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Ukraine Invasion: Part 26

993 replies

MagicFox · 20/05/2022 09:35

Here we are, on top of our rock

OP posts:
Thread gallery
61
notimagain · 23/05/2022 09:06

ScrollingLeaves · 23/05/2022 08:56

@Ijsbear · Today 08:18
[note that the Admiral Makarov has also left Sevastopol port into the Black Sea; looks like Ukraine is going to be more heavily attacked by sea in the future. With the ISW reports that Russia is preparing to resume offensives on the Southern axis, this looks like there may be a renewed offensive generally (to my untrained eye) ].

Please would someone explain - wasn’t the Admiral Makarov blown up?

No, unlike the Moskva it appears the Makarov is still afloat.

There was certainly at one point lots of rumours, half stories and mis/disinformation doing the rounds, including some video would now appear was actually CGI of gaming origin supposedly showing the ship well ablaze....

ScrollingLeaves · 23/05/2022 09:10

This reply has been hidden

This reply has been hidden until the MNHQ team can have a look at it.

TargusEasting · 23/05/2022 09:17

Small, but relevant piece of news:

From CNN
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that her country would deploy an extra 30 defense force personnel to the United Kingdom to support the training of Ukrainian armed forces.
The soldiers will be stationed in the United Kingdom until the end of July," Ardern said.
They will train Ukrainian soldiers on how to use the L-119 light gun, she added.
The troops, training ammunition and surplus equipment including aiming systems will be moved in an airlift coordinated by the UK.
This follows a previous deployment of 66 New Zealand defense force personnel in April along with a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules.

This supports what we have suspected for a very long time, even before 24 February. Ukrainians are being trained to British military warfare standards. This will give them a significant advantage because of the practice of allowing individual decision-making on the battlefield.

And on the doorstep of Amesbury and Salisbury, where Putin authorised the use of chemical weapons on the UK.

ScrollingLeaves · 23/05/2022 09:18

MNQQ has just stopped a post I think because I linked a Just Giving page.

The Journalist with whom I and another poster on this thread had been in touch about helping with vet fees for the dog that walked 250 miles with a man getting out of Mariupol, has written back about another person in need. I shall leave out the link this time in the hope anyone can look for it who wants to.

I am sorry to be in contact with you on this but I am writing to anyone who was kind enough to donate to help Igor and Zhu-Zhu. I will be providing an update on their case very soon.

But something else rather urgent has come up. On Sunday, an eight year old boy and his mum, aunt, grandma and grandad were evacuated from the basement they had been living in for 87 days.

I met them when visiting the frontline near Kharkiv. The little lad was the last child in a bombed out village.

This is his story:
www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/17/drawing-monsters-in-the-basement-last-child-in-ukrainian-village-in-ruin

And about his evacuation: www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/22/ukrainian-boy-and-his-family-leave-cellar-after-87-days-for-safety-abroad

A Guardian reader has offered to help the family resettle in Zurich. However, we need to get them there. I am urgently trying to raise funds for travel and accommodation out of Ukraine.

If you feel there is anything you can donate, then here is a Just Giving page I have set up:

ScrollingLeaves · 23/05/2022 09:27

@notimagain · Today 09:06
ScrollingLeaves
“@Ijsbear · Today 08:18
[note that the Admiral Makarov has also left Sevastopol port into the Black Sea; looks like Ukraine is going to be more heavily attacked by sea in the future. With the ISW reports that Russia is preparing to resume offensives on the Southern axis, this looks like there may be a renewed offensive generally (to my untrained eye) ].”

I had asked:
”Please would someone explain - wasn’t the Admiral Makarov blown up?”

No, unlike the Moskva it appears the Makarov is still afloat.

There was certainly at one point lots of rumours, half stories and mis/disinformation doing the rounds, including some video would now appear was actually CGI of gaming origin supposedly showing the ship well ablaze....

Thank you notimagain. I must have stupidly conflated the two ships beginning with ‘M’ and had been influenced by that mis/disinformation.

@TargusEasting · Today 09:17
Small, but relevant piece of news:

Thank you for that information about training.

TargusEasting · 23/05/2022 09:32

This article hits the nail on the head of the need to have the weight of artillery support right up front with an unending supply of shells and rockets.

Джерело: censor.net/ua/r3336039
Russia's offensive in the Donbass: the enemy is advancing only because of the shortage of shells in our artillery, which must be overcome in the near future

I have visited all the big cities of Donbass, including the positions of many of our units, both in the front and in the gray zone, different people have many questions about whether it will be possible to stop the Russian offensive.

The Russian command has identified narrow areas in the Donbass on the entire front, where forces are concentrated to create advantage and breakthrough. The enemy suffered heavy losses and is advancing very slowly, the Ukrainian army has weaned the Russians from rapid breakthroughs.

Our soldiers outnumber the enemy, we have less equipment but more fighters, our command as a whole remains in control, our soldiers know how to inflict heavy losses on the enemy. Russian troops do not show such resilience, are quickly withdrawn from battle, and Ukrainian units are fighting stubbornly week after week.

