🇷🇺 Kadyrov – about leaving Kherson:
Surovikin saved a thousand soldiers who were actually surrounded. After weighing all the pros and cons, General Surovikin made a difficult but right choice between senseless sacrifices for the sake of loud statements and saving the priceless lives of soldiers.
Kherson is a very difficult area without the possibility of a stable regular supply of ammunition and the formation of a strong, reliable rear. Why was this not done from the first days of the special operation? This is another question. But in this difficult situation, the general acted wisely and far-sightedly – he evacuated the civilian population and ordered a regrouping.
The fact that Kherson is a difficult combat territory was known to everyone from the very first days of the special operation. The soldiers of my units also reported that it was very difficult to fight in this area. Yes, it can be kept, it is possible to organize at least some supply of ammunition, but the cost will be numerous human lives. And this forecast does not suit us.
Therefore, I think that Surovikin acted like a real military general, not afraid of criticism.
The only strategic value of Kherson is jumping off point towards Krivoi Rog and Odessa. Which are clearly out of the cards until Ugledar, Zaporizhe, Lugansk, Donetsk and surroundings are cleared up. Russia in this sense lost nothing except maybe in the western MSM delusions. They can continue killing UAF and Zato mercs in Donbass in overwhelming numbers, where they have rubble for roads, railways and electricity connections.

Posted by: unimperator | Nov 9 2022 18:19 utc | 104

🇺🇦 Ukrainian operational headquarters “South” believes that the retreat of the RF Armed Forces from Kherson may be part of an information-psychological operation to mislead the Armed Forces of Ukraine – speaker of the Operational Command “South” Natalya Gumenyuk

https://t.me/intelslava/40819

Posted by: Down South | Nov 9 2022 18:23 utc | 106

I have been consistent in my comments and views expressed here and elsewhere that a RF withdrawal from Kherson would rank as a major political and strategic defeat. It might amount to a good tactical move – another wily retreat (?) but allows the UAF to defend a river bank and deploy forces elsewhere. Like most here I have been extremely skeptical about the consistent messages in the western MSM that Russia cannot fight and its forces are being defeated. Well, if it cannot hold this piece of real estate, then they have a point. This was always key ground and to abandon it seemingly without a fight looks much like the actions of a defeated army.
There is no doubt a lot we don’t know and this might be misinformation or even maskirovka. But on the face of it – right now – it would represent the worst Russian defeat so far. I find it hard to believe that Russia could not maintain a garrison on the West Bank supported by forces on the east bank, its air force with supply via helicopter and boats. Unless it is severely overstretched.
It may be that the shiny new 300,000 man army will swing into action soon. However their morale will not be raised by the latest of a series of retreats – planned or forced.

Posted by: marcjf | Nov 9 2022 18:27 utc | 108

Something has not smelled right since the start of the whole ‘SMO’ ‘this is false opposition’ came to mind and has stuck ever since then. Russia has fought a half-assed war and now the Emperor has no clothes. You don’t win a football game by losing territory, nor do you win a war that way. I highly doubt that Ukraine will bleed out, NATO will keep pumping in manpower from all over their territories. It sucks but the current reality is that we have been had.

Posted by: Greg | Nov 9 2022 18:29 utc | 110

I fully agree with some posters about Martyanov: narcisisstic fraud, reminds me of a guy banging his hand on a table in a bar loudest- that being his “argumentation”. Faker (Saker) has become comic relief. He is in thick of events publishing musical commentary. His new “thing” is disappearing for few days “offline” before every Russian debacle (first Kupyansk/Izum and now Kherson) with long lamentations about Florida hurricanes 🙂 (where he lives).

Posted by: IGOR VUKSANOVIĆ | Nov 9 2022 18:32 utc | 112

So we all agree this retreat adds up?

