Teufel

Speaking of going after one and other, if true, the Russians can’t argue they are winning!

Speaking of going after one and other, if true, the Russians can’t argue they are winning!

Article from CNN suggesting that Russia is paying heavy price for the war in Ukraine. Literally sinking themselves into hole that decreasing oil prices are unable to cover. Frozen foreign reserves have torpedoed the war chest and soon comes the question, who will lend them money to keep them afloat. Approaching point where borrowing may be necessary to keep state running. Those imposing sanctions will not purchase Russian bonds, no matter the interest, private equity can’t invest even if wanting from participating countries.
Very interesting to see who will purchase such assets when Russia comes offering. Transactions can’t be hidden in explanations of non-military actions. China, India, et al. will simply openly support Russia financially knowing that money is going directly into bankrolling the Russian military spending. No providing direct military support you say?
Question is not if it will happen but rather what will the West do when that happens. My best guess is simply nothing, arguing that can’t prove allocation of borrowed money paying for military expenses.
Let’s not get into legal arguments about causality and what level of evidence is needed to actually impose any type of punishment. The West will never impose any kind of penalty for directly aiding Russian aggression against Ukraine by helping financially. We are doing so ourselves through purchase of primarily gas and oil from Russia. Through proxy or not.
As always, threats are only as good as the likelihood of being realized. China knows this, so does India and everyone else for that matter.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/28/economy/russia-military-spending-economic-impact/index.html

Speaking of going after one and other, if true, the Russians can’t argue they are winning!

I am dying to know what happens to this officer. Does he beg to be exchanged immediately, does he beg not to be exchanged at all? If  he is exchanged is he punished or just sent back to the front? Is the whole we beat him up and tied him up thing just a ruse to protect his family? So many questions.
Edit: great news that the Russians are starting to surrender instead making Ukraine spend the ammo to kill them. 

Plenty of discussions on Tokmak but fighting is also continuing further east, just tidbit from post covering Tokmak as well.
From Tom Cooper’s ally Donald Hill at https://www.facebook.com/donald.hill.543

Article from CNN suggesting that Russia is paying heavy price for the war in Ukraine. Literally sinking themselves into hole that decreasing oil prices are unable to cover. Frozen foreign reserves have torpedoed the war chest and soon comes the question, who will lend them money to keep them afloat. Approaching point where borrowing may be necessary to keep state running. Those imposing sanctions will not purchase Russian bonds, no matter the interest, private equity can’t invest even if wanting from participating countries.
Very interesting to see who will purchase such assets when Russia comes offering. Transactions can’t be hidden in explanations of non-military actions. China, India, et al. will simply openly support Russia financially knowing that money is going directly into bankrolling the Russian military spending. No providing direct military support you say?
Question is not if it will happen but rather what will the West do when that happens. My best guess is simply nothing, arguing that can’t prove allocation of borrowed money paying for military expenses.
Let’s not get into legal arguments about causality and what level of evidence is needed to actually impose any type of punishment. The West will never impose any kind of penalty for directly aiding Russian aggression against Ukraine by helping financially. We are doing so ourselves through purchase of primarily gas and oil from Russia. Through proxy or not.
As always, threats are only as good as the likelihood of being realized. China knows this, so does India and everyone else for that matter.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/28/economy/russia-military-spending-economic-impact/index.html

Article from CNN suggesting that Russia is paying heavy price for the war in Ukraine. Literally sinking themselves into hole that decreasing oil prices are unable to cover. Frozen foreign reserves have torpedoed the war chest and soon comes the question, who will lend them money to keep them afloat. Approaching point where borrowing may be necessary to keep state running. Those imposing sanctions will not purchase Russian bonds, no matter the interest, private equity can’t invest even if wanting from participating countries.
Very interesting to see who will purchase such assets when Russia comes offering. Transactions can’t be hidden in explanations of non-military actions. China, India, et al. will simply openly support Russia financially knowing that money is going directly into bankrolling the Russian military spending. No providing direct military support you say?
Question is not if it will happen but rather what will the West do when that happens. My best guess is simply nothing, arguing that can’t prove allocation of borrowed money paying for military expenses.
Let’s not get into legal arguments about causality and what level of evidence is needed to actually impose any type of punishment. The West will never impose any kind of penalty for directly aiding Russian aggression against Ukraine by helping financially. We are doing so ourselves through purchase of primarily gas and oil from Russia. Through proxy or not.
As always, threats are only as good as the likelihood of being realized. China knows this, so does India and everyone else for that matter.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/28/economy/russia-military-spending-economic-impact/index.html

Plenty of discussions on Tokmak but fighting is also continuing further east, just tidbit from post covering Tokmak as well.
From Tom Cooper’s ally Donald Hill at https://www.facebook.com/donald.hill.543

This is what happens when I leave you guys unsupervised.  We were moving most of Aug…god I hate moving.

Footage of snipers from Bakhmut direction…
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/162nn8x/russians_being_hit_from_a_distance_of_160_to_1200
 
   
…and those unsexy Engineers in action again.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/162npn6/the_mykolaiv_marine_engineers_together_with_their
 

No location given in video descriptions but 72nd made name for itself getting in trouble with Wagners around Bakhmut. Nothing spectacular, trench cleaning.
Bit more action, two birds with one rock (if actually from the same fight).

No location given in video descriptions but 72nd made name for itself getting in trouble with Wagners around Bakhmut. Nothing spectacular, trench cleaning.
Bit more action, two birds with one rock (if actually from the same fight).

