Russia's War Against Ukraine

[al_infierno]

Looks like they're concentrating around Donbass and Luhansk areas.  Guess they've given up on taking Kiev?

Nyet, comrade!  You see, Kiev was just a brilliant feint.  In a master stroke of ingenuity Putin sent thousands of Russian soldiers to their deaths not because he wanted to actually take Kiev and make Ukraine capitulate, but to trick the West into believing Kiev was the real goal!  Any day now the real attack will come and the elite cossack bear-riding paratroopers Putin has kept in reserve will finally be unleashed and the war will be over in days.  Just you wait!

[GDS_Starfury]

well sunshine, that real attack is going on right now.
all joking aside, the Ukraine Army has a lot of front to cover and they just cant rush all hands towards the Donbass.
I think they started doing well around Kiev and then the soviets learned a few things, husbanded some forces and made an OMG and then launched it on a limited axis due west.
and its working.
the UA has had to divert forces from Kharkov to shore up lines further to the east and thats stalled out their own offensive.
and it happened just as the UA recrossed the Donets!

[W8taminute]

Looks like they're concentrating around Donbass and Luhansk areas.  Guess they've given up on taking Kiev?

Nyet, comrade!  You see, Kiev was just a brilliant feint.  In a master stroke of ingenuity Putin sent thousands of Russian soldiers to their deaths not because he wanted to actually take Kiev and make Ukraine capitulate, but to trick the West into believing Kiev was the real goal!  Any day now the real attack will come and the elite cossack bear-riding paratroopers Putin has kept in reserve will finally be unleashed and the war will be over in days.  Just you wait!

Oh stop, you're making me blush!   :)

[W8taminute]

...
and it happened just as the UA recrossed the Donets!

Ok the inner geek in me has to comment that this sounds like something out of Operation Barbarossa.   ;D

[GDS_Starfury]

think more post Kursk and the UA are playing the Germans.

[Gusington]

Are the Russians trying to trap the bulk of the eastern Ukrainian Army in a Cherkassy-type pocket?

[steve58]

Retired Russian Gen. Botashev allegedly shot down in Ukraine

I guess he is now permanently retired.  :-"

[W8taminute]

Are the Russians trying to trap the bulk of the eastern Ukrainian Army in a Cherkassy-type pocket?

I wanna party with you man!

[ArizonaTank]

Are the Russians trying to trap the bulk of the eastern Ukrainian Army in a Cherkassy-type pocket?

I get the sense that possibly one of the most important battles of the war is happening right now in and around Severodonetsk.

In other news, I saw a flurry of articles in the British press that the UK Navy was looking at plans to escort grain ships in the Crimea. Within the last few hours the UK is officially denying the story.   

[Gusington]

^Really? That would add a new level to this war. I don't think the Russians would attack British ships but I never thought the world would be at this point in the first place.

[jamus34]

Retired Russian Gen. Botashev allegedly shot down in Ukraine

I guess he is now permanently retired.  :-"

I saw what you did there :P

[GDS_Starfury]

and none of you ppl hit the point that wagner has combat aircraft?
kind of removes the idea that its a private group, not that that was already glaringly obvious.

[GDS_Starfury]

this is a great read!

https://twitter.com/J_JHelin/status/1529191305665990656/photo/1

[JasonPratt]

and none of you ppl hit the point that wagner has combat aircraft?
kind of removes the idea that its a private group, not that that was already glaringly obvious.

"If Botashev were a member of Wagner, it might not be the first time someone from that conglomerate of private contractors working for the Russian military crashed a Russian warplane.

"In 2020, a video of a Wagner pilot potentially emerging from a crashed Russian fighter jet. U.S. Africa Command has said that Wagner pilots have flown Su-24 Fencers as well as MiG-29 Fulcrums. You can read more about that here."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/63-year-old-retired-russian-fighter-pilot-shot-down-in-su-25-over-ukraine/ar-AAXG8bI?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=ea3adbe5f2294b8783e9530fc0eb1498

So there has been suspicion of this for a while already. Though Botashev hasn't been confirmed as flying for Wagner yet.

Comparisons to Maverick from the Top Gun duology are flying around, naturally.

(Pun not originally intended.)

It says something if the Russians are so desperate as to put a retired 60+ general into a tough ground-attack craft for action (via Wagner or otherwise).

Retired Russian Gen. Botashev allegedly shot down in Ukraine

I guess he is now permanently retired.  :-"

"Shame he won't be at the barbeque.
"Then again I guess he is the barbeque.
"Tell your mama not to burn my shoes.
"Technically my lies are prob'ly true."

[JasonPratt]

this is a great read!

https://twitter.com/J_JHelin/status/1529191305665990656/photo/1

Oh, that was good! I guess we couldn't really expect the Rusks to stay dumb forever, without learning anything. 

Some hard choices for the Uks now. But, as Helin says, "In the open terrain, Russia needs to capture villages to find cover and concealment for their troops, and sometimes it feels that capturing even smallish settlements is like drinking tar for the Russians."  \m/