Russia's War Against Ukraine

[ArizonaTank]

A long article on a Navy SEAL who went AWOL and ended up in Ukraine. RIP.

Protagonist the one on the right. (added a picture to remind for the obvious that these are real people living and dying there)

RIP

It is so sad that this guy's memory will likely be lost in the cracks between the shifting slabs of global politics.

Reminds me that almost 90 years ago, another group of Americans (and those of other nations) fought Fascism in Spain; they were pretty much ignored and forgotten. Heck, because of post WWII politics and the Cold War, they were even sometimes seen as having been on the 'wrong side.'

I hope the world treats these guys much better.

[ArizonaTank]

oops double post

[JasonPratt]

Well, one reason the anti-fascist fighters in Spain were forgotten, was that once they arrived to fight under command of Soviet oversight (which any number of them might not have realized would happen), the Soviets took away all their identification and, in at least most cases, never gave them back! -- they became the basis for hundreds of false identities used by USSR agents during the Cold War.

The Soviet Union never gave up its original resolution to conquer the world, by force where necessary and possible, so it turned out there was no good side to fight for. Tragically, each side could validly appeal to the super-villainy of the other side to get good people to fight for one set of supervillains against the other set. (Arguably the same was true in fighting for the Republic per se against Franco, though on a much smaller scale than fighting under Soviet command. Lots of volunteers did arrive to fight for the Comintern per se, however, with whatever intentions mistaken or otherwise.)

[Sir Slash]

Well said Brother! Let me guess. The price of admission to, 'Vladograd' is TEMPORARY military service? Followed by having your remains found 70 years later by somebody digging a trench. 

[SirAndrewD]

Those shaping attacks by the UAF around Bakhmut are starting to get very spicy. 

[Gusington]

'Shaping' attacks?

[JasonPratt]

Looks like the initial attacks are designed to shape the Orc defense, so to speak, as well as to position Uk assets.

The Uks have been VERY good about doing this so far.

[Gusington]

Ah...making the enemy do what you want them to do without knowing it?

[SirAndrewD]

'Shaping' attacks?

Prepatory operations that usually precede a major offensive.

Hit the enemy in multiple places, damage and degrade their prepared first lines of defense.  Confuse the enemy as to the true purpose and direction of the offensive. 

The idea is that you perform so many shaping attacks that when the actual offensive comes, it's lost in the noise and degrades the enemy's ability to respond decisively.  Preferably the enemy will have baited reserves away from the true intended axis of advance. 

Zelensky's announcement of a "delay" in the counter offensive is the political side of that.  There's no way to trust if that statement was true or not and the very fact that he made it should be suspicious.  If it were true, why announce it? 

[Gusington]

I see. Your avatar is staring at me as I read the above, making it more...uncanny?

[SirAndrewD]

I see. Your avatar is staring at me as I read the above, making it more...uncanny?

Frightening isn't it?  It sees you with its strangely not dead AI eyes that are partly my own. 

[ArizonaTank]

'Shaping' attacks?

Zelensky's announcement of a "delay" in the counter offensive is the political side of that.  There's no way to trust if that statement was true or not and the very fact that he made it should be suspicious.  If it were true, why announce it? 

I seem to recall a bit of Ukrainian razzle dazzle in the press before the offensives last spring / summer.

[SirAndrewD]

I seem to recall a bit of Ukrainian razzle dazzle in the press before the offensives last spring / summer.

Totally.  Prior to that offensive they overtly announced that the main counteroffensive would be towards Kherson and even launched a few very agressive attacks right into the teeth of Russian defenses north of the city. 

The real blow of course came in Kharkiv Oblast, and Kherson fell later after the Russians stripped their forces from the south to stem the bleeding. 

I made a few references to this back in the winter around when the leaks happened.  Everything has been pointing to the UAF counterattack happening in Zaporizhia.  The leaks confirmed it, the media confirmed it, Russian and Ukrainian milbloggers confirmed it. 

The Russian army obviously knows it based on the deep, sometimes 15 mile deep fortifications they've been digging north of Melitopol. 

Every single bit of military logic says that's where the blow should fall. 

Every single bit of military logic also said the Allies should've invaded at Calais, not Normandy. 

This is why I call what's happening south, and now north of Bakhmut "spicy". 

Could the UAF be adopting a U.S. Grant strategy, target the army not the territory?  Destroy Wagner, the VDV and the Guards formations as your objective rather than large, logistically difficult to maintain deep thrusts into fortified areas? 

We may be seeing soon.

[GDS_Starfury]

the Ukrainians took 2km back in 2 days what took the russians 3 months to get.  ya, I'd call that spicy.

[GDS_Starfury]