Posted on 02/28/2022 8:10:18 PM PST by Mariner
A Russian military convoy that was outside of Ivankiv, Ukraine, on Sunday has since made it to the outskirts of Kyiv, satellite images show.
On Sunday, the convoy was roughly 40 miles northwest of the Ukrainian capital, according to images provided by Maxar Technologies.
Maxar said that roughly 17 miles of roadway is chocked full of the convoy, which consists of armored vehicles, tanks, towed artillery and other logistical vehicles.
The private US company said the convoy was located on the T-1011 highway at Antonov air base around 11:11 a.m local time.
Antonov is roughly 17 miles from the center of the Ukrainian capital.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Shoigu gave the generals a thrashing because of the leak of data on losses in Avdiivka.
The publication of information about the real losses of our army during the battles for Avdeevka caused a wide resonance not only in military, but also in political circles. We cannot say whether these figures reached Vladimir Putin, but we know for sure that this caused an extremely angry reaction from Sergei Shoigu.
According to our information, the Minister of Defense gathered 7 high-ranking generals and demanded that they determine where the information was leaked to the press. In our publication, we recall that we said that the capture of Avdiivka cost us 14.5 thousand dead and another 42 thousand wounded soldiers. Over two hundred tanks, hundreds of armored vehicles and artillery systems were also lost.
Rumor has it that Shoigu decided to significantly reduce the official data and put figures several times lower on the president's desk. Now it will be more difficult to do this. In any case, we hope that Vladimir Vladimirovich will be aware of the real losses of our army, because taking the city by the time of the elections is largely a political decision.
Lithuanian intelligence assessed that Russia is preparing for confrontation with NATO in the long term while also waging its war in Ukraine. Lithuanian intelligence assessed that Russia has allocated substantial resources to the war in Ukraine but maintains the means to prepare for a long-term confrontation with NATO in the Baltic Sea region.[4] Lithuanian intelligence stated that Russia has deployed forces and assets from its western border areas to Ukraine and has thus had to increasingly rely on air and naval capabilities for security and deterrence purposes on NATO's eastern flank. Lithuanian intelligence reported that Russia deployed Kalibr missile carrier ships on combat duty in Lake Ladoga near St. Petersburg for the first time in 2023, likely in response to Finland's accession to NATO, and increased the number of Tu-22M3 heavy bomber flights over the Baltic Sea from none in 2022 to five in 2023. The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service (VLA) also recently assessed that the Russian military is forming the Leningrad Military District (LMD) and Moscow Military District (MMD) in part to posture against Finland and NATO.[5]
Russian military thinkers are openly discussing how Russia can go to war against NATO in the near future. Russian General Staff Military Academy Head Colonel Vladimir Zarudnitsky claimed in a recent article in the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) journal Military Thought that the war in Ukraine could escalate into a large-scale war in Europe and that the end of hostilities in Ukraine will not lead to the end of confrontation between the West and Russia.[6]
Sweden formally joined NATO on March 7, becoming the 32nd member of the alliance. The US State Department announced that Sweden fulfilled the conditions of NATO membership and formally entered the alliance.[7]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-7-2024
Moscow recently carried out a counterterrorism operation against what it describes as Islamist radicals in Ingushetia—the smallest, poorest, and arguably most restive republic not only in the North Caucasus but also in the Russian Federation.
The Kremlin took this step lest violence in the region call into question President Vladimir Putin's claims to have pacified the North Caucasus and out of fears that such incidents will spread because of indigenous activists and their Ukrainian supporters.
Moscow's latest move is likely to prove counterproductive and lead to precisely the opposite outcomes of what the Kremlin wants.
https://jamestown.org/program/moscows-action-in-ingushetia-about-far-more-than-counterterrorism/
Why did Patrushev actually go to the Caucasus?
Nikolai Patrushev’s visit to Ingushetia is not as ordinary as it might seem at first glance. It is worth noting that it was not planned and was organized virtually on the fly. It took literally two days to prepare a meeting on regional security issues.
The head of Ingushetia, Makhmud-Ali Kalimatov, was planning a business trip, but all plans had to be curtailed.
The reason for such activity by Patrushev and the power bloc in general is the threat that hangs over the region. We have not yet forgotten the recent special operation in the city of Karabulak, where five special forces officers were killed during the liquidation of militants .
Intelligence data indicate that since the beginning of the year, at least a thousand members of military formations have been deployed to the Caucasus, preparing terrorist attacks on Russian territory. The activation of sleeping agents is recorded both in small villages and in large cities. The FSB reported that the situation is under control, but Patrushev has his own views on the risks of terrorist attacks in the regions.
By the way, it is not only Ingushetia that is under threat. Terrorist attacks can be expected in North Ossetia, Chechnya, and Dagestan. According to our information, even for Patrushev’s visit, additional precautions were taken. Additional VKS forces were brought in to escort the aircraft.
According to rumors, some of the terrorist attacks were planned to be carried out before the elections. What is most interesting is that the authorities do not say who exactly is behind the terrorist attacks. We are probably talking about the British and American intelligence services, but there are other options.
Security Alert: Avoid Large Gatherings over the Next 48 Hours
Location: Moscow, Russia
The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.
Actions to Take:
Avoid crowds.
Monitor local media for updates.
Be aware of your surroundings.
https://ru.usembassy.gov/security-alert-avoid-large-gatherings-over-the-next-48-hours/
Who drove Andrei Morozov (Murza) to suicide? We name the names
As promised, [21FEB2024 Who drove Andrei “Murza” Morozov to suicide? https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4042550/posts?page=5955#5955 ] we name those who brought our friend Murza to death. We have been waiting for a long time for a reaction from the Ministry of Defense and other competent authorities, but there is none.
We affirm with full responsibility that Andrei was driven to suicide by Yulia Vityazeva, Vladimir Solovyov, Armen Gasparyan and General Andrei Mordvichev. The first three acted on the orders of Mordvichev, who did not want his victory in Avdeevka to be overshadowed by data on the losses of our troops. Which, however, still became public .
As for the action of activists of “The Other Russia” at the VGTRK office. People with very serious shoulder straps say hello to Volodya Solovyov (by the way, they also say hello through us). If we were in his place, we would either repent publicly, or walk around and look around. This also applies to Mrs. Vityazeva and other people, God forgive me, who persecuted Murza.
They say, by the way, that Vladimir Solovyov got scared and is ready to apologize. But he began to bargain over the form in which these apologies would be made. We believe that against the backdrop of the death of Andrei Morozov, this is too little...
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/3726
Andrey Mordvichev https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrey_Mordvichev
Vladimir Solovyov https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Solovyov_(TV_presenter)
Yulia Vityazeva / Lozanova
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NewsFront_(website)
There is still an important issue.
NATO countries need to start large-scale production of artillery ammo anyway because we have to have a backup for the perhaps unlikely chance that our air supremacy is broken by some new air defense innovation.
Computer technology has taken such leaps lately that this innovation is even likely.
If we do this thing, that we need to do anyway, then now is better than a bit later, because we’ll also be able to help Ukraine.
Artillery ammo is in short supply and expensive now only because we shut down mass production.
The required funds have been collected to purchase 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine from countries outside the European Union, Czech President Petr Pavel announced on 7 March, as reported by Ceske Noviny.
The initiative comes as a response to the EU’s failure to meet its pledge of providing Ukraine with 1 million rounds of artillery by this month while Russia continues to produce more ammunition and receive support from North Korea.
Speaking to journalists during his visit to the Central Bohemian Region, Pavel stated that the aid, initiated by the Czech Republic, has garnered the support of an additional 18 countries. The munitions are expected to be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 8, 2024
Russian information space actors are intensifying their focus on covering recent events surrounding the governor of the pro-Russian Moldovan autonomous region Gagauzia, Yevgenia Gutsul, and are amplifying Kremlin narratives aimed at destabilizing Moldova to a wider audience. Gutsul returned from Russia to Chisinau on March 8 without incident and hundreds of supporters gathered to meet her at the airport.[27] US-sanctioned, pro-Kremlin Moldovan politician Ilan Shor claimed on March 7 that Moldovan authorities would arrest Gutsul upon her arrival to Moldova after the Moldovan Prosecutor General’s Office publicly stated that Moldovan authorities collected enough evidence to demonstrate Gutsul’s involvement in unspecified criminal acts.[28] Kremlin newswire TASS closely followed Gutsul’s return to Moldova on March 8, reporting that Gutsul stated that Moldova must have friendly relations with Russia and criticized Moldovan President Maia Sandu after arriving at the Chisinau airport.[29] An abnormally large number of Russian milbloggers reported on Gutsul’s return to Moldova and promoted commonplace Kremlin narratives that target the Moldovan government.[30] Such a pattern of activity could indicate a centrally directed Kremlin information operation. ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin’s intensified focus on spreading destabilizing narratives regarding Gagauzia after a recent rhetorical focus on Moldova’s other pro-Russian region, the breakaway republic of Transnistria, indicates that the Kremlin seeks to use both these regions in information operations to support hybrid operations aimed at sabotaging Moldova‘s EU accession process.[31]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-8-2024
Let’s guess where it could have come from. Egypt? Pakistan? These are two likely sources. Both of these countries have the ammo, but would they sell?
NATO countries made the mistake of neglecting artillery ammo.
Women and men work amid rows of artillery shells at the National Filling Factory during World War One. Nottinghamshire, England. 1917.
https://twitter.com/ExploringAlway/status/1766365223970013670
https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4042550/posts?page=6047#6047
A very odd message from a Russian blogger:
“There will be news about Putin's poor health and imminent death”
A high-ranking source in the Kremlin asked us to publish this post. According to him, there is “a group of influential people who want unrest” in Russia.
“There are people in the [Presidential Administration] who, let's say, would not like Vladimir Vladimirovich to remain in power for a long time. They have allies among those military personnel who strive for the speedy completion of the [invasion of Ukraine]. This group of people is now muddying the waters in every possible way,” our interlocutor said.
According to him, “soon, right before the elections, news about the poor health and even the imminent death of Vladimir Vladimirovich may be introduced. There will be other steps directed against the stability of the state. And this despite the fact that Vladimir Vladimirovich feels great and is ready to lead Russia for a long time.”
The source did not name the names of the “pests,” but said that he passed all the information about them to “wherever it is needed.” And he hopes that Putin's enemies will not use the elections to “plunge Russia into chaos.”
By the way, it was these opponents of the president, in the interlocutor's opinion, who could have injected information about the threat of terrorist attacks in Moscow through foreign embassies and diplomats.
“We are all on edge. Those who want power and are trying to harm Vladimir Vladimirovich can not only organize a terrorist attack but also, for example, send enemy drones to the capital. And I would be careful not only in the next few days, but all the time until the elections. I hope nothing happens, but vigilance has never hurt,” our source said.
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/3734
How should this be assessed?Prior to Putin's accession, a number of bombings were organized which continued with the Second Chechen War in order to raise the acceptance of Putin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Russian_apartment_bombings
Are we facing a similar turn of events in view of the Russian presidential elections in a week? Note that the Russian blogger is close to the Kremlin and this text could be a way of not blaming Putin for what might happen.
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