War in Ukraine

100 settlements and 500 square miles...damn

not sure why the f-16's aren't active eliminating any airpower that russia is bringing to bear in Pokorski. helicopter gunships should be easy prey for the f-16's

Ukraine takes 100 Russian settlements in Kursk as Zelensky vows revenge for airstrikes (msn.com)

Ukraine claims to have taken control of 100 settlements in Russia’s Kursk region during its surprise cross-border assault – while facing massive airstrikes from Russian forces for the second day running. Kyiv’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said his troops now control 1,294 sq km (500 sq m) of Russian territory in Kursk with up to 594 Russian prisoners of war taken.

Colonel General Syrskyi said Kyiv’s objective of distracting Russian troops by pulling them back from eastern Ukrainian regions like the Donbas had been successful.

However, Col Gen Syrskyi also warned Moscow was building up its forces on the eastern frontline, around the important logistics hub of Pokrovsk, where Russian troops have been advancing. In remarks broadcast on television, he said by video link that Russia was trying to disrupt Ukraine’s supply lines to the front near Pokrovsk.

“The situation on the Pokrovsk front is fairly difficult. The enemy is using its advantage in personnel, weapons and military equipment; it is actively using artillery and aviation,” he said.

 

More info on Ukraine's use of the F-16. In the recent massive Russian missile attack on infrastructure, F-16 were in the air and did shoot down multiple inbound missiles.

Ukraine's new F-16s are flying missions and shot down incoming missiles during a massive Russian attack, Zelenskyy says

 

Should Ukraine dedicate forces to the border with Belarus or call their bluff and ignore the troops on the border while makignit clear to Belarus that any incursion along the border would be met with a disproportionate response?

Belarus continues to escalate border situation: Purpose of provocations revealed (msn.com)

Belarus is once again attempting to escalate tensions on the border with Ukraine, acting on Moscow's orders and playing into the Kremlin's aggressive plans, citing the spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, Andrii Demchenko. According to him, Belarus is deliberately creating a situation that forces Ukraine to maintain significant forces in this area, instead of deploying them to more critical fronts where active fighting is taking place. This is an attempt to divert Ukrainian resources, but the actual situation on the Belarusian border remains stable.
.............
"By exerting this kind of informational influence, Belarus is trying to destabilize the situation, attempting to affect our actions so that we keep the necessary amount of forces and resources here," Demchenko emphasized.

He also said that no unusual situations have been recorded at the border, and no movement of Belarusian military equipment or personnel near the border has been observed. Ukrainian intelligence is closely monitoring the situation deep within Belarusian territory.

"I do not rule out that Belarus, under the guise of exercises or pressure from Russia, is concentrating certain units deep within its territory, at a significant distance from the border. This includes playing along with the information warfare by creating video reports that give the impression they have strengthened this direction," Demchenko said.

 

not good

Ukrainian defenses breached in Donetsk Oblast, urgent countermeasures needed, says military expert (msn.com)

“There have been big changes since yesterday and the day before. Unfortunately, the changes have not been in our favor,” he said. “In some areas, the defenses have been breached.”

“The fact that [Russian dictator Vladimir] Putin and his military decided not to defend Kursk (Oblast), but to throw all forces to the Pokrovsk and Donbas fronts was a surprise for me personally, because it is obvious that the defense of one's own territory should be a priority. But the situation is what it is… If there is no counteroffensive operation on our side in the coming weeks, the frontline there may literally collapse.”

He also mentioned that the situation near Robotyne, Zaporizhzhya Oblast, and Vuhledar, Donetsk Oblast, is similarly difficult, and that the Supreme Commander's Staff and the General Staff must take urgent action in the coming days.

This follows an earlier report by the DeepState monitoring group on Aug. 26 that Russian forces had seized the village of Ptyche in Donetsk Oblast and advanced near eight other settlements.

