Posted on 02/24/2024 5:59:01 AM PST by SpeedyInTexas
Its not ideal, but I guess necessary.
“Almost 5000 Ukrainian convicts have already agreed to the adoption of the law on conditional early release after signing a contract for military service, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Vysotska reported.”
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1791418660382208484
Falling fragments...
“New and better footage of powerful Ukrainian UAV arrivals in Novorossyisk, Russia. It is reported that two oil depots and 2 terminals were hit.”
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1791403439454368046
“”For the first time since the start of the war, none of the brigades complain that there are no artillery projectiles. And this has been happening for the last 2 months. However, we still have to work a lot. The Czech initiative will go ahead. We are negotiating with all partners about money,” Zelenskyi said.”
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1791398508831871446
Some of those fragments falling seem pretty big. Hahaha. Hohoho.
“Lyutyi drones coming in one after another.”
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1791366965346345073
“A direct Ukrainian drone hit filmed from Russian perspective.”
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1791361915282653435
Oh Kazan, Oh Kazan, Don’t you cry for me, cause I’ve come from RuZZia with a banjo on my knee.
‘The Air Defense... its not working at all’
“”It’s been over 80 drones. They’re flying in a row. It’s really crazy!”
Footage of a drone attack on Novorossiysk and Tuapse in Russia’s Krasnodar region last night.
The commentary of witnesses is curious.”
https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1791406694175510965
“Large explosion at the St Petersburg, Russia Military Academy as it was hit by 🇺🇦 drones. It appears a weapons cache may have exploded, too.”
https://x.com/officejjsmart/status/1791530641382674733
“An explosion occurred at the highest military educational institution of the Russian Defense Ministry - the Academy of Communications in St. Petersburg.”
https://x.com/PStyle0ne1/status/1791542984934080609
“Russian authorities have given updated information that it was an accidental detonation of 76-mm ammunition from WWII, not a drone attack.”
https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1791536984889929816
Another angle.
“Tuapse oil refinery went into emergency shutdown after last night’s drone attack - Reuters.”
https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1791530016670421497
The Kharkiv Report
—
Reporting From Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/@RFU/videos
The complete transcript.
—
[ Kharkiv Holds Strong: Ukraine’s Multi-Layered Defense Halts Russian Assaults! ]
—
Day 814: May 17
Today, there are a lot of updates from the Kharkiv direction.
Here, Russians made tactical gains along the border, and recently reached Liptsy and Vovchansk, the two main strongholds in the Kharkiv direction. Ukrainians are making incremental efforts to stabilize the front and put the Russian offensive to a halt.
The situation was very unclear last time we discussed this direction, as the border settlements north of Liptsy and Vovchansk were in a grey zone. As the situation further developed, new information about the events in this direction became available.
The first line of defensive fortifications stretches from Liptsy up to Vovchansk and Kupiansk. The line is located 5 to 10 kilometers from the international border, and the reason for this is that any equipment and force concentrations would be detected and fired upon directly at the border.
Russians used to fire artillery and missiles at forces concentrations of pro-Ukrainian groups like RVC during their incursions at the border, demonstrating how unsafe the immediate border is for large troop groupings.
For this reason, borders were never heavily protected, so Ukrainians only deployed small infantry squads on the immediate border.
The protection of Ukraine’s immediate borders is assigned to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, a branch subordinated to the army. The army was the first to respond to initial Russian attacks on Kharkiv.
The task of the border guards was to meet the Russians at the border, report to the headquarters about the Russian offensive, estimate their strength, and then manage a fighting withdrawal to the first line of defense.
Meanwhile, the leading Ukrainian forces manning the fortifications were to adjust themselves to meet the Russian offensive and allocate additional troops held in reserve in Kharkiv city to react to such developments.
During the fighting in Liptsy direction, despite challenging conditions, small Ukrainian Border Guard units managed to hold their ground for 8 to 10 hours on the first day of the offensive without reinforcements or contact with other units, a situation they were prepared for.
As a result of continuous Russian assaults in this area, the villages of Strilecha, Krasne, Morokhovets, Borysivka, and Oliinykove came under their control.
However, by then, the Border Guard units continued their fighting withdrawal to the following positions meant to slow the Russian advance to the first line of defense at Liptsy.
Such fierce resistance did buy invaluable time for regular Ukrainian units to allocate troops along the villages of Zelene, Lukiantsi, and Hlybove. At the same time, the main force adjusted themselves at the first line of defense.
These positions were prepared to slow down the Russians by taking Lukiantsi, Hlybove, and Zelene to give them more time to strengthen the first line of defense.
Due to the lack of natural barriers or good geographic positions, Ukrainians continued the fighting withdrawal south of Lukiantsi.
Meanwhile, in Hlybove, Ukrainian reinforcements in the form of the 42nd Mechanized Brigade made quite a difference due to their intense FPV drone strikes.
Drone operators of the 42nd Mechanized Brigade managed to repel wave after wave of Russian armored assaults, causing a slower advance for the Russians.
Ukrainian control of part of the village to the south of a small river enabled these highly efficient strikes, which Russians still struggle to cross over.
This overall line of defense was the first of many fortifications in extensive, multi-layered defense-in-depth deeper in the region that Ukrainians prepared. Such complex lines of defense will gradually slow the Russian advance until it comes to a halt.