This adds nothing but confusion, will post for reference anyway, in case there is some sense of this later.
Claimed to be Tokmak, could be anywhere, and story behind could be anything really. If anybody has plausible story to this, please do share.
 

No location given in video descriptions but 72nd made name for itself getting in trouble with Wagners around Bakhmut. Nothing spectacular, trench cleaning.
Bit more action, two birds with one rock (if actually from the same fight).

No location given in video descriptions but 72nd made name for itself getting in trouble with Wagners around Bakhmut. Nothing spectacular, trench cleaning.
Bit more action, two birds with one rock (if actually from the same fight).

Tokmak…(Russian 58th CAA) …main news is that around 24-25 August, the ZSU has entered Novoprokopivka. What is unclear is how far did it get by now. The Russians began reporting the village – held by the 56th and 108th VDV Regiments (both from the 7th VDV Division) – as ‘lost’, and that already two days ago. Around the same time Ukrainians reported the re-deployment of the 503rd MRR into the village.
As for the stretch of the frontline from Novoprovopivka via the Hill 166 to Verbove: ZSU seems to have deployed the 46th Airborne in this area, but is otherwise zip-lip. With one exception: have received a denial that the ZSU has reached the Hill 166.
The Russian contacts say their frontline was ‘penetrated in two sectors’; furthermore, some are indicating that half of Verbove should be under ZSU’s control. Heavy fighting is reported from the Novopokrovka area, too.
Further to the (Russian) rear, Ukrainian artillery is (heavily) pounding Chervonohirka and Ocheretuvate, some 10km south of the frontline, as well as Novofedorivka, north-east of Verbove. The Russian artillery is reported as ‘not active’ in this sector of the frontline, i.e. ‘sillenced’ by Ukrainian artillery.
However, the VSRF is deploying lots of Lancets, mortars, Su-25s (either one or two were claimed shot down ‘in the Robotyne area’, yesterday), plus – on average – some 9-10 MPK/UMPK glide bombs from Su-34s per day.
Full post from Tom Cooper found here, including update from other sectors - https://xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/ukraine-war-26-august-2023

Of course they did. I would expect nothing less of the extremely professional and transparent Russian “investigations.”

Tokmak…(Russian 58th CAA) …main news is that around 24-25 August, the ZSU has entered Novoprokopivka. What is unclear is how far did it get by now. The Russians began reporting the village – held by the 56th and 108th VDV Regiments (both from the 7th VDV Division) – as ‘lost’, and that already two days ago. Around the same time Ukrainians reported the re-deployment of the 503rd MRR into the village.
As for the stretch of the frontline from Novoprovopivka via the Hill 166 to Verbove: ZSU seems to have deployed the 46th Airborne in this area, but is otherwise zip-lip. With one exception: have received a denial that the ZSU has reached the Hill 166.
The Russian contacts say their frontline was ‘penetrated in two sectors’; furthermore, some are indicating that half of Verbove should be under ZSU’s control. Heavy fighting is reported from the Novopokrovka area, too.
Further to the (Russian) rear, Ukrainian artillery is (heavily) pounding Chervonohirka and Ocheretuvate, some 10km south of the frontline, as well as Novofedorivka, north-east of Verbove. The Russian artillery is reported as ‘not active’ in this sector of the frontline, i.e. ‘sillenced’ by Ukrainian artillery.
However, the VSRF is deploying lots of Lancets, mortars, Su-25s (either one or two were claimed shot down ‘in the Robotyne area’, yesterday), plus – on average – some 9-10 MPK/UMPK glide bombs from Su-34s per day.
Full post from Tom Cooper found here, including update from other sectors - https://xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/ukraine-war-26-august-2023

Russians don't seem to like it when they are the side without artillery.

I agree with Haiduk and Steve that there won't be any pro-russian insurgency in Crimea in case of UKR troops going in hot. But, yes, it is going to be hard to govern, for sure. Something good to look forward to anyway. 
It is quite hard to predict how the events will unfold exactly from now on. That raid was definitely fun though, even if only symbolical.

Scraping the bottom of the barrel, T-10 next in line. No wonder those WW2 museums are closing. Running out of T-34 and all other contemporary equipment it seems. 
 

Not trying to be funny but there was an old saying behind the iron curtain that went; ”in Sovjet Russia nothing ever happens by chance”.
One of those cases where we don’t need proof. Even if Putin wasn’t involved, what benefit would he gain by denying involvement? Plausible deniability, to protect himself from what? Charges of murdering 10 people while wanted by ICC for war crimes and genocide?
On the level of suspect standing trial for first degree murder with overwhelming evidence against him. And the prosecutor suddenly adds shoplifting charges. Even if the suspect did not shoplift, does it make any difference in overall case?
Putin being involved or not don’t matter, in perception of reality outside of Russia - Putin is involved, period.
There is however zero reason for Putin to care about anything but the fact that potential enemy is gone. What signals that sends, what it makes others think or not, is in my opinion, not reason for the killing. Whatever consequences that has or has not will be handled if and when they occur. Don’t know why we keep seeing these people and their rationale in lens of logical reasoning.
Rational thinking doesn’t apply to crazy and let’s not credit them with criminal mastermind behavior. Just simple criminals with pragmatic motives and actions.

Cue my post some hundreds of pages ago on how in 1973,  the U.S.M.C. ran mandatory classes that taught us that the majority of humanity doesn’t care who rules them as long as they have the necessary creature comforts such as food, water, shelter, and etc.
 
 

Next question - what is the RA ability to plug a hole right now.  My bet is not so good.  One thing we can all agree on right now is the UA needs to cut that corridor.