"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (1 Viewer)

GrauGeist said:

The Russians are beefing up defenses around the Kerch bridge.

To be honest, I'd leave it standing for now. Let the Russians and civilians use it to escape. Then, when the time comes to reclaim Crimea, there are less defenders to contend with and a reduced chance of civilians caught in the crossfire.

The bridge would be easy to block if, for some reason, Russia were to try and send reinforcements during the Ukrainians retaking Crimea, and it's a perfect killing zone.

In the meantime, keep the Red Army guessing!

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Right, do they reinforce or evacuate Crimea? I bet they'll reinforce it simply to maintain the coastal forces ... but the bridge then becomes a sword of Damocles behind them.

The civilians that are escaping Crimea may have been "imported" from Russia. It's best they leave of their own volition.

fubar57 said:

Speaking of supply lines threatened.... https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ukraine-nato-weapons-zelenskyy-russia-1.6578148

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Just like Covid demonstrated that our supplies of PPE and respirators was insufficient for the real world pandemic they were planned for; the 2022 Russo-Ukraine War shows that Canada, Germany and other's supplies of weapons are insufficient for the war against the Russia they were supposed to fight. Ukraine should be thanked for showing us that we need a lot more kit.

Admiral Beez said:

Just like Covid demonstrated that our supplies of PPE and respirators was insufficient for the real world pandemic they were planned for; the 2022 Russo-Ukraine War shows that Canada, Germany and other's supplies of weapons are insufficient for the war against the Russia they were supposed to fight. Ukraine should be thanked for showing us that we need a lot more kit.

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Or perhaps Putin should be thanked for playing his hand too soon?

Thumpalumpacus said:

Right, do they reinforce or evacuate Crimea? I bet they'll reinforce it simply to maintain the coastal forces ... but the bridge then becomes a sword of Damocles behind them.

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Mmmm. HIMARS wants a missile corvette!

GrauGeist said:

I've also noticed Ukraine has been VERY quiet in the area of maritime operations recently.

As this offensive progresses, I would not rule out something being commenced while Russia is distracted.

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Probably, because Russian cruise missiles "platforms" avoid to sail far away from the SAM umbrella of Sebastopol.
I hope this umbrella will be penetrated eventually.

"What we are fighting for". Our boys and girls at the front line know the answer.

Not being able to follow all of the war operations for the last 2 months (gotta make a livin'...), I'm really pleasantly suprised by the recent events. Go Ukraine!

Looks like Russia doesn't want Russian speakers and collaborators to leave Ukraine. I suppose if they did leave, much of the reason for the Special Operation is moot.

Wow, talk about irony.

That only confirms that 1) Putin didn't give a shit about those Russian sympathizers, and 2) that Russian credibility isn't worth two turds rubbed together.

It makes me wonder what Ukraine will do to these folks once the war is over.

Thumpalumpacus said:

And with MLRS/MARS, those supply lines will be threatened by Ukrainians even if the Russians resort to truck convoys.

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Totally agree

Dimlee said:

"What we are fighting for". Our boys and girls at the front line know the answer.

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A very moving video.

The #UkrainianCounteroffensive in #Kharkiv Oblast is routing Russian forces and collapsing Russia's northern #Donbas axis. #Russian forces are not conducting a controlled withdrawal and are hurriedly fleeing southeastern Kharkiv Oblast to escape encirclement around #Izyum. 1/

Ukrainian forces have penetrated Russian lines to a depth of up to 70 kilometers in some places and liberated over 3,000 sq. km. of territory in the past five days since September 6 – more territory than Russian forces have captured in all their operations since April. 2/

Ukrainian forces will likely capture the city of #Izyum itself in the next 48 hours if they have not already done so. Its liberation would be the most significant Ukrainian military achievement since winning the Battle of Kyiv in March. 3/

The Russian MoD did not acknowledge Ukrainian successes around Kharkiv Oblast as the primary factor for the Russian retreat and claimed that Russian military command has been carrying out a controlled withdrawal from the Balakliya-Izyum area. 4/

The Russian MoD falsely claimed that Russian forces undertook a number of demonstrative actions and used artillery and aviation to ensure the safety of withdrawing Russian forces. These Russian statements have no relation to the situation on the ground. 5/

The Russian MoD's inability to admit Russian failures in Kharkiv Oblast and effectively set information conditions is collapsing the Russian information space. 6/

Kremlin-sponsored propagandists offered a variety of confusing explanations for Ukrainian successes ranging from justifications that Russian forces are fighting against the entire Western Bloc, to downplaying the importance of Russian ground lines of communication in Kupyansk. 7/

The Kremlin's propagandists were unusually disorganized in their narratives, with some confirming the liberation of certain towns and others refuting such reports. Guest experts also were unable to reaffirm the hosts' narratives that Ukrainian successes are not significant. 8/

Such programming may reveal the true progress of the Russian "special military operation" to the general Russian public that relies on state media and the Russian MoD for updates. 9/

The withdrawal announcement further alienated the Russian milblogger and Russian nationalist communities who condemned the Russian MoD for remaining quiet, choosing self-isolation, and distorting situational awareness in Russia. 10/

Admiral Beez said:

Just like Covid demonstrated that our supplies of PPE and respirators was insufficient for the real world pandemic they were planned for; the 2022 Russo-Ukraine War shows that Canada, Germany and other's supplies of weapons are insufficient for the war against the Russia they were supposed to fight. Ukraine should be thanked for showing us that we need a lot more kit.

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Again you are absolutely right. Money talks. If some of the key NATO countries (including the UK) were to do what Poland has done. Smell the coffee, open the cheque books and place the orders that are needed. The I will bet a penny to the pound the production lines will start churning out what is needed.

That said, I firmly believe that there is a lot more useful equipment lying around is stores that would be of immediate use in the Ukraine. There must be significant numbers of M113's, Leopard II, Early M1 Abrams tanks, the infamous Leopard 1, AH1 Cobra and Huey choppers is people's warehouses. In the UK the Tranche 1 Typhoons are not being used for anything. Are they as good as a later version, no clearly, but would the Ukraine want some, certainly. On land the Carl Gustav anti tank missile may well be ineffective against a modern T72 with reactive armour, but it would destroy any other light armoured vehicle.

It isn't just that we don't have it in stock. It may well be true to say that there is a limit to the first line equipment that is available, but I am confident that there is a lot of useful second line equipment available that leaders lack the courage to release.

On a different note, the Donbas is clearly under considerable risk of attack. There are a lot of stories about their troops being ill equipped and given obsolete equipment such as T62's, how are they likely to hold out for?

vikingBerserker said:

Wow, talk about irony.

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Talk about schadenfreude.