Posted on 02/24/2024 5:59:01 AM PST by SpeedyInTexas
Kremlin snuff box, 08/09/24
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
A “war” began in Moscow over the Kursk region. And Shoigu “began to smile more often”
Unfortunately, the difficult situation in the Kursk region did not unite our military leaders. On the contrary, a real war breaks out between them.
What’s happening? We wrote that due to the enemy’s breakthrough in the Kursk region, Valery Gerasimov was threatened with resignation. According to sources close to the Chief of the General Staff, this threat is a thing of the past.
“Valery Vasilyevich was able to convince Vladimir Vladimirovich that only he and a few other generals loyal to him will be able to stop the enemy’s advance. The President believes them and is waiting for concrete results.
“A number of initiatives of Valery Vasilyevich regarding the rapid replenishment of the army are also being considered,” an interlocutor close to Gerasimov told us.
When asked whether the head of the General Staff proposed urgently declaring mobilization, he replied: “Not yet, but then we need to look at the situation.”
The Kremlin confirmed this information to us, noting that “the successes of the Nazis in the Kursk region are not too significant.” And expressing confidence in our final victory.
Andrei Belousov found himself in a difficult position.
“There are many who want to blame the Kursk failure on Andrei Removich. They remember the general’s purges, which, frankly, were absolutely necessary. They are trying to blame him completely unreasonably for problems with the supply of the army.
“Even the death of conscripts in the Kursk region, to which he has nothing to do, they are trying to pin it on him. But Andrei Removich is strong. Believe me, he will be the Minister of Defense for a long time and will definitely lead us to victory,” our source in the Ministry of Defense said emotionally.
The Kremlin confirmed that complaints had been received against Belousov. Vladimir Putin ordered them to be checked, but “no more than that.” At the same time, the Minister of Defense himself sees the reasons for our problems at the front in the actions of Gerasimov.
We cannot fail to note how Sergei Shoigu behaves in this situation.
“The behavior is disgraceful. He always says that with him such breakthroughs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine would not have happened. And, it seems, he began to smile more often. As if he was gloating,” one of the generals told us.
Sources close to Shoigu deny the fact of schadenfreude. But they note that “now the experience of Sergei Kuzhugetovich would be useful in various responsible positions.”
What should we say about all these intrigues? We urge you to stop them immediately! Now is not the time for showdowns and war in Moscow offices.
We ask Vladimir Vladimirovich personally to take action. For our common victory.
Kremlin snuff box, 08/09/24
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
General Teplinsky should command the defense of the Kursk region
What has been happening in the Kursk region over the past few days has raised many questions - both among the military and among the political leadership of the country.
In the third year of the war, we were unable to organize either a high-quality defense of our own border or a quick media response to such a failure. Just look at the stories from the Ministry of Defense about the transfer of troops, which show both the equipment and the direction in which it is moving.
Despite the personal trust of the President, there is a discussion among the generals that Gerasimov failed to cope with the task. The transfer of troops in columns in close proximity to the front line is a total nightmare, for which it is necessary to punish according to the laws of war.
Sources say that the initiative group, at the instigation of Defense Minister Belousov, is preparing a letter to the President with a proposal to appoint General Mikhail Teplinsky to command the defense of the Kursk region.
They propose to hand over the letter in the near future; Belousov invited some generals to show their loyalty and sign the document. We were unable to contact Teplinsky himself to find out whether he was ready to take on a difficult section of the front. However, the President’s orders are not discussed.
I have seen this film multiple times, at AdmSmith’s site following the war since day one, and here at Speedy’s site. I counted at least 14 trucks stopped/damaged with obvious bodies inside, or else totally incinerated. I hope the Russian who filmed this was able to send it far and wide before his arrest.
Russians need to see the horror their President has inflicted on them. Film of exploding ammo dumps and oil refineries are dramatic, but it is live film of truly dead people that makes the heart realize what an aweful thing war truly is. Especially a war that did NOT have to be, and could end so quickly if Putin would just tell the troops to come home and stay there.
They look like a typical democrat family.
Those are the M26 DPICM rockets we finally sent. We have retired them, but have hundreds of thousands stored. They would be very effective in Kursk, but the HIMARS would have to be close to the action, as they only have about 20 mile range. Scoot and shoot would be critical. We have some lomget range versions, The M26A1 (about 30 miles) and the M30 (about 40 miles), but probably only a couple thousand of those. These were known as “steel rain”.
Shoigu is like a Pitcher in a tie game who gets pulled after loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 9th, then blames the reliever for losing the game.
But no doubt, he is enjoying some schadenfreude.
🇺🇦🇷🇺 “The Ukrainian army has deployed significant forces and assets for this offensive, which must be taken into account. It will not be possible to expel them quickly.”
