Ukraine Invasion: Part 39

[MagicFox]

38 filled up quick. Welcome all to 39 🇺🇦

@Zuffe, we would have been proud and happy to have you! There is a long tradition of foreign nationals serving in the US Army. It is also a straightforward path to full US citizenship.

Your Military Service Offers a Faster Track to U.S. Citizenship

You would have also had the advantage of not having a language barrier. I am curious though about what advantage you think it would have offered over serving in the British Army.

*Russian spies recruit German politicians and military through Tinder.
They start chatting and date politicians and Bundeswehr employees on Tinder. Girls are especially interested in data about Germany and the war in Ukraine.

Hope those politicians and military personnel are sceptical enough to keep their pants on and mouths shut. Somehow, I don't think so universally,*

Ah the good old "honey trap"...Exact methods may have changed over the decades but something most of us in the Forces were warned about every year as part of recurrent anti-spook training back in the Cold War.

Not sure if the politicians ever got similar advice..and if they did, would they listen?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_trapping

Will the T-90A be taken apart and reverse engineered? It must be a gift from Ukraine because they could really have used it on the battleground.

The first thing they'll do is get it fully operational and test it to see how it performs in the field - speed, maneuverability, performance on different types of terrain, etc. Eventually, some components will be removed and examined and they'll fire test rounds against the armor. There's unlikely to be an technology we'd want to reverse engineer. It's not that great a tank. It was originally produced in 1992.

@MissConductUS appreciate the explanation. I agree that a 1992 Russian tank is not likely to be too exciting.

@MissConductUS
I had this belief that with a larger and wider army there would have been more scope for promotion. Plus as a kid we went (legally) onto the air base at Upper Heyford (raised in a nearby village) so got to see how they did things. A mini-city in the middle of the English countryside, watching F-111s take off in pairs at intervals for the nightly reconnaissance mission, then flying to a much closer iron curtain, before sweeping up to Norway and then back home. Taking off at tea time back for supper in the mess. The whole organisation if it all. The fact the US could build some temporary mini-cities across Europe, fund them, fill them so far from home to protect democracy has a major impact on me.

When you look at how the world has changed in the last 40 years, it’s quite sobering that without NATO and the US, the survival of the 30% of the population that live under democracies is far from guaranteed.

Zuffe, the scope and scale of the American military is pretty impressive. And there are a lot of opportunities for promotion, either as a non-commissioned officer or a commissioned officer. Enlisted personnel can apply for Officer Candidate School, and lots of them do.

https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/find-your-path/army-officers/ocs.html

It's not discussed in that article, but enlisted personnel without a college degree can also be appointed to attend West Point, get their degree and end up as a 2nd LT.

Nato greatly benefits us in the US too. One silver lining to the Special Military Catastrophe is that some European countries that have deliberately underspent on defense may now see the folly in doing so.

Zuffe and MissConductUS, thank you for the interesting discussion on the army as a career. As the most useless person on the frontline, I am full of admiration for people who are tough and resilient mentally and physically to get through the rigors of military training and be calm under fire on the battlefield.

It must be a joy to be part of a large and well funded army as opposed to one which has been cut to the bone over the last decade. You can guess which is which. Hopefully, Ben Wallace gets his way eventually and this changes in the UK.

MissConductUS, did you see the opinion piece in the WSJ on 'The Military Recruitment Crisi is a Symptom of Culteral Rot'. It says poor fitness and drug use has reduced the pool of eligible recruits in the US, and the culture wars and seeing veterans as victims has made the US military less attractive.

Personally I would hate to live in a authoritarian world dominated by China and Russia where might is right. It is because of the armies of the US and NATO that there is a swathe of the civilisation that gets to live in freedom and enjoy the rule of law.

Blueshoes, I did see that opinion piece. It's concerning. However, the US Army training and doctrine command has started running a 90 pre-boot camp program for recruits who don't quite meet the standards.

US Army plans new pre-boot camp training program for recruits who don't meet standards as alarms sound on recruitment

I've heard it's been quite successful, and TRADOC is in the process of scaling it up.

@MissConductUS the bootcamp sounds great. Get in shape and serve in the army 💪

I used to live down the road from an army base (tank regiment. There was also a tank museum up the road that was fascinating). There was an assault course they used for training outside of the fenced off area so I used to go there to exercise. I could not get over some of the obstacles, made me realise I would not do well in the army! I really liked the going up the wall with a rope one though

Though I did strongly consider doing voluntary service (as women aren't conscripted but can volunteer to do the same as the male conscripts) when I was a teenager but then my brother did it and quit half way through which put me off. Plus with the whole clerical error over my sex they already wanted to arrest me for not turning up so it felt like it would take too much explanation

That must have been hilarious when they turned up to arrest Natsku the young man. Did you have to show your ID to prove you are actually Natska?