But it is impossible to hold the line of defense for a long time due to lack of shells for its own artillery. The enemy advances where it sees that there is no accurate corrected and constant work of artillery.

Where there is contact fighting, the Ukrainian army has the upper hand. Where in battle we can use at least a few dozen shells per gun, the Ukrainian army has the advantage, and the enemy is repulsed.

But when the limits on fire are less than the needs for shooting - it is difficult to hold positions, and there the Russians sometimes manage to sell our defense. Because when the enemy beats, but is retaliated against, people endure. They can't stand when there is nothing to strike at certain targets for a long time. But our fighters are retreating and clinging to a new frontier, and the resilience and combat effectiveness of Ukrainian troops, despite all the losses, is simply astounding.

It is difficult to even describe in words the mass heroism shown by Ukrainian troops at the front. If the unit has experience, coherence and management, they do not surrender any stronghold without a fierce battle. Yes, sometimes the fighters leave, yes, there are problems in management - but every time it happens under heavy fire, and they try to use every opportunity to regain their positions.

But modern warfare is primarily logistics, logistics and logistics. Logistics means not just having the right things somewhere, but having them on time in the most difficult place. It will not be enough for everyone and everywhere, but it is important that it is enough where the enemy is trying to break through.
Infantry claims cannot be made if visible targets are not affected, if there are not enough shells. Squadrons do not improve this, the infantry does everything possible and impossible, and keeps the front in such conditions in which the Russian army is fleeing.

Ammunition is needed in the areas of the main strikes by Russian troops, and as soon as this happens, Putin's second offensive in the Donbas will be stopped.
We have enough people, enough professional soldiers, but we need more shells, much more, we need drones to adjust and professional organization of combat work in each link.

In Donbass, our artillerymen dream that the new guns that our allies have begun to supply us will receive, first of all, artillery personnel with experienced and coordinated calculations, which do not take long to train. Combined with drones and corrective action, this will not only stop the Russian offensive, it will defeat it.

Our army is confident of our victory. Now it is a question of how quickly shells and adjustment systems will be in the most important areas.

In my opinion, the Russian offensive in Donbass will be stopped, and we already have the strength to do so, we need to improve logistics, the Ukrainian army and people have won time with their heroism, and now everything depends on the deployment speed and quality of artillery and shell NATO countries.

Yuriy Butusov, Censor. NO Джерело: censor.net/ua/r3336039

Ijsbear · 23/05/2022 10:23

in haste

Euromaidan PR
@EuromaidanPR
·
5m
russian Su-25 shot down yesterday by Armed Forces of #Ukraine was piloted by Major General Kanamat Botashev, reports say

Ijsbear · 23/05/2022 10:25

That plane doesn't seem to appear in these statistics tho, but perhaps it will tomorrow. They seem to be careful about counting and verifying the losses

Ukraine Invasion: Part 26
DesdamonasHandkerchief · 23/05/2022 10:38

ScrollingLeaves, I was the other poster that was in contact with the Guardian journalist and strangely I haven't received that email. Thanks for drawing my attention to it.
I have been feeling down heartened by the recent developments, particularly relating to the descriptions of filtration and moving Russians into occupied areas, together with what seems to be more 'successes' for the Russian army. It seems like donating is the only positive thing I can do.

ScrollingLeaves · 23/05/2022 10:46

@DesdamonasHandkerchief · Today 10:38
ScrollingLeaves, I was the other poster that was in contact with the Guardian journalist and strangely I haven't received that email. Thanks for drawing my attention to it.

I have been feeling down heartened by the recent developments, particularly relating to the descriptions of filtration and moving Russians into occupied areas, together with what seems to be more 'successes' for the Russian army. It seems like donating is the only positive thing I can do.

I totally agree. Feel wretched today.

we must hope someone will get the little boy lots of very good paints, pens, brushes and paper when he gets to Zurich and he can draw all the past out of his mind.

My apologies for Having forgotten your name in my previous this morning. If it had been the old Mumsnet I could have found it in your posts last week (?) about the man and his dog , but the new search on mumsnet seems so difficult to use that I didn’t try.

ScrollingLeaves · 23/05/2022 10:56

@Ijsbear Lithuanian Government
·
^22h
As of today we are
totally independent from Russian gas, oil and electricity. It is a mission possible✌️^

[hallo Germany, take note. Germany's lack of decisive leadership is an utter disgrace in this crisis]

I saw this last night:
Matt Karnitschnig on Twitter: "Extraordinary exchange in German TV: respected CDU MP @RKiesewetter, a retired army colonel, says he doesn’t believe that Olaf Scholz wants #Ukraine to win the war." / Twitter

mobile.twitter.com/mrsorokaa/status/1528348157968621568
mobile.twitter.com/MKarnitschnig/status/1528475660364267523

Thank you for your updates today.

