putin is on his way out,by leaving on his yacht,his private jet,or a bullet in the back of the head in a basement of the Lubyanka prison.

In a police state,the ONLY protection a leader has is that offered by his own military,and once his military turns on him,he is done.

[libertybele]

Zelenskiy warns of Russian efforts to halt Kyiv's troops, general notes advances in south

 President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Ukrainians that Russia was throwing all its resources into a campaign to stop Kyiv's troops from pressing their counter offensive and a top general reported new progress on the southern front.

But Ukrainian military analysts suggested that things were not easy for Ukrainian forces in their bid to advance southward.

Ukraine has launched a counter offensive to take back swathes of land in eastern and southern Ukraine captured by Russian forces in their invasion launched in February 2022.

It has focused on capturing villages in the southeast in a drive towards the Sea of Azov and areas near the eastern city of Bakhmut, taken by Russian forces in May after months of battles.

Russian accounts said its forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks in eastern Donetsk region, including around Bakhmut.

"We must all understand very clearly, as clearly as possible, that Russian forces in our southern and eastern lands are doing everything they can in order to stop our soldiers," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address after chairing a meeting with top commanders on Friday.

"And every thousand metres we advance, every success of every combat brigade deserves our gratitude."

Reuters was unable to verify battlefield reports.

General Oleksander Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukrainian forces in the south, said after the meeting that his troops were "systematically moving the enemy out of their positions".

Enemy losses over the past 24 hours were equivalent to at least 200, he wrote on Telegram.

"In the south, the situation is very difficult in advancing towards Berdiansk," military analyst Serhiy Hrabskyi told Ukrainian NV radio, referring to a port on the Sea of Azov. Ukrainian forces hope to cut off a land bridge Russian forces have established with the annexed Crimean peninsula.

"They are moving on the village of Robotyne. The enemy is offering resistance to stop our advance southward.".........

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-warns-russian-efforts-halt-kyivs-troops-general-notes-advances-south-2023-07-15/

[Timber Rattler]

Thousands of Ukraine civilians are being held in Russian prisons. Russia plans to build many more

https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-prisons-civilians-torture-detainees-88b4abf2efbf383272eed9378be13c72

The Ukrainian civilians woke long before dawn in the bitter cold, lined up for the single toilet and were loaded at gunpoint into the livestock trailer. They spent the next 12 hours or more digging trenches on the front lines for Russian soldiers.

Many were forced to wear overlarge Russian military uniforms that could make them a target, and a former city administrator trudged around in boots five sizes too big. By the end of the day, their hands curled into icy claws.

Nearby, in the occupied region of Zaporizhzhia, other Ukrainian civilians dug mass graves into the frozen ground for fellow prisoners who had not survived. One man who refused to dig was shot on the spot — yet another body for the grave.

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being detained across Russia and the Ukrainian territories it occupies, in centers ranging from brand-new wings in Russian prisons to clammy basements. Most have no status under Russian law.

And Russia is planning to hold possibly thousands more. A Russian government document obtained by The Associated Press dating to January outlined plans to create 25 new prison colonies and six other detention centers in occupied Ukraine by 2026.

In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in May allowing Russia to send people from territories with martial law, which includes all of occupied Ukraine, to those without, such as Russia. This makes it easier to deport Ukrainians who resist Russian occupation deep into Russia indefinitely, which has happened in multiple cases documented by the AP.

Many civilians are picked up for alleged transgressions as minor as speaking Ukrainian or simply being a young man in an occupied region, and are often held without charge. Others are charged as terrorists, combatants, or people who “resist the special military operation.” Hundreds are used for slave labor by Russia’s military, for digging trenches and other fortifications, as well as mass graves.

[ScottinVA]

The sooner Russia ceases to exist, the better for humanity. 

[sneakypete]

Thousands of Ukraine civilians are being held in Russian prisons. Russia plans to build many more

https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-prisons-civilians-torture-detainees-88b4abf2efbf383272eed9378be13c72

@Timber Rattler

Russia is STILL the "SOVIET Union" and being ran by a former KGB officer,so what did anyone expect other than this?

Communism  is nothing and  will never be nothing but  a slave state government.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

The sooner Russia ceases to exist, the better for humanity.

Well, Russia likely would use nuclear weapons if it came down to a question of its actual continue existence as a country, so I don't think that's a reasonable goal.

It would be nice if the Peter the Great vision of Russia as a European country finally took hold, because that would be much more likely to be a peaceful nation.  But as of right now, the Eastern despotic traditions of Russia are in control of that country, and that's dangerous.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

@Timber Rattler

Russia is STILL the "SOVIET Union" and being ran by a former KGB officer,so what did anyone expect other than this?

Communism  is nothing and  will never be nothing but  a slave state government.

 

[Hoodat]

The sooner Russia ceases to exist, the better for humanity.

