Russian special military operation in Ukraine #41

JohninMK wrote:Seems a lot but then its in their interests to lose against a huge enemy  

Spriter
@Spriter99880
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced an estimate of the size of the Russian group in the NVO zone. These are 48 brigades, 122 regiments, about 315 formations.

A total of 369,000 personnel and about 6,000 pieces of heavy weapons are involved.

I don't believe this news of Ukrainian offensive. At least in the way you're talking. It's like programming a new battle of Kursk. Also, how do you announce such an offensive? Is it for the Russians to prepare? I can't see rationality in propagating where you're going to attack. Surprise is a strategic element of any conflict and can sometimes be the key to success, but it seems that the Ukrainians don't think so... let's see how it goes.

https://twitter.com/Suriyakmaps/status/1651280349840785414/photo/1


New developments in the western part of Artjomovsk.

"Anyone else notice that it was a little strange how suddenly Erdogan dropped his opposition to Finland joining Nato ? He probably made a grand bargain with the US. Support me in the next election and I'll let Finland join Nato. "

It appears that in return he got US agreement, which they were withholding, to sell upgrade kits for Turkey's F-16 to /70 standard.

Beijing could well put on the table a Russian peaceful searching concession to implement a referendum in the new territories whether the wish to join Moscow or Kiev, in an international follow-up agreed by both parties on the election proceedings.

Unlike Gorbachev and Nato, Beijing did get Taiwan agreed on by the US on paper ; signed and delivered by the UN. And it didn't mean a f*cking thing. So it is very rich that China is going to step into the Ukraine thing and settle it with the US's agreement. Hilarious really.

China is doing some practice diplomacy. That's all. And they need it.

Because once Bejing puts forward a peace plan, they know US will say no.

Or the US will say yes and then do exactly the opposite of what they agreed to. They don't call it the unipolar world for nothing. Its the US's way or war. There's no such thing as negotiation with the US on anything.

sepheronx wrote:
No, they won't. Add to that, it wouldn't make much sense either. Beijing has little fight in this conflict and honestly, their proposal is useless much like Lulas.  I think Brazil over embellish their importance.  But in this case, China needs Russia, especially on both food and resources. Russia on other hand can turn to others.

This is simply lip service by Beijing to put the west in their place. Because once Bejing puts forward a peace plan, they know US will say no.

On the contrary - their proposals (both Chinese and Brazilian makes sense. Not necessarily as roadmap to end the war but to show to 85% of world's population that BRICS tries to find a peaceful solution. Unlike US & allies who are pushing for more war and deaths.

Lula is a naive liberal. He's refusing to go to SPIEF but at the same time, welcoming Iranian warships to the Rio waterfront.

There's a lot of doomer morons in Russia itself. That are susceptible to US bullshit. Now the US has already made it look like China is on side or at least discussing 1991 borders

Zelensky can discuss anything he likes with anyone... the Minsk agreements prove there is no value in anything that man signs and the same can be said for the French and the Germans and it goes without saying the Americans.

China isn't going to tell Russia what to do over the Ukraine just like Russia wont tell China what to do about anything... Tibet, Urgyars, Taiwan, Hong Kong... it is not Russias place to say and so they wont.

Can't say the same for the west though... which makes them annoying bedfellows.

I can't see rationality in propagating where you're going to attack. Surprise is a strategic element of any conflict and can sometimes be the key to success, but it seems that the Ukrainians don't think so... let's see how it goes.

The Ukrainians need to justify all the support and money and weapons and ammo they are getting from the west... if there was no promise of potential future success then why bother provide more money and weapons and ammo?

It appears that in return he got US agreement, which they were withholding, to sell upgrade kits for Turkey's F-16 to /70 standard.

"Less than two weeks after Hungary voted to accept Finland into NATO, the Finnish and Swedish governments joined the European Commission’s legal case against Hungary’s Child Protection Law. The law, which forbids depictions of homosexuality or gender reassignment in media content aimed at under-18s, has been criticized by other EU members as anti-LGBT."

https://www.rt.com/news/574496-hungary-finland-sweden-nato/

Yeah, once they get what they want they turn on you real quick...

Unlike Gorbachev and Nato, Beijing did get Taiwan agreed on by the US on paper ; signed and delivered by the UN. And it didn't mean a f*cking thing. So it is very rich that China is going to step into the Ukraine thing and settle it with the US's agreement. Hilarious really.

But they can't. No one in Kiev with any power can be trusted to sign any agreement let alone stick to it.

France and Germany have proven that their guarantee is meaningless after the Minsk agreements and admissions it was all a front to build up Ukraines forces so that it could get what it wanted by force rather than the negotiations stipulated in the minsk agreements.

Who else is there... finland, the US, the UK, Switzerland... they are all party to the sanctions against Russia.

This will be decided on the battlefield... which is going to take longer but will be the only way to achieve Russias stated goals of making Ukraine safe for its people and for Russia.

There's no such thing as negotiation with the US on anything.

Putin knows that perfectly well...

If China believes in some kind of peace deal nonsense, then it proves China learned nothing in last 30 years but I wager they know hence why they are effective at what they do.

