Russia Ukraine Update Thread - part 3

a reply to: Arbitrageur

I think this may have been the aim of the Kursk incursion?

a reply to: Oldcarpy2
I bet it will be as effective as when we call for our leaders' resignations with our own criticisms of their incompetence. I found this high quality video of AZOV brigade storming a trench in early morning hours. A former Marine reacts and analyzes the operation with lots of good angles . Azov uploaded it to their own channel July 15, 2024. Also some really effective trench storming. Lots of professionalism from elite units.

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: Arbitrageur

I think this may have been the aim of the Kursk incursion?

There is no aim.

Just pure desperation by the beggar Zelensky.

bu bu but “putlar” lol

a reply to: Imhere

There is no aim.

Every military operation has an aim.

If it didn't then why do it. You're not being logical.

a reply to: Imhere

Thank you for your sage input.

If destabilizing was the aim, it may well be working.

We'll see.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Public criticism of Putin or his war is rare because it is criminalized and stamped on.

But they seem emboldened now.

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: Imhere

Thank you for your sage input.

If destabilizing was the aim, it may well be working.

We'll see.

If destabilizing was the aim, then Ukraine took a page out of the Russian playbook returned it to Russia in a karmic boomerang, because Russia is always trying to destabilize the democratic world. Russia's is the world's leading exporter of instability:

Russia is the world’s leading exporter of instability

when it comes to fueling and exploiting today’s rising tide of international instability, one country in particular stands out.

Russia has emerged over the past two decades as the world’s leading exporter of instability. This has become a central pillar of Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy, allowing Moscow to undermine potential opponents from within while enabling the Kremlin punch well above its true geopolitical weight.

Russia has proven itself particularly skilled at exporting instability throughout the post-Soviet space. This relentless Russian destabilization is the reality in today’s Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and beyond...

Disinformation is just one of the Kremlin’s many destabilization tactics. Russia also launches cyber attacks, weaponizes energy supplies, deploys mercenaries, and fans the flames of separatism wherever possible.

It should come as no surprise that Moscow backs far right and far left political movements across Europe with equal enthusiasm. The ideology in question is of no consequence. All that matters is the ability to spread instability. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that whatever is good for Putin’s Russia is bad for the wider world.

Russia will continue to export instability until it is decisively confronted.

Russia sure likes to dish out instability, let's see if they can take it.

Inside Russia predicts that with so many refineries attacked by Ukraine, there will likely be shortages of gasoline and diesel. The military will continue to get fuel since they are the first priority, but he says Putin wanted to bring back the soviet union so badly, he may at least get a return of all the soviet era signs at the gas stations saying "no gas" for consumers.

Russia's Largest Oil Refinery Exploded! | Gas Shortages Are Expected


That may not go over as well now as it did in soviet times, because he says the percentage of Russians with cars has gone up from just over 5% in soviet times, to over 30% today in Russia, where a much higher percentage of the population has cars and relies on gas. We will have to see if that causes any social unrest, but destruction of refineries is more certain to have an economic impact, and the economy of Russia is already crumbling, because their expenses now exceed their income. Even Gazprom is losing money now, but they were making a lot of money before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

RUSSIAN Economy Destroyed by Russian Ukraine War


RUSSIAN Economic Losses Accelerate


Unemployment is low in Russia, but that's because so many Russians are employed making things that blow up and get destroyed so it's not making their lives better, in combination with Russia's population crisis that Putin is only making worse with the war. In fact inflation is sky high, and now they don't have all that income from Gazprom etc to pay for all the arms they are making.

29 August Update

Russian forces are currently pursuing two immediate tactical efforts as part of their ongoing offensive operation to seize Pokrovsk — a tactical effort along the Novohrodivka-Hrodivka line east of Pokrovsk to seize Myrnohrad and advance up to Pokrovsk's outskirts, and another tactical effort along the Selydove-Ukrainsk-Hirnyk line southeast of Pokrovsk aimed at widening Russia's salient in the Pokrovsk direction and eliminating vulnerabilities to Ukrainian counterattacks.

Russian authorities are creating new volunteer territorial defense units in response to the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast, highlighting Russian President Vladimir Putin's unwillingness to counter the incursion more seriously with a mobilization due to the risks of societal discontent or with large-scale redeployments due to possible disruptions to Russia's ongoing offensive operations in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces recently marginally advanced north of Sudzha as Russian forces recaptured some areas of Kursk Oblast on August 29.

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed on August 29 that Ukrainian forces struck the Atlas Oil Refinery in Rostov Oblast and the Zenit Oil Depot in Kirov Oblast on the night of August 27 to 28.

More at URL above.

Cheers

Russia strikes playground and residential building in Kharkiv.

BBC News - Girl, 14, killed as Russian strike hits Kharkiv playground
www.bbc.com...

This is terrorism, pure and simple. This was not a military target.

Interesting that those on here that are critical of Israel in Gaza (by the way I changed my opinion on that a while back) are silent about Russia constantly and deliberately targeting civilians.

These are war crimes, plain as day.

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Russian authorities are creating new volunteer territorial defense units in response to the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast

Dads Army.

a reply to: Freeborn

"Don't panic"!

OK. Panic:

BBC News - Russian fighters to leave Burkina Faso for Ukraine
www.bbc.com...

a reply to: Arbitrageur

Even before this war unemployment was around 4.8% across Russia .

BBC News - The lonely death of a jailed Russian pianist who opposed war
www.bbc.com...

This is freedom of speech in Putin's Russia.

So sad.

a reply to: Oldcarpy2

I read that the other day, its awful isn't it.

And that's the Russia so many Defenders of Freedom and Liberty spend so much of their time trying to defend.

Arbi posted a quote by Ronald Reagan a few pages back, I think some people could do a lot worse than having a read of it and wondering about how its just as relevant today as it was back then.

a reply to: Freeborn

Yes. Reagan got a lot of stick about being an actor but he was a great President.

a reply to: Oldcarpy2

I've got to admit I didn't much like him back in the day - a more idealistic me back then - but with the benefit of hindsight I think he did a much better job than I gave him credit for during what were quite perilous times.

An absolute giant compared to those who have held the office in the last twenty or thirty odd years or so.

a reply to: Freeborn

If he was around today, he'd put Putin back in his box.

a reply to: Oldcarpy2

Without a doubt mate.
And for all I hated her domestic policies if he'd had Thatcher watching his back as well I very much doubt we'd have heard little more than a squeak coming out of Putin over the last 20 odd years.

a reply to: Freeborn

I must admit I was a Thatcherite at the time but I was little and my views have changed.

I just couldn't stand the Welsh windbag Kinnock.

Look how his family ended up having their snouts deep in the EU trough.

Shame that the US has not had their foreign policy as robust as those two since.

a reply to: Oldcarpy2

Yeah, Kinnock was a strange one.

I won't derail this thread by going into my opinions on Thatcher and her domestic policies......suffice to say they haven't tempered with the passing of time.