While I understand your sentiment, I disagree with your assessment.  I have met many Russians who are wonderful people.  But the population overall is disillusioned.  This war will go a long way towards correcting that disillusion.  See these Russian solders below.  At some point, they will return home and tell everyone how their rulers have betrayed their country:

from r/UkraineWarVideoReport

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/14ze56x/russian_occupiers_from_the_72nd_brigade_elite/

[Hoodat]

More Russian bravado:

from r/UkraineWarVideoReport

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/14vwns6/russians_we_are_going_to_fk_kholkhols_a_few/

[PeteS in CA]

"Kholkhol" is an ethnic slur for Ukrainians, basically equivalent to the "N-Word".

I could double-check, of course, but I'm pretty sure Putin didn't celebrate Easter 2022 in Kyiv, , and his invaders were even farther from Kyiv in Easter 2023, . At present, Putin's orcs are advancing toward their rear, albeit slowly, . Maybe the orcs will celebrate the first anniversary of the assault on Bakhmut by being driven back to or beyond their starting point, .

[Kamaji]

Wagner mercenary group arrives in Belarus after mutiny: report

By Jacob Geanous   
July 15, 2023

Wagner mercenaries have started arriving in Belarus following their aborted mutiny on Moscow, Ukrainian border officials said.

The DPSU, Ukraine’s border guard service, said it is looking into how many “militants” are in Belarus after approximately 60 Wagner vehicles reportedly crossed the border into the Russian ally on Saturday, BBC reported.

The reported arrival comes after Wagner fighters were given the option of either joining the regular Russian army or going to Belarus after a 24-hour rebellion by the mercenary force last month.

On Friday, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Wagner troops were training the Belarusian military.

“The conscripts master the skills of moving on the battlefield and tactical shooting, gain knowledge of engineering and tactical training,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/07/15/wagner-mercenary-group-arrives-in-belarus-after-mutiny-report/

[Kamaji]

Russia continues firing generals amid ‘purge’ by defense ministry

By Jacob Geanous   
July 15, 2023

Russia sacked two generals in the past week, as Moscow’s Ministry of Defense reportedly continues to purge its top officers, pointing to a growing disarray in the military leadership following the aborted rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group.

Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu canned Maj. Gen. Vladimir Seliverstov, commander of the Tula Airborne Division, this week, according to Belarusian news outlet Charter97.

The governor of the Tula region, which borders Moscow, Alexei Dyumin, tried to stand up for Seliverstov, who was involved in the battles in Bakhmut, but to no avail, according to the Russian publication VChK-OGPU.

Seliverstov’s reported firing comes days after Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov was sacked following a recorded tirade he went on against the Russian government, in which he raised questions about high casualty rates and lack of artillery support, echoing the themes of some of the tirades posted by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in the weeks leading up to last month’s short-lived mutiny.

Popov, 48, claimed in a voice recording published by Russian Politician Andrew Gurulyov that he was fired as head of the 58th Combined Arms Army in retaliation for his criticism.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/07/15/russia-continues-firing-generals-amid-purge-by-defense-ministry/

[DB]

And yes men will be all that remain.

Won't win a war that way.

[Timber Rattler]

Syria cracked down on Wagner after mutiny in Russia: Report

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/7/syria-cracked-down-on-wagner-after-mutiny-in-russia-report

Authorities in Syria and Russian military commanders took swift measures against local Wagner operatives to prevent an uprising in Russia from spreading to the Middle Eastern nation, six sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters, after mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his men to march on Moscow last month.

The crackdown included ordering mercenary fighters to sign new contracts with the Russian defence ministry or promptly leave Syria, Syrian officials and other sources based near deployed Russian forces said.

(snip)

As they watched events unfolding, senior Syrian military and intelligence officials privately voiced concern that the mutiny could disrupt the Russian military presence they had relied on for so long, according to a senior Syrian Republican Guard officer and a Syrian source briefed on developments.

(snip)

A group of Russian military officers were quickly dispatched to Syria to help take charge of Wagner forces there, according to a regional military source close to Damascus and two Syrian sources with knowledge of the events, who did not provide further details.

About a dozen Wagner officers deployed in Syria’s central province of Homs and other areas were summoned to Russia’s operational base at Hmeimim, in western Latakia province, according to the Republican Guard officer and one of the Syrian sources briefed on the developments. The officer said this occurred “in the early hours of the mutiny”.Syria’s military intelligence cut landlines and internet links overnight on June 23 from areas where Russian Wagner forces were deployed to prevent them from communicating among themselves, with Wagner in Russia, and even with relatives back home, the three sources said.

By the morning of June 24, Syrian military intelligence and Russian defence officials were coordinating closely to isolate and control Wagner operatives, according to the senior Republican Guard officer, a Syrian security source and two Syrian sources briefed on the developments.

Wagner fighters in Syria were asked to sign new contracts in which they would report directly to Russia’s defence ministry and their pay would be cut, a source with knowledge of Wagner’s deployments and two other sources with knowledge of the events said.

Those who refused the terms were flown out on Russian Ilyushin planes in the following days, two of those sources said. One said they numbered “in the dozens,” surprising Syrian officials who expected more would refuse and head into exile.

