Russia Ukraine Update Thread - part 3

originally posted by: TerraLiga

originally posted by: ufoorbhunter
... the one negative in an amazing 20 year career rescuing Russia from complete deterioration and possible disintegration following the crazy 1990's. The one blunder for Putin is letting Ukraine leave Moscow's influence, what we see now is the attempt to put that right.

I'm intrigued in your view of this guy. The encouraging period of glasnost and perestroika (yes, I know, it was not elegantly implemented) brought the Soviet empire closer to the bosom of the major economies of the world. Putin has used these new publicly traded companies to his advantage. Not only does he wield his sword over the heads of those new CEOs, but also takes a slice of every deal.

Totally agree that the period of glasnost and perestroika started out as encouraging. There was real hope that Russia was going to transform into a western style capitalist state. Unfortunately a very small group of Soviet era black marketeers largely from Leningrad hijacked the transfer from socialism to capitalism and stole the economic wealth of the nation. A plundering of Russia ensued and this new Oligarchy ruled supreme by installing a drunk Yeltsin all the time helped along by western corporations and the flow of incredible biblical proportions of wealth abroad helped along by the British and the City of London. Putin might have a few issues with the Oligarchy yet when he took control at least he set the rules that he was the boss, unlike his predecessor Yeltsin who was under their thumb. When they didn't play ball the Oligarch's found themselves either dead or jailed in Siberia. Without Putin the Russian Federation would have been destroyed, it was going that way under Yeltsin. Don't get me wrong, Russia as explained to me a by a Russian over here in the UK is a gangster state, yet so is Ukraine. Anybody who has delved into who controls the economic assets of that nation will acknowledge the same set of gangsters or Oligarchs exists there too. When one considers that Poroshenko prior to taking control in 2014 had to fly into Tel Aviv and get the agreement from dual national Oligarchs to be accepted as President of Ukraine, then you understand things operate very differently in that part of Europe to the western side. A whole region of gangster states Russia and Ukraine are no different.

Know where you are coming from on the Russian people kind of letting themselves be run a tiny minority which controls most of the wealth. I guess the people are pretty brainwashed, still under the influence of the previous administration and their Soviet state control of everything. Putin controls the MSM, the security services, the education / brainwashing system from birth to adulthood. Then again don't we all get controlled by some elite group of people. Here in the UK we have been dominated by the Norman's since they invaded a thousand years ago. If you check out the land owners they are still largely Norman's To get anywhere in politics you seem to need a Norman surname. Most of our leading politicians have been of Norman ancestry over the past hundred years

Russian governors say their regions came under attack by Ukrainian fires, drones, and a partisan group aligned with Kyiv.

Belgorod Oblast has come under attack several times this week, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on his Telegram channel.

The Drive

Aligned with Kyiv or just fed up with Putin's defective regime ?

Cheers

Ukraine-Russia War: Russia seizes west bank of Bakhmutka River - UK

"Russia has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River, endangering a key Ukraine supply route, in its push to regain control of the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, the British defense ministry said on Friday.

"Russia has made further gains and has now highly likely advanced into the town center ... Ukraine's key 0506 supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened," the ministry said on Twitter in a regular bulletin." www.jpost.com...

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Was it worth the enormous cost in dead and injured Cannon fodder?

Seizing a devastated city?

And for what?

Just to boost Putin's vanity?

a reply to: Oldcarpy2

From the Kremlin's perspective maybe so. To me total nonsense and a pathetic waste of life. Even one person killed, totally horrendous. Yet I'm not Putin or one of his inner circle and allied Oligarchy. At a guess they will see the victory as worth the cost in dead and injured. They've still got 140 million more cannon fodder to go, they don't give a monkey's just like our leaders in WW1. Crazy stuff really

7 April Update

* A Ukrainian official reported that Russian aviation units are changing tactics

* High-ranking Russian officials reportedly can only leave Russia with permission from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. (Me: sounds like that guy's name would be better rendered as Mistrustin'

)

* Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks along the Svatove-Kreminna line.

* Russian forces continued advancing in and around Bakhmut and continued ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City frontline.

More at URL above.

Cheers

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Another issue arises if the Ukrainians drive the Russians back toward Ukraine - Russia border areas. Then, containing the war within Ukraine will become increasingly difficult. For political reasons, the Ukrainians won't have limited options concerning their ground and air units operating in Russia. But groups like the Russian Volunteer Corps will have a convenient and possibly bogus reason to conduct guerilla operations across the Russian border.

a reply to: xpert11

I'd guess that 'volunteer corps' freedom of action at that point will depend on the situation in Russia itself. If Putin's regime collapses, it could become a real free-for-all.

