Ukraine Weekly Update

This week has been dominated by Z’s visit to the US, including his speech at the UN General Assembly and his meetings with Biden and Senator McCarthy. He has been applauded in public but reprimanded in private, or so the rumors will have it. It is by no means certain that the latest batch of funding ($24 billions) will be approved as Republican opposition grows. The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh has competed with the apparently pedestrian pace of fighting in Ukraine for dramatic headlines. I have already provided a brief Update of the situation in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) so will not cover it here.

Drone Wars The First and Second World Wars saw the development and eventual dominance of the tank, but this war and others like it will see the development and, possibly, the eventual dominance of the drone as its potential is gradually fulfilled.

Vladimir Putin said recently that he is increasing the production and variety of drones and the numbers of men being trained to operate them. One of Alexander Mercouris’s sources has advised him that he believes that a Russian ‘big arrow’ offensive employing swarms of drones could be on the cards soon because the Ukrainian army is close to collapse. But the big question is how close?

The Military Commissar of Poltava has angered some in Ukraine by suggesting that the army has lost between 80% and 90% of the recruits who enlisted last autumn. Lots of Ukrainian Telegram Channels are talking about this. One Ukrainian said that the people had a right to know the true cost of the war. Another commentator wrote: ‘When Ukrainians learn the whole truth about this war, many heroes and idols will become traitors/enemies’. This is true enough since the high cost suffered by the Ukraine military has been hidden from the people along with the real prospects of success. RT reports on this here. But there is a human side to these statistics which is worth recording. Larry Johnson reports on an interview with a Ukrainian paramedic, Alina Mykhailova, who lost her commanding officer and felt like an orphan. ‘On losing this man’, she said, ‘whom I loved so much and with whom I had shared so much, I realised that we in the battalion were now all orphans…’. Larry also reports on an interview with a Ukrainian MP who said:

Perhaps the biggest difference from 2022 is that so many people have now died. One in two people now know somebody who has died in the fighting. I’ve lost count of the number of my friends I’ve lost.

We can lose sight of the human catastrophe that wars visit on people so it good to read testimonies like these which serve to remind us.

Last week I suggested that following Anthony Blinken’s visit to Kiev the betrayal of the Ukrainians would be sure to happen - since Blinken had called for Z to negotiate. I think this decision may have been made following the catastrophic Ukraine ‘offensive’ and the West’s failure to obtain support for Ukraine/condemnation of Russia at the G20. It is clear that the West is now expecting Z to negotiate and, as I suggested, the legacy media and discourse among politicians will come to reflect this position. However, the conflict between the different groups in the White House leaves open the possibility that the US could change its mind on its negotiating stance.

One Ukrainian Telegram Channel refers to an article in the UK Guardian which claims that Z will receive a hostile reception at the UN General Assembly if he talks about continuing the conflict and refuses to negotiate. Preoccupation with the Ukraine crisis is disrupting the work of the UN which is neglecting important social and economic issues that affect countries from the global south. These countries are becoming increasingly impatient that negotiations are not taking place to end the conflict. The channel also quotes Richard Gowan (Director of the UN International Crisis Group) who said:

If Zelensky comes to the General Assembly and the Security Council and insists that Ukraine must continue to fight and that now is not the time for diplomacy, then I think he will receive a serious rebuff.

We need to liberate our territory as much as possible and move forward, even if it’s less than [half a mile or] a hundred [yards]... We can’t lose time. Forget about the weather, and the like…

Sounding desperate, Z also said that even if his troops are unable to move due to the weather they would double down on drone attacks. These two quotes show how difficult it will be to reconcile the contrasting positions they express. But the rebuff anticipated by Richard Gowan didn’t materialise (not publicly at least) and Z received the usual applause after his speech though from a sparse audience (see below).

On the 19th September, The New York Times published an article that blames Ukraine for the Konstantinovka market bombing, which killed 15 people and injured 30 on September 6th. The timing of this article, at the start of Zelensky’s visit, is no coincidence. I think the days of good press for the Great Z are over. The legacy media has been given its instructions and will be fed appropriate material to announce. Sputnik provides a short report on this article here.