EXCERPT

[mystery-ak]

Putin Warns of ‘Reciprocal’ Use of Cluster Bombs in Ukraine After Biden Sends Controversial Munitions to Kyiv

President Vladimir Putin said Russia “reserves the right” to deploy cluster bombs if Ukraine uses the weapons supplied by President Biden.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/07/16/putin-warns-of-reciprocal-use-of-cluster-bombs-in-ukraine-after-biden-sends-controversial-munitions-to-kyiv/

[Kamaji]

Putin Warns of ‘Reciprocal’ Use of Cluster Bombs in Ukraine After Biden Sends Controversial Munitions to Kyiv

President Vladimir Putin said Russia “reserves the right” to deploy cluster bombs if Ukraine uses the weapons supplied by President Biden.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/07/16/putin-warns-of-reciprocal-use-of-cluster-bombs-in-ukraine-after-biden-sends-controversial-munitions-to-kyiv/

That's funny - in a very sick and twisted way - because Russia has already used cluster munitions in Ukraine.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian armed forces have used cluster munitions in attacks that have caused hundreds of civilian casualties and damaged civilian objects, including homes, hospitals, and schools. The Ukrainian military has not denied credible evidence of its own use of cluster munitions in the conflict and has publicly asked to be supplied with the weapon.

Caption:  Collected remnants of Russian cluster munition rockets that were used to attack the city of Kharkiv, at a storage area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, December 22, 2022. © 2022 Evgeniy Maloletka / AP

Source:  https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/29/cluster-munition-use-russia-ukraine-war?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkvWC5LKTgAMVg9PICh2jZAoTEAAYASAAEgJjL_D_BwE

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Russian cluster munition have a ridiculously high failure rate among bomblets, and a lot of them don't even open at all.

The DPICM rounds we are sending to Ukraine to use with our more advanced artillery systems are a significant force multiplier.  Russians are not going to like them one bit.

[libertybele]

Russian cluster munition have a ridiculously high failure rate among bomblets, and a lot of them don't even open at all.

The DPICM rounds we are sending to Ukraine to use with our more advanced artillery systems are a significant force multiplier.  Russians are not going to like them one bit.

I can't help but feel for both sides. 

[sneakypete]

Putin Warns of ‘Reciprocal’ Use of Cluster Bombs in Ukraine After Biden Sends Controversial Munitions to Kyiv

President Vladimir Putin said Russia “reserves the right” to deploy cluster bombs if Ukraine uses the weapons supplied by President Biden.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/07/16/putin-warns-of-reciprocal-use-of-cluster-bombs-in-ukraine-after-biden-sends-controversial-munitions-to-kyiv/

@mystery-ak

That is freaking hilarious! He would have already used them if he had them. The Red Army and the Soviet Leadership are PROVEN advocates of executing your own troops if you catch them retreating.

Not only that,but Soviets are the ones who created "NKVD Blocking Squads",where squads of NKVD swine would follow along behind the front line troops,and use machine guns to gun down any that try to retreat.

[sneakypete]

I can't help but feel for both sides. 

@libertybele

The only thing that saddens me about this is that cluster munitions are not being used  on the Kremin,or the out of town mansions of the  Soviet Ruling Classes.

The best way to kill a snake is to cut off it's head.

[Hoodat]

‘Emergency incident’ reported on vital bridge linking Crimea with Russia

Josh Pennington and Alex Stambaugh  -  Updated 12:32 AM EDT, Mon July 17, 2023

An “emergency incident” has been reported on the Crimean Bridge, halting traffic on the only link between the annexed peninsula and Russia, a Moscow-backed official said Monday.

Sergey Aksenov, the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, did not specify the nature of the incident, but multiple Telegram channels reported strikes on the bridge, which serves as a vital logistical node for Moscow’s military in its war against Ukraine.

Two strikes were allegedly carried out on the bridge around 3 a.m. local time, damaging part of the bridge, according to the Telegram channel Grey Zone, which supports the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Explosions were heard around 3:04 a.m. and 3:20 a.m. local time, Grey Zone and popular Crimean blogger ‘TalipoV Online Z’ said on Telegram.

CNN is unable to verify the reports.  .  .  .

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/16/europe/russia-crimea-bridge-intl-hnk/index.html

[Hoodat]

from r/UkraineWarVideoReport

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/151oc0x/kerch_bridge_traffic_stopped_due_to_collapse_of/

[Hoodat]

Another Russian colonel killed.

https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1680497076679868417

[Kamaji]

Ukraine stages its most intense drone attack on Putin's naval port Sevastopol in annexed Crimea

Russia claimed to have repulsed the Ukrainian attacks, shooting down drones

By JAMES REYNOLDS  and WILL STEWART
16 July 2023

Ukraine has staged its most intense drone attack on annexed Crimean naval port Sevastopol in two months.

A video caught the moment a surface kamikaze sea drone attacked the city in the early hours of July 16, coming within 100 yards of wreaking havoc.

Two drones were reported to have been used in the attack, while 10 unmanned aerial drones separately bombarded the city, headquarters of Putin's Black Sea Fleet.

*  *  *

Source:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12304183/Ukraine-stages-intense-drone-attack-Putins-naval-port-Sevastopol-annexed-Crimea.html