China will learn that helping the west and working with the west is for nothing... Russia helped the west by allowing equipment and weapons and ammo and things transported through their territory to supply western forces in Afghanistan in the hope that they might help that country... but the US just screwed them over and over and they ended up cancelling that help.

It is completely forgotten in the west now... just like Soviet efforts to help defeat nazi Germany in WWII and Imperial Japan in the same conflict.

These days if you asked someone in the west, the Soviets didn't help the west defeat Germany... it was the west that helped the Soviets survive with lend lease and strategic bombing and dday and nukes won WWII... silly...

JohninMK wrote:"Anyone else  notice that it was a little strange how suddenly Erdogan dropped his opposition to Finland joining Nato ? He probably made a grand bargain with the US. Support me in the next election and I'll let Finland join Nato. "

It appears that in return he got US agreement, which they were withholding, to sell upgrade kits for Turkey's F-16 to /70 standard.

Now that he has given up his leverage, they will give him the shaft. A deal is never a deal with the USA.

This confuses me.

So, an Italian journalist was supposedly "shot by a Russian sniper" in Kherson the other day:
https://www.repubblica.it/esteri/2023/04/26/news/corrado_zunino_repubblica_ferito_inviato_ucraina_kherson-397705406/?ref=RHLF-BG-I397735763-P2-S1-T1

They say they were fired upon "by the Kherson bridge" and that it wasn't "in a warzone"...

So, the only way I can interpret that is that 1. they were in the area by the Antonovsky bridge and 2. on the western (right) shore.

That in turn means that 3. if a Russian sniper shot at them, it was from a mile away or more, way across the river. Some incredible shots, in that case.

Article mentions that Kuleba and Bernard-Henri Levy immediately chipped in and condemned the act. That's kind of curious.

Basically, I'm no conspiracy nutter but to be perfectly honest it sounds like they were set up by the Ukrainians.

^ I agree. The foreign ministries jacked each other off over it.

The Italian Embassy in Kiev and the Foreign Ministry are working with the Ukrainian authorities to allow Zunino's return to Italy. "I spoke with Minister Kuleba who assured me of the cooperation of the Ukrainian authorities. I expressed solidarity with Director Molinari," said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Skytg24 about the wounding of Zunino in Ukraine. The minister confirmed that the collaborator who accompanied the journalist of La Repubblica was killed under the blows of the Russians. "Russians don't care if you're Russian, Italian or Ukrainian, they just shoot," Kuleba added.

To me with war fatigue setting in, and people like Lula that know shit about the realities chiming in, its time for Russia to do something dramatic. Grinding away has been fine. Rather then wait for Ukraine to attack they need to hit the marshalling formations with FOAB bombs and cause absolute carnage to demonstrate their resolve. By wiping out the new army before it can even attack, building yet another army and the 50-100B it will cost will clearly be a utter waste of time and money.

That's one hell of a good sniper rifle

Russian Kaliber cruise missiles struck the so-called "Admiralty" in Nikolaev this morning:


It's the admin building of the Nikolaev shipyard and the local HQ of the defense congolemrate Ukroboronprom.
https://uk.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%B4%D0%BC%D1%96%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE_(%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%B4%D1%96%D0%B2%D0%BB%D1%8F,_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%97%D0%B2)

They show pictures of the aftermath with the aforementioned HQ:
https://news.yahoo.com/russians-hit-mykolaiv-kalibr-cruise-040609859.html
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3701281-russias-overnight-attack-on-mykolaiv-number-of-those-injured-rises-to-23.html

23 people were injured and 1 was killed in a Russian night attack on Mykolaiv with Kalibr cruise missiles.

But here it gets curious, apart from the Kaliber cruise missiles launched at this defense-related building, the Russians also launched S-300 SAMs at some random apartments:
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3701281-russias-overnight-attack-on-mykolaiv-number-of-those-injured-rises-to-23.html

Around 01:00 a.m., April 27, 2023, Russian troops attacked the city of Mykolaiv with S-300 missiles. According to the preliminary data, enemy projectiles hit an apartment block and a detached house.

As usual, when some militarily pointless target is hit and civilians suffer, it's always by old air defense missiles that have somehow been repurposed for a surface-to-surface role, specifically to fully deliberately and accurately hit random apartment highrises.

Just a coincidence that these mysterious MacGyvered "Russian" SAMs always do this during drone or cruise missile strikes on militarily valuable targets in the area.

I need not say more. How the Ukrainians are able to still peddle this with a straight face is freaking amazing.

Feline hunting season seems to be on.

Lancet gives a fuk at your 5* ADCAP rating

Looks like they got the escort car as well from the smoke plume in the trees in the last few frames.

First video surfaces of the vanguard of the Ukrainian strike force. Believed to be special forces recon unit using secret US transport.

Yup, with 16 missiles

Spriter
@Spriter99880
·
10h
Western arms deliveries to Ukraine during the past week:
Germany: SAM "Patriot" SAM IRIS-T SLM and 16 SAMs for them;
Slovakia: 7 MiG-29s (13 units transferred in total);
Great Britain: shells for tanks "Challenger-2" incl. with depleted uranium.

Much as we thought here