Putin’s cannon fodder, their commanders housed them next to explosives. A few HIMARS blew it all up, with Russian dead put as high as 400/
Took a lesson from the Joetato admin, I see.
“In almost every category of equipment, the Ukrainian army is significantly stronger today than it was in February, and it will keep getting stronger. About 20,000 Ukrainian personnel have now completed advanced training in NATO countries, according to a Ukrainian state news agency, and thousands more will do the same in 2023.
In the coming months, the war could become horrifically bloody if Russian generals continue to send large numbers of poorly trained soldiers into combat. Still, Ukraine has most of the advantages that typically decide a war. Its forces will be better trained, better led, and, with the West’s help, far better armed. And most Ukrainians’ determination is likely to remain strong, in part because they don’t have any choice but to win.”
https://freerepublic.com/tag/jakeepstein/index
Jake is embarrassed to be seen with himself out in public.
Tangentially on topic-——is any of this giving Biden’s inner circle ideas? Presidents nearly always get a big approval boost from war. Will Biden escalate now to distract us from his illegal placement of documents?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13MBwNsFWLs
Update on Russian military operations in Ukraine for January 13, 2022.
- Russian advances near Soledar and Bakhmut contradict “Ukrainian offensive momentum” narrative;
- Russian operations are consistent with the “demilitarization” objective for the special military operation;
- Bakhmut & Soledar are fortified cities along one of Ukraine’s last defensive lines in the Donbass region;
- West is announcing plans to send Western main battle tanks including Challenger 2 and Leopard 2 tanks;
- Challenger 2 and Leopard 2 tanks use different ammunition & both require an additional crew member (loader) increasing training demands for Ukrainian forces;
- The large variety of equipment the West is sending will create additional burdens for Ukrainian forces without any notable benefit;
- Western main battle tanks have proven to be vulnerable to (Russian-made) modern anti-tank weapons even under relatively ideal conditions;
- Ukrainian forces will be going into battle without sufficient artillery or air cover and facing off against Russian forces reinforced with an additional 300k men, new defenses, and an influx of new weaponry;
https://sonar21.com/us-army-vet-from-iowa-rats-out-ukrainian-corruption/
US ARMY VET FROM IOWA RATS OUT UKRAINIAN CORRUPTION
Meet Ryan O’Leary. He currently is in the Bakhmut area of operations fighting under the command of Ukrainian officers. Mr. O’Leary is not happy. He is a 34 year old alumni of Carroll High School in Iowa and a National Guard veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He reports that his unit is undermanned and lacking in heavy weapons because “they’ve gone missing.” In other words, the weapons are being sold on the black market. O’Leary blames the logistics problems on the corrupt, criminal behavior of his Ukrainian chain of command — from the Major General to his Captain. He specifically calls out a Captain Baroda, noting that Baroda traffics in a host of illegal narcotics.
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I fear that young Mr. O’Leary has signed his death warrant. Men like Captain Baroda will retaliate in a very brutal way against anyone who interferes with their “entrepreneurial” activity. At some point the U.S. legislators, media and public need to wake up from their delusional dream that Ukraine is a budding democracy fighting for truth and justice and realize it is a kleptocracy celebrating a neo-Nazi ideology. President Zelensky and his general, Zalushny, have sent the cream of Ukraine’s youth into a slaughterhouse while depriving them of the supplies, ammunition and weapons required to fight the Russians.
It is a tragedy that Ryan O’Leary has traveled so far from the bucolic farms of western Iowa to learn a very hard truth. I hope he survives.
Proxy wars are mainly conducted with propaganda “brought to you by Pfizer.”
Meanwhile Karkiv and Kiev are dark and frozen.