Note: in 3 days the Russians have lost 100 artillery systems, 51 tanks, and 4,320 casualties
Posted on 02/24/2024 5:59:01 AM PST by SpeedyInTexas
This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When a vehicle is captured and then lost in service with its new owners, it is only added as a loss of the original operator to avoid double listings. When the origin of a piece of equipment can't be established, it's not included in the list. The Soviet flag is used when the equipment in question was produced prior to 1991. This list is constantly updated as additional footage becomes available.
(Excerpt) Read more at oryxspioenkop.com ...
BRICS, RICKS, DICKS
“The US is expected to triple its domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity by 2032 and dwarf China’s output in advanced chips, according to a report published by the US-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
The US would grow its share of advanced chips, those below 10-nanometres for applications such as the latest smartphones, to 28 per cent by 2032, while mainland China is expected to account for just 2 per cent of that category in the same time frame, according to the report released on Wednesday.
In 2022, global capacity for production of sub-10-nm chips was dominated by Taiwan and South Korea with 69 per cent and 31 per cent of the share, respectively.
The expected catch-up by the US is partly attributed to the Chips and Science Act that Washington passed in 2022 to boost the country’s chip manufacturing capacity.”
NO reductions in China tariffs implemented by Trump while selective tariffs will go significantly higher.
Celebrate. Sing and Dance.
“President Joe Biden will double, triple and quadruple tariffs on some Chinese goods this week, unveiling the measures at a White House event framed as a defense of American workers, people familiar with the matter say.
Biden will hike or add tariffs in key sectors after nearly two years of review. The total tariff on Chinese electric vehicles will rise to 102.5% from 27.5%, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement. Others will double or triple in targeted industries, though the scope remains unclear.
Biden and his staff spent recent weeks finalizing the measures, including which items to hit and which to avoid because the inputs are needed to fuel American growth, one of the people said. The final decision was a consensus, the person said.”
///////////
“China’s Communist Party accuses US of ‘hyping up’ overcapacity claims as fresh EV tariffs loom”
“The Communist Party’s official mouthpiece has accused the United States of “hyping up” claims of “overcapacity” in new energy industries, amid reports that Washington could dramatically raise tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) as soon as Tuesday.
“The intention to hype up China’s overcapacity is to contain China’s industries that have an edge,” an opinion piece in People’s Daily on Sunday said.”
One of the few things the Biden regime did right was keep Trump's China tariffs. Too bad he didn't maintain Trump's border policy, Iran policy, Israel policies, etc.
I remember all the negative CNBC stories on Trump’s tariffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oam7DHIVIGM
I suspect few MSM issues with Biden’s tariffs. Probably zero. Probably say how Courageous he is.
China has, by unknown ways, gained the ability to make 7nm chips.
The owner of photolithography machine tech, ASML Holding, had no idea how China got this tech, since it is heavily embargoed.
China may have reversed engineered the machines.
Note: Netherlands ASML Holding is the sole manufacturer in the world of photolithography machines, used to produce computer chips.
There are 100s of thousands of EVs in China that remain unsold, and unsalable, especially by the ultra poor-quality BYD company.
Reporting From Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/@RFU/videos
The complete transcript.
—
[ Ukrainians Destroy Russian Convoys Already at The Border ]
—
Day 809: May 12
Today, there are a lot of updates from the Kharkiv direction.
Here, Russians started a new offensive operation to push back Ukrainians by up to 20 kilometers from the border and set the ground for further operations aimed at Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine.
For this ambitious effort, Russians allocated 50,000 troops, 400 tanks, 930 armored vehicles, and 900 artillery pieces.
Russians have been building up forces in this area for a long time and have attempted to conceal their troop movements in order not to draw suspicion.
However, it was soon realized that Russians were deploying their troops and heavy equipment by railways to isolated parts of the Kursk region, only for Russian units to march to their deployment points in the Belgorod region.
To further reinforce the Northern Grouping of Forces, Russians also redeployed units from Kupiansk to support the Kharkiv offensive.
Russians had been preparing for this operation for a while with severe missile strikes on the energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, destroying a very significant part of it and causing an energy deficit in the whole region.
