17 more RuZZian tanks lost! Over 100 for the month.
The RuZZian offensive is in motion – and a smashing failure.
Don’t wait Speedy...seek out mental health assistance now! You are obviously suffering from something. Even if someone agrees with you on this, you are clearly showing signs of mental instability.
Less than 24 hours until Putin’s “Victory Concert” tomorrow…
Putin bemoaned the “spiritual catastrophe” of the West.
“They distort historical facts and constantly attack our culture, the Russian Orthodox Church, and other traditional religions of our country,” Putin claimed. “Look at what they do with their own peoples: the destruction of the family, cultural and national identity, perversion, and the abuse of children are declared the norm. And priests are forced to bless same-sex marriages.”
“As it became known, the Anglican Church plans to consider the idea of a gender-neutral God … Millions of people in the West understand they are being led to a real spiritual catastrophe,” he claimed.
Ukraine: military situation update with maps, Feb 20, 2023
(’Orc’ is associated with the various hoards of 13th century Mongol invaders, as well as LOTR evil villains)
War in Ukraine Explained/Reporting from Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/@RFU
Artillery (key to success in this war), Fuller explanation of Orc military structure, Other Bonus articles - see previous postings in “Attack on Europe” (FR title search).
(Numbered printed material below - Some of the items below may be out of date, and not updated yet)
••Denotes Transcribed Dialogue. The entirety of the analysis is from a Ukrainian guy named Reporting from Ukraine’s daily video - I only transcribe it. Extras are just that - from other sites, or my comments marked (Edit: .... ) or { } or [ ].
-—> Current to date and past MAPS: <——
https://militaryland.net/
-—> The True State of Russian Army <——
posted 2 months ago, 21.13 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KiII_2qabk
———————————————————————————————————————
Extras:
-—> Ukraine Situation Report: Russia Isn’t Building Up Airpower Near Border Kyiv Says <——
There are no signs of a buildup of Russian aircraft near Ukraine’s borders and any attacks are likely to be from behind the front lines.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-situation-report-russia-isnt-building-up-airpower-near-border-kyiv-says
Excerpts:
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Col. Yuri Ignat: The Russian Air Force has spread some 700 aircraft over the same 40 airfields as a year ago. That includes airfields in Belarus, occupied Crimea, territory in eastern Ukraine still held by Russians and Russia proper.
Andrii Yusov, spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence directorate (GUR): We have information about the presence of approximately 450 tactical aircraft and about 300 helicopters, half of them attack helicopters. They are placed mainly on the territory of the Russian Federation at least 200 kilometers from the border, concentrated in different locations but outside our fire range.
Pushing large amounts of tactical airpower over or beyond the front lines and into territory Ukraine controls would be very dangerous for Russian aircrews as the surface-to-air missile and general air defense overlay along those lines is highly dense on both sides.
This is why Russian tactical airpower has been either relegated to very low-level operations deep in the heart of the MANPADS and short-range air defenses envelope or at much higher altitudes far from the front lines, relying on long-range weaponry alone.
It may be possible that Russia would try to force some sort of a breakthrough in this regard, but they would likely lose massive amounts of aircrew and equipment in such an attempt.
==
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: Ukraine’s state nuclear company, Energoatom, said on Monday that Russia was housing 600 newly mobilized troops in a bomb shelter at the plant. It also said that Russian forces had placed a machine-gun position on top of a power unit, erected roadblocks and built fortifications near power units and a storage area for spent nuclear fuel,” the newspaper reported.
As if Russian troops weren’t presenting enough of a threat to the plant, it appears the Russian draining of the Kakhova dam on the Dnipro River could lower water levels near the plant enough to affect cooling. Current water level is 13.83. Impending nuclear disaster due to insufficient water lever: 13.20
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday announced a new $5.5 billion financial aid for Ukraine
==
The Leopards are getting closer though. Ukrainian troops fired their first shot from a 2A6 variant during training in Germany.
==
Ramzan Kadyrov says he too will get into the game to compete with Prigozhin. “I seriously plan to compete with our dear BROTHER Evgeny Prigozhin and create a private military company,” he said Feb. 19 on his Telegram channel. “I think everything will work out.”
