Russia Ukraine Update Thread - part 2

Mariupol Defenders Resist Russian Ultimatum

Russian 'Major General' ELIMINATED By Ukraine In Donbass

Russian Soldier Admits: Putin's Troops BOMBED Their Own PEOPLE ||2022

Russia Blames The Ukraine War On NATO Alliance

'I Don't Believe The World' Says Ukrainian President Zelensky

originally posted by: Erno86

Mariupol Defenders Resist Russian Ultimatum

Those guys in the Azovstal steelworks are left with no choice.
They face certain death if they fight, or worse if captured.

What is the deal with that steelworks-Russia have poured so much blood steel and money into taking it,even using thermoabarics (to no avail).It has also taken multiple barrages of artillery,and repelled huge amounts of russian armour and infantry.

The entire complex of Europes biggest steelworks has been turned into a mangled mess of melted pipes and will take billions to restore to working order.

SO WHY are russia so determined to take it?

It has to be more than securing the southern land corridor to Crimea IMO.
(I think Russia already know that is unattainable in the long term)


What is the secret of the Azovstal steelworks?

Books will be written on the subject I think.

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

not only has it been completely destroyed apparently the machinery wasnt fit for purpose and was totally obsolete
is it just symbolic to Russia since it helped them fight the nazis during WW2

China are desperate for steel. I don't believe the critical infrastructure of the plant has been severely damaged, like the furnaces, so bringing it back online could be achieved relatively quickly - especially if China bankrolls it.

Ive followed Roman for a while he recently had to move to Georgia to continue blogging apparently many Russians are leaving if they have the means to do so.

Here he reflects on freedoms in Russia




And I wanted to include this he explains why Russians are having problems standing up to Putin.

a reply to: dragonridr

Thanks for posting.

Yes, there seems to be a mass exodus out of Russia. They are afraid of the restrictions on information, social media and free speech. It has become USSR V2

* - Khmelnytska Oblast(06:46). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Odesa(06:44). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Ivano-Frankivsk, Ivano-Frankivska Oblast, Vinnytska Oblast(06:43). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Volynska Oblast, Sumska Oblast, Odeska Oblast(06:42). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Rivne, Rivnenska Oblast, Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv, Kharkivska Oblast(06:40). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Poltavska Oblast(06:39). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Dnipro, Dnipropetrovska Oblast(06:38). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - hytomyr, Zhytomyrska Oblast, Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Chernihivska Oblast, Cherkaska Oblast, Kirovohradska Oblast(06:32). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Donetsk Oblast(06:26). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Zaporizka Oblast(06:00). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Donetsk Oblast, Sumska Oblast(04:50). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Odeska Oblast(04:49). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Odesa(04:41). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Chernihivska Oblast, Cherkaska Oblast, Kirovohradska Oblast, Zaporizka Oblast(04:41). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Poltavska Oblast(04:41). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Dnipropetrovska Oblast(04:40). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Kharkiv, Kharkivska Oblast(04:39). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Mykolaiv, Mykolayivska Oblast(04:16). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Kryvyi Rih(02:04). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Dnipro, Dnipropetrovska Oblast(02:02). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Zaporizka Oblast(23:08). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Dnipropetrovska Oblast(23:06). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Donetsk Oblast(23:01). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Video of a Ukrainian ATGM strike on a Russian tank in Popasna by Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade

* - Lozova was shelled with missiles this afternoon, no casualties - city council head

* - Woman killed as result of shelling in Dovzhyk village of Zolochiv community

* - Heavy explosion reported in Kherson airport area

* - 1 killed as result of Russian army shelling in Zelenodolsk community in Dnipropetrovsk region

* - Explosions in Nemyshlansky and Slobidsky districts of Kharkiv

* - Ukrainian military in counter-offensive in Kharkiv region. Liberated Bazalievka, Lebyazhe, partially Kutuzivka

* - Kyiv(19:21). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Kirovohradska Oblast(18:08). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Poltavska Oblast, Cherkaska Oblast, Mykolaiv, Mykolayivska Oblast(18:07). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Kharkiv, Kharkivska Oblast(18:00). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Donetsk Oblast(17:38). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Velyka Novosilka(17:33). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - 2 killed, 4 wounded as result of Russian army shelling in Zolote town, Luhansk region

* - Donetsk Oblast(16:29). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Mykolaiv(16:26). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Shelling at Saltivka, reports of multiple fires

* - Kramatorsk(16:12). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - 5 killed, 13 wounded as result of shelling of central Kharkiv by Russian army

* - Video of Russian Tu-22M3 over Mariupol

* - Ukrainian army conducting offensive operation at Kutuzivka, Bairak, and east to Mala Rohan

* - Shelling on Kharkiv now

* - Kryvyi Rih(15:02). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Dnipro, Dnipropetrovska Oblast(15:01). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Donetsk Oblast(14:51). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Kharkiv, Kharkivska Oblast(14:47). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Heavy shelling on Avdiyivka including with aerial strikes

* - Ukrainian army counter-attack between Kreminna, Rubizhne and Sviatohirsk, Russian troops were pushed several kilometres to North-East

* - Velyka Novosilka(14:43). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Head of the Kharkiv Regional Administration: Our forces are advancing in some directions and the Russians are resorting to bombing residential neighborhoods

* - Zaporizka Oblast(14:14). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - Shelling in central Kharkiv

As a reminder

Just so people know and understand. Information from war zones can become confusing as there will no doubt be info released from the players (on both sides) involved that might not necessarily be true.