Russians also targeted Ukrainian forces concentrations, equipment, and command posts in Kharkiv, which shows that Russians were preparing for an offensive operation. Ukrainians knew this and prepared a network of mighty fortifications to halt any Russian attack in the direction of Kharkiv or north of Kupiansk.
Ukrainian military intelligence even predicted the approximate start of the Russian offensive around the middle of May. It is important to note that only 32,000 soldiers are deployed in the Belgorod region for an offensive on Kharkiv, while 10,000 are in the Kursk and eight thousand in the Bryansk region.
The commander of this Northern Grouping of Forces is General Alexander Lapin, who has an abysmal reputation in the Russian army for 2 significant defeats precisely in the Kharkiv region during past Ukrainian counteroffensive operations.
Before the start of ground assaults, Russians initiated an intense barrage of artillery and rocket systems as well as glide bombs deployed by the Russian Air Force. The goal was to suppress Ukrainian firing positions and soften their defenses along the border before the ground operations started.
On top of that, Russians are trying to make the deployment of reinforcements and supplies difficult for Ukrainians by destroying two significant bridges in Zybine and Stariy Saltiv.
As a result of such severe shelling and bombardment, tremendous damage was inflicted on Ukrainian settlements at the border. Most of the town of Vovchansk was destroyed overnight due to the intense bombardment.
The offensive effort is divided into 2 axes, one towards the village of Lyptsi and the other towards Vovchansk.
In the Lyptsi direction, Russians deployed small assault groups across the border to secure the nearby border settlements for further advances.
Russian forces managed to advance up to 4 kilometers across the border and initiated engagements near the villages of Strylechna, Pilna, Krasne, and Borysivka.
Even though Russian sources reported that these villages were captured, it is essential to note that they were and continue to be in the grey zone - maintaining a permanent presence in them is problematic and entails inevitable destruction.
Meanwhile, in the direction of Vovchansk, the situation is much more complicated for the Russians because it is a town of 17,000 people.
Vovchansk is just 5 kilometers away from the border. In contrast, the immediate border settlements of Pletenivka, Ohirtseve, and Hatyshche are sites of fighting places very close to Russian positions.
By the looks of it, with the destruction of a bridge in nearby Zybine, Russians strive to reduce supplies to Vovchansk, likely in an attempt to weaken Ukrainian defenses for an easier takeover of the town.
However, Vovchansk is approximately the same size as Chasiv Yar and Krasnohorivka, both sites of intense battles in Donbas, where Russians allocate 10s of thousands of troops for such urban fighting.
Russian forces in Kharkiv do not have that many troops, so unless they redeploy more, they will not be able to take Vovchansk and progress beyond tiny border settlements.
As a result of dense concentrations of Russian forces during the offensive, they quickly became targets of drone operators of the 42nd Mechanized Brigade.
This is because Ukrainian military intelligence warned the military, which deployed these drone operators that had proved their effectiveness and efficiency in the Bakhmut direction.
A Russian column of four BMPs and a truck was ambushed and destroyed right after crossing the border. Graphic footage shows that the ambushes were so severe that Russian soldiers finished themselves off with grenades when they realized that help was not coming.
There were multiple waves of attacks, one after the other, as new batches of soldiers and equipment were detected and destroyed precisely at the same place where the prior column was damaged.
Russians made the mistake of concentrating several armored vehicles in one place, making them priority targets. Russians also made the mistake of parking their BMPs in vast open areas, likely because they thought there would be no resistance.
Still, Ukrainian drone operators were actively working in the area. Russian soldiers were confident enough in the safety of Kharkiv’s direction that they drove on unprotected roofs of their BMPs, which had only made it easier for Ukrainian drone operators to destroy them.
Until recently, the same 42nd Mechanized Brigade that conducted these strikes was near Bakhmut, implying that the Russian offensive fixed some Ukrainian forces.
The alleged Russian goal is to seize the city of Kharkiv; however, this is impossible with only 32,000 troops. Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine, covering an area of 140 square kilometers and a population of 1.4 million people.
It is 13 times larger than Bakhmut by size and 20 times by urban population, and Russian sources said that for a takeover of Kharkiv, they would need at least 300,000 troops.
Russian sources also stated they plan to see the small offensive force assigned to the Kharkiv region to set up a 20-kilometer-deep buffer zone.