 

Yes but really far more sophisticated than what I described. It was highly specialized and sold by another company, but I saw it in action. We sold the containment pipe system from the Tanks, that we're near the shore, and piped the lines to a series of fuel stations and hydrant pits.

 

Ukraine’s fantasy shoot-down numbers …

 

Apt illustration …

 

Zelenskyy proposing a new peace deal 3 weeks into a thwarted invasion attempt. Doesn't look desperate at all...

 

Zelensky must have Putin on the ropes now …

 

not sure why the UAE hadn't already been enforcing the sanctions

Sheikhs refuse to help Putin: UAE banks halt payments from Russia (msn.com)

Transactions are being declined when the purchased goods do not enter the UAE. Russian organizations used companies in the UAE as a way to transfer money to Chinese firms, but the goods were shipped directly to Russia.

Payments through the UAE were advantageous due to low commissions. According to the publication, the blocking is being initiated by the Chinese side.

Analysts believe that by the end of 2024, Russia may face a shortage of consumer electronics and components that were paid for through these countries, with prices potentially rising by 5-10%. “About 10-20% of all laptops in Russia are supplied through channels in the UAE, and for other categories of goods, the share can reach 30%,” said one market participant.

Earlier, it was reported that Chinese companies are increasingly refusing to supply goods directly to Russia due to concerns over secondary sanctions from the United States. Additionally, Chinese banks have been returning payments from Russia for already delivered goods.

 

Ukraine's drone attack ignites major fire at Russian in latest blow to Putin (msn.com)

Early Tuesday saw UAVs target the Atlas refinery in Russia's Rostov region. The assault resulted in a massive explosion as two drones slammed into the depot, setting three fuel tanks ablaze at the facility.

A local reported a blast around 3.00am, expressing to the press: "Atlas is on fire again. I'm scared to sleep."

Footage from the scene shows an intense firestorm with enormous fireballs erupting into the dark sky, while dense smoke billows out.

Owned by Rosrezerv, the Atlas refinery stores various petroleum products. This facility not only serves the Russian military but had also come under drone attack earlier in August.

 

Reports that the first F-16 has been shot down.

 

don't understand why f-16's aren't engaging the air power over Donetsk

Russian fighter jet downed over eastern Ukraine as oil depot set ablaze (msn.com)

Ukrainian troops have dramatically downed a Russian fighter jet over eastern Ukraine as an oil depot was set ablaze by a drone strike more than 100 miles away in Russia.

The Soviet-designed Su-25, nicknamed “Frogfoot” by Nato, was brought down over Kramatorsk, Donetsk, as it fired on Ukrainian troops.

 

Link? Tried searching for this on google but didn’t turn anything up.

 

I see no evidence that the invasion has been “thwarted” yet. Are you getting ahead of yourself again like when Russia had as good as captured Odesa, then later Kharkiv … until they were “feints.”

Look I’m not saying Russia can’t prevail tactically or that they ultimately won’t (by God, they should, given the theoretical force correlation). I’m not even saying that Russia can’t turn this into a meaningful, strategic victory by killing or capturing the Ukrainian expeditionary force (because, again, terrain can change hands with little consequence; Ukraine can’t magically reconstitute those veteran brigades).

But what I am saying is, Russia has not done it yet. And I just checked to make sure I had not missed something. To act as if they already have is ludicrous.

Further, do we know what the Ukrainian peace proposal is before we call it "desperate?" I mean, odds are it's laughably unacceptable to the other side just like every Russian peace proposal has been to this point. But maybe we should, you know, hear it out before the laughing.

 

I'll be fascinated to learn what was responsible for the kill.

 

Thanks. My interpretation of his dialogue is different than yours. He stated he has a four or five point plan to put Ukraine in a better position when they finally go to the negotiation table. One of the leverage items was Kursk and another was economic. It doesn’t seem like desperation (not saying Ukraine isn’t) but something I would expect any leader in a war to be planning.