==
While the German-made Leopard 2 tanks promised to Ukraine have yet to arrive, Russians are already planning ways to destroy them, as you can see in this video from the pro-Russian Rybar Telegram channel.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1627056801836568577
Those may take a while to get to Ukraine, but troops often find older Soviet-era tanks an effective weapon, outside of Ivanivske, on Bakhmut’s southern flank, a lone Ukrainian T-64BV engages a Russian infantry advance on the banks of the Donets-Donbas Canal.
https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1627123007633211392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1627123007633211392%7Ctwgr%5E11f988e9bfe3893c21b7ddb306cdaf993324be7d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fukraine-situation-report-russia-isnt-building-up-airpower-near-border-kyiv-says
==For trolls in doubt and in crisis:
Bombshell audio recording indicates Prigozhin is unable to solve any issues with ammunition for Wagner.
This morning, Prigozhin’s mouthpiece channel posted a 7-minute recording of him saying that he is forced to “apologise and obey” to get ammunition.
https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1627623132528779264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1627623132528779264%7Ctwgr%5E11f988e9bfe3893c21b7ddb306cdaf993324be7d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fukraine-situation-report-russia-isnt-building-up-airpower-near-border-kyiv-says
==
UA 204th Battalion, a very pleasant looking babe, Sofia Ukraini: she goes by the callsign “Witch” and is the bane of Russians on the front lines.
Watch her talk about an idea she had to put MK19 grenade launchers onto the back of pickups.
https://twitter.com/SlavaUk30722777/status/1627158314286194688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1627434465181020160%7Ctwgr%5E11f988e9bfe3893c21b7ddb306cdaf993324be7d%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fukraine-situation-report-russia-isnt-building-up-airpower-near-border-kyiv-says
They empty 2 whole clips of 40 grenades before the Orcs know what is hitting them. Her guys said she will be the end of them ... she chuckles.
==
-—> Ukraine To Get Bradley M7 Vehicles To Act As Artillery Quarterbacks <——
The Bradley M7 BFIST will use its communications, computers, and laser to rapidly call in precision fires on the battlefield.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-to-get-bradley-m7-vehicles-to-act-as-artillery-quarterbacks
Excerpts:
The latest tranche of U.S. military aid to Ukraine includes 4 Bradley Fire Support Team (BFIST) variants, which have a laser range finder/designator, computers, and communications systems designed to coordinate fire from multiple platforms onto multiple targets. As such, they could be a major force multiplier on a battlefield that is dominated by artillery.
“Depending on their levels of fires integration, it’s a pretty good sensor-to-shooter link platform,” a veteran Bradley master gunner who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the vehicle’s attributes told The War Zone Monday morning. ”With a laser designator in place of a TOW [missile package], and the room to carry requisite computers and radio equipment, it is a one-stop shop for fires.”
The idea behind the Bradley BFIST is to have a command vehicle that can find targets and communicate their location to an assortment of friendly platforms, ranging from tanks and armored vehicles to artillery and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).
That will come in particularly handy when it comes to coordinating fires from a wide array of such systems, like M31 guided rocket-slinging M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and M270 MLRS provided to Ukraine by the U.S. and allies, as well as munitions like the 6,000 M982 Excalibur guided 155mm howitzer rounds provided to Ukraine and the undisclosed amount of Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) promised by the U.S. But beyond smart weaponry, just rapidly coordinating traditional artillery from a forward position will be a huge advantage.
“You’ve got a reclining chair in front of the fires computer, with multiple radios within arms reach,” said the Bradley expert. “That leaves the two guys in the turret to look for targets and work the designator pod.”
==
-—> The Historic High-Stakes Operation That Brought Biden To Kyiv <——
The mission was highly complex involving planes, trains, and automobiles, and had to deal with risks not seen in past operations.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/the-historic-high-stakes-operation-that-brought-biden-to-kyiv
———————————————————————————————————————
••Day 362.
Today a lot of news is coming from Bakhmut.
After the recent front-line shifts in the region, the Russians tried to keep up the momentum and immediately break through the next line of defense.
They launched a series of assaults almost from all sides, but as shown in an exclusive video from Wagner forces, all it led to was more corpses.
Last time I told you that after the withdrawal from Paraskoviivka, the front line shifted towards the highway.