Posted by: Jonathan W | Nov 9 2022 18:36 utc | 114

Scott Ritter recently said that Russia had not suspended their mobilization and he expected a much larger number than 300,000 new troops, but I read that Putin has said the mobilization is over, done, period. Anyone have any idea why Putin wouldn’t continue mobilizing and get ahead of the curve by adding about 1,000,000 troops so he could hold the land they have and advance on Odessa and Kiev? Something doesn’t seem to add up here. Ideas anyone?
Posted by: OdessaConnected | Nov 9 2022 16:24 utc | 23
Well, do you think Putin should keep some troops at home in case Russia is attacked? Russia has forces committed in other places like Syria. Right now, the forces sitting idle or on the frontlines in a holding action amount to over 500,000, and as soon as the weather turns these forces will be let loose on the Kiev Nazis in an offensive to end the Ukraine portion of this conflict (the US and NATO is another issue to be determined). Zelensky knows this, and that is why he is trying to destroy the dam and the ZNPP without regard to the civilian populations living nearby.
The US and NATO also know that the lights are about to go out in Kiev this winter, and that is why Jake Sullivan is talking to “some Russians” (?) to warn them that the US and NATO will enter the conflict directly if the MoD escalates the war, destroys the AFU and the Ukraine decisions makers, and destroys the infrastructure. The Collective West knows that the infrastructure in Western Ukraine and Kiev will be rubble after the Great Russian Offensive. All of this will be done when the conditions are right for Russia and not when the naysayers and the crybabies want it (even the one that claim to support Russia’s right enjoy secure borders).

Posted by: Ed Nelson | Nov 9 2022 18:41 utc | 116

“Remember that they are saving their best troops and weapons for the eventuality that they will have to fight NATO. So unless there is an immediate threat to the statehood of Russia, you will not see shock and awe. They are not fighting this war to impress you.”
Posted by: Victor Scarpia | Nov 9 2022 16:51 utc | 46
Best post of the week!

Posted by: RDF2 | Nov 9 2022 18:44 utc | 118

Aircraft carriers and jetfighters belong in museums. Or will soon.
Posted by: Comandante | Nov 9 2022 16:58 utc | 51
—
Thanks for your post Comandante, but unfortunately I cannot agree with this assessment.
Preferred weapon systems are inextricably tied to foreign policy objectives that underlie respective economic needs. This is one of the main reasons why the US will continue to maintain operational formations such as carrier strike groups for the foreseeable future. Fossils like the Washington’s Gunboat policy simply cannot do without it, and it is more than unlikely that every resource-rich country in the world will have hypersonic weapons.
Btw, that was also one of the main reasons why the USSR voluntarily refrained from developing stealth technologies during the 1960s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Ufimtsev
Seen from a pure military point of view, something like that is only suitable for offensive purposes, and was therefore considered politically useless by the Soviet leadership.

Posted by: Nobody | Nov 9 2022 18:54 utc | 120

Russia should have withdrawn from the other side of the Dnieper River as soon as it was clear the HIMARS were going to destroy all the bridges. The bridges being taken out were pooh poohed by many – ferries, pontoon bridges, helicopters – but that proves to be wishful thinking.
Now Ukraine may be able to hit that Crimean bridge with their HIMARS.

Posted by: Simon | Nov 9 2022 18:59 utc | 122

Dima of Military Summary thinks Jake Sullivan persuaded the Ukies to allow the evacuation process, possibly with a view to freezing the conflict.

Posted by: Jonathan W | Nov 9 2022 19:00 utc | 124

I read that the Ukrainians think the withdrawal is a trap. Could be. I remember seeing videos of 18 large Russian missile launchers heading west about 6 weeks ago. If the Ukes sent 40,000 troops and equipment to Kherson, they would have to eat a lot of long range missiles from those launchers and from the ships in the Black and Caspian seas. Plus air launched missiles. I took another look at the map of the Kherson area. Doesn’t look like a real good place for defense. Resupply would be a problem. Too many rivers and bad terrain. It appears this battle will be fought with artillery and missiles. Since Russia has the most of both, it looks good for the Russians. Not so good for the Ukrainian military. Take a deep breath and relax everybody.

Posted by: Leroy | Nov 9 2022 19:05 utc | 126

If Sullivan is really involved here, it amounts to a conceding defeat on the Ukie/Western side. Let them have their PR victory but the fact is that the Ukie side was going to get crushed.

Posted by: Jonathan W | Nov 9 2022 19:08 utc | 128

After seeing people cope for months about how Putin is secretly a genius and how the latest stupid decision is a part of his master plan I really don’t believe this is some kind of maskirovka or whatever. The only side benefiting from this war at all are the warmongering think-tanks, fossil fuel companies, the military-industrial complex, American imperialism and NATO strategists. Thanks to Russia NATO has proven it’s “usefulness” to her European client states and the US can now expect near total monopoly over the energy market of western europe in the future. I can guarantee you that champagne bottles were opened by overpaid cold war era remnant trans-atlantic diplomats when the war broke out. This conflict is more proof that the collapse of the Soviet Union has been the biggest tragedy in recent history.

