Russia's War Against Ukraine

[JasonPratt]

^ Your image (currently) doesn't show up for some reason, Cross, so I'm forced to assume it features Russians staring blankly at Korean instructions on what to do with arty shells while HIMARS pick them off one by one in the background.  >:D

[Pete Dero]

^ Your image (currently) doesn't show up for some reason, Cross, so I'm forced to assume it features Russians staring blankly at Korean instructions on what to do with arty shells while HIMARS pick them off one by one in the background.  >:D

I also don't see an image but it looks like the source is Finnish.

[steve58]

Reports of a new symbol on Russian tanks.  Doesn't look exactly like the Deathly Hallows to me, but similar...

A Ukrainian official in a Russian-occupied area of his country says Russian forces are transporting tanks marked with the Deathly Hallows symbol associated with the iconic Harry Potter series of fantasy novels and films.



https://www.newsweek.com/harry-potter-symbol-adorns-russian-tanks-near-mariupol-ukraine-official-1740427

https://t.me/andriyshTime/2662?single

[MengJiao]

"Buy, 'Little Kim' brand Artillery Shells. They used to be fat around the middle but now they're thin. But they are still short and ugly".  ;)

  Meanwhile, Ukraine takes some ground elsewhere:

Ukrainian forces seen in previously Russian-occupied town east of Kharkiv
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio, Gianluca Mezzofiore and Olga Voitovych

Ukrainian forces are advancing to the east of Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv, with recent social media footage geo-located by CNN showing soldiers in the town of Volokhiv-Yar, which was occupied by Russian forces until recently.

Important: If Ukrainian forces are able to consolidate their presence in Volokhiv-Yar, they could encircle Russian troops in the neighboring town of Balakliya.

CNN has geolocated videos showing Ukrainian forces on the outskirts of Balakliya. There are indications fighting is ongoing in the area.

Reports from both sides suggest Balakliya is being defended by militiamen from the so-called Luhansk People's Republic and soldiers from the Russian National Guard, who may now be facing a precarious situation.

CNN cannot independently verify their reports and neither Moscow nor Kyiv have commented on the Ukrainian offensive in the region.

On Tuesday, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Ukrainian forces were closing in on Balakliya, likely driving Russian forces to the left bank of the Severskyi Donets and Serednya Balakliika rivers.

Videos showed Ukrainian soldiers in Verbivka, next to Balakliya.

"Multiple Russian sources acknowledged Ukrainian gains in Verbivka and reported that Russian forces demolished unspecified bridges in Balakliya's eastern environs to prevent further Ukrainian advances," the ISW said in its daily report on the war in Ukraine.
"The September 6 Ukrainian counterattack in Kharkiv was likely an opportunistic effort enabled by the redeployment of Russian forces away from the area to reinforce Russian positions against the Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson Oblast," the ISW added.

[MengJiao]

"Buy, 'Little Kim' brand Artillery Shells. They used to be fat around the middle but now they're thin. But they are still short and ugly".  ;)

  Meanwhile, Ukraine takes some ground elsewhere:

Ukrainian forces seen in previously Russian-occupied town east of Kharkiv
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio, Gianluca Mezzofiore and Olga Voitovych

Ukrainian forces are advancing to the east of Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv, with recent social media footage geo-located by CNN showing soldiers in the town of Volokhiv-Yar, which was occupied by Russian forces until recently.

Important: If Ukrainian forces are able to consolidate their presence in Volokhiv-Yar, they could encircle Russian troops in the neighboring town of Balakliya.

CNN has geolocated videos showing Ukrainian forces on the outskirts of Balakliya. There are indications fighting is ongoing in the area.

Reports from both sides suggest Balakliya is being defended by militiamen from the so-called Luhansk People's Republic and soldiers from the Russian National Guard, who may now be facing a precarious situation.

CNN cannot independently verify their reports and neither Moscow nor Kyiv have commented on the Ukrainian offensive in the region.