Andrey Gurulyov
Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
“”Dozens of Russian military personnel are being trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system, two European intelligence sources told Reuters, adding that they expected the imminent delivery of hundreds of the satellite-guided weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Russian defence ministry representatives are believed to have signed a contract on Dec. 13 in Tehran with Iranian officials for the Fath-360 and another ballistic missile system built by Iran’s government-owned Aerospace Industries Organization””
https://x.com/RALee85/status/1822004411301777790
Olympics Medal Count
USA - 111
Ukraine - 11
RuZZia - 0
“The Russian Army railway logistics are now in worse shape than when Wagner’s revolt over ran Rostov on Don’s railway marshaling yard.
Per @Schizointel
>>Ukraine now has physical access and control over the
>>Lgov-Belgorod line
>>Lgov-Vorozbha line
Summer 1940 redux🧵
1/
The two key railway marshalling yards for the Russian Army in occupied Ukraine are in Belgorod and Rostov on Don.
And Belgorod railway marshalling yard just got cut off from the north.
Rerouting train traffic like this hasn’t happened in Russia since 1941.
2/
This Reddit map of AFU advances indicates the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), upper right, may soon be isolated from the Russian power grid to points south.
Given the Rostov on Don NPP lost one of two reactors to a maintenance casualty.
3/
The stability of the Russian power grid is going to be affected with that much baseline nuclear power going off line.
Given 70% of Russian railway engines are electrically powered. This is a huge honking deal...
...a loss of RuAF strategic mobility kind of deal.
4/
And the situation is it is getting worse as Russian civilians are bugging out en mass as refugees from Kursk Oblast.
RuAF doesn’t have many fuel tanker trucks because the Russian Army always projects power from railheads.
5/
This is why there was the 40 mile convoy to Kyiv that ran out of fuel in Feb 2022.
Like Texas evacuating Houston in 2005 with Hurricane Rita, Russian civilians are creating a fuel desert where the RuAF needs to go.
6/
Given the number of confirmed AFU brigades involved in the Kursk operation, and the complete lack of a Russian strategic ground forces reserve anywhere.
It is looking far more like @secretsqrl123 idea strategic envelopment of Belgorod than mine of a strategic raid.
7/
The much reported AFU woes in the Donbas were the result of mostly 2nd line units being put into the front lines behind a “Ghost Army” strategic deception while the elite units were being quietly prepared for the Kursk/Belgorod axis envelopment.
8/
A Ukrainian drone swarm of OWA Drone/propeller cruise missiles have destroyed the VKS munitions stocks at Lipetsk airfield.
This takes the VKS off the table as a strong operational reserve on the Kursk/Belgorod axis.
9/
Meanwhile, AFU ground forces are making amphibious raid demonstrations at the Kinburn Spit to try and freeze RuAF ground units in Kherson from redeployment.
10/
RuAF desperation on the Kursk/Belgorod axis is such they are sending the following:
- MT-LB w/a 9K55 Grad-1 multiple rocket launcher
- MT-LB w/a twin 2M-3 25 mm naval gun,
- MT-LB w/a ZU-23-2 gun, & an
- MT-LB w/a MT-12 Rapira 100 mm AT-gun.
11/
This MT-LB “Franken-Grad” just screams of a deep attrition of RuAF trucks available to mount 122mm rocket launchers on them.
An AFU thrust into Belgorod would allow it a pivot to the East to envelop the RuAF incursion into Kharkiv.
12/
The Kursk incursion forces the RuAF to spread their inadequate local reserves and covers the Western flank of an AFU thrust into Belgorod.
Pocketing 100K RuAF troops at Belgorod, with 14 brigades behind RuAF’s strategic northern right flank, with no strategic reserve
13/
...looks like N. France in the summer of 1940.
I’m not saying Belgorod will be successfully enveloped by AFU, or that Russia will fall 6 weeks afterwards if it is.
I will say General Guderian is smiling.
14/14 End”
https://x.com/TrentTelenko/status/1821948147234418863
“Bakhmut.
Swedish-supplied Archer artillery systems in Ukrainian service continue to prove to be incredibly effective in the counterbattery role, seen here hunting down and destroying multiple Russian towed howitzer positions.”
https://x.com/TOGAjano21/status/1821766649365573977
Purifying RuZZian Society
“In Moscow, two ordinary Russians in a bus rounded up and turned in to the police an 87-year-old man who, according to them, dared to murmur to himself that Wagner mercenaries were “war murderers.”
What a wonderful country Putin has made for himself.”
https://x.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1821959621910602195
“What a wonderful country Putin has made for himself.”
Reminds me of the two minutes of hate from “1984”.
Nice to see Illia Ponomarenko posting. I saw that he had been injured again recently.