Hlybove, Lukiantsi, and Zelene positions are only meant as a short-term defense until more Ukrainian reinforcements arrive to reinforce and adjust at the first line of defense, some three kilometers south of the current frontline.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army deployed additional reinforcements from reserves in Kharkiv, including elements of the elite special forces unit Kraken and the 215h Territorial Defense Brigade.
These units managed to additionally stabilize the front to the point where Russian assaults in the direction of Liptsy were being repelled.
The latest combat footage from Ukrainian fighters in the area shows how a group of Russian troops holed up in a house got pinned down by an FPV drone to set the stage for further clearing operations by Ukrainians.
A squad of 5 Ukrainian fighters subsequently cleared the house and took 3 Russians captive after a brief shootout. After capturing and disarming the 3 captives, Ukrainians provided help for a wounded Russian by applying a tourniquet on his leg to stop the bleeding.
Russian forces likely ended up isolated in the northern dachas of Liptsy due to much stronger resistance than they anticipated, which led to unorganized dispersal in the area.
In the Vovchansk direction, the situation is just as intense and dynamic. Here, initial Russian assaults at villages very close to the border led to their quick fall, just like in Liptsy, because immediate positions at the border do not provide conditions for setting up a defense.
Small Ukrainian border guard squads warned the main force of the Russian offensive. They pulled out a fighting retreat from the villages of Pletenivka, Ohirtseve, and Hatysche, with Russian assault squads securing positions in the area.
On footage published by Russians in the town, we can see almost no damage to local infrastructure, which shows that there was not much fighting in the first place and that Ukrainians pulled back to more favorable positions.
The fighting moved to Vovchansk, where high-rise buildings, factories, and house basements provided the most favorable defensive positions. Gained Russian positions in border villages mean nothing unless the town itself is taken.
The small high-rise building area provides powerful firing positions at the Russian forces on the city’s outskirts and can slow them down significantly.
Thanks to the obstacles provided by the urban environment, Ukrainian Border Guard squads managed to slow the Russian advance in northern parts of the town.
However, the central defensive positions are not in the city itself, but partly to the south of river Vovcha, where the first Ukrainian line of defense is located.
It is strongly reinforced by natural obstacles like the river, which Russians struggled to cross for the past few days.
From these positions, Ukrainians are deploying forces to the north of the town to further bog down the Russians in preparation for the fight on the first line of defense.
So far, the slowing down operation against Russian forces has been very successful, as the Russians only reached the first line of defense in two areas near Vovchansk and Bugruvatka after a week of fighting.
Kremlin snuff box, 05/18/24
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
Chicken prices may rise by a third
The cost of chicken in stores can increase from 10 to 35 percent in May-June. This was reported by sources among large retailers. The forecast for price increases was also confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture.
“Seasonally, in May, meat always becomes more expensive. Kebabs, you know. But prices have not returned to their previous level since the fall . Therefore, chicken will rise in price, and quite significantly. In some places, up to 30-35%,” said a source in the Ministry of Agriculture on condition of anonymity .
Kremlin snuff box, 05/18/24
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
Why does Putin “refuse” to take Kharkov?
Many people ask us a question: why did the President say that we have no plans to take Kharkov? After all, so many guys are dying in the Kharkov region. We learned from sources among the military and in the Kremlin what these words of Vladimir Putin meant.
Firstly, the President listened to the military, who clearly say: there is no chance of capturing Kharkov at the moment ( as we wrote, General Mikhail Teplinsky [ https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/4086 ] shared such thoughts. But he is not the only one who shares such an opinion ).
Secondly, it seems that our fears are confirmed [ https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/4110 ] - Vladimir Vladimirovich does not receive all the information about what is happening on the battlefield.
Our troops in the Kharkov region are fighting heroically. But the situation there is difficult ( we wrote about this [ https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/4103 ]).
And everything is unlikely to go according to plan. Or the plan is very dubious.
Thirdly, Vladimir Vladimirovich has hopes of capturing Kharkov. He expects that the situation will change in the summer and we will be able to liberate the city.
These plans, frankly, frighten many generals we know. After all, in order for things to work out with Kharkov, many factors must coincide.
Among them are a reduction in our losses, a new large-scale recruitment of people into the army, disruption of Western aid to Kyiv and the mobilization in Ukraine ( which is only intensifying there ), and much more. It is difficult to hope that in the summer all factors will coincide as we need.
Fourthly, there are problems with the mood among the military, who are now in the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions ( after all, in addition to Kharkov, we should not forget about Sumy).
Our soldiers are attacked not only by saboteurs [ https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/4017 ], have been poisoned and died under other mysterious circumstances in the above-mentioned regions ( over the past 2 weeks, 18 military personnel, 2 of them officers ).
Unfortunately, local residents are increasingly becoming traitors. Out of fear and for money. It is quite difficult to attack a large city, advancing from such positions.
We must say that we want the liberation of Kharkov. But we were obliged to tell you real information about how things are in this direction of the front.
Any news on the cost of eggs??
Not yet, but as chicken prices rise, eggs cannot be far behind, unless Moscovia imports those cheap Chinese-made eggs.
Iran exports batch of eggs to Russia for the first time
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4238587/posts
You haven’t been to an American grocery store lately, have you ?
Btw, Maxi 🤡 just posted the ‘all important’ egg spam thread. 🙂
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