Russian special military operation in Ukraine #37

Seems like they are prepping the audience for the loss of Bakhmut.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/01/europe/ukraine-soldiers-fighting-wagner-intl-cmd/index.html

They have to "sugarcoat" it, and to do so they follow the classic Nazi pattern.

In order to explain why a racially, tactically, materialistically superior force might be forced to retreat, it's because the enemy it is facing naturally uses:

Neverending human wave attacks consisting of poorly equipped cannon fodder that act like actual zombies (sic), who mindlessly walk into the bullet rain, stepping over their own dead in order to advance a few meters etc. They get shot but don't go down easily, must be drugs. And once 200 or so have been killed, the few actually combat-capable troops that the untermenschen can muster move in and try to surprise the now very weary Ukrainians.

It's like copy-pasted from some of the wild German post-war memoirs, that were taken as fact in much of the west for the longest time until more serious research finally took place.

Nevermind that this fantasy tale is completely at odds with footage we have and the testimonials of others (ie western volunteers/mercs) from thereabouts.

Hole wrote:

Balloon above Germany, must be the GRU!

The coat of arms she's holding is that of Sergiev Posad, basically the HQ of the Russian Orthodox Church.

So, I have questions.

Does these civilians expressed some distinctive behavior that an experienced soldier can tell them apart from an enlisted Maidan troopers ?

I'm pretty sure a chainsmoking, 45yr old, overweight conscript ripped off the streets of Kiev, Odessa or Kherson one month ago would look and behave quite differently from a hardened, Neonazi war vet or NATO mercenary.

Prigozhin reportedly flew as co-pilot/WSO in an actual Su-24 CAS raid on Ukrainian positions.

Funny.

Also, VVP is said to be visiting the SMO area soon. The SBU will no doubt do everything to thwart it. Hell, including suicidal VBIED attacks.

That's the thing though, innit.

Zelensky received explicit assurances that nobody would attempt to off him, hence his "bravery". I mean, we knew this already (ie when Zelensky visited various frontline or near-frontline cities, well within range of Russian PGMs, and nothing happened), but Bennetts recent admissions really sealed the deal ("and two hours after Zelensky was reassured, he left the bunker and returned to his office,  took a selfie and solemnly declared 'I'm staying'")... Of course, being the showman that he is, he had to flesh it out further by claiming twelve or so "attempted assassinations" out of the blue, as well. Because of course.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainians DO try to kill any and all Russian/Republican officials or people of some real or perceived importance they think they can get to, whether by attempted precision strikes (eg on Pushilin, Prigozhin, Rogozin et al) or by car bombings etc (too many to count, mostly on turncoat officials in former Ukrainian territories but also on people such as activists, even inside Russia proper, eg Dugin/Dugina).

But the former is super brave, while the latter are cowards for minding their security. Of course.

Ukraine has killed countless random, innocent civilians in these attempts. "Ukroisis" sounds apt. The Kerch bridge bombing wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but it was a suicide attack. To make matters worse, unlike ISIS who at the very least tend to have their own dedicated zealots willing to sacrifice their lives, the SBU planted a bomb with an unsuspecting truck driver. Quite literally the lowest of the low.

Officials in the Kaluga region say that a Soviet-era Tu-141 jet surveillance drone retrofitted with an explosive warhead (an old OFAB-100-120 cluster bomb that had been MacGyvered onto it, to be precise) crashed in a forest outside of Kaluga city. The bomb and its submunitions did not go off, nobody was injured, nothing was damaged.

Fascinating.

They say the contraption flew at an "extremely low altitude" (below 50m) and thus somehow evaded air defence for quite a while, until it crashed into a tree.

If the drone was going for Shaikova airbase but ended up crashing outside Kaluga city, then it must have strayed off course.