“Colonel Andrey Kozeechev of the FSB Special Purpose Center's Alfa unit died on May 23, 2023, presumably in Ukraine. He previously fought in the Caucasus and Syria.”
Posted on 02/24/2024 5:59:01 AM PST by SpeedyInTexas
Ok, finally we have a good choice. Make it so Number 1.
“Tom Cotton Emerges as a Top Contender in Trump’s V.P. Race
Donald Trump’s interest in the Arkansas senator reflects a desire to choose a running mate with experience and the ability to run a disciplined campaign.”
No. No. And No.
“Putin looking for ceasefire to cement gains in Ukraine, Reuters reports citing sources.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to a ceasefire that recognizes the current front lines on the battlefield but will fight on if Ukraine and its allies do not agree, Reuters reported on May 24, citing undisclosed Russian sources.”
“The ATESH partisan movement in occupied Crimea reports that Russian troops are evacuating personnel from Dzhankoy and are actively rebuilding and possibly modernizing airfields deeper in the peninsula, specifically at Kirovske and Baherovo. These actions suggest that Russia aims to disperse their troops and equipment in anticipation of future successful Ukrainian attacks.”
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1793923902856434065
“Russia “likely” behind fire that destroyed Warsaw shopping centre, says Tusk”
https://x.com/IlvesToomas/status/1793178928875475331
Clear usage of ATACMS with cluster warhead.
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1793898154120589498
There were 6 S-400 launches prior to the ATACMS strike then it looks like the finale of July 4th.
Video was taken by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) drone.
The strike was carried out by an attack drones on the morning of May 23, 2024.
430km from the frontline (44.9251758, 40.9839486)
https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1793942086036623535
Another example of ruzzian technology at work.
The Russian S-400 "Triumf" is Russia most advanced air defense system. It has been introduced in 2007 and received constant upgrades and updates.
Countries like Turkey or India, which purchased those systems, are certainly amazed when realizing what they acquired. The war Ukrainian war absolutely backfired for the Russian military-industrial complex.
https://x.com/Tendar/status/1793960288493908171
Turkey bought the S-400 and as a result lost out on the F-35.
Russia’s S-400 is a disgrace in Syria, says Brigadier General...
Looks like the antenna building was badly damaged and some officers killer in the other. Operator section seems OK. The valuable people survived. Next time.
Baherove is near the Kersh bridge. Kirovskoye is just inland on the west coast from Mizhvodne.
“Most likely, not one, but TWO complexes S-400 «Triumph» were destroyed by ATACMS missile attacks in the last days in the Donetsk region
So we have two videos from different locations.
22.05 - near village Mospino, Donetsk region
23.05 - near Klenivka, Donetsk region”
https://x.com/GloOouD/status/1793917728169885736
I read some where that Russia is getting ready to deploy S-500 systems FWIW.
So its $2 billion up in smoke and small bits.
I have read the same thing.
I believe the S-500s will be deployed in the Moscow region and the S-400s from Moscow will then be forward deployed to Ukraine.
My guess is ruzzia will not forward deploy the S-500s as they cannot afford to have them defeated by ATACMs.
This is the same rationale that ruzzia is not using the Su-57s in Ukraine for fear they will be shot down by Patriots.
“Ukraine hit a Russian military complex in Crimea with U.S.-provided long-range missiles Thursday night, the latest in a mounting series of strikes aimed at slowing the Russian war machine.
The missile strike hit a communications center of Russian air-defense forces in the city of Alushta, according to a Ukrainian defense official. Crimean social media channels reported several explosions in the coastal city, with one video showing a large blast, but the extent of the damage couldn’t immediately be established.
While Ukraine is struggling to hold back Russian forces along the northern and eastern fronts, ATACMS, which stands for Army Tactical Missile System, has allowed Kyiv to menace Russia’s hold on Crimea, focusing largely on high-value targets such as air-defense systems, jet fighters and warships.
The long-range attacks are a central part of Ukraine’s strategy for this year to buy time to rebuild its military after more than two years of grinding warfare while degrading Russia’s ability to wage war.
The 186-mile range of longer-range ATACMS could allow Ukraine to strike anywhere on Russian-occupied territory.
The strikes come as front lines in the north and east of the country are under pressure from growing Russian offensives. Russia quickly seized a handful of villages and the northern part of the city of Vovchansk after sending troops over the border into the Kharkiv region earlier this month. Ukraine has largely halted progress there, while Russian forces are inching forward to the east but have seized only one city, Avdiivka, this year.
Long-range ATACMS, first provided by the U.S. earlier this year, have significantly boosted the range, value and number of the deep-lying targets that Ukraine can attack. The U.K. and France last year provided long-range cruise missiles that can be launched from warplanes, but supplies are limited.
Launched from the back of a truck, ATACMS are highly mobile and fly faster than the British and French missiles, making them tougher for Russian missile defenses to shoot down. The long-range ATACMS variants provided this year can hit targets more than 180 miles away.
Kyiv has also used domestically produced explosive drones to strike oil refineries and power infrastructure inside Russia. Their limited payload makes them less effective against hardened military targets, although they did inflict damage on several Russian warplanes at an airfield in southwestern Russia last month, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Biden administration has barred Kyiv from using U.S.-supplied weapons, including ATACMS, to strike on Russian territory. That has made Crimea, a critical Russian staging post for the war, the main target.
Ukraine’s first use of the longer-range variant of ATACMS in April hit an airfield in Crimea, destroying several advanced Russian air-defense missile launchers and radars, according to Ukrainian officials. They hit another Crimean airfield last week, appearing to take out several aircraft, according to satellite images.