Of course, Putin can always count on the Ugandans to bravely defend Moscow Quite a step down from the sterling service rendered by the King's African Rifles.

Cheers

The thing with Putin is this. Zhuk says Putin has two goals in invading Ukraine, the first of which is to restore the Soviet Union and its ideology. That means all former members of the old Soviet Union. he wants them back. Including one's that are part of NATO.

a reply to: mark204

The 3 primary country of Soviet Union were Belarus, Ukraine, Russia. These are the 3 East Slavic countries. Belarus is already cahoots with Russia. That leaves only Ukraine. In my opinion, Russia's objective is take Donba which reduces Ukraine population to only 34 million people which is no longer a threat to Russia even if Ukraine joins NATO.

8 April Update

* Russia’s missile campaign to degrade Ukraine’s unified energy infrastructure has failed definitively ... Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko announced on April 8 that Ukraine is resuming energy exports for the first time since October 11, 2022.

* Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks along the Svatove-Kreminna line.

* Russian forces have continued to make gains around Bakhmut

* (Russian nationalist Igor) Girkin formed the “Club of Angry Patriots” social movement along with seven prominent proxy and ultranationalist figures on April 1 seeking to help Russia to win the war and avoid an internal conflict within Russia. Members of the club stated that Russia will imminently face defeat in Ukraine and may experience a pro-Western coup or civil war if Moscow does not drastically improve the situation on the frontlines.

Even the Russians are beginning to realize that Putin's gamble could lead to a bad outcome for Russia.

More at URL above.

Cheers

originally posted by: shaolaomightydragon
In my opinion, Russia's objective is take Donba which reduces Ukraine population to only 34 million people which is no longer a threat to Russia even if Ukraine joins NATO.

Donbas has been depopulated and ethnically cleansed. It has a low population, as most have fled since 2014 when Russia started to foment conflict.

Russia's intention is either have Ukraine as a vassal state, or broken up and incorporated into Russia proper.

Ukraine was never a threat to Russia.

a reply to: paraphi

I would say Ukraine is a threat to Russia if Ukraine has 40 million people at 1940 level. Donba has 6 million people, Crimea has 2 million, and let's say Zapo and Kherson = Taurida has 1 million. That's 9 million people. Without these 9 million people, Ukraine has about 33 million people. 33 million people is not a big threat to a country of 150 million people.

Russians have problem also with tanker-shortage .


The Russians Aren’t Just Running Out Of Tanks—They’re Running Out Of Tank Crews, Too. And It’s Going To Get Worse.

a reply to: Kenzo

The basics of tank operation can be taught in a month or less.

The problem is, developing experienced crews that can survive on the battlefield is a much longer process.

And with as many crews as they have lost in this war, they have to keep the experienced guys on the front lines to try to teach the replacement crews a trick or two before they go into combat.

Cheers

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2


I would not like to be in their shoes , going in to front teaching other crew with decades old tanks, and knowing enemy have some Western tanks , Javelins etc.

BBC News - Vitaly Votanovsky flees Russia after documenting a Wagner cemetery
www.bbc.co.uk...

"I was walking past a police station in Krasnodar and a police officer [recognised me]. He said 'Get ready. It's coming.' He meant the state's reaction [to]…interviews I was giving. They already had enough to open a serious criminal case against me."

Vitaly escaped to Armenia, and now plans to request political asylum in Germany.

I ask Vitaly why the authorities don't want people like him publishing information about Wagner and about Russian casualties in the war.

"For our state these are terrifying statistics," Vitaly claims, "and the Russian people just don't know the true numbers. I wanted to show people the real scale of the disaster.

"If people were to find out the true numbers of battlefield losses, they'd go crazy."

a reply to: Oldcarpy2

Russia has become dangerous place to anyone who has different views


Influential people in Russia are dying one after another: they fall out of windows, shoot themselves and are even poisoned by toad venom. A wave of mysterious deaths of top Russian energy top managers began in 2022, shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

a reply to: Kenzo

Wow. "Toad poison"??!!!!

Thanks. That's a new one to me.

a reply to: Oldcarpy2


They are quite creative there....i bet they will invent even more exotic ways than toad in future

Friendly advise...dont fly to Moscow lol