Since the Ukrainians were no longer present in Paraskoviivka, this gave more freedom to the Russian assault units and allowed them to assault the northern outskirts of Bakhmut.
After establishing control over several blocks, the Russians immediately opened another line of attack and started advancing along the railways - that is why some sources started circulating information that the Ukrainian defense collapsed and the Russians had already taken Berkhivka and Yahidne into a pocket.
However, this is not true because there is simply no possibility for the Russians to maintain their presence in this region – they can only quickly slip through, conduct an attack and withdraw.
Some sources also suggested that the Russians took control over the main Ukrainian defenses near Yahidne, which is the train station, however, even Russian sources are not in agreement with this development, and most refer to the outer region as a grey zone. Nonetheless, this doesn’t make the situation easy.
The Russians are stretching the front line and fixing a lot of Ukrainian troops - they are attacking the train station, Yahidne, Bekhivka from two sides, and also Dubovo-Vasylivka.
Right now, the fights are mainly taking place in the forest areas, where the Ukrainians established their positions.
There are two ways to supply this prefrontal group: from Bakhmut and from Orikhovo-Vasylivka.
Constant clashes likely made the center of this road unusable, so both ways are used to minimize the risks.
So far, this method is working because, as reported by the Russians, the Ukrainians have successfully reinforced the line with several fresh battalions.
The Russians are also facing a lot of challenges and constraints. First of all, their main axis of advance comes from the lowlands.
The Ukrainians in Yahidne are located on the side of a hill and do not allow the Russians to attack in large groups.
That is why, according to the soldiers on the ground, Russian assault units are quite small.
They try to compensate for it with the number of attacks by launching several attacks on each settlement from multiple sides.
So far, their attack on Yahidne has been successfully rebuffed from the hills; attacking Bekhivka in front is obviously a suicide operation, so they are trying to take control over the forest and the tree belts on the hills, so far unsuccessfully; and additional attacks to fix Ukrainian troops are also complicated by local geography, in particular dense tree areas on this hill.
The Ukrainians have also received supplies of mortars, which is the most effective weapon against such types of attacks.
Many Ukrainian analysts are saying that the lack of mortars was one of the biggest factors that contributed to the rapid fall of Soledar.
They said that the Ukrainians were forced to use short rounds from machine guns, which suffer from overheating because it is very hard to destroy a hiding enemy. On the contrary, several mortar shells are usually enough to destroy the whole approaching squad.
Due to the internal feud between Wagner forces and the Russian Ministry of Defense, Wagner forces lack the proper means of suppressing Ukrainian fire and conducting counterbattery operations.
Several days ago, Wagner fighters published a video showing dozens of recently killed soldiers. They themselves said that Wagners are losing several hundred people every day due to inadequate supplies of ammunition.
This is extremely important because Wagners have to storm three big hills in order to cut all supplies to Bakhmut and achieve operational encirclement.
And if we check the weather, we can see that there are only 4 days left of relatively cold weather. After that, the temperature will skyrocket, and all the snow will melt and turn the fields into the mud. [Warm weather begins on Saturday the 25th.]
And as you can see from the map, absolutely all Russian lines of attacks imply that they need to cross the fields.
Accumulated losses and bad weather will likely force the Russians to decrease the intensity of their attacks significantly.
Some people express their concern about Bakhmut because, with the return of the muddy season, the Ukrainians in Bakhmut will not be able to use the fields for supplies and withdrawal, however, everything suggests that they are prepared.
Last week, Ukrainian commanders closed the roads for civilians and volunteers, which implies that the Ukrainian military was going to use these roads intensely for their own purposes.
Some videos showed that the Ukrainians had evacuated all the archives and documents from Bakhmut, other videos showed that more blocks on the eastern side of the river had been left.
In fact, right now, the Ukrainians are only controlling a small portion of the residential area.
Other sources suggest that many units were relocated from Bakhmut and the number of troops decreased to 4 or 5 thousand.
One of the reasons the Ukrainians could do it lies in the fact the Russians decreased the intensity of their attacks inside the town and concentrated on the encirclement.
Unfortunately for the Russians, by the time they achieve what they planned, it looks like there will be no one to encircle.
Muddy weather will not allow the Russians to cut the roads, and the Ukrainians will be able to withdraw gradually before the ground dries up in April.
