"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again."

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The last paragraph:

And despite recent Russian gains, the overall strategic balance still appears to favour Ukraine. They have significant reserves of personnel available. The Ukrainians have also demonstrated better tactical leadership, morale and strategic planning than the Russians.

The Ukrainians still don't seem have have deployed much of their tank park. Are they saving it for a bigger counteroffensive, do they not have enough troops to man them, or are they leery of a big, pitched battle?
There are not many tanks in Ukraine. Probably, the units are thinly spread across the frontline and used carefully and only where anti-air defence is well developed. Russian helicopters are a serious threat. And small UAV like Orlan is ubiquitous, a real scourge of the Atlantic the Eastern Front.
 
One of the US national TV news reported last week that a second ship bringing food to Ukraine had been sunk in the Black Sea. There was no other mention on other networks, or any follow on news. I have seen no mention on this forum. More propaganda?
No information in Ukraine about that. The only shipping route to/from Ukraine is via the Danube and Romania's territorial waters. Probably, those were old news about the incidents near Odessa during the first days of the invasion. Russian Navy fired upon some cargo ships. At least one vessel was sunk (ironically, with a Russian crew). At least one tanker was seen smoking and drifting after being abandoned by the crew.
 
I don't think a ship is needed to bring food to Ukraine, but instead the ships are needed to bring food out of Ukraine to the rest of us.

True. The western border of Ukraine is one huge logistical bottleneck now. The main seaports for Ukraine today are Constanta and Gdansk/Gdynia and they are congested because of the Ukrainian food exports. Logistic costs are sky-high.
 
BRUSSELS, May 31 (Reuters) - European Union leaders have agreed an embargo on Russian oil imports that will start kicking in towards the end of the year and which exempts, for now, pipeline imports that Hungary and two other landlocked Central European states rely on.

The toughest sanction yet on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, agreed overnight after weeks of wrangling, aims to remove 90% of Russia's crude imports into the 27-nation bloc by year-end, senior officials said.

"The purpose is to stop Russia's aggressive war," Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said.

Two-thirds of the Russian oil imported by the EU comes via tanker and one third through the Druzhba pipeline.

The ban on the seaborne imports will be imposed with a phase-in period of six months for crude oil and eight months for refined products, a European Commission spokesperson said.



These (and other) sanctions could provide leverage enough to prevent Russia from cementing any territorial gains, so long as they're held in place.
 
And --


May 30 (Reuters) - Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Washington's decision not to send Ukraine rocket systems that could reach into Russia was 'rational'.

President Joe Biden said on Monday that the United States will not send Ukraine rocket systems that can reach into Russia, after it was reported Washington was preparing to send advanced long-range rocket systems to Kyiv.



No doubt the Russians are delighted about the decision.
 
BRUSSELS, May 31 (Reuters) - European Union leaders have agreed an embargo on Russian oil imports that will start kicking in towards the end of the year and which exempts, for now, pipeline imports that Hungary and two other landlocked Central European states rely on.

The toughest sanction yet on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, agreed overnight after weeks of wrangling, aims to remove 90% of Russia's crude imports into the 27-nation bloc by year-end, senior officials said.

"The purpose is to stop Russia's aggressive war," Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said.

Two-thirds of the Russian oil imported by the EU comes via tanker and one third through the Druzhba pipeline.

The ban on the seaborne imports will be imposed with a phase-in period of six months for crude oil and eight months for refined products, a European Commission spokesperson said.



These (and other) sanctions could provide leverage enough to prevent Russia from cementing any territorial gains, so long as they're held in place.
Until the Euros ban Russian natural gas this is all window dressing and virtue signaling. Russia can sell oil to the world market on ships, just the same as everyone else.
 
Good, but I can't find a source for this yet. I wonder if they'll be sending the cluster type missiles? Those can blanket a large piece of ground with submunitions.

A senior U.S. official said Monday that President Biden has not ruled out sending Ukraine the Multiple Launch Rocket System, or MLRS, and that no final decision has been made.

"Clarifying comments from POTUS administration on MLRS are more assuring. Ukraine will get new shipments of precision-guided missiles with longer ranges than Ukrainians have now, but not rockets that can strike deep into Russia," McFaul tweeted.
 
And --


May 30 (Reuters) - Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Washington's decision not to send Ukraine rocket systems that could reach into Russia was 'rational'.

President Joe Biden said on Monday that the United States will not send Ukraine rocket systems that can reach into Russia, after it was reported Washington was preparing to send advanced long-range rocket systems to Kyiv.



No doubt the Russians are delighted about the decision.
Ukrainian border guard in Kharkiv or Sumy region can fire a Javeline rocket into the Russian territory any time when required. :cool: And he will, no doubt.
 
re the supplying of cluster munition warheads with the MLRS

That will depend on whether the Ukraine government gives the OK, as they are the ones who will have to deal with the hazards of leftover unexploded bomblets. (IMO they will give the OK.)

I do not know if Russia signed the international agreement to ban the use of cluster munitions, but since they have already used them against the Ukraine it no longer matters if Russia objects.
 

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