Apparently a 750kV substation in Zaporozhye was burnt in the latest missile barrage.
It would be interesting to see thermal infrared imagery from space of Ukraine in comparison with earlier Winters.
There is plenty of satellite of radiated visible light but I haven’t seen any of radiated heat, except for the agricultural wildfire tracker images which don’t have good NEΔT resolution.
The mild Winter is still missing many Joules. Surplus energy from de-industrialization must be Ukraine’s principle source.

Posted by: too scents | Jan 28 2023 11:50 utc | 4

A NATO command post undertook an analysis of the state of Ukranian forces following 11 months of war.
One of the important conclusions reached is that the quality of Ukranian complements continues to fall.
The primary reason is due to high losses of personnel suffered from the period of March to September.
Particularly experienced and prepared troops of the infantry, airborne, and Spetsnaz forces were practically destroyed.
In March their professional forces (that is, men who have served for at least a year) in infantry brigades made up approximately half of the unit, while if accounting mobilized personnel with any battle experience in Donbass or simply any experience in the armed forces, it rises to about 65%
By august, the professional core dropped to a remaining composition of about 20% of the element, and that of of mobilized with experience to about 35%.
Going into December, there remain only 15-20% of infantry tempered in battle, and of those, almost only remnants of mobilized forces which experienced some combat.
Remnants of experienced professional core troops has fallen to 10% of unit composition, of which in turn that number primarily consists of those who had prior service in the Soviet armed forces
In 11 months, some infantry Brigades have been reformed three times over (rotating out and replenshing personnel after suffering up to 50% losses), and today the professional core remnants are preserved by operating in command and control units behind the immediate line of contact.
Today their front soldiers are now a rotational force, constantly supplemented with rookies, and this brings about a marked decline in morale in vanguard troops
If in Spring hyper-motivated troops made up 70% of a unit, now it is safe to say that such men compose no more than a quarter of a unit.
Even in the official Corps, no more than half.
Because of this, the amount of men in mobilized waves who choose to go willingly to called upon points was about 1 in 10, including from called up reservists and Officer Corps.
They both have a shared apathy, unbelieving in a Ukranian victory and experiencing a bloody fear.
The number of men hiding from mobilization is enormous.
The situation in armored cavlary forces is somewhat different. Tank forces have preserved some 40% of their core personnel, artillery up to 65%, but even here high losses have had their effects.
Motivation here has also significantly fallen.
A large portion of extant forces in these units are motivated by vengeance for dead friends, and are often named “trade corruptionists”.
As such, primary factors in such remain faith in help and support. Deliveries of foreign technical equipment (heavy armor) and weapons reinforce the hopes that, with support from Western nations, the UF will be able to route the “Russian army”
But in the last two months, due to RF re-taking intiative and UF experiencing poor fortunes on the fronts, a shared consensus has arisen that soon NATO itself will step into the war directly, and that this factor will make or break the war
Other than the sharp fall of professionalism and motivation, NATO specialists observe serious problems in education of the populace
For two months, half mobilized forces with no prior military service have simply been impossible to train due to lack of education, skills, and discipline
As such a large part of these forces are deployed to the front with only the most basic of preparation and suffer extraordinary losses in the face of intense battles.
The more qualified ones are are trained by the alliance, up to about 3,000 men per month, but this is clearly insufficient to replace losses.
Therefore right now all commanding elements of Ukraine and NATO are at a loss as to how to form new assault Corps, in which consolidation of new heavy armor, artillery, and training of personnel must take place with existing personnel at hand.
It is specifically these forces that in Spring must become the primary armed forces of the UF in order destroy RF forces in the Herson front.

https://t.me/Slavyangrad/31109

Posted by: Down South | Jan 28 2023 12:15 utc | 6

Translated:

Summary by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine (28.01.2023)
◽️ In the Kupyansk direction, strikes by army aviation and artillery fire of the “Western” grouping of troops defeated accumulations of manpower and equipment of the 14th and 92nd mechanized brigades of the AFU in the areas of Sinovka in Kharkiv Region and Novoselovskoye in the Luhansk People’s Republic.
💥 Up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen, an armored fighting vehicle, two pickup trucks, a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer and a US-made M-777 artillery system were destroyed.
◽️ In the Krasno-Limansky direction, strikes by operational-tactical and army aviation and artillery fire of the Group of Forces “Center” defeated units of the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade, the 25th Airborne and the 95th Airborne Assault Brigades of the AFU in the areas of Vishneve of Kharkiv Region, Yampolovka of Donetsk People’s Republic, as well as the Serebryansky forest area.
💥 The enemy losses in this direction during the day amounted to more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers, an infantry fighting vehicle, two armored fighting vehicles and one M-777 artillery system produced by the United States.
◽️ In the Donetsk direction, units of the “Southern” group of troops took more favorable lines and positions in the course of successful offensive actions.
💥 During the day, more than 30 Ukrainian servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, two vehicles, a Grad MLRS unit, a Pion self-propelled artillery unit, a Hyacinth-B howitzer, two MTA-B howitzers, a US-made M-777 artillery system, and a US-made AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery radar station were destroyed in this direction.
◽️ In the South Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya directions, units of the Vostok Group of Forces continued successful offensive actions and inflicted fire on the enemy in the areas of Ugledar, Novoselka, Novomayorske of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugovskoye of the Zaporizhzhya region.
💥 Two ammunition depots and armored vehicles of the AFU were destroyed in the areas of Vodyanoye, Donetsk People’s Republic, and Nikolskoye, Zaporizhzhia region.
💥 Total enemy losses in these areas during the day amounted to up to 70 Ukrainian soldiers, two infantry fighting vehicles, three armored fighting vehicles, two pickup trucks, three D-20 and D-30 howitzers, as well as a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer.
◽️ Operational-tactical aviation, missile troops and artillery of groups of troops (forces) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation hit 86 units at firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 124 areas.
◽️ Russian Air Force fighter aircraft near Krasnoarmeysk settlement of Donetsk People’s Republic shot down a MiG-29 aircraft of Ukrainian air force in the air.
💥 Also during the day, Russian air defenses shot down nine Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the areas of Vladimirovka, Kreminna of Luhansk People’s Republic, Tabaevka of Kharkiv region, Nikolskoye of Donetsk People’s Republic and Zherebyanka of Zaporizhzhia region.
💥 In addition, eight HIMARS and Olha MBRLS rockets were intercepted in the areas of Donetsk city and Valerianivka village of Donetsk People’s Republic.
📊 In total, since the beginning of the special military operation destroyed ((+?) over preceding 24hrs):
381(+1) aircraft,
204 helicopters,
2,976(+9) unmanned aerial vehicles,
402 surface-to-air missile systems,
7,656(+12) tanks and other armored combat vehicles,
992(+1) multiple rocket launcher combat vehicles,
3,944(+12) field artillery and mortar guns, and
8,198(+7) special military vehicle vehicles.

Comment:
One MBLRS destroyed. Twelve Howitzers & Self-Propelled Howitzers(SPHs) destroyed. Comparatively high single days rate of Artillery losses.
Average AFVs & below average Vehicles destroyed. Two ammunition depots were destroyed.
Another US counter-battery radar station was destroyed. Slow day. A daily event.
Continuing destruction of ammo, fuel or arty dumps/depots rear of FEBA. Sustained high priority tasking of destruction of AFU Indirect Fire Support assets.
Sustained increase in Op tempo. Increase in targeted Locs. Sustained localized assaults & limited offensive action on multiple frontages along the FEBA.

Posted by: Outraged | Jan 28 2023 12:28 utc | 8

@Rune | Jan 28 2023 12:30 utc
This is indeed true, but history.
Few years ago Russia bought some T-34 in working condition from Laos to use them in annual victory parades.
A number of Soviet cities used to have some WW-II tanks somewhere in public places. Including Ukrainian ones. It may be the case, that those removed by Ukrainians need replacements in the new Russian territories. So may be they are buying some from Laos for this purpose.