Posted by: FullTimeTankie | Nov 9 2022 19:12 utc | 130

The retreat is real. As I have noted here numerous times, the Dnieper River is a logical boundary between Ukraine and Novorossia, as much as possible.
Between hostile countries, boundaries that traverse fields and forests are problematic, in that saboteurs can cross undetected easily.
“All the way to Odessa” was a nice slogan, but not gonna happen.

Posted by: Opport Knocks | Nov 9 2022 19:16 utc | 132

The purpose of taking Kherson was to use it as a bargaining chip. The backroom negotiations are already taking place. Russia will withdraw from Kherson (and possibly Zaparozhe) in return for recognition of Lugansk and Donetsk as “Russian”.
Posted by: HERMIUS | Nov 9 2022 18:55 utc | 133
They have to change constitution first. Russia can’t lose land according to the current one.
Not impossible if Shoigu becomes president.

Posted by: rk | Nov 9 2022 19:18 utc | 134

Posted by: moaobserver | Nov 9 2022 16:51 utc | 45
But, but, Gonzolo can see from his window that the Russians are winning!!

Posted by: vato | Nov 9 2022 19:23 utc | 136

“There is no doubt a lot we don’t know and this might be misinformation or even maskirovka.”
Posted by: marcjf | Nov 9 2022 18:27 utc | 120
______
Yup, a lot we don’t know, but it’s enough for armchair strategists here, paid or not, to define retreat as defeat.
This reminds me of coyote pack hunting tactics my wife and witnessed on a twilight walk with our two small dogs, both on long retractable leashes. A shuffling sound ahead (we couldn’t see) caught the dogs’ attention. One went straight for it, but it shifted beyond leash range. The other, a Lhasa, was off to the side of a small rise and started yapping frantically, then we heard scrambling and huffing sounds, pulled our dogs in and saw the coyotes, who then took off along with the “disabled” bait just ahead of us. Wily hunters, coyotes, had to settle for rabbit or raodrunner that night. Other neighbors had reported losing their pets to coyotes, so we keep our dogs leashed on trails, especially after dark. The Kherson retreat may well be maskirovka.

Posted by: Doug Hillman | Nov 9 2022 19:24 utc | 138

Posted by: vato | Nov 9 2022 19:23 utc | 151
oh. right. How are the wife and kids?

Posted by: sln2002 | Nov 9 2022 19:27 utc | 140

1. Concern about logistics and supply if the conflict stretched for a month or more + uncertainty about preservation of the pontoon bridges.
2.Possible intelligence to the effect that if the Ukrainian losses in the assault were unsustainable, the dam would be breached and the flooding would leave some Russian defence areas impossible to supply and to defend.
A question — does the Dnieper River freeze in the Kherson area?

Posted by: chet380 | Nov 9 2022 19:30 utc | 142

In Ukraine, they do not believe that Russian troops are leaving Kherson.
The “do not believe” marathon continues on the Ukrainian side:
“Some people think that they are very cunning… But we are one step ahead,” writes Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. “It’s a staged show.” The Ukrainian command commented on Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson.
The statements of the Russian command about the withdrawal from Kherson can be a “staged show”, and it’s too early to talk about the capture of Kherson, said Natalya Gumenyuk, spokesman for the Operational Command “South”.
Gumenyuk called the announcement of the withdrawal of troops from Kherson an attempt by the Russian leadership to “save face” and noted that this was not the first time this had happened. “What is now being announced [about the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kherson] is an attempt to create a certain impression that the lives of soldiers will be saved, that the civilian population will be saved – and another demonization of the armed forces of Ukraine,” Gumenyuk said.
According to her, a real military operation requires a regime of information silence, and “a staged show with the announcement of such serious and difficult decisions is a long-understood method of justifying oneself.”
At the same time, as Gumenyuk notes, the defense lines near Kherson have been created, and regular Russian troops are on the ground and are ready to defend.
The statement of the Russian command, according to Gumenyuk, may be “an element of an information-psychological operation in order to create an erroneous impression of true intentions.”