The purpose of this buffer zone is to push Ukrainian artillery far from the border so that military targets in Belgorod are out of their firing range.
This, too, would be extremely difficult due to solid fortifications built by Ukrainians for which Russians would again need to allocate much more forces to Kharkiv’s direction.
The only logical goal of Russians under current circumstances and forces available is to draw and fix Ukrainian forces away from the most intense battles in Donbas so that Russians could try to exploit breakthroughs there.
So far, no such redeployments are taking place, as Ukrainians are successfully preventing Russians from achieving even tactically significant territorial gains.
Internal political shuffles in some detail:
General SVR, 05/13/24
https://t.me/generalsvr/2368
The “minor” reshuffles in the Russian Government have almost been completed, but this is precisely what indicates a crisis in the country’s governance system.
Having irreconcilable positions on the formation of the façade of power, the main towers of the Kremlin, having come close to the point of transition of the crisis into the information space, decided to settle on small rearrangements that should “strengthen” the positions of the two main Kremlin groups, but even here it seems that one of them has strengthened a little more.
First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov, who has also dumped the ballast of responsibility in the form of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, this is certainly a strengthening of the position of Sergei Chemezov, who openly shows, jointly with Manturov, demonstrative campaigns to the person appointed by the president and similar to Vladimir Putin, who controls everything.
It is worth noting that now Denis Manturov will actually control almost all processes in the Government and will be the “chief” of the Government from the so-called “Politburo 2.0”.
The second and equivalent, as planned, but the “second” Deputy Prime Minister and “supervisor” from the “Politburo” will be the son of the former Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev, Dmitry, who also dumps ballast in the form of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture.
True, by agreement, Dmitry Patrushev still has prospects of entering the transit line to the chair of the head of the Government by the end of the year and the Presidency by the spring of next year.
In the absence of the opportunity to agree on a new head of the Government, Sergei Chemezov played an interesting game, supporting the claims of the Chinese leadership that Mikhail Mishustin remain in his chair for some time.
This is not a game in favor of China, but a way to keep both the sheep safe and the wolves well-fed, and the “sheep” in this case is the Chinese leadership in an embrace with Mishustin, who, just as he has not decided anything globally, will not decide.
The recent meeting between Chemezov and Mishustin is a prelude to the appointment of Mishustin as the old-new Prime Minister.
It is worth paying attention to the unusual media activity of Sergei Chemezov lately; usually he prefers to stay in the shadows, but now is a special case; a clear signal is needed to the second and 3rd echelon elites about who is in the leading positions in the country.
In response to the strengthening of Chemezov, Nikolai Patrushev played almost all-in, exchanging his official post as Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation for increased influence on the security bloc and “guarantees” of his son’s presidency.
In his place, Patrushev put Shoigu, who is essentially a puppet idiot like Putin’s double.
Sergei Shoigu in the Security Council is an understandable step by Patrushev, the goal of which is to weaken the influence of the Security Council by moving the center of decision-making into the shadows and further closing the power bloc to itself.
All reassignments of security forces were lobbied by Nikolai Patrushev. Zolotov and Kolokoltsev become even more devoted and obligated to “Socrates.”
The current status quo also suits the leadership of the FSB Bortnikov-Korolev.
Belousov in the Ministry of Defense is an agreed candidacy between Chemezov and Patrushev; he must stop the total theft of the military budget by taking the main flows under the control of the Politburo.
Patrushev’s all-in is a serious step and raising the stakes to the limit.
Deception of Socrates’ ambitions with a claim to the presidency of his son Dmitry, in the future for no more than 10 months, will lead to paralysis of power or total superiority of one of the towers and, in fact, to the seizure of power.
Yes, and... Nikolai Patrushev will certainly come up with a new position for himself, whatever he wants.
Kremlin snuff box, 05/12/24
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/4083
He believes too much in himself and in the help of dead ancestors. The Kremlin revealed one of the reasons for Shoigu’s resignation
One of the reasons that Sergei Shoigu changed his post and lost his position as Minister of Defense could be the “mysticism” into which he has fallen recently. 3 sources in the Kremlin told us about this at once.
“In recent months, Sergei Kuzhugetovich, one might say, has frightened Vladimir Vladimirovich. Judge for yourself: he declared, without any rational justification, that the SVO would end this year.