As such take everything as a possibility and NOT as absolute truth.

The very first casualty in a war is the truth and all warfare is based on deception

Resources - Where most of the updates come from.
* - Flightradar24 - tracks flights worldwide
* - Live Ukraine control map 1 - updates on the ground
* - Ukraine Control Map 2
* - Ship radar
* - Military vessel tracker
* - Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Youtube resources -
* - Speak the Truth
* - War in Ukraine
* - Artur Rehi - Estonain soldier
* - Daily Report

Social media resources -
* - Twitter - Jomini of the West - Battlefield Maps

It’s a dying situation.

Russia is constantly gaining ground in the east. And are on firm course to chunk off half of Ukraine at least.

Constant biased just “pro Ukraine” or constant “Anti Russia” rhetoric

Is old now.

When you satellite google view the map, it’s crazy how many streets etc and populated areas there are.

I just hope whoever can get out and safe and hope for it

originally posted by: Silcone Synapse
SO WHY are russia so determined to take it?

They are not. The Russians are out to utterly destroy.

Look at Mariupol. The Russian's won't capture a city, they will capture a pile of rubble. The population (what remains anyway) will just be cleared out, al la ethnically cleansed. No city and no people living there.

Russia, destroying other people's countries for a hundred years.

a reply to: paraphi

Bet you they would stop in their tracks if we sent them nuclear tipped tomahawks.

ISW reports that Mariupol has been occupied by the Russians with the exceptions of some areas of resistance such as the steel works.

Cheers

a reply to: paraphi

They are not. The Russians are out to utterly destroy.

The thing is, if we give Putin the benefit of doubt - which I'm inclined not to - and accept that his initial intentions were not to destroy, when faced with such a resolute foe like Ukraine is proving to be I suspect that leaves little option but to destroy.

I'm not intending to excuse Putin in any way, its just the sad reality of war and was inevitable once Putin made the decision to invade.

Look at Mariupol. The Russian's won't capture a city, they will capture a pile of rubble. The population (what remains anyway) will just be cleared out, al la ethnically cleansed. No city and no people living there.

I've been to quite a few countries and cities around Europe, never been to Ukraine or Russia.
So I had a look online at Mariupol; what a beautiful city it seemed to be.
I would have loved to visit there.
It is genuinely criminal what has happened there and what the people of that city have endured.

Russia, destroying other people's countries for a hundred years.

Indeed.
They have ruled with an iron fist and have shown very little regard or respect for the cultures and history of the people's they have subjugated.

Russia-Ukraine War: More Russian soldiers refusing to fight in Ukraine - GUR

The Russian army is reportedly seeing a rapidly growing number of refusals to serve in the military amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate (GUR) claimed on Monday.

The report claimed that in several units, specifically in the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Army of the Southern Military District, soldiers refusing to serve amounted to as much as 60%-70% of all soldiers.

This has become an issue for the Russian army, with commanders and officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB) urging refusing soldiers to reconsider, with the GUR claiming they go so far as to threaten to kill the relatives of refusing soldiers.

If all measures fail, their refusal is noted in their personnel file.

If a soldier did go with their unit as they went into Ukraine but refused to take part in the fighting, the Russian military would note in their file that they "evaded military service and combat missions."

This report follows a growing number of reports that seem to indicate a severe morale crisis among the Russian military, particularly in light of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In fact, a GUR report from Saturday indicated that Russian commanders were facing consequences for "not justifying high confidence" in Russian leadership should they fail in Ukraine.

A report from Free Radio Liberty earlier in April indicated that the number of Russian soldiers refusing to take part in the war is growing. According to human rights activist Pavlo Chikov, soldiers and guards from 17 cities told them they refused to go along with the invasion of Ukraine, as reported by Nastoyasche Vremya TV, a channel created by Free Radio Liberty and Voice of America.

click link for article (emphasis added by me)

originally posted by: F2d5thCavv2
ISW reports that Mariupol has been occupied by the Russians with the exceptions of some areas of resistance such as the steel works.

I wonder if the Ukrainians will recapture that lost ground? Along with Misson Command, they have learned the art of counterattacking to retake real estate from the Russians. The Germans mastered that kind of counterattacks against allied lines around the time of the Battle of Cassino in 1944.

a reply to: xpert11

Zelenskyy has stated numerous times that trading land for peace is a non option and that includes land in the east as well as Crimea. I understand such bravado is needed when you are leading an Army in a war but I get the impression his soldiers share that thought process and Mariupol is a prime example.

a reply to: Xcathdra

IMO, it is more of a question of keeping the defenders resupplied and reinforced with replacements for battlefield causalities. Also, the Russians levelling city blocks provide rubble that acts as concealment for the defenders, or holes in buildings act as access points for lightly equipped forces.

Nor do the Russians have the number of troops or NCOs for urban warfare. So the Russians might face guerilla networks operating in the ground conditions they created.