I was still living in the UK so they just sent me a letter saying there was a warrant out for my arrest and my mum had to phone them and tell them I'm not actually a man. I assume she sent a copy of my passport or something to prove it but I'm not sure. My family thought it was hilarious though, my dad told everyone, even put up a slide at my 18th birthday party to tell about it

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-16-2023

Key Takeaways

• The Russian military command appears to be increasingly shifting responsibility for offensive operations in Ukraine to the Russian Airborne (VDV) troops.
• News of Teplinsky’s reappointment suggests that the Russian MoD is seeking to work more closely with the Wagner Group in order to complete the capture of Bakhmut, despite obvious tensions between Prigozhin and the traditional MoD establishment.
• Russian milbloggers seized on an opportunity to denigrate St. Petersburg Mayor Alexander Beglov in a manner that indicates that Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin’s anti-Beglov campaign has permeated the Russian ultra-nationalist information space. [he is becoming increasingly more powerful]
• The Wagner Group returned 130 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) on April 16, suggesting that Wagner may have engaged in the exchange independent of the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD).
• The Wagner Group may be attempting to force mobilized Russian personnel to sign contracts with Wagner, possibly in an effort to offset Wagner’s losses in Ukraine.
• Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks south of Kreminna.
• Russian forces continued ground attacks in and around Bakhmut and along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line.
• Russian forces reportedly intensified the rate of artillery strikes in southern Ukraine.
• Russian mobilized personnel continue to publish public complaints against Russian commanders alleging mistreatment.
• A Russian source stated that the Wagner Group is involved in the removal of Ukrainian children from Bakhmut. [christ, poor little sods]

Note: the ISW are opening talking of the Russian offensive this year as a failure now. That failure is very good news.

Slightly redundant MoD comments today. I think they might be running out of material while we're all holding our breath for the offensive!

Kyiv Independent Telegram

Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly – Issue 83 (https://kyivindependent.com/business-ukrainian-state-owned-enterprises-weekly-issue-83/)
Ukrainian state oil and gas company Naftogaz wins a $5 billion arbitration case over Crimean assets against Russia, and more in the new edition of the Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly

⚡️Governor: Russia shells (https://kyivindependent.com/governor-russia-shells-church-on-orthodox-easter-injuring-2/) church on Orthodox Easter, injuring 2.

⚡️Energoatom: Russian forces begin deporting (https://kyivindependent.com/officials-russian-forces-begin-from-occupied-enerhodar/) Ukrainian children from occupied Enerhodar.
Russian troops started the forced deportation of children from schools and kindergartens in occupied Enerhodar, the town that hosts Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine's nuclear energy company Energoatom said.

⚡️La Republica: M109 howitzers delivered (https://kyivindependent.com/la-republica-italy-delivers-m109-howitzers-to-ukraine/) by Italy already in use Ukraine.

⚡️EU: Polish, Hungarian bans (https://kyivindependent.com/polish-hungarian-bans-on-ukrainian-grain-food-imports-unacceptable/) on Ukrainian grain, food imports ‘unacceptable.’
A unilateral ban on grain and other food products from Ukraine by European Union member states is unacceptable, a European Commission spokesperson said on April 16 after Poland and Hungary stopped imports from Ukraine to protect local farmers, Reuters reported.

Bulgaria's acting Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev said on April 16 that Bulgaria would consider a ban on grain imports from Ukraine following a similar decision by two other EU countries, Poland and Hungary.

⚡️Update: Death toll in Sloviansk missile attack hits (https://kyivindependent.com/untitled-21/) 15 as rescue operation is completed.

⚡️General Staff: Russia strikes (https://kyivindependent.com/general-staff-russia-hit-ukraine-50-times-with-missiles-aerial-bombs-over-past-24-hours/) Ukraine 50 times with missiles, aerial bombs over past 24 hours.

⚡️Chinese defense minister meets Putin, discusses (https://kyivindependent.com/china-defense-minister-meets-putin-praises-russia-china-cooperation-in-military-field/) military cooperation.
Li Shangfu, China’s newly appointed defense minister, visited Russia on his first official visit abroad on April 16 and met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Russia has been seeking to get Chinese weapons and technology to boost its war against Ukraine.

⚡️Minister: Hungary agrees (https://kyivindependent.com/untitled-23/) not to block transit of Ukrainian grain.

⚡️Iran sentences (https://kyivindependent.com/untitled-25/) 10 soldiers for downing Ukrainian jet in 2020.
An Iranian court has sentenced 10 soldiers to prison for downing a Ukrainian airliner in 2020, Iranian news agency Mizan Online reported on April 16.
Ukraine International Airlines' flight PS752 was shot down on Jan. 8, 2020 in Iran while en route to Kyiv, with all 176 people on board being killed.

⚡️Danilov: Ukraine hasn't found (https://kyivindependent.com/danilov-ukraine-hasnt-found-chinese-weapons-on-the-battlefield/) Chinese weapons on the battlefield.
Ukraine hasn't found any Chinese weapons used by Russia on the battlefield, National Security and Defense Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said in an interview on April 16.
"In the event that this changes, we will promptly notify both (Ukrainian) society and the world," Danilov said.