Medvedev can always be counted on to provide humor
Curious how much munitions Iran can spare, but beyond that despite the mantra of the usuals that Russian manufacturing highlighted by “increased GDP” can handle war needs looks like Russia is again resorting to lend lease to help carry the load.
Reporting From Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/@RFU/videos
Reporting From Ukraine Uncensored Combat Footage (from this and past Reports) is found on Telegram:
https://t.me/RFUEnglish or @RFUEnglish
[ You need to have the Telegram app to view. ]
The complete transcript.
—
[ Meanwhile to the south of the Kursk incursion: ]
—
[ Russians Use D-Day Tactic to Cross The Canal ]
—
Today [ Aug 10 ], there are a lot of updates from the Bakhmut direction.
Here, in a bold move, Russian forces launched a massive wave of attacks on Chasiv Yar’s northern flank, aiming to cross the canal and establish a critical bridgehead.
Despite their relentless efforts and heavy use of mechanized infantry, the operation faced fierce Ukrainian resistance, leading to a decisive confrontation.
The primary Russian vector of attack is directed towards the Novyi and Zhovtnevyi districts of the town to establish a bridgehead to the west of the canal quickly. By establishing a bridgehead, Russians could facilitate advances towards the town center.
Russian command could expand the bridgehead and accumulate additional forces to form a strike force that could advance westwards, leveraging air support and extensive artillery fire.
The main Russian goal was to establish a bridgehead at Zhovtnevyi district. To achieve this, Russian forces had to accumulate and prepare at the Orlova forest to the north of the district. Russian troops were being deployed here by a bridge and small makeshift crossings to force the canal at night and hide in the forest to the west during the day.
Ukrainians were unable to destroy the Russian troops crossing the canal because of the intense interference of Russian electronic warfare assets, which disrupts Ukrainian drone operations, while artillery barrages take more time to achieve the desired effect.
After preparing forces in the Orlova forest, Russians had to send forward a BMP loaded with infantry from the east of the canal across the bridge. Russians utilized the BMPs to quickly transport infantry to establish forward positions in the Zhovtnevyi district so that the additional infantry in the forest could reinforce the positions and strengthen the attacks.
In a video published by Ukrainian fighters, a Russian BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle loaded with infantry crossed the canal under heavy Ukrainian artillery fire. The BMP is using its 30mm autocannon to suppress Ukrainian positions and provide cover for dismounting Russian infantry.
The vehicle managed to unload a total of 8 stormtroopers, before it was struck by an FPV drone, leaving the infantry isolated without fire support at the trench where they were destroyed afterward.
Russian command knows that this type of assault is deadly and unlikely to result in significant gains, so they have decided to repeat the same assaults over and over again to establish a bridgehead.
Deployment of BMP-3s, the best protected and armed Russian infantry fighting vehicles, shows a focus on this section of the battlefield. So far, the Russian assaults across the canal only forced the Ukrainians to slightly withdraw from their positions westward to create an artillery and FPV pocket.
However, the Russians realized that their assaults towards the center of Chasiv Yar were being disrupted by powerful Ukrainian firing positions at the refractory plant and the northern coal mine. The coal mine is an elevated position that overlooks most of Chasiv Yar, providing Ukrainian mortar and grenade launcher operators with positions to strike Russian assault groups.
With such intense, yet casualty-heavy operations, the Russian command achieved limited success in accumulating forces at Zhovtnevyi district. The Russian survival rate throughout the operation was low because there were 3 to 4 survivors from a dismounted squad of 8 carried by a BMP during the assault.
Ukrainian fighters reported that they did not have enough time to locate and destroy surviving Russian fighters from the first BMP assault, because Russians kept sending one squad after another with less than 60 minutes between the attacks. The surviving 3 to 4 stormtroopers of each assault unit would thus gradually accumulate for further assaults to expand the bridgehead.
This tactic worked for as long as the Russians had reserves to deploy for reinforcements and replacement of losses. However, as the Russian command soon ran out of additional troops and equipment to deploy, the intensity of the assault gradually decreased, leading to its halt.
The situation gave the Ukrainian fighters time to locate and destroy the isolated Russian survivors of the assaults that were cut off from their supplies and reinforcements. Soon the Ukrainian fighters in the area confirmed that their Russian bridgehead collapsed and the Russian fighters were pushed back.
Overall, the Russian attempts to establish a bridgehead at Chasiv Yar reveal a troubling reliance on attritional tactics that prioritize sheer force over strategic finesse.
The repeated heavy casualty assaults underscored a fundamental flaw in Russian military strategy. Even the heavy reliance on mechanized units and electronic warfare failed to compensate for the critical losses in personnel and equipment, gradually leading to operation exhaustion.
This pattern of high casualty operations, without achieving significant territorial gains, not only strain Russian resources, but also highlighted a broader issue of inadequate adaptation to evolving battlefield dynamics.
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.