This week, Ukrainian military officials said they’d hit the port in Sevastopol, damaging a warship. While officials didn’t say what weapons had been used, Russian officials in Crimea said they had shot down nine ATACMS missiles the night of the attack.
Ukraine’s military said it destroyed an advanced Russian S-400 air-defense system on Wednesday, which open-source analysts attributed to an ATACMS strike near occupied Mospyne in eastern Ukraine. Three weeks ago, an ATACMS strike on a training ground in the occupied Luhansk region killed dozens of Russian soldiers, analysts said.
As Crimean residents reported explosions and the sound of air-defense systems working on Thursday night, Sergei Aksyonov, a Russian-installed official in Crimea, wrote on Telegram that Ukrainian missiles had killed two “bystanders,” and an “empty commercial property” was damaged. He didn’t comment on any damage to the Alushta communications center.
On Friday, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said that American weapons were being used to strike “a wide variety of targets outside the conflict zone,” though he did not specifically mention Crimea or any other sites.
Mark Cancian, a former artillery officer in the U.S. Marine Corps now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that Ukraine would likely focus on deep strikes while it tries to rebuild manpower in hopes of launching a more robust counteroffensive next year. Crimea, he said, was an appealing target because it has an abundance of fixed military facilities—such as airfields and ports—that cannot easily be camouflaged or spread out.
Ukraine has twice damaged the Kerch bridge, which connects Crimea to Russia, leading Russia to halt using it for military shipments because it fears they will get hit, Western intelligence analysts believe. Instead, they are moving supplies by rail through other occupied parts of Ukraine.
“They might be able to squeeze it,” Cancian said. “I don’t think they can cut it off, but they can make Crimea uncomfortable.””
Build Ukraine’s Army and Make RuZZia Pay for It.
“U.S. and Europe Near Deal on Novel Funding Plan for Ukraine”
“Officials hope to secure up to $50 billion for Ukraine from the investment returns of frozen Russian assets”
The U.S. and its allies are moving toward an agreement on a novel financing plan that would provide Ukraine with up to $50 billion, though Western officials are still working through important details on the use and structure of the funds.
The idea relies on the investment returns—mainly interest payments—generated by the roughly $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets that the U.S. and Europe froze in their jurisdictions after the invasion of Ukraine. Biden administration officials have proposed creating a new financial instrument that would deliver many years worth of expected profits on the Russian assets to Kyiv in the short term while leaving the underlying Russian assets untouched.
The funding could provide another stream of aid for Ukraine as support for the war-torn nation has become mired in political divisions in the U.S. Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has opposed money for Kyiv and officials involved in the talks see a narrow window to strike a deal before elections in Europe and the U.S. this year.
Finance ministers from the Group of Seven advanced democracies are discussing the funding questions in meetings this week in Stresa, a resort town along the mountainous coast of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. The U.S. goal is to refine the idea enough that the heads of governments that lead the G-7 could endorse it at their own gathering in the coming weeks, even if some technical work is left for the summer.”
“Under the discussed structure, Western nations would lend to a newly created financing entity, which would, in turn, disburse the money as grants to Kyiv, according to people familiar with the matter. The profits on the frozen Russian assets would then go toward paying back Western nations for the loan to the financing entity.
With this system, U.S. officials believe they could make the loan without Congress and at little cost, an advantage also for cash-strapped European governments. Because a financing entity would take out the loan, this structure would also avoid adding to Ukraine’s debt burden.”
“”One U.S. weapon used by aircraft, the GBU-39 small-diameter bomb, has proved resilient to jamming, according to the confidential documents. Nearly 90 percent of dropped bombs struck their target...But the modified...GLSDB, proved ineffective compared to those launched from airplanes, Ukrainian officials said.””
“Russian jamming leaves some high-tech U.S. weapons ineffective in Ukraine”
Kremlin snuff box, 05/24/24
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
Why did Putin fly to Lukashenko, and will Belarus really go to war?
Vladimir Putin’s official visit to Belarus is rather an exception. Usually everything happens the other way around - Lukashenko flies to Moscow.
This time, Putin not only flew in himself, but also took with him a whole retinue of high-ranking officials. Including Defense Minister Belousov and Foreign Minister Lavrov.
Our sources claim that regular meetings between Putin and Lukashenko help keep relations between the two countries in good shape. The current large-scale visit is not just taking place against the backdrop of talk about a possible escalation of the conflict with NATO countries.
Putin came to Lukashenko immediately after his visit to China. It is worth recalling here that the Kremlin is quite jealous of Lukashenko’s close contacts with the Chinese authorities.
Is Belarus preparing to go to war against Ukraine? Now there is no such prospect. In any case, Belarus is not mobilizing, and the officer corps is morally more likely not ready to conduct combat operations than ready. The creation of strike groups is also not happening.
Moreover, there is practically no threat directly to Lukashenko from the Ukrainian Armed Forces or the West. Is Kyiv preparing to attack Belarus? Also no.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces do not have enough forces and means to contain our army in a number of directions, so the whole story of the visit probably has a different purpose.
The interlocutors hinted that it is important for the Russian Armed Forces to stretch the Ukrainian troops, so now the so-called “second front” will be actively created.
Moreover, Belarus may host exercises using non-strategic nuclear weapons. However, here, according to our data, Lukashenko received several signals from the West at once, and therefore cannot yet decide to take such a step.
Why did Putin need several ministers in Minsk at once? It just so happens that Vladimir Vladimirovich doesn’t have many official visits now. And each of them should create a beautiful picture.
Moreover, against the backdrop of Western media publications about our supposed readiness for peace, discussions among hawks continue to discuss the liberation of the Suwalki corridor and the creation of a land route to Kaliningrad.
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