“He dug up the ashes of commander Suvorov and organized prayer services at the front, which were fired upon by the enemy.
“I prayed over these ashes and over the ashes of Prince Potemkin. I tried to intrigue. And so on. It’s difficult to count on success at the front with such an attitude towards reality,” explained one of the interlocutors.
“Therefore, Vladimir Vladimirovich decided to appoint Andrei Belousov, a much more rational person, as Minister of Defense.
And the mysticism of Sergei Kuzhugetovich may come in handy in the Security Council. There are certain plans in this regard,” he added.
By the way, in light of the fact that Valery Gerasimov remains in his position. It should be noted that, most likely, the president heard his opinion - that the NWO will last for several more years. And it will be guided precisely by this forecast.
••In this regard, sources predict that Belousov will begin an active transfer of the country’s economy to a war footing. And they call this one of his most important tasks as Minister of Defense.••
Kremlin snuff box, 05/12/24
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/4084
Why did Putin fire Shoigu and what will happen next? Three things you need to know
We talked with sources in the Kremlin, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff and tell important details of the personnel changes that have occurred in our country.
Firstly, Sergei Shoigu has not been formally demoted and may even seem to be satisfied with his new post. But that’s not true. Sergei Kuzhugetovich really wanted to remain Minister of Defense, and for him the President’s decision came as a big and unpleasant surprise.
As is the case for the vast majority of our sources. Although it should be noted that some interlocutors predicted problems for Shoigu in early May.
“This is Patrushev - the head and strategist, he did great things in the Security Council. But Shoigu doesn’t know what to do there. For him, this appointment is an honorary exile. He is terribly disappointed,” said a Kremlin source.
Secondly, Shoigu was fired, according to a high-ranking source in the Ministry of Defense, “for a long-term lack of serious successes at the front.” Avdeevka and the advance of our troops in a number of sectors of the front, including in the Kharkov region and the DPR, were not enough for Vladimir Vladimirovich.
To be fair, Shoigu promised the president much more than he was able to achieve. And Putin is tired of these promises ( we wrote about this ). This fact is recognized in the ministry itself.
Of course, the situation with the arrest of Timur Ivanov and the strange intrigues that emanated from Sergei Kuzhugetovich and his circle played a role. But the discrepancy between the promises of the now former minister and the situation on the battlefield is one of the main reasons for the resignation.
Thirdly, almost all of our interlocutors expect Andrei Belousov to transfer the country’s economy to a military footing, to attract additional funds for the Northern Military District, the defense industry and the army as a whole.
Belousov spoke almost directly last year about the need to introduce a special tax on SVO. Sources are sure that he will lobby for this tax and others, in particular the tax on deserters, which we wrote about the day before. And this is understandable, money is needed for SVO.
Belousov is also expected to carry out “rational and economically justified mobilization.” Most likely, with his appointment, partial demobilization will become closer. But sources in the Kremlin promised to tell more about this in the coming days.
By the way, our insight was confirmed: the President decided not to let Sergei Lavrov resign. The Foreign Minister is not very happy, but promises to “continue to serve Russia faithfully.”
Kremlin snuff box, 05/13/24
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
What does Putin expect from Belousov and what will happen to Shoigu? #Layout
Everyone has already digested a little the personnel changes in power made the day before by the president. We were in no hurry to catch the hype, talked with several high-ranking interlocutors, and now we are ready to give you a more detailed breakdown.
Shoigu failed to hold on to the post of Defense Minister, which means that in the near future he will lose his influence. Primarily due to the fact that the Ministry of Defense is now not just an ordinary department.
The Ministry of Defense now oversees the construction of many facilities in new regions, builds housing for the military, pays money for the death and injury of military personnel in the regions (including the so-called “coffins”).
Combined with the power component, this was a very powerful tool in Shoigu’s hands. Don’t forget about the Afrika Korps, which has largely replaced the Wagner PMC and really influences the geopolitical situation on the continent, washing away gold, diamonds and other metals.
Belousov should conduct an audit and, as Minister of Defense, make the department more efficient from an economic point of view. The last straw for Shoigu’s dismissal was the investigation into his deputy Timur Ivanov. Combined with weak progress at the front, this persuaded Putin to make a decision.
