The Ukraine war thread
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@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
Interesting choice, Sergei Surovikin. An Air Force General no less.
Russia has again replaced its military commander in Ukraine, putting army chief Valery Gerasimov in charge of its forces in the conflict, the defense ministry said Wednesday.
"Army General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, has been appointed Commander of the Joint Grouping of Troops (Forces)," the ministry said.
Sergei Surovikin, the commander of Russia's forces in Ukraine for the past three months, will become Gerasimov's deputy, the ministry said. Surovikin, lionized by Russia's pro-Kremlin press as "General Armageddon," had previously been the commander of Russia's Air Force.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said Wednesday that Ukraine will be able to win the war in 2023 if it receives more Western weapons, particularly long-range missiles and heavy tanks.
Otherwise, the war will grind on "for decades," Podolyak told AFP, pointing out that the "bloodiest" fighting was currently taking place in eastern Ukraine in Bakhmut and Soledar.
"Only missiles with a range of more than 100 kilometers will allow us to significantly accelerate the de-occupation of our territories," he told AFP in an interview.
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Beavers assisting in defence of Ukraine:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-credits-local-beavers-unwittingly-113757702.html
Am thinking Canada can send them more beavers if the Russians start targeting their dams.
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Wait, there’s more…
And now a defector from the Wagner Mob:
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On the surface this might indicate that reality is beginning to sink in to Russian minds. I don’t believe it. Rather this is a choreographed balloon in preparation of full mobilisation. The speaker is critical of the execution of the military tactics but is careful to stay clear of criticising the reasons and assumptions that led to the war itself.
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@Renauda , that's what I figured.
Have you heard anything from friends in the area what the sentiment is? If you believe the Ukrainian press, there's a lot of coffins headed back to the Motherland.
Of course, there's no mention of the coffins staying in-country.
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Babushka talks about it disparagingly because she is over 75 years old and fears nothing. With others it is never discussed.
Ukrainians friends on the other hand are openly consumed with vengeance towards all things Russian. Like I said a year ago, the Ukrainians will make the Provo IRA look like Boy Scouts.
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The statue had been removed in the 1990s then put back sometime in the last decade. No big deal as we all know statues come and go. In any case Catherine was a German princess who usurped the throne from her Prussophile and German speaking yet nominally Russian Romanov husband, Peter III. No loss.
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IIRC, think I read where the Russians are in the midst of a big call-up.
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Couple of things.
One news report (ABC?) claimed that Russian casualties are now in excess of 100,000. The surprising thing is not the number (Ukranian sources have been saying this for months), but that a major news outlet is reporting that number. IIRC, the British Ministry of Defence reported that number a few months ago.
And this:
U.S. officials advise Ukraine to wait on offensive
Senior U.S. officials are advising Ukraine to hold off on launching a major offensive against Russian forces until the latest supply of U.S. weaponry is in place and training has been provided, a senior Biden administration official said on Friday.
The official, speaking to a small group of reporters on condition of anonymity, said the United States was holding fast to its decision not to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine at this time, amid a controversy with Germany over tanks.
President Joe Biden, who approved a new $2.5 billion weapons package for Ukraine this week, told reporters at the White House, "Ukraine is going to get all the help they need," when asked if he supports Poland's intention to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine.