Russia Ukraine Update Thread - part 3

a reply to: putnam6


It looks like the drone did a real number on half of the top two or three stories of that building.

A little surprised that the initial report didn't claim that Ukraine was responsible for it.

23 July Update

Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations on at least three sectors of the front line and advanced on July 23. Geolocated footage published on July 22 shows that Ukrainian forces made some advances in the western Donetsk-eastern Zaporizhia Oblast border area near Staromayorske (9km south of Velyka Novosilka), and some Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces also advanced near Pryyutne (14km southwest of Velyka Novosilka).

Russian forces conducted another series of missile strikes against port infrastructure and the city center in Odesa City overnight on July 22 to 23, severely damaging civilian areas. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces launched 19 missiles, including five Onyx, five Iskander-K, four Kalibr, two Kh-22, and two Iskander-M missiles, and that Ukrainian forces shot down four Kalibr and five Iskander-K missiles.

The head of one of the largest suppliers of surveillance equipment to Russian special services died on July 22. Russian law enforcement found “IKS Holding” Head Anton Cherepennikov dead in his office on July 22 and later claimed that Cherepennikov suffocated during a xenon gas therapy session.

More at URL above.

Cheers

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

So Cherepennikov was getting xenon gas therapy in his office? Guess the FSB doctors do make house calls...

And the offensive continues, albeit at a slow grind, but still making better mileage than the Russian winter offensive.

originally posted by: yuppa

originally posted by: F2d5thCavv2
a reply to: gortex

More disinformation, threats, and lies. Apparently all Putin knows and Binky of Belarus doesn't seem much smarter.

What Putin's propaganda sets the stage for are Wagner-inspired provocations along the Belarus-Poland border that will probably use the developing world migrants they've shipped there as the fall guys for any NATO reaction.

Hard to believe that after 23 years of running Russia, Putin's stock-in-trade is still tricks he learned as a mid-ranker in the KGB.

Cheers

If the UN or NATO catches wagner troops there causing trouble it should trigger article 5.

I wouldn't count on it. Our leaders are a bunch of empty suits. Their #1 priority is to avoid war with Russia. They'd throw an ally under the bus to further that goal. We've screwed allies for far less.

ETA: I don't want war with Russia either. But if you telegraph to the other side that you'll do anything to avoid war, it only makes them more aggressive.

a reply to: face23785

Unfortunately,unless we eliminate Putin by LEAD POISIONING war is coming.

originally posted by: face23785
I wouldn't count on it. Our leaders are a bunch of empty suits. Their #1 priority is to avoid war with Russia. They'd throw an ally under the bus to further that goal. We've screwed allies for far less.

All the consistent narrative from NATO is that there would be an overwhelming conventional reaction if ANY NATO member was attacked by Russia, or Russia used nukes.

Talk of Wagner mixing it with Poland or Lithuania, e.g. by forcing the Suwałki Gap, would result in a world of hurt for Russia. It does not take a brainless dumpling to point out that even if Poland and Lithuania were left to their own devices without NATO support, they would wipe any incursions over their borders. The Polish military are highly professional and well-equipped, and it would be difficult to see the UK or US sitting on their hands, even as the French and Germans cower and dribble.

24 July Update

Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations along at least three sectors of the front on July 24 and have reportedly advanced in certain areas. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar reported that over the past week, Ukrainian forces have advanced gradually on the southern flank of Bakhmut and in the Berdyansk (western Donetsk-eastern Zaporizhia Oblast border area) and Melitopol (western Zaporizhia Oblast) directions.

Likely Ukrainian forces conducted a drone strike near the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) building in Moscow on July 24. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) claimed that Russian electronic warfare (EW) suppressed two Ukrainian UAVs that detonated, damaging two non-residential buildings. One drone detonated on Komsomolsky Prospekt within 500 meters of the MoD building and within 200 meters of a reported secret Russian General Staff Main Directorate (GRU) building.

The Russian MFA accused Ukrainian forces of attacking occupied Crimea with 17 UAVs, and the MFA claimed that Russian EW suppressed 14 UAVs while air defenses shot down three UAVs. Crimean occupation head Sergey Aksyonov claimed that one UAV hit an ammunition depot in Dzhankoy Raion.

Russia conducted another drone strike on Ukrainian port infrastructure in Odesa Oblast overnight on July 23-24. Ukrainian military sources reported that Russian forces launched Iranian-made Shahed drones at port infrastructure in Reni, along the Danube River in far western Odesa Oblast, within a few kilometers of the Romanian border.

More at URL above.

Cheers

Russian drones have attacked the port city of Reni which is situated on the river Danube, the attacks are probably because the Danube is an alternative shipping route for Ukrainian grain , the concern is the close proximity of NATO member Romania to the action , the video was shot by Romanian sailors in the vicinity at the time.

a reply to: gortex

Putin is really cutting it close Hitting Romania, which NATO member could have grave consequences

Romania should set up it PATRIOT missile batteries on west bank of Danube and shoot down any Russian missiles coming in

The special military operation is going so well that Russia is raising the mobilization age at all levels by five years; this will be done over the next four years, which seems to suggest that anyone currently eligible for mobilization will most likely be mobilized by 2028.

President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law a bill to raise the upper age limit for military reservists eligible for mobilization by five years.

The amendments to Russia’s law on military duty and military service introduce a four-year transition period — between 2024 and 2028 — during which the reservist age limit will be gradually raised.

The changes come as Russian authorities have sought to boost troop numbers amid a growing manpower shortage in Ukraine.

For senior officers, the age limit for reservists eligible for mobilization will eventually become 65, while for junior officers it will be raised to 60.

Soldiers, sailors, sergeants, petty officers, warrant officers and midshipmen in Russia’s military reserve forces will be eligible for mobilization up to the age of 55.

For high-ranking officers, the upper age limit of 70 years remains unchanged.

The changes also allow Russia’s military to sign contracts with foreign citizens under the age of 52.

Putin endorsed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s proposal in December to increase Russia’s combat personnel by 30% from 1.15 million to 1.5 million.

Another bill introduced last week raises the conscription age limit — also endorsed by Putin — from the current range of men aged 18-27 to 21-30.

Russia Raises Upper-Age Limit for Military Reservists

This appears to be a quadrupling down on continuing this war at any cost and for the foreseeable future on Putin's part.

Politico ran a story about what "dual use" equipment China is supplying to Russia. Some claim "dual use" like "airsoft" helmets and body armor but it's claimed to be military grade, not airsoft grade. Also, China is supplying lots of drones (lacking munitions but can be used to correct artillery strikes, modified to drop grenades, etc), and thermal imaging (night vision) equipment.

China secretly sends enough gear to Russia to equip an army

Shipments of military-capable hardware expose a China-sized loophole in Western sanctions.

China, despite Beijing’s calls for peace, is pushing right up to a red line in delivering enough nonlethal, but militarily useful, equipment to Russia to have a material impact on President Vladimir Putin’s 17-month-old war on Ukraine. The protective gear would be sufficient to equip many of the men mobilized by Russia since the invasion. Then there are drones that can be used to direct artillery fire or drop grenades, and thermal optical sights to target the enemy at night.

These shipments point to a China-sized loophole in the West’s attempts to hobble Putin’s war machine. The sale of so-called dual-use technology that can have both civilian and military uses leaves just enough deniability for Western authorities looking for reasons not to confront a huge economic power like Beijing.

The wartime strength of China’s exports of dual-use products to Russia is confirmed by customs data. And, while Ukraine is a customer of China too, its imports of most of the equipment covered in this story have fallen sharply, the figures show.

The article doesn't say why Ukraine imports of such equipment have fallen sharply but I think I've seen things like drones, body armor and thermal imaging equipment mentioned in the aid packages from western countries to Ukraine, so maybe that's why they are buying less from China. I'm not sure if I'd want body armor from China unless it went through rather strict testing procedures, since they are known to cut corners and that's not the kind of thing you want failing, it's a matter of life or death. For example China can sell you body armor for a couple hundred dollars, and some Russian attorney said he was using his Russian military pay to buy his own body armor that cost about $6000USD, which was a huge chunk of his pay but he said he didn't really have other expenses and it was worth it if it saved his life.

25 July Update

Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations on at least three sectors of the front and advanced on July 25. Geolocated footage published on July 25 shows that Ukrainian forces have made tactically significant gains south of Klishchiivka (7km southwest of Bakhmut).

Russian forces conducted another series of Shahed drone strikes on rear areas of Ukraine overnight on July 24-25. Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ihnat reported on July 25 that Ukrainian forces recorded the launch of about 10 Shahed drones, five of which Ukrainian forces destroyed. Ukrainian military sources reported drones over Kyiv City and Cherkasy, Sumy, Poltava, and Zhytomyr oblasts.

US intelligence officials warned on July 25 that Russia’s drone supply will dramatically increase as a result of continued bilateral Russo-Iranian cooperation.

More at URL above.

Cheers

originally posted by: F2d5thCavv2
25 July Update

"Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations on at least three sectors of the front and advanced on July 25. Geolocated footage published on July 25 shows that Ukrainian forces have made tactically significant gains south of Klishchiivka (7km southwest of Bakhmut)."

Those tactically significant gains southwest of Bakhmut are explored in some detail in this 4 minute video, if anybody is interested in the details:

25 Jul: BIG WIN! Ukrainians Liberate 2 Towns. RUSSIAN GENERALS GET FIRED! | War in Ukraine Explained

Many here remember the Russian general Popov getting fired because he demanded more resources to do his job. Apparently it's happened again with more generals who made requests similar to Popov that they were lacking in resources to defend against assaults in the Bakhmut area. That's mentioned near the end of that video.

ISW doesn't mention it, but there are significant things happening further north than Bakhmut, in the Luhansk oblast that Russians initially captured but then Ukraine liberated Kharkiv and some of Luhansk oblasts in a surprise counteroffensive last year where many Russians ran away and abandoned their tanks. If Denys Davydov is correct (and he's got a pretty good track record), Russia has amassed something like 100,000 troops in that Luhansk area, and have recently made significant gains, shown on the Deep State map. Denys estimates the Russian advance to be maybe about 8km, all the way to the Kharkiv-Luhansk oblast border in one area. The massive number of troops apparently overwhelmed Ukrainian defenses.

We've heard that Ukraine has tens of thousands of trained troops that have been waiting behind the front, maybe some of those will be sent to counterattack the Russian forces that just took the 8km.

Here's the link to the Deep State map showing the Russian advances mentioned in Davydov's video, which of course he's not happy about since he's from Ukraine but trying to report accurately.

deepstatemap.live...

Davydov's video discussing both the Ukraine victories SW of Bakmut and the Russian advances further north:

Just balancing out the 'propaganda' from both sides......................... www.youtube.com...

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

At least the Hindustan Times puts "liberates" in scare quotes when they say "'Liberates' Krasny Liman Village" in their video title. That means Russia claims it's "liberated" but that the Hindustan Times is not buying that claim, it's not really liberated (and won't be until Ukraine takes it back).

Sure there's bias on both sides, and fierce fighting, so losses on both sides, but using the Russian Ministry of defense as a source as that video does, where they don't provide any photos or videos to back up their claims, is a joke. I remember they claimed they destroyed 44 himars in Ukraine, when Ukraine only had 16 of them! When they made that claim I didn't see any photos of ANY himars destroyed, though maybe they were destroying wooden himars replicas that Ukraine had built.

I don't know how biased Oryx is, but at least they provide open-sourced imagery to back up their tallies of lost equipment on both sides, so people can check up on their claims using the photographic evidence.

a reply to: Arbitrageur

Well aware we are dealing with the H Times and the Russian MOD yet it's always worth posting if just to balance the relentless brainwashed state sponsored MSM fed propaganda BS being posted here on ATS by the Ukrainian fan club.

originally posted by: Arbitrageur
I remember they claimed they destroyed 44 himars in Ukraine, when Ukraine only had 16 of them! When they made that claim I didn't see any photos of ANY himars destroyed,

And Argentina said they sank two carriers in the Falklands War! Sides who overinflate the damage they cause tend to underperform.

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Ukraine Fan Club member here. If it's BS propaganda your after, just see what the likes of Lavrov and Medvedev are saying.

You can tell when they are lying - their lips move.

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Look mate, I'm not brainwashed by anyone or anything, least of all MSM.
I make my own mind up after weighing up all sides of an argument given the information available.
My opinion, no-one else's.

I don't try to portray myself as pro this or anti-that, just take things as I find them.

I don't think everything is a conspiracy - some things are, some things aren't - and I don't oppose the popular view just because its popular.
Some times the popular view is actually right - quite frequently it isn't.

Many of those who oppose Ukraine and seek to push the Putin narrative do so for one or two main reasons; because they despise Biden so much they have to oppose anything and everything he supports regardless and those who wish to project themselves as some super-informed, superior person who see's what 'the sheeple' can't and as such have to go against the majority perspective simply because it is the majority perspective.

I can't stand bullying whatever shape or form it manifests itself or who is doing it.
Russia is trying to bully Ukraine for no other reason than it thought it could.
I could give many other reason's why I'm in the 'Ukraine Fan Club' but why bother, I've explained it all before and you seem to either completely disregard, forget or ignore it?

Only you know why mate.

originally posted by: ufoorbhunter
a reply to: Arbitrageur

Well aware we are dealing with the H Times and the Russian MOD yet it's always worth posting if just to balance the relentless brainwashed state sponsored MSM fed propaganda BS being posted here on ATS by the Ukrainian fan club.

It would appear even those of a conspiracy mindset and on a conspiracy site can buy into the MSM propaganda when it suits. Sort of willfully blind. Not to everything but to any questioning of the given narrative.