Overall, the situation around Bakhmut is very difficult for both sides: the Ukrainians have less and less room left to hold off Russian advances and ensure that the flow of supplies continues to reach the city, while Russian forces have almost run out of time because, in a few days, all the snow is going to melt, make fields unusable and put an end to their advances.
The Ukrainians have almost completed restructuring their defense inside the city and if they manage to hold the flanks for several more days, the situation will become much easier.
==
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPpYQuLW8T0
Denys says:
Ukraine is moving away from Soviet stye dictatorship and towards democracy.
==
Despite the sirens, there were no air raids at the time of Biden’s visit.
==
China could supply Russia with war materials, but its economy cannot withstand the external Western pressures, especially with the impending bankruptcy and collapse of its huge - biggest in the world - Real Estate/Construction companies, on top of the first year of population decline.
As a result of all that and more, China’s economy over the next 5 years will decline.
Probability of supplying Russia is very low, because China is still dependent on Western economies
==
Any calls for “peace” from Russia in the coming days is to obtain a break to buildup its military to begin a new attack.
==
Germany asks its citizens to leave the Russian-Ukraine border regions by Feb 26. Do they know something?
==
Two ways out for the “owner” of the PMC to go: he’s swept under the carpet and his existence forgotten, or we will forget about his existence because it is finished.
Something is up at the Ukraine/Moldova/Romania border on/near the Danube. Lots of big fires on FIRMS on the Ukrainian side in southwest Odesa oblast. It’s been like that for the past 2-3 days and the US and NATO have been watching the area closely for the past. Very weird. Maybe Putin is trying to make his move on Moldova airport and hitting Ukrainian air defense in that area. There is no way a beach landing would work in that area.
As Putin delivered his plan of action, the Russian’s reportedly summoned the American Ambassador to the Foreign Ministry and delivered a strong Démarche:
The note of protest handed over to the ambassador emphasizes that the pumping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with weapons, as well as the transfer of target designations for strikes against Russian military and civilian infrastructure, clearly prove the inconsistency and falsity of the assertions of the American side that the United States is not a party to the conflict. It is also indicated that the weapons supplied to Kyiv, as well as service personnel, including American citizens, are a legitimate target.
In this regard, the ambassador was told that the current aggressive course of the United States to deepen confrontation with Russia in all areas is counterproductive. It was especially noted that in order to de-escalate the situation, Washington must take steps that involve the withdrawal of US-NATO military and equipment, as well as the cessation of hostile anti-Russian activity.
The Russian side also emphasized that the United States should give explanations about the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines and not interfere with an objective investigation to identify those responsible.
This means Russia is putting the United States on notice that Moscow will hold America accountable and that any U.S. military and equipment inside Ukraine will be treated as legitimate targets. As I have watched the commentary on this speech, I have seen no one pick up on Russia’s new “red line.”
Prior to start of Russia’s Special Military Operation in February 2022, there were many in the Russian Government, including Putin, who believed that they could negotiate in good faith with the West. The events of the past year and the belligerent rhetoric from Washington politicians and Europe’s ruling class have convinced the Russians that traditional diplomacy is dead. Russia is fighting for its very existence.
Whether you agree with this is irrelevant. It is what Russia’s leaders believe, not just Putin. The West will make a fatal mistake if they ignore what Putin said today.
Another massive Putin failure!
That old fool is screwing up everything he touches, especially Russia.
From OilPrice.com: “The European Union managed to beat its target for cutting gas demand this winter, according to new data from Eurostat.
Eurostat data shows that the European Union’s winter demand fell by 19 percent compared to the five-year average, beating the 15 percent goal it set for itself to help it survive the winter.
The largest drop was in Finland, which cut its usage by nearly 60 percent. Lithuania saw the second biggest decrease with a nearly 50 percent reduction, with Sweden coming in third. Spain saw one of the smaller decreases in gas consumption, the data showed.” (Spain has a natural gas pipeline from Algeria, and an excess of LNG import terminal capacity)
European natural gas prices continue to drop, and they have plenty - without Russia.
The first flowers of Spring are opening in Europe, and the natural gas market that took Russia over half a century to build (well over 80% of its exports in 2021), has been totally squandered in one year by fool Putin.
Get clown Putin’s hands off Russia. The only thing he is growing there, are the graveyards.