Slovak Defense Ministry confirms (https://kyivindependent.com/slovak-defense-ministry-confirms-transfer-of-13/) transfer of 13 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Live: Ukraine Telegram
__

An anti-government demonstration of thousands gathered in Prague demanding the resignation of the pro-Ukrainian government of Petr Fiala and an end to the war in Ukraine.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva said he had discussed with China and the UAE joint mediation in resolving Russia's war in Ukraine.
He also called for the formation of a "political G20" to end the war. [have any of them bothered to talk to Ukraine yet?]

Russian media report a massive fire at the Belgorod thermal power plant. They suggest that the fire was probably caused by a Ukrainian drone. The city has partially lost power.

Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov apologized to the Turkish people for saying that Ukraine's losses in the war were less than the number of deaths from the earthquake in Türkiye.

UNITED24 Media Telegram

Russia can use the situation with the leak of Pentagon data regarding the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces and "throw" fake documents into the network, said Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security Council, on the air of the telethon.

On the eve of Easter, the Russians dropped an aerial bomb on the building of a psycho-neurological boarding school 😡
A 70-year-old woman was injured in the attack on Saturday. 167 internet patients were left homeless as the building became uninhabitable after the airstrike.

The US believes that Russia should pay for the restoration of Ukraine, and is discussing options with its allies to circumvent legal restrictions on the use of frozen assets of the Russian Federation, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in an interview with CNN.
Washington has already begun to transfer the capital confiscated from Russian private individuals to Kyiv, but they cannot yet do this with frozen state assets.

Ukraine has one Black Hawk helicopter, bought from a private individual for 6 million.

Canada will hand over the An-124 aircraft confiscated in Russia to Ukraine, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Britain, the United States, Canada, Japan and France have formed an alliance that provides for the ousting of the Russian Federation from the international nuclear fuel market, it was agreed at the meeting of the G7 countries

Washington Post Telegram

Ukrainian forces probe front lines for Russian weak spots

(http://washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/12/ukraine-frontline-vulnerabilities-counteroffensive/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=telegram)DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — Even as they grapple with ammunition shortages and await materiel from Western backers, Ukrainian forces are testing Russian defenses for vulnerabilities ahead of a much-anticipated counteroffensive.

At one trench position just over a kilometer from Russian lines, a Ukrainian corporal is working with a partner unit flying commercial drones to monitor Russian forces, identify weak points and plan strikes to destroy fortifications.

The expected spring offensive has been framed as Ukraine’s make-or-break opportunity this year to recapture territory held by Russian forces, which totals about one-fifth of the country. But the operation has been delayed by weather, slow equipment deliveries and ammunition scarcities, fueling fears of a stalemate.

• China’s defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, hailed the “substantial achievements” of close cooperation with Russia’s military and said China is ready to deepen the partnership to “make new contributions to stability and security.”

• Li’s trip to Moscow, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, follows similar recent visits by top Chinese leaders. Such displays of camaraderie have intensified concern that China is ready to provide lethal aid in support of the invasion.

• Warsaw is set to hold emergency talks with Kyiv on Monday after temporarily banning the import and transit of Ukrainian grain, Poland’s agriculture minister said.

• The death toll from Russia’s rocket strike Friday on the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk has climbed to 15. A 2-year-old boy found in the debris “was alive when we took him from the rubble, but he died in the ambulance,” one rescuer told The Post.

Russia sentences Kara-Murza, Putin critic and Post contributor, to 25 years
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/17/vladimir-kara-murza-treason-sentence/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=telegram)
A Russian court sentenced Vladimir Kara-Murza, a longtime opposition politician and Washington Post Opinions contributor, to 25 years in prison on Monday on charges of treason for criticizing Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Amid a draconian crackdown on dissent, it was the harshest penalty yet for an opponent of the war, in a case that Kara-Murza condemned as “unfounded, illegal and politically motivated.”

The closed trial further highlighted Russia’s isolationist path, as President Vladimir Putin has disregarded Western criticisms of Russia’s human rights abuses and moved to brutally destroy any remnants of his country’s pro-democracy opposition.

Warning: Grim, and distressing

Michael Weiss
AT michaeldweiss

A big drop today of two ex-Wagner fighters testifying to mass killings, including of more than 20 Ukrainian children and teenagers. Azamat Uldarov and Aleksey Savichev are both former prisoners. They say they blew up a pit with 50+ wounded Ukrainian POWs and the so-called "500s," Russian refuseniks who didn't agree to kill Ukrainians. They cleared residences in Soledar and Bakhmut by murdering everyone. "I executed the order with this hand, I killed the children on the order," Uldarov says. "What we did when we entered Soledar and Bakhmut... We were given the command to clear and kill everyone. We went and killed all women, men, pensioners and children, including minors, five-year-olds." Yevgeny Prigozhin personally gave orders for the shootings, Uldarov and Savichev claim.

(Russian language)

Omg I'm horrified and angry in equal measure

The Bradleys are reportedly in Ukraine. Note that these are not ready for combat, as they need to reinstall the barrels for their 25mm cannons.

https://twitter.com/praisethesteph/status/1647905471070715906

My heart sinks yet again. Another fresh horror. I don't understand how anyone can kill children in cold blood. Do they not see their own children in their eyes when they do that?

@blueshoes, you assume empathy and imagination.

That's horrific :(