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Keyword: botchedinvasion

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  • Russia Withdraws Black Sea Fleet Vessels From Crimea Base After Attacks

    10/05/2023 6:20:09 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 40 replies
    Wall Street Journal - MSN ^ | 10/4/2023 | Thomas Grove, Jared Malsin
    ussia has withdrawn the bulk of its Black Sea Fleet from its main base in occupied Crimea, a potent acknowledgment of how Ukrainian missile and drone strikes are challenging Moscow’s hold on the peninsula. Russia has moved powerful vessels including three attack submarines and two frigates from Sevastopol to other ports in Russia and Crimea that offer better protection, according to Western officials and satellite images verified by naval experts. The Russian Defense Ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment. The move represents a remarkable setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose military seizure of Crimea in 2014 marked...
  • A new form of warfare’: how Ukraine reclaimed the Black Sea from Russian forces

    10/05/2023 6:30:02 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 103 replies
    Guardian UK ^ | 10/5/2023 | Luke Harding
    It was a moment of humiliation for Moscow. The headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet – a building of elegant white columns overlooking the Crimean port of Sevastopol – was ablaze. Smoke billowed into a blue sky. First one, and then a second Storm Shadow missile slammed into its roof. Video captured the impact: a precise, deadly, thunderous strike. The attack on 22 September killed 34 officers, including Viktor Sokolov, the fleet’s commander, according to Ukraine. Russia denied this, releasing footage of Sokolov, suggesting he was still alive. Whatever the truth of the admiral’s fate, the blow deep into enemy...
  • Ukraine's breach of Russian defenses could be short-lived — analysts predict a hard and fast counterstrike

    09/22/2023 9:40:17 AM PDT · by Mariner · 70 replies
    Business Insider via Yahoo ^ | September 22nd, 2023 | Sophia Ankel,Mia Jankowicz,Thibault Spirlet
    Ukraine breached Russia's defensive line on Wednesday and was able to deploy vehicles past it. It was a major achievement, but analysts said Russia would respond with a harsh counterattack. Even if Ukraine holds, it still has more defenses to overcome, they noted.Russia will strike hard and fast in a counterattack against Ukrainian troops who breached its main defensive line with armored vehicles this week, analysts told Insider.Ukraine took a major step forward Wednesday, seeming to push past a fierce defensive line in the southest of the country with vehicles for the first time.Ukraine breached the area near the village...
  • Ukraine 'breakthrough' underway as Kyiv smashes through gap in Russian lines

    Ukrainian armoured vehicles have smashed through a gap in Russian defences on the Zaporizhzhia front, it has been reported. Eight-wheeled Stryker and tracked Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles were seen behind Russian tank traps and dragon's teeth near Verbove - suggesting a potential Ukrainian tactical breakthrough in the area. Russia analyst for The Institute for the Study of War, George Barros, said the news could mean Kyiv was preparing for another big push.
  • Ukraine’s counteroffensive is stalling. The West must prepare for humiliation

    09/10/2023 7:38:59 AM PDT · by Mariner · 108 replies
    The Telegraph via Yahoo ^ | September 10th, 2023 | Colonel Richard Kemp
    Time is running out for Ukraine. After 18 months of war, it is no longer a question of if the Western alliance will falter, but when. Since the start, despite making many of the right noises and supplying some military hardware, France and Germany, in particular, have been reluctant partners. Their leaders have often seemed more concerned with finding an “off-ramp” for Putin than ejecting his forces from Ukraine. As well as dependency on Russian energy, a pacifist instinct among Western European political classes has led to neglect of their armed forces and a corresponding fear of escalation.As the provider...
  • Bound to LoseUkraine’s 2023 Counteroffensive

    09/09/2023 2:51:42 PM PDT · by delta7 · 27 replies
    Substack ^ | 2 Sep 23 | John Mersheimer
    It is now clear that Ukraine’s eagerly anticipated counteroffensive has been a colossal failure.[1] After three months, the Ukrainian army has made little progress pushing back the Russians. Indeed, it has yet to get beyond the so-called “grey zone,” the heavily contested strip of land that lies in front of the first main line of Russian defenses. The New York Times reports that “In the first two weeks of the counteroffensive, as much as 20 percent of the weaponry Ukraine sent to the battlefield was damaged or destroyed, according to U.S. and European officials. The toll included some of the...
  • Russians' Support for Putin's War Hits All-Time Low as Election Looms