https://t.me/geromanat/3122

Posted by: Down South | Nov 9 2022 19:34 utc | 144

FILE IN: Mental disorder is a communicable disease
Russian MoD Announces Troop Withdrawal From Parts of Kherson Region to Left Bank of Dnepr River (RT)
“Moscow was unable to supply the tens of thousands of soldiers in the city, forcing them to retreat and cross to the east bank of the Dnipier River” (The Hill)
“Shoigu has apparently ordered Russian forces to leave the western bank of the Dnipro River” (France 24)
“take up defensive lines on the opposite bank of the River Dnipro” (also France 24)

Posted by: sln2002 | Nov 9 2022 19:37 utc | 146

❗️Scott Ritter, a military analyst and former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, tells Sputnik why the Russian MoD’s decision to withdraw from parts of the Kherson region to the left bank of the Dnepr River was right.
💬 “This is a decision that seemed to focus on preserving the lives of thousands of Russian soldiers over holding on to territory which has no intrinsic value in the short term. I think it was a just decision, one that was made based upon purely military objectives.”

https://t.me/Slavyangrad/19408

Posted by: Down South | Nov 9 2022 19:43 utc | 148

Didn’t Putin say, some time before all the stallings and setbacks: “This year, the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv and Odessa oblasts will join the Russian Federation.”? Not sure if it was before of after he talked about Alexander the Great and his conquests…
Theres is only a month and a half left now.
Phony war anyway IMHO, Russian stalled because these areas of Ukraine are the “most heavily fortified in the world” I heard. As if thermobaric ordnance, which Russia has and uses elsewhere, couldn’t be used against these and wipe out personnel from these in a matter of days instead of spending weeks/months to do the same without…
This plus trumpetting an anti-nazi crusade at the beginning to finally end up freeing all the captured nazis and not say another word about their trials supposed to take place…

Posted by: Mushroom | Nov 9 2022 19:43 utc | 150

Michael Hudson explains the Ukraine situation.
Hudson explains how the USA could continue financing the US military and how the IMF and World Bank are extensions of the US military used to prevent other nations from being able to grow their own food (and how US sanctions on Russia turned Russia into a food exporting nation) or finance projects that solely benefited American corporations. The current sanctions on Russia have completely backfired.
It hardly matters if Russia is retreating from Kherson, the USA has lost its global hegemony. The USA cannot win.

Posted by: Fiji Refugee | Nov 9 2022 19:46 utc | 152

Yes, you can have a frozen conflict with whole or part of your territory occupied (in this case Russian territory in Kherson). Like East Timor, the whole of which was occupied by Indonesia. Or Donetsk and Lugansk, from the Ukie point of view. Anyway, this is speculation based on the assumption that this is a deal brokered by Sullivan (as Dima believes). Just throwing it out there to answer b’s question.

Posted by: Jonathan W | Nov 9 2022 19:49 utc | 154

There’s no way to view the evacuation from Kherson as anything other than as a military disaster for Russia. Ukraine has made it clear that they still hope to conqueror all of the liberated territory, including Crimea. Capturing Kherson makes that dream a possibility, which will only embolden the neocon warmongers in the US who aren’t paying any sort of price for this war, since there is open conflict between Russia and NATO now, NATO can funnel long range armaments into Ukraine to keep the pressure on Russia to target the land bridge and other supply routes to say nothing of interrupting water supplies to Crimea all over again.
That having been said, the war isn’t over and both sides have already said that the conflict will continue, Russia says it will use the troops it evacuated in Kherson to strengthen its’ advance in Donetsk and Russia still has a freshly mobilized 370,000-ish troops that it hasn’t demobilized, yet). I suspect we’ll see Russia do it’s best to try and freeze the conflict in south of Ukraine and instead focus on a winter campaign to fully liberate the Donetsk Oblisk. After that, in April or May, we might see Russia try to attack from the North down through Belarus again or just abandon the West of Ukraine entirely and focus on just controlling the east. However, NATO isnt stupid and will keep hammering Crimea to try to get a breakthrough.
bottom line this looks like a new Syrian mess that will last another 2-3 years of grinding warfare, there’s no way the Russian, Ukrainian or Western governments can make a peace plan or even an armistice, this is a war political annihilation. Russia and the US look like they can weather this low-level warfare, but the EU and Ukraine are going to be utterly destroyed economically by this.

