The Ukraine war thread
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"Incursions" into Bolgorad.
Interesting. Looks like Russian territory is under attack.
Russian forces are still fighting for control of parts of the border region of Belgorod, the region’s governor said Tuesday, warning residents of a handful of border villages not to return to their houses the day after authorities there blamed Ukraine for the war’s largest incursion into Russian territory.
Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov warned residents not to panic, after some border areas had been evacuated the previous day, but said Russia’s military was still concluding what President Vladimir Putin labeled an antiterrorist operation to push the combatants out of Russia. Early on Tuesday afternoon, Russia’s Defense Ministry said forces had encircled the fighters and destroyed the group without giving more details. The ministry said it killed 70 people in the operation. The information couldn’t be independently confirmed.
“The cleanup operation by the defense ministry and security structures is continuing,” Gladkov said in a video on his Telegram channel. “Right now it’s not worth returning to your houses.”
Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, known as HUR, identified the troops as two volunteer groups of Russian citizens who work closely with HUR and said the incident was a consequence of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said Tuesday that Russian forces were still fighting for control of parts of the region amid an incursion by Ukrainian-backed troops. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry/Reuters
Russian military correspondents said battles were continuing well into the afternoon on Tuesday, with Russian forces trying to stop two units of combatant reinforcements from joining up with the groups inside Russia.The Russian Defense Ministry said it had launched attacks against the combatants using artillery and air power. Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the groups had been encircled and at least 70 members had been killed.
The extent of the original incursion and the affiliations of the combatants couldn’t be confirmed independently but the incident has exposed embarrassing weaknesses around Russia’s border areas as Moscow’s troops prepare for an expected Ukrainian offensive.
As one blogger comments, "... the incursion looked like a propaganda stunt — and in some ways, is sure is. But it’s also turned into an aggravating game of Whack-a-Mole for Moscow."
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@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
Interesting article. Basically re-iterates what the blogger said - this will divert Russian troops to a defensive posture, further impairing their effectiveness elsewhere. "Whack-a-Mole," indeed.
Also, I don't think one should forget about the psychological impact of an attack on Russian soil - and not just by haphazard drone attacks.
ETA: Also, looking at a map, it appears that Bolgorad is only about 20 km from the Ukraine border. Makes it a nice, easy-to-reach target.
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Indeed, it appears to be a special military operation of some sort. It is certainly ramping up Russian paranoia and hysteria:
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Putin and maps...
https://glavcom.ua/publications/velikij-konfuz-malenkoho-kartohrafa-putina-929447.html
Also on CNN via Youtube
Dumb-dumber-(fill in whatever suits you) 🥴
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@Wim said in The Ukraine war thread:
https://glavcom.ua/publications/velikij-konfuz-malenkoho-kartohrafa-putina-929447.html
Wanna go back a few centuries? Have at it.
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Putin’s expertise in historical geography is leading to mirthful memes:
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/05/24/putins-antique-map-stunt-stirs-meme-storm-a81260
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Russia's 'conditions for peace.'
The deputy to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “Ukraine must”:
- Refuse to join NATO and the EU
- Commit to a ‘neutral, non-aligned status’
- End the resistance of its Armed Forces
- Cease the supply of Western weapons
- Recognize the ‘new territorial realities’ (Moscow’s euphemism for the illegal occupation of Ukrainian lands)
- Make Russian a state language ‘at the legislative level’
He also characterized Russia’s genocidal war of aggression against Ukraine as “the realization of the right of peoples to self-determination”, co-opting decolonialist language from the United Nations.
Read also: Russia abandons several villages in Belgorod Oblast, Russian partisans now fighting in Moscow Oblast – HUR
While these positions are obviously unacceptable to Ukraine – even before the thousands of war crimes Russia has committed against Ukrainians – Galuzin listed them as conditions “for achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.”Galuzin claimed that the Kremlin has not changed the initial goals of its criminal war, falsely labeling them as "protecting the residents of Donbas, demilitarizing and denazifying Ukraine, and eliminating threats to Russia's security that originate from its territory."