On Tuesday, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Ukrainian forces were closing in on Balakliya, likely driving Russian forces to the left bank of the Severskyi Donets and Serednya Balakliika rivers.

Videos showed Ukrainian soldiers in Verbivka, next to Balakliya.

"Multiple Russian sources acknowledged Ukrainian gains in Verbivka and reported that Russian forces demolished unspecified bridges in Balakliya's eastern environs to prevent further Ukrainian advances," the ISW said in its daily report on the war in Ukraine.
"The September 6 Ukrainian counterattack in Kharkiv was likely an opportunistic effort enabled by the redeployment of Russian forces away from the area to reinforce Russian positions against the Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson Oblast," the ISW added.

  But...no problem, says Putin and for that matter they didn't even start this war, okay?

As CNN repodrts:

Putin says Russia has "lost nothing" during its "special military operation" in Ukraine

Russia has "lost nothing" in its "special military operation" in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin claimed in his speech to open the Plenary Session at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Wednesday.

"We have lost nothing and are not going to lose anything. Our main gain is the strengthening of our sovereignty. We didn't start anything, in terms of military action, but are only trying to finish it," Putin told the audience.

Based on downgraded intelligence, the US believes that Russia is facing "severe" shortages of military personnel in Ukraine and is seeking new ways to reinforce its troop levels, two US officials told CNN last week.

In a statement Monday, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that it is now estimated that "over 25,000 Russian soldiers have lost their lives" since the start of the war.

In late August, President Putin ordered Russia's military to increase the number of troops in Ukraine by 137,000, though it remains unclear how the Defense Ministry intends to reach that target.

[JasonPratt]

"In late August, President Putin ordered Russia's military to increase the number of troops in Ukraine by 137,000, though it remains unclear how the Defense Ministry intends to reach that target."

Time to draft some 'lumberjacks'!?

But seriously, I was just wondering what the gulag (or equivalent) situation is, in Russia nowadays. One of their chief media propagandists was talking the other day, come to think of it, about how Soviet gulags were significantly better than Nazi concentration camps (presumably like the sort the Uks don't have.  ::) ) That was bizarre at the time, but if they're planning to draft prisoners (not simply promise them pay and freedom or mitigation to sign up 'voluntarily', which I recall happening much earlier this year), maybe the groundwork was being laid there...?

[Crossroads]

^ Your image (currently) doesn't show up for some reason, Cross, so I'm forced to assume it features Russians staring blankly at Korean instructions on what to do with arty shells while HIMARS pick them off one by one in the background.  >:D

Sorry, it worked with a preview but got broken then.

No HIMARS as it was not HIMARS o'clock yet at the time. Instead something to showcase the fickle loyalties of us humans  ::)

[Sir Slash]

So the Russians are Harry Potter fans now.  :o  Well they do live in a fantasy world, and Putin definitely looks , 'Slitherin' to me, so maybe there's something to it. Time to use the Wand of Hymars I say.

[bobarossa]

Putin can honestly say that Russia has lost nothing since he is Russia (L'etat c'est moi) and he doesn't place any value on his people.

[Pete Dero]

Putin can honestly say that Russia has lost nothing since he is Russia (L'etat c'est moi) and he doesn't place any value on his people.

In his mind only territory gained or lost matters.

[MengJiao]

Putin can honestly say that Russia has lost nothing since he is Russia (L'etat c'est moi) and he doesn't place any value on his people.

In his mind only territory gained or lost matters.

  Well still it is odd that he wants to say he didn't start the war.  That one seems kind of odd even for him.  Did the war begin when the Mongols wiped out Bagdad or something?  You know ancient
Russia was world power etc. etc. etc.

[GDS_Starfury]

well it seems the soviets are getting the shit kicked out of them right now.

[GDS_Starfury]

I mean, ffs, these forced conscripts are right out of WW2!

[GDS_Starfury]

and this perfectly sums up this week for russia  :DD

https://twitter.com/i/status/1567596642966147077

[GDS_Starfury]

and how close is close combat?!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1566180711958290433