Posted by: Kadath | Nov 9 2022 19:54 utc | 156

Posted by: Mushroom | Nov 9 2022 19:43 utc | 167
I meant to say Peter the Great not Alexander the Great, obviously, duh…

Posted by: Mushroom | Nov 9 2022 19:57 utc | 158

Sorry this retreat doesnt make any sense unless our entire assessement of the situation is wrong.
If the russians possess all the military equipment and one of the largest armies in the world a river cant be a problem to supply the troops on the other side. No artillery or any other weapon system 30 or 50 km away can hinder 2 minute flyover by helicopters or hit a moving target such as boats. If they cant do that you have no reason to be afraid of the russian military.
So you are calling up 300.000 men for 6 or 12 month but shortly before they are ready to rumble you reatreat from the most valuable position. Doesnt make sence.
Our enemy is supposedly short of men, weaponry and ammunition. So you retreat behind a massive natural barrier which allows your opponent to defend its position easily and free up thousands of men and tanks and artillery to be transferred to the battlefield where you supposedly plan an offensive.
In order to allow more men to be deployed into a specific area you hold elections to make it part of your country. So a month later you leave the area.
So, you destroy all minor attempts by 100 or so men who try to crack the defence line but when the enemy is able to amass a 1000 men you always retreat because you wanna spare manpower.
According to our assessment the enemy is desperately foolishly attacking in order to win media-victories. But whenever it seems that they are loosing morale and are on their last legs you gift them a victory by retreating.
Odessa is the final destination, so we say. Please explain this move then.
So russia is superior and can send a 100 rockets if necessary from siberia to hit any target. Additionaly they could send hundreds of cheap drones. Enough to destroy each and every house in a town or settlement in front of you before the arrival of your first soldier. So please explain why you wouldnt be able to move forward espescialy if all soil outside from street is unpassable due to mud.
So putin and the russians concluded month sgo that the west is agreement incapable. So if sullivan offered a new deal “cherson for x” the ruusians would willingly take it.
So weapon drliveries from the west are in decline but to keep it afloat we give them big victories so that the entire west does not start to doubt their involvement.
So you try to convince the whole world that there is no need to be afraid of the old empire anymore. Yet you surrender an important city without any need.
This stuff doesnt add up and i dont believe in a 4d chess move anymore. Something about our assessment is wrong. Very wrong.

Posted by: Orgel | Nov 9 2022 20:04 utc | 160

Tbx @ 101

This isn’t on Surovikin. He inherited this mess and now has to sort it out.

Correct. Hopefully the Kherson retreat is the end of the original SMO failure and now starts Surovikin’s war. Note not phase two but a start from scratch.
You can see that he’s retreated everywhere he’s weak, Izium, Kharkov, Kherson, pushed hard on the minimum, Donbas and destroying Ukraine’s logistics. What comes next politically who knows, militarily RF will consolidate and proceed advancing from an all new plan where this time their man power can match their objective.
It took Lincoln several Generals before he found one who could win the war. From reading seems the magic quality is not just a capacity to calculate several battles ahead consolidate and move on, but an ability to see all the way ahead out to end of the war, clearly from the get go, with an almost shamanic certainty, compared to say Napoleon who for sure saw his victory but was deluded by arrogance. What’s needed is an artist general vs a craftsman. Does Surovikin know where he’s going? When you see photos of Zhukov and Konev around a map you can feel righteous confidence, you can see they know the road all the way to Berlin.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Nov 9 2022 20:10 utc | 162

Really Ed,
I know you must love CNN but I’m not American thank God. Pleased tell me were I am mistaken? The ecacuation of Kherson is a military disaster, and probably something to do with an agreement in the works with the U.S. who knows, but hoping that Russia will take out the NWO is fantasy at best.
>>It sucks but the current reality is that we have been had<<. Posted by: Greg | Nov 9 2022 18:29 utc | 122 Actually, I think you have been had by watching too much western MSM. Posted by: Ed Nelson | Nov 9 2022 18:46 utc | 131

Posted by: Greg | Nov 9 2022 20:11 utc | 164

tucenz | Nov 9 2022 19:57 utc | 176
“if the comment is critcal of Russia, Putin etc, I don’t bother reading it any further.”
Thanks for summing up perfectly the know-nothing, unquestioning, unfalsifiable, goalpost-moving, cult-follower vegetable mindset of the celebrity-worshipping Putin Yes-men. You’re the perfect mirror image of the empire-propagandized Stand-With-Ukraine dregs.
BTW according to what I read your kind doesn’t exist in Russia itself, where the people broadly support Putin but don’t worship him and still engage in plenty of healthy questioning and criticism.
I wager this questioning will increase exponentially after this debacle.