Posted by: BG13 | Jan 28 2023 12:37 utc | 10

https://www.state.gov/significant-new-u-s-military-assistance-to-ukraine/
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
January 19, 2023
“The United States is announcing a significant new security assistance package to help Ukraine continue to defend itself against Russia’s brutal war. Pursuant to a delegation of authority from the President, I am authorizing our 30 th drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine since August 2021. This assistance package will provide Ukraine with hundreds of additional armored vehicles, including Stryker armored personnel carriers, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, and High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled vehicles. The package also includes critical additional air defense support for Ukraine, including more Avenger air defense systems, and surface to air missiles, as well as additional munitions for NASAMS that the United States has previously provided. The package also contains night vision devices, small arms ammunition, and other items to support Ukraine as it bravely defends its people, its sovereignty, and its territorial integrity.
This package, which totals $2.5 billion, will bring total U.S. military assistance for Ukraine to an unprecedented approximately $27.5 billion since the beginning of the Administration.
The United States also continues to rally the world to support Ukraine. We have seen incredible solidarity from our allies and partners, including at today’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and we applaud the more than 50 countries who have come together to make significant contributions to support Ukraine.
I am grateful to Congress for continuing to provide this increased drawdown authority, most recently under the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 that was signed into law by the President in December 2022.
Russia alone could end this war today. Until it does so, we will stand United with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Posted by: Nicolae | Jan 28 2023 12:48 utc | 12

US and EU Like Thelma and Louise. Driving Off The Cliff With The Pedal To The Metal.
Great comments section
https://sonar21.com/the-u-s-and-europe-like-thelma-and-louise-are-driving-off-a-cliff/

Posted by: jgalt | Jan 28 2023 13:20 utc | 14

It’s time now for for the Ukranians or other interested parties to not only depose Zelensky but to arrest him for the War Criminal that he is. His billions in financial assets should also be seized. Whilst his wife spends over Euros 40,000 in one hour on a Christmas shopping trip in Paris, he is sending hundreds of thousands of civilians to certain death in the meat grinder. I am beginning to wonder whether he has now become a monster greater than Hitler was. The ethnic cleansing of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia by sending them to the front, the arrest and execution of ethnic Russians in the Donbass and the fact that he is now a ruthless brutal Nazi Dictator having closed down all opposition is plain to see. My Goodness, in my lifetime I thought I would never see the day where the Collective West would support a Nazi Dictator, a Nazi Regime and the associated atrocities and ethnic cleansing associated with Hitler. My Grandparents ought in one if not two World Wars to ensure Fascism would never ever again rear its ugly head and here we are a collective West that is so consumed with hatred it has lost sight of all reason and reality and is now supporting Fascism to the hilt.
On another note, I was listening to an interview with Lt Col Douglas McGregor yesterday in which he said Arestovich had been ‘blocked’ and had not been heard of since. Now, whatever we Barflies feel about Arestovich, he did tell some painful truths but has not been heard of since Given the propensity of the Nazi Regime and Zelensky’s issues of never ending Decrees, I wonder whether Arestovich is at least alive, safe and well not in the grips of the SBU.
Let’s see if he is seen on Telegram, TV or anything else again Just sayin’
In the meantime Putin and the Russian combined Armed Forces (including Wagner) are continuing with their God given work to protect the vulnerable and the weak in these areas and hopefully, put a comprehensive end to the extreme Nazi ideals of the WEF’s One World Order.

Posted by: Jo Dominich | Jan 28 2023 13:47 utc | 16

are you sure 750kV is a “substation” ?
Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Jan 28 2023 13:36 utc | 15
—
I pulled the substation nomenclature from here:

Dniprovska Substation is a 750/330/15.75kV substation located in Dniprovska, Zaporizhia, Ukraine. The construction works on Dniprovska Substation began in 2019. The project was commissioned in 2020.

https://www.power-technology.com/marketdata/dniprovska-substation-ukraine/
Irreplaceable.

Posted by: too scents | Jan 28 2023 13:55 utc | 18

A question for the Canadian barflies. Does your country have an equivalent to the CIA or does MI6 handle such “things” for your government as a “dominion” state (or isn’t Canada a dominion country anymore)…?
Does the RCMP do the same thing as the FBI and if so, do they use “confidential informants” who get paid??