    09/08/2023 1:58:33 PM PDT · by canuck_conservative · 84 replies
    Newsweek ^ | Sept. 8, 2023 | Isabel van Brugen
    Just 38 percent of respondents "definitely" support the actions of Russia's Armed Forces in Ukraine, the survey by independent pollster Levada Center conducted late August found... The results come as Russia's 2024 presidential election looms, scheduled to be held on March 17 next year. Putin is expected to soon announce his bid for a sixth overall presidential term. Per constitutional changes made prior to the war in Ukraine, Putin may remain in power until 2036. Last month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying that Russia's presidential election is "not really democracy" and forecasted a 90 percent victory for...
  • Ukrainian Drones Strike Six Russian Regions, Destroy Planes at Airfield

    08/30/2023 5:14:35 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 39 replies
    US News ^ | 8/29/2023 | Reuters
    Ukrainian drones struck targets in at least six regions deep within Russia on Wednesday, including an airfield where they destroyed military transport planes, in one of the broadest volleys yet of Kyiv's campaign to turn the tables on Moscow. Russian officials described attacks on targets in the Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions. The Russian foreign ministry said the attacks would "not go unpunished" and could not have reached so far into Russian territory without Western help. In Pskov, in northern Russia more than 600 km (400 miles) from Ukraine, a huge fire erupted at a military airfield....
  • Putin vows to defend Russia against armed rebellion led by mercenary chief: 'They will answer for it'

    06/24/2023 2:41:06 AM PDT · by McGruff · 152 replies
    Fox News ^ | June 24, 2023 | Sarah Rumpf-Whitten
    Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged Saturday to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, describing the call to action as a treasonous decision that puts the country’s survival in peril. In a televised address Saturday morning, Putin said the mutiny amounted to "a deadly threat to our statehood," vowing there will be "tough actions" in response. "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment," Putin stated. "The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders." While he did not call Prigozhin out by name, he...
  • A ‘nervousness never seen before’ hits Moscow before Victory Day parades

    05/07/2023 7:41:48 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 51 replies
    Guardian UK ^ | 5/7/2023 | Pjotr Sauer
    When Vladimir Putin takes to the stage on Tuesday to commemorate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, his speech on Red Square will have been preceded by a turbulent week in which drones attacked the Kremlin and one of his top war leaders threatened mutiny. The dramatic footage early last Wednesday of two drones flying over the walls of the Kremlin, its historical seat of power, exposed vulnerabilities in the heart of the Russian capital, putting Moscow on edge. The authorities have banned the use of drones and started jamming GPS signals, leading to taxis appearing to be in the...
  • Russian State TV Host Calls for Zelensky's Beheading: 'No Other Way'

    05/06/2023 9:53:36 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 26 replies
    Newsweek ^ | 5/6/2023 | Brendan Cole
    Moscow media mouthpieces often refer to history books when they talk about Russia's invasion of Ukraine but one Kremlin propagandist decided to turn to the Bible. During a monologue on Solovyov Live, host Roman Golovanov said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is among those who have used the Old Testament story of David versus Goliath as a parallel for the war in Ukraine, in which Russia is portrayed as the larger adversary. However, Golovanov said that the perennial tale of the underdog triumphing should be flipped around and that Russia "was in fact the David" because "at least 50 countries are...
  • Putin claims he’s cancelling public celebrations over safety fears. The truth is more humiliating

    05/02/2023 12:36:09 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 33 replies
    Guardian UK ^ | 5/2/2023 | Samantha de Bendern
    With even nationalist pro-war bloggers criticising Putin’s actions in Ukraine, his desperation and paranoia are growing. May is traditionally a month for public celebration in Russia, with massive public processions on 1 May for Labour Day and military parades on 9 May for Victory Day, a holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. Not so in 2023. Russia’s biggest trade union cancelled its traditional Labour Day demonstrations because of the “heightened risk of terrorist activity”, while regions near the Ukrainian border called off Victory Day parades so as to “not provoke” the Ukrainian army. The Russian government has warned...
  • BREAKING: Ukrainian drone attack against oil refinery near Sevastopol in Russian-controlled Crimea