DesdamonasHandkerchief · 23/05/2022 11:35

Lawrence Freeman's take on the Black Sea Blockade. Published six days ago but I haven't seen it linked on here.

samf.substack.com/p/breaking-the-black-sea-blockade?s=w&utm_medium=email

ScrollingLeaves · 23/05/2022 12:15

@DesdamonasHandkerchief · Today 11:35

Lawrence Freeman's take on the Black Sea Blockade. Published six days ago but I haven't seen it linked on here.

samf.substack.com/p/breaking-the-black-sea-blockade?s=w&utm_medium=email

Thank you Desdemonas this is extremely informative.

Quite apart from Ukraine, Russia taking over the Black Sea is imo an aggression and outrage against the world. It seems intolerable really. I hope there may be some way to have minesweepers, NATO or otherwise, accompany merchant ships in and out through Ukrainian waters as suggested in the article.

Even then that still leaves Russia free to attack Ukraine at its leisure from the Black Sea, especially with those submarines.

This paragraph stands out to me in the article. (I understand though that using NATO is judged as being escalators by many.)

The vast Black Sea is mostly international waters. NATO warships are free to travel nearly wherever they want, including into Ukraine’s territorial waters and its 200-mile exclusive economic zone. Conceding those waters to Russia makes no sense. Instead, look for them to become the next major front in the Ukraine war.

notimagain · 23/05/2022 12:35

Ijsbear · 23/05/2022 10:23

in haste

Euromaidan PR
@EuromaidanPR
·
5m
russian Su-25 shot down yesterday by Armed Forces of #Ukraine was piloted by Major General Kanamat Botashev, reports say

If that's true then Cripes...

Back in the day in the west very senior air force officers were generally kept behind their desks in HQ or down the bunker most of the time...the resultant lack of proficiency/recency meant they were kept well away from aircraft but did the odd flight, probably dual, when the weather was good.

The Russian ranks don't quite equate to NATO ones but the idea the Russians are sending a roughly one star general off to do single seat Ground attack is a bit 😯

Natsku · 23/05/2022 12:49

Run out of capable pilots perhaps

MagicFox · 23/05/2022 13:04

Wow. "Russia’s Counsellor to the United Nations in Geneva has resigned.

Boris Bondarev: “Never have I been so ashamed of my country.”

UN Watch is now calling on all other Russian diplomats at the United Nations—and worldwide—to follow his moral example and resign."

twitter.com/hillelneuer/status/1528668629482541057?s=21&t=uXhz90aLljUxsAfbSOWuQA

Ukraine Invasion: Part 26
OP posts:
MagicFox · 23/05/2022 13:11

Some questions about authenticity but this is published on his LinkedIn page and the image below is a translation rather than official doc

OP posts:
Ijsbear · 23/05/2022 13:40

notimagain it's the only report of it I've seen (v busy day though) and it didn't come up on the confirmed losses. Hopefully we'll find out more.

If its a problem of lack of shells at the front atm, does anyone kow if more are on the way?

SerendipityJane · 23/05/2022 13:42

I have an alert for "Fucking Stupid Russians"

metro.co.uk/2022/05/17/idiot-steals-rocket-from-battlefield-then-it-exploded-in-his-car-in-russia-16660332/

Ukraine Invasion: Part 26
Ijsbear · 23/05/2022 13:43

If that statement by the Counsellor is accurate, its strong language. Interesting that apparently 18 years ago Lavrov was actually a respectworthy intellectual. Kinda sad to see how far down the scale into the sewers he's slid.

TargusEasting · 23/05/2022 14:03

SerendipityJane · 23/05/2022 13:42

Even handling weapons like this incorrectly can set them off. I can just see the idiot handling some ammo to his wife to look at, before she disappears for ever.

notimagain · 23/05/2022 14:08

Natsku · 23/05/2022 12:49

Run out of capable pilots perhaps

Possibly, though in most Air Forces in a conflict the grim reality would probably be that you'd expect to run out of airframes at the same time or before you run out of pilots......

It would certainly be interesting to know the why and how behind a senior/very senior officer flying on Ops.

Alexandra2001 · 23/05/2022 14:11

TargusEasting · 23/05/2022 14:03

Even handling weapons like this incorrectly can set them off. I can just see the idiot handling some ammo to his wife to look at, before she disappears for ever.

Even more bizarre as the new "owner" was a former Army Major...... oh well, one less that could be called up!

Natsku · 23/05/2022 15:09

notimagain · 23/05/2022 14:08

Possibly, though in most Air Forces in a conflict the grim reality would probably be that you'd expect to run out of airframes at the same time or before you run out of pilots......

It would certainly be interesting to know the why and how behind a senior/very senior officer flying on Ops.

Perhaps a mysterious illness running rampant in the pilots because none of them want to fly and get killed Grin

Ijsbear · 23/05/2022 15:19

🔗 The Russian diplomat in Geneva, Boris Bondarev, resigned because of the war with Ukraine.

According to him, during his diplomatic service, he has never been so ashamed of his country and work.

"Putin unleashed the aggressive war with Ukraine, but in fact with all the western world - is not only a crime against the Ukrainian people, but also, perhaps, the most serious crime against the people of Russia", - he wrote on his page in the social network LinkedIn.

Seems pretty confirmed then MagicFox!