Posted by: DakotaRog | Jan 28 2023 14:06 utc | 20

From a Blog I visit.
The reality on the ground for Ukrainian troops is grim. Last year I posted a number of videos of Ukrainian soldiers who posted their pleas on social media begging the political and military leadership to provide support. Since July there have been very few such videos. A new one came out this week from a decimated company of the 144th Territorial Defense Battalion. This appears to be a legitimate plea for help and provides a bleak picture of what the Ukrainian units in the Donbas are facing:
“At the time of the large-scale offensive and armed aggression of Russia, I and hundreds of men and women joined the ranks of the 144th Territorial Defense Battalion. We were sympathetic to the lack of VVK, the lack of adequate weapons and uniforms. From February to December, about 5 shootings with AKs and training in tactics took place in my unit. Although, according to papers, we almost every day had fire training for the development of different types of weapons.
In January, we were sent to the combat zone in the Soledar operational-tactical formation. The first combat clash took place with elements of an assault, for which we were not prepared. We were without communication with the command of the mortar battery, we suffered losses in the dead and wounded. We encountered tank fire, which broke up our group.
After 2 days, without proper medical assistance, the remnants of my platoon and other platoons were again sent to the line of contact with combat contact and direct artillery shelling, which did not allow us to raise our heads. We were sent there wounded, shell-shocked, without providing the things that we had lost. We again had the wounded, and the condition of the previously wounded worsened. And besides, our base was destroyed by artillery fire.
Some of us were left without winter things, without everything that we had on at the time of the operation, that is, bulletproof vest, unloading, machine gun. Some of us have in our hands hospital certificates about the need to be released from duty for 5 days.
None of us refused and does not refuse to perform combat missions, most of us are simply not combat-ready due to injuries, lack of support, communication and coordination.”
https://t.me/azmilitary11/35112

Posted by: jgalt | Jan 28 2023 14:26 utc | 22

@DakotaRog 20
Yes Canada does, it’s called CSIS. From government website:
CSIS is at the forefront of Canada’s national security system. Our role is to investigate activities suspected of constituting threats to the security of Canada and to report on these to the Government of Canada. We may also take measures to reduce threats to the security of Canada in accordance with well-defined legal requirements and Ministerial Direction

Posted by: Miclo2 | Jan 28 2023 14:36 utc | 24

Posted by: too scents | Jan 28 2023 13:55 utc | 18
Interesting. I simply read that there is a 750kV line from Poland into Ukraine and thought that was what voltage they wheeled across the grid before sending to 330kV substations.
750-kV-Leitung Rzeszów–Chmelnyzkyj which runs to a Ukrainian nuclear power station and was initiated 1985.

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Jan 28 2023 14:44 utc | 26

14 civilians killed and 24 injured in Lugansk hospital himars attack.
Another himars attack in Donetsk only destroyed some buildings but petal mines also exploded a child.

Posted by: rk | Jan 28 2023 14:47 utc | 28

CSIS and RCMP are political tools of the Canadian state. They entrap people in crimes invented by the state, like the Toronto 18. They target anti-war and indigenous activists. RCMP was born out of crushing indigenous resistance to the creation of Canada. Most CSIS agents are exceptionally dumb too; opportunists with a three year ‘political science’ degree who are only hired because they have already internalized the doctrinal imperative of Canada’s elite: total subservience to US power. CSIS was complicit in torture in Afghanistan, and in the Omar Khadr case. The media cites CSIS all the time as if it’s some authoritative source on anything.

Posted by: Ringo | Jan 28 2023 15:08 utc | 30

Régis Le Sommier shared some bits of his experiences with Russian troops. Here‘s another interview of him.

Posted by: Typic | Jan 28 2023 15:30 utc | 32

Looks like no NATO membership for Sweden and Finland. They should thank Erdogan.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/30424
❗️ Negotiations between Turkey, Sweden and Finland on a NATO bid have been postponed indefinitely at Ankara’s request, a source stated to RIA Novosti

Posted by: Norwegian | Jan 28 2023 15:44 utc | 34

The question is what happens after this war. Assuming Ukraine loses and is partitioned. The only way I see that not happening is if Russia keeps avoiding it.
In that case, either there is a revival of relationship between EU and Russia, or there is not.
1. If there is no attempt to return to business as usual between EU and Russia, there is no way to avoid a NATO Russia war. There is just too much investment by NATO and