    04/28/2023 8:01:07 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 37 replies
    @spectatorindex ^ | 4/28/2023 | The Spectator Index
    BREAKING: Ukrainian drone attack against oil refinery near Sevastopol in Russian-controlled Crimea. More: OSINTdefender @sentdefender A Ukrainian “Kamikaze” Drone Attack has reportedly taken place against an Oil Refinery and Depot used by the Russian Military at Kozacha Bay near the City of Sevastopol in Russian-Occupied Crimea.
  • At U.S. behest, Ukraine held off anniversary attacks on Russia

    04/24/2023 6:47:45 AM PDT · by shadowlands1960 · 16 replies
    Washington Post ^ | April 24th, 2023 | Shane Harris and Isabelle Khurshudyan
    Kyiv’s head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, planned bold strikes deep behind enemy lines that unnerved officials in WashingtonIn February, with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine days away, officials in Kyiv were busy making plans to attack Moscow. Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the country’s military intelligence directorate, the HUR, instructed one of his officers “to get ready for mass strikes on 24 February … with everything the HUR had,” according to a classified report from the U.S. National Security Agency. Officials even mused about a sea-based strike using TNT in the Black Sea port...
  • Chinese Ambassador Confirms Non-Recognition of Russian-Occupied Ukrainian Territories

    04/05/2023 11:16:51 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 26 replies
    BNN ^ | 4/5/2023 | SHERAS FERNANDES
    Chinese Ambassador to the European Union, Fu Cong, has confirmed that China will not recognize the Ukrainian territories taken over by Russia during its military operation in Ukraine. “China does not recognize Crimea as Russian, as well as other territories of Ukraine that became part of the Russian Federation,” he emphasized. According to Cong, the statement about “boundless friendship” between China and Russia is merely a “rhetorical device, nothing more.” Recently, Chinese leader Xi Jinping traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss issues of shared concern, including the Ukraine-Russia war. Cong underscored that China “does...
  • Russia Misses Key Deadline Ahead of Ukraine Counteroffensive

    04/02/2023 8:06:38 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 43 replies
    Newsweek ^ | 4/2/2023 | Ellie Cook
    Russian forces in Ukraine have failed to meet a key deadline for progress in eastern Ukraine ahead of a long-touted counteroffensive from Kyiv, according to a new assessment. Moscow did not manage to "achieve the Kremlin's goals" of exerting control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions by March 31, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said on Saturday. The two regions, which collectively make up the Donbas, saw fighting between Kyiv and Russian-backed separatists break out in 2014. They have seen many of the heaviest clashes since the start of the all-out war in February...
  • Russia has hypersonic weapons now, but it does not use them in fact — Putin

    03/19/2023 1:42:56 PM PDT · by Navy Patriot · 76 replies
    Tass ^ | March 19, 2023
    Russia does not use hypersonic weapons in fact now, though it has them, same as other cutting-edge systems, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview for the "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" program on Rossiya-1 TV channel published by journalist Pavel Zarubin on his Telegram channel on Sunday.
  • Former Russian Commander Floats 'Civil War' as He Slams Putin's Forces

    03/04/2023 11:48:26 AM PST · by marcusmaximus · 47 replies
    Newsweek MSN ^ | 3/4/2023 | Andrew Stanton
    Former Russian commander Igor Girkin floated a "civil war" as a potential solution to Moscow's struggling invasion of Ukraine in a new Telegram post slamming Kremlin military leadership. Girkin's latest remarks come more than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Although Putin initially hoped for a quick victory over Kyiv, which has a smaller military than Russia, Ukraine responded with a stronger-than-anticipated defense effort that has been bolstered by Western military aid, blunting Putin's forces. After months of combat, and a lack of clear progress on Russia's side, some Russian...
  • Putin - Russia Suspends Participation in Last Remaining Nuclear Treaty With U.S.

    02/21/2023 3:27:59 AM PST · by linMcHlp · 98 replies
    U.S. News ^ | February 21, 2023 | Reuters
    President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia was suspending its participation in the New START treaty with the United States that limits the two sides' strategic nuclear arsenals.
  • 'China’s mission is to exploit Russia’: Dan Hoffman

    02/20/2023 9:24:59 PM PST · by anthropocene_x · 27 replies
    Foxnews ^ | Feb 20, 2023
    Not an article. Link to video https://www.foxnews.com/video/6320876255112