Ukraine Invasion: Part 43

[MagicFox]

With thanks as usual to everyone!

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Thanks as always @MagicFox 😊

Thanks @MagicFox

Thanks @MagicFox !

🩵

New York reporting in.

@MagicFox, thank you.

Reporting.
Going back to the shells discussion on the last thread,this should be a wake-up call for the UK government to produce more and sort out our armed forces. I am sure it won't happen as Rishi's government feels like a limping caretaker arrangement, squeezing every last drop of time out of the current parliament.

Checking in. Thanks Magic.

https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1677669425367900160 bringing the heroes home from Turkey. Slava Ukraini

Oh Great! it's been so long for them

Thank you 🌻

https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1677657034223755266 President Zelensky paying tribute to the fallen heroes of Ukraine on snake island where according to legend Achilles is buried

I am starting to think our weapons supply has been too slow and limited. The Ukraine counteroffensive surely should have been started with something akin to overwhelming force or pursued after concerted air bombardment?

Is there a risk that unless the Russian military industrial complex is disabled then there remains the ability to reinforce defensive forces in the Donbas with a real risk of a 'forever' war of attrition where the inevitable loss of life will lead to a political settlement that may not necessarily be to Ukraine's advantage?

I don't think cluster bombs are a great look for the West and certainly gives Russia a slight moral point that they will highlight to more neutral countries in the world. (Of course Russia does use these weapons which is ironic,)

@mids2019

. The Ukraine counteroffensive surely should have been started with something akin to overwhelming force or pursued after concerted air bombardment?

Well yes of course ..but how?

Won't comment on the ground campaign, not my aisle, but certainly given the aircraft types involved ( fourth generation) and the generally non-permissive Air Defence environment (for both sides) over the battlefield concerted air bombardment in depth simply wasn't possible. The Ukrainain Air Force simply doesn't have the capability to indulge in a Gulf War style shock and awe campaign, and on the other side it's worth noting the Russians failed to do then same on day one of the war.

I don't think cluster bombs are a great look for the West

Does "look" matter when you are fighting an existential campaign against an adversary who has no qualms about using them?

and certainly gives Russia a slight moral point

No, just no, not at all, not in any way shape or form...and it's down to the diplomats/politicians to make that point clear.

pm

https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1677676638149001217 longer film of the Avostal leaders returning

No, just no, not at all, not in any way shape or form...and it's down to the diplomats/politicians to make that point clear.

I agree with this @notimagain , Russia has no morality on its side at all. No matter what Ukraine or the west does. And I'm far from being in any way in favour of war as a way of solving humanity's problems, but faced with a Putin - like a Hitler - there are few choices. What happens after the war is important, how the repercussions are processed and the war criminals tried and treated, and we have (sadly) much experience to learn from here.

PM

Peskov is kicking off Turkiye broke the agreement with Russia and Russia weren't even advised about the POWs being released

About the speed of the offensive, if you have Twitter, this is well worth watching

https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1677687481829818369

Thread 43. Is it 500 days did I read in the last thread?
God give Ukraine strength.

Yes. 500 days.

The moral of the story, cluster bombs are only a war crime if they aren’t from America.

For info there's a map here that shows the signatories to the convention on Cluster Munitions...countries in white have not signed up:

https://www.clusterconvention.org/states-parties/