Z’s statement above about the Ukrainian offensive inching its way forward does sound rather fanatical and could be a sign of a mind that cannot apprehend or comprehend the reality of the situation. In another statement that lends support to this notion Z said:

If the Russians reach Poland, what will happen next? A third world war? Russian society has lost respect for the world. It elected and re-elected him and brought up a second Hitler. It has done that. We can't go back to the past. But we can stop it here.

Putin cannot be a dictator and, at the same time, be elected and re-elected by the people. Z, more than anyone must know why Russia is in Ukraine and that it is not using the SMO as a platform to launch Blitzkrieg against Poland. It would be no surprise if Z is losing it: he must be under unbearable pressure.

Last week I mentioned a Ukrainian sociological research project which made various claims about the popular view of the Great Z among Ukrainians. For example, polls showed that the vast majority of Ukrainians believed Z to be guilty of corruption. On the 18th September, Ukrainian Telegram Channel, legitimniy reported that the surveys also showed that 70% of those who have left Ukraine will not vote for Z and that 77% believe Z to be guilty of ‘illegal mobilisation’. The regime has also been criticised for not engaging effectively with Ukrainian refugees.

It appears that Z’s popularity within the army is also declining, according to legitimniy, with many soldiers accusing him of using the war for personal gain, intrigue, redistribution of budget funds, and purges of opposition political forces. The regime’s treatment of soldiers is also criticised and many realise that they are being used as cannon fodder for political purposes. ‘The lives of soldiers are not valued’, one soldier said. Another Ukrainian source also highlights the growing disillusionment with Z and his regime. Referring to the reluctance of Ukrainians abroad to return home, one commentator asked, ‘What kind of country have we built that we are not sure how many people will return to defend it?’.

The British Financial Times newspaper is carrying reports from Ukrainian soldiers who are not exactly enamoured with the training they have received from NATO. One Ukrainian commander went so far as to claim that NATO training is actually putting their lives at risk because it does not equip them with the tactics required to be successful on the Ukrainian battlefields. The likes of Brian Berletic, Scott Ritter and Larry Johnson are among those who have touched on this subject but this is the first legacy media article I have seen that admits to NATO’s failings in this regard.

On September 18th, the Ukrainians shelled the village of Lemeshovka in Sevsky district of Bryansk. The grain drying complex, farm buildings and a transformer of the local agricultural enterprise were damaged but no one was hurt.

According to local authorities, the settlements of Stary Khutor and Kozinka came under fire on September 17th damaging residential buildings. There were no casualties. On the 18th September, shelling intensified and on the 20th September, Masychevo, Mokraya Orlovka, Antonovka and Golovchino all came under fire from Ukrainian artillery. In the latter, according to the regional governor, several households were damaged, but there were no casualties. On the same day, Ukrainian artillery shelled the village of Maksimovka where one building was hit and its resident concussed. Ukrainian formations also carried out attacks on Bezymeno, Shebekino, Novaya Tavolzhanka and the village of Balki. One person has been killed and several injured.

On September 16th, the village of Plekhovo in the Sudzha District of Kursk came under shelling from Ukrainian artillery. “A 30-year-old man died instantaneously from a shrapnel wound and several residential buildings have been damaged", the regional governor said. Heavy shelling continued on the 18th September. The village of Tetkino also suffered a massive artillery bombardment on this day which damaged several dozen houses, cut the water and gas supplies and caused minor injuries to one civilian. The agricultural enterprise in village of Lemeshovka was also damaged by Ukrainian shellfire but there were no casualties. The villages of Guevo and Gornal also came under attack that day.

On the 16th September, in different parts of Donetsk Oblast, 9 civilians were killed (including a child) and 8 injured in artillery strikes. In the large town of Svetlodarsk, HIMARS missiles killed 7 people and caused severe destruction to buildings and cars. Over the past week, the Ukrainians have doubled the intensity of their cluster bomb attacks on civilians in Donetsk. On the 18th September, the Ukrainians launched 3 MLRS shells at Donetsk City Centre. There were no casualties, according to Sputnik.

On September the 17th, 14 manned boats were detected by Russia’s air defence heading towards Zmeiny Island. The Russians attacked with cluster munitions damaging some of the boats and causing the rest to flee.

On the 18th September, the Ukrainians attempted to land troops at Cape Tarkhankut (again) but were detected by Russian defences which destroyed two of the boats, forcing the rest to retreat. At the same time a diversionary attack on Crimea by 5 drones was detected and destroyed before any damage was caused.