Posted by: Flying Dutchman | Nov 9 2022 20:16 utc | 166

Orgel @ 180

This stuff doesnt add up and i dont believe in a 4d chess move anymore. Something about our assessment is wrong. Very wrong.

It doesn’t add up because the SMO is a clusterfuck. Clusterfucks never add up. It doesn’t mean this war is over, the British had two years of failures in WW2 before turning it around and then to be honest the Russians and Americans turned it around for them.
What all this means is that this is now a big war, in Europe, btwn Russia and the USA. Do you want to name it WW3 yet? Is there an official somewhere with a starting gun or who blows a trumpet and sounds the start?

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Nov 9 2022 20:19 utc | 168

So guys, what will happen first?
The clever battle of the bulge style Kharkov counter attack
The clever battle of the bulge style Izyum counter attack
The clever battle of the bulge style Krasny Liman counter attack
The clever battle of the bulge style Kherson counter attack
The “alternative” blogs stop comparing every Russian retreat to clever battle of the bulge style counter attack setups
The genius military blogs stop constantly comparing the Ukraine war to past wars Russia won as the defending force even though they are the attacking force in this one
The taking off of gloves after the referenda incorporate the new territories into the RF proper, since Putin is “a stickler for legalities”
The trial of captured Azov nazis
The UAF running out of fuel, lubricants, ammo, men, weapons and underwear
Me being called a troll for venting my frustration at the facile self delusion of blog readers so desperate to believe there exists an ideological force of good on the global political stage that they will place an intensely emotional, quasi-religious belief into an overtly capitalist, overtly zionist, reactionary religion pushing, populist politician who voted for the Iran arms embargo and repeatedly and consistently voted for the starvation blockade against Yemen at the UNSC, and who prides himself on being a well liked personal friend of the crucifier of children in Saudi Arabia?
Asking so I can schedule a day off from work for my PePe “smartypants” Escobar approved DragonBearTM multipolar world order founding day parade

Posted by: ForgotMyOriginalNick | Nov 9 2022 20:22 utc | 170

So to sum up the russian idiocy in Kherson, it would be:
1 Take Kherson in march
2 Ignore massing of ukrainian for 8 months
3 Not securing the Kherson border…but still proclaim a referendum and make Kherson join Russia
4 Suddenly realize that they are unable to protect Kherson and begin an evacuation of civilians
5 Suddenly realizing there are tens of thousands of ukrainian troops massed on the Kherson border that threat russian soldiers
6 Retreat
And yeah Russia not only lost it’s own proper territory, morale but they lost thousands of russian men that were killed like cannon fodder for nothing.
What is even Russia’s goal by now? If they cannot even hold annexed regions, where the pro-russians are living, what are they then suppose to achive with this invasion?

Posted by: Zanon | Nov 9 2022 20:25 utc | 172

I must say the last few months have been pretty discouraging for those of us who would rather see a multipolar world than the triumph of GAE (Global American Empire).
The US State Department won’t rest until either they’re stopped or until every primary school has Drag Queen Story Hour and every daughter an Onlyfans account. If Russia fails and GAE triumphs, the whole world may fall into a new Dark Age, made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of (literally) perverted science.
Therefore the Russian danger is our danger, just as the cause of any DPR or LPR member fighting for hearth and home is the cause of free men and free peoples in every quarter of the globe.

Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Nov 9 2022 20:26 utc | 174

Bit of a frenzy today in the primate section. The trolls are throwing their shit like monkeys from a cage. I got my rubber apron, now where did I put that covid face shield?

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Nov 9 2022 20:28 utc | 176

Posted by: Zanon | Nov 9 2022 20:25 utc | 194
You seem awfully invested emotionally, and possibly professionally in this “mission” of yours. I like how you’ve gone out of your way in previous posts to say that this *isn’t* your profession, but with the volume of pablum you’re repeating ad nauseum here today, I’m starting to think that wasn’t true.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Nov 9 2022 20:32 utc | 178

Obviously the Kherson deputy that was killed today in a car “accident” was assassinated. As usual Russia is 1 step behind of everything.
Video of the car, or what is left of it (and this was a military shielded vehicle):
https://t.me/RVvoenkor/31485

Posted by: Zanon | Nov 9 2022 20:41 utc | 180

Thats what I mean by government. The controllers. A rose by any other name and all that.

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Nov 9 2022 20:45 utc | 182

Ukrainians seem to be more cautious about calling this withdrawal a victory than many “experts” on this blog. And Ukies should know better. One thing I know for sure is that anyone who thinks that the decision to withdraw the troops is made today needs some rudimentary lessons in military strategy.
So if this decision is not made today, why is the announcement made today when the full attention of the NATO-dom is on the US midterm election? Perhaps to blunt the celebratory PR a bit. Maybe. But I don’t think so.
In the interim, I will take the advise of Andrei (the Saker) and wait 48 hours to see how this develops. Both “the Saker” and Andrei Martyanov are army veterans and while they might not be always right, they often brought informed commentaries to the discussion.

Posted by: Steve | Nov 9 2022 20:55 utc | 184

Shoigu is killing soldiers for no reason, just to retreat later.

Shoigu is killing soldiers for no reason, just to retreat later.

The reason is that russias rulers sold their country for the foreign reserves. They’re killing their people so Russia can be dismantled and its nukes and space program destroyed.

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Nov 9 2022 20:57 utc | 186

Brian Berletic does a much better analysis of the Russian moves than anyone else here has.

Posted by: Fiji Refugee | Nov 9 2022 21:08 utc | 188

Whether the withdrawal across the Dnieper River in Kherson is a force-saving measure or a maskovoka ruse, the challenge now added to taking Nikolaev and Odessa sometime in the future is that RF will have to conduct a wide river crossing. … Doing this under fire is not optimum.

Posted by: Mummer | Nov 9 2022 21:18 utc | 190

@194 Zanon
Exactly. If they cannot hold the newly acquired territory of the Russian speaking Ukranians, then what is the point of the SMO?
They might as well evacuate all Russian speaking Ukranians back into Russia proper, incl. those in Crimea, and just withdraw to the Russian borders proper.
But they could have done that without the SMO and all the diplomatic, economic and legal problems it brought about. Really bad leadership.

Posted by: zeun | Nov 9 2022 21:22 utc | 192

A Canadian “hero” dies in Ukraine…

Premier Scott Moe shared his condolences in an emailed statement to CBC News, calling Hildebrand a “true Saskatchewan hero.”
“His death, coming just a few days before Remembrance Day, is a stark reminder of the enormous cost paid by those who bravely step forward to defend our freedoms,” he wrote.
“We must ensure his death is not in vain. Canada must do everything it can to ensure Ukraine defeats Russia and rises again as a free, independent, prosperous nation.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/man-killed-defending-ukrainian-city-from-russian-forces-1.6644569
So he died defending our freedoms… really meaning the freedom of Ukrainians and foreign war tourists to shoot at Russian speaking Ukrainians with impunity for the past 8 years.

Posted by: Opport Knocks | Nov 9 2022 21:28 utc | 194

@191 OdessaConnected
Getting tired of all this Russian bluster, all this Russian artillery, their large force numbers, their large air force, their large tank force, Terminators etc. Yet all they continually do is retreat.
The reason being that initially this Soviet style warfare worked in their favour, and it also coincided with the high-water mark of territorial gains. But now the superior NATO artillery is coming into play. NATO does not need the numbers of the Russian artillery b/c they have a completey different style. It’s one-shot-one-hit and scoot. If you look at the vids of Russian artillery, they are firing all over the place, and per chance hit objects. The fields look like a moon landscape. That type of warfare is outdated. And it is starting to catch up with them. I suspect that NATO artillery is obliterating the Russians b/c every NATO round is a direct hit. But they are hiding it from us.

Posted by: grits | Nov 9 2022 21:31 utc | 196

So much nonsense.
Is Russia more secure now than when it started the war? Before this war NATO was falling apart. There were obvious internal contradictions.
Now we have the Green Party IN GOVERNMENT in Germany supporting NATO. Finland will be a NATO member with a nuclear tripwire close to Moscow. To say that Russia is more secure is batsh*t crazy.

Posted by: No War | Nov 9 2022 21:35 utc | 198

@William Gruff | Nov 9 2022 21:29 utc | 221
Good point on the pillboxes + more.

Posted by: Norwegian | Nov 9 2022 21:38 utc | 200