Compared to Shoigu, Belousov looks like a more advantageous candidate, since he has quite successful cases of reformatting the Russian economy in the context of sanctions and the implementation of successful managerial decisions. He was also not involved in any corruption scandals.
Belousov’s appointment also indicates political changes. He is not only loyal to Putin, but also comes from the Gref- Kiriyenko group. And it was Sergei Vladilenovich who “improved greatly” against this background. Belousov is expected to build a strategy for a long-term Northern Military District and provide funds for all this.
The same transfer of the economy to a war footing. At the same time, Gerasimov will directly lead the troops for now. It is worth noting here that a civilian Minister of Defense is a completely adequate solution to current problems.
By the way, everything is set up similarly in NATO countries and beyond.
After these upheavals, Patrushev will remain in the cage. Dmitry Patrushev is getting a promotion, and Nikolai Platonovich will have less routine work in the Security Council. There will be small reforms in this body, aimed at Shoigu’s new functionality. But this is provided that Belousov’s audit does not show large-scale thefts in the Ministry of Defense and will not be made public.
A Kremlin source said the President is once again trying to balance the influence of groups within the elite.
It is obvious that people and companies that worked with Shoigu will be forced to either negotiate with Belousov or retreat. And this is a big redistribution of financial flows.
Kremlin snuff box, 05/13/24
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
One of the most famous generals in Russia criticized our offensive in the Kharkov region and remembered Kherson
Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky considers the offensive of our troops in the Kharkov region to be premature. Several sources close to the military leader told us about this.
“Mikhail Yuryevich does not directly criticize the command. But I’m very disappointed with the decision,” one of them noted.
Teplinsky believes that before attacking on new sectors of the front, more serious problems had to be solved.
In particular, to strengthen the battle-worn Dnepr group of troops, clear the left bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region from the Nazis, develop a plan for crossing the river and begin an operation to liberate Kherson. And then think about new sectors of the front.
“We are unlikely to take Kharkov now ( one day we will definitely, but now it is difficult, despite all the successes we have achieved in recent days ), and we will lose a lot of people.
“Plus in Belgorod there will be more problems. And Kherson, which is ours according to the Constitution, is the impression that no one is going to take it. It’s great that in the Kharkov region we are inflicting serious losses on the enemy and moving forward. But a lot of our guys are dying too. We need to decide on priorities,” one of the sources quoted Teplinsky as saying.
We hope that after our publication both the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff will hear the voice of one of the most famous and effective generals in the country. Moreover, after the change of the Minister of Defense, because Sergei Shoigu, as you know, had problems in relations with Teplinsky.
Mikhail Yuryevich, by the way, welcomes the personnel changes ( he has long advocated Shoigu’s resignation ). And he expects that the situation at the front and in the army as a whole will become better than it is now.
China is making 7nm chips with ‘old’ Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) lithography equipment acquired before the latest US Sanctions. Not with the latest EUV lithography machines which they can’t buy and have zero chance of reverse engineering.
“Size isn’t everything: China’s new chip is less earthshaking than you may have heard”
“It’s one thing to make circuits smaller than the US will sell you; it’s another to do it at scale.”
...
“To begin, the DUV process “success rate”—that is, the percentage of chips coming off the manufacturing line that actually work as designed—may or may not be up to the industry norm. Neither SMIC nor Huawei are releasing much data about the new chip or its production process. As Gavekal’s Zhang has noted, SMIC may have pushed the DUV process as far as it will go, reaping only 40 percent or fewer usable chips. Huawei’s competitors, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., have been producing 7nm chips for over five years; their success rate generally tops 90 percent.”
My novice opinion on why a ‘civilian economist’ was chosen to replace ShowGirl.
Indicted War Criminal Little PUkin still fears a military coup. The most important characteristic in a new MOD chief is loyalty to PUkin. Military experience is far down the list.
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1789998388789801080
https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1789975521490510291
https://twitter.com/ArturRehi/status/1789949504914948106
https://twitter.com/Heroiam_Slava/status/1789951609356603585
A large explosion from an FPV drone...most likely an ammo storage barn.
Pic brings back memories of when I worked at a place very much like that not so far away long, long ago.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.