Early on 16th September, the Ukrainians reported that Russian TU-22M3 bombers had taken to the skies. Shortly afterwards, explosions were heard in Konstantinovka and Kherson. Four Iskander missile strikes on Kharkov were carried out on the same day damaging a concrete products plant and an armoured vehicle repair ‘plant’. A temporary accommodation point for Ukrainian forces was destroyed in Dnipro causing many casualties. In Zeleny Yar (Zaporizhzhe), a Russian drone attack destroyed a Ukrainian Emergency Medical Centre, killing large numbers of Ukrainian soldiers and destroying at least ten armoured vehicles and an ammunition dump. The fire lasted for an hour.

The Ukrainian monitors also showed missile launches from TU-95MS aircraft on the 17th September. In this raid, according to RT, the Russians claim to have destroyed stockpiles of depleted uranium shells and Stormshadow missiles - but they do not say where they destroyed them. On the same day the Russians attacked the Kharkov plant once more along with another nearby building which was used for storing vehicles. An ammunition dump at the site was also destroyed. Elsewhere, missiles were reported to be headed for Khmelnytsky - according to Slavyangrad and Odessa was attacked once again (according to Ukrainian sources).

A raid of about forty kamikaze drones was launched across Ukraine on this day, targeting Odessa (Reni/Kiliya), Nikolaev, Poltava, Kirovograd, Dnepropetrovsk and other regions. Khmelnitsky (probably the airport) and Vinnytsia regions were also attacked by Geranium drones. Explosions were also filmed in Lvov. The Russians attacked Kharkov again on this day, according to Slavyangrad.

Warehouses in Lvov were attacked today, according to Geromanat, and a large fire was recorded.

Overnight, Geraniums attacked Ukrainian regions east of Kiev. Explosions were heard in Chernigov, Sumy and Poltava regions. In Kremenchug, Russian drones hit an Oil Refinery.

Today, early in the morning, the Russians launched massive missile strikes on targets in Lvov, Kiev, Ivano-Frankovsk, Rovno, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, Kharkov, Khmelnytsky. Power outages were reported in some areas of cities where explosions were heard. An electric power facility was attacked in Rivne in western Ukraine. Judging by the power outages, it appears that the Russians are targeting the electric grid again - as the weather starts to get colder. In Kiev, the Kiev Radio Plant was damaged, in Kharkov the water main was hit and in Cherkasy the Central Hotel was badly damaged. It is thought that foreign specialists and mercenaries were housed in the hotel.

Moscow’s air defence countered a drone attack on the Istra district of Moscow on 16th September. Tass reported that there were no casualties nor damage but it did not say how many drones were involved.

Four ‘aircraft type’ drones were intercepted near the southern and north eastern coasts of Crimea on September 17th. At 2100 hours (Moscow time) on the same day another six drones were shot down over coastal areas of the peninsular before they could reach their targets. At least another two drones were shot down over Cape Fiolent on the same day. It is thought that these are testing raids in preparation for larger attacks that are coming in the near future. After a bit of a lull, on September 20th, a total of eight Storm Shadow missiles were launched by the Ukrainians: five were intercepted by air defense systems, the remaining three fell in the Verkhnesadovoy area. Crimea was attacked again on September 21st with 19-21 drones, all of which were shot down over the mainland or the Black Sea. One report suggests that 70 drones were neutralized. Then on the 22nd a small force of two drones was destroyed over the south east coast before they could cause damage. In addition, a missile aimed at the HQ of the Black Sea Fleet was shot down. Fragments of the missile caused some damage but no casualties have been reported.

On 17th September, a drone fell on a nonresidential structure in the Zheleznodorozhny District causing damage to a gasoline tank but no casualties. Another drone was shot down on the 21st September according to Tass.

One drone was shot down on the 16th September. No casualties or damage was reported.

A drone was suppressed by electronic means over Voronezh on September 17th and fell to earth close to a bus stop at the state farm.

A drone attack on a gas station near Sochi on the 19th September set a barrel of lubricant on fire - no one was injured and the blaze was quickly extinguished.

This city, east of the Kerch peninsular and south of Rostov suffered its first drone attack in a while. The drone was shot down.

Without doing any calculations, I would say that Ukrainian drone attacks have declined this week. More accurately, reports of drone attacks have declined slightly.

Good morning. If a day passed without losses, it's a good day. We got trophies - a couple of American assault rifles, - shot down a couple of drones, defeated positions... In general, routine. It must be said that the enemy became thoughtful. It cannot be said that he is exhausted - he still has a resource - but the intensity of attacks has decreased over the past couple of days.

Much has been made of the Ukrainian ‘capture’ of Andreevka which is being celebrated by the Ukrainians as some huge achievement. But the village of Andreevka no longer exists as a village: it is now a flattened pile of rubble which can provide protection to no one. This is why the Russians vacated it. According to Boris Rozhin, both sides continued their attacks and counter-attacks on the 17th September and throughout the week. By the end of the week Andreevka was in the grey zone (I think).

The Ukrainians have been making an effort to advance towards Klescheevka this week but the Russians have repelled all attacks. Here and elsewhere on the fronts the Ukrainians are attacking with small groups of infantry and continue to take heavy losses.

On 17th September Boris Rozhin reported that the situation in this direction remains unchanged but the Russians are expecting more Ukrainian attacks soon. These attacks began in earnest on the 18th September and continued throughout the week though with decreasing intensity. All attacks have been repelled.

The situation here has been described as ‘stable’ and the Ukrainians are thought to be regrouping for another attack. By the end of the week the front was still quiet, possibly due to Ukrainian troop rotations.

On the 17th September, the Russians continued to make small gains and to halt Ukrainian counter attacks including those conducted in the forest area west of Kremennaya. The Ukrainians have used their reserves to reinforce the area but there have been no ‘serious developments’ or ‘radical changes’ in this direction, according to Boris Rozhin. But on the 19th September, according to Ukrainian sources, the Russians began offensive operations in this direction. Since then, the Russians have successfully advanced in the Sinkivka area and there have been successes in the area of Novoegorovka - according to the Military Chronicle.

Russia is experiencing a temporary shortage of gas and diesel due to refinery issues. It will be restricting exports in order to stabilize domestic prices.

Ukrainian trade official, Taras Kachka, has said that it will sue Poland, Slovakia and Hungary for banning Ukrainian grain. Kachka accused the three states of disrespecting Brussels, which is none of his business really. He also said that Ukraine will retaliate by banning Polish fruit and vegetables. Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus, said that Warsaw would block Ukraine’s bid for membership in the EU unless the conflict is resolved. Poland’s leader, Duda, went further. RT reported that in an interview on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Duda warned:

It would be good for Ukraine to remember that it receives help from us and to remember that we are also a transit country to Ukraine.

He likened Ukraine to “a drowning person [who] is extremely dangerous because he can pull you to the depths.” Ukraine is indeed like a drowning person clutching at straws or anything else it can get hold of to stay afloat. To add insult to injury Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that Poland will no longer provide military assistance to Ukraine and will look after its own security interests instead. Only days after the PM’s announcement, the Polish government reaffirmed that Poland would continue to supply arms to Ukraine under existing agreements. So, Morawiecki may have departed from his government’s script. But this incident highlights the tensions and disagreements within the Polish government in relation to Ukraine and the fragility of the NATO ‘alliance’.

Bulgaria’s leaders have agreed to end the grain ban but its farmers have been out on the street protesting, blocking highways and border crossings, according to RT. Croatia’s leader has also said that his country will not accept the import of Ukrainian grain.

On September 18th, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov compared the current economy to a “zombie” that;

…shows signs of life only due to foreign assistance, which it requires more and more of to get by…The closest analogues to Ukraine, with similar problems, are modern-day Afghanistan and Haiti. But to catch up with the current economic level of Romania and Poland, Ukraine, according to the boldest of forecasts, would need more than 30 years.

Ukrainians, i.e. those who stay in or return to Ukraine will have to deal with this.

Russia was the world’s top exporter of wheat this year, ahead of the EU, Canada, Australia, the US and Argentina.

Zelensky gave his speech, replete with the usual false allegations - some would say projections - accusing Russia of kidnapping children, genocide and acts of terrorism. He also spouted the usual fear mongering nonsense about Russian ‘expansionism’. In an effort to play on people’s fear he said:

The goal of the present war against Ukraine is to turn our land, our people, our lives, our resources into a weapon against you, against the international rules-based order.

He condemned any peace plan that required Ukraine to cede territory and called for immediate Russian withdrawal and compensation. The audience applauded and Z was given the usual assurances that everyone will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes. But the version of the speech you will see in the media has been edited to hide the fact that the Assembly Hall was half empty and that not everyone was listening. The above photo shows what the hall actually looked like.

In speeches given outside of the assembly he appeared to be questioning Russia’s right to sit on the UN Security Council with the power of veto. But some reports suggest that behind closed doors Biden is telling his pal Z to begin negotiations and freeze the war by November. Reports of Biden’s meeting with Z on the 21st September mention that they discussed Ukraine’s long term defence needs and the need to tackle corruption. There was no mention of their differences on the subject of negotiations.

Z was not given a platform to address congress but did meet with Republican House speaker, Kevin McCarthy on the 21st September in New York. At the meeting, McCarthy was non-committal on the $24 billions. Opposition from Senators such as JD Vance and Rand Paul is growing so it is not yet certain that Ukraine will receive the massive aid package Biden wishes to donate - according to Sputnik. Z did not come away empty handed though: he received a cool $300 millions in ‘security support’.

The leaders of the two countries emphasized the stability and reliability of the relations between them and said that next year their respective economies will be as strong as they were before sanctions were imposed by the West. Putin made it clear that Russia has never refused to negotiate. In relation to the use of the US supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine, Putin said: ‘There is one country that believes that it is exceptional. This is the USA. Even what she considers a crime, she allows herself to do’.

Image result for sarah ashton cirillo images Last week the Ukrainian transgender military spokesperson issued a threat to kill Russian “propagandists” (hey - does that include me!). She claimed that:

Next week, the teeth of the Russian devils will gnash even harder, and their rabid mouths will foam in uncontrollable frenzy as the world will see a favorite Kremlin propagandist pay for their crimes…Russia’s war criminal propagandists will all be hunted down, and justice will be served as we in Ukraine are led on this mission by faith in God, liberty and complete liberation.

Ashton-Cirillo has been spouting such nonsense for a long time. However, Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces have insisted that they have not approved her recent statements and have suspended her/him pending an investigation. So there are some sane people left in Ukraine.

As many as 3,600 Russians, most of whom were born in Latvia, will be deported this week for failing to take, or for failing the language exam. But this could be in violation of a decision made by the UN Human Rights Court that prohibits the expulsion of residents who have inhabited a country for more than ten years - according to Slavyangrad. If something similar happened here in the UK, there would be uproar - but maybe not if it involved Russians!

Yeah

The Evo orcs - zombie - blob

Invasion - takeover

20 yrs ago on the fr

Was locked in the same pc diversity loop

Marxism - evolution 666 brave new world body snatchers

I’m still amazed - shocked

FR - Patrick Henry

” fortuitous trial / error “

Via spontaneity - nothingness

Defies all logic - reality - sanity

Just brain washed - indoctrinated lib bots

Also

” One powerball winner from billions of tickets proves evolution is possible “

Trained sock puppets is what these dopes are

It took Ann Coulter writing a book

An Olive Garden meeting in Fresno to fix FR up

Same situation is going on now

“Here and elsewhere on the fronts the Ukrainians are attacking with small groups of infantry and continue to take heavy losses.”

But...But... Resident Zeepers assure us that the Ukies are driving the Russians back with heavy losses while getting barely a scratch themselves.
History teaches that attacking forces suffer more casualties than defending forces by a factor of 3:1.
Who am I to believe?

The truth is surfacing, no matter what western MSM will want you to believe

Do you really think any of this is "truth"? The whole thing is pure propaganda with absolutely zero balance. Considering the entire world saw video of the missile strike on the Black Sea Fleet Headquarters, how could the author write this part with a straight face? Who exactly is this guy's audience that he thinks someone would believe all this?

"In addition, a missile aimed at the HQ of the Black Sea Fleet was shot down. Fragments of the missile caused some damage but no casualties have been reported."

Shot down? Fragment?

Video of 2nd missile striking Black Sea Fleet Headquarters

Vlads missile attacks are hundreds to one of the Ukies. Just two days ago Vlad clobbered everything from Donbass way across to Lvov.. it’s been going on for four straight months. The literal hundreds of geo located video now EACH day says much more than any words.

The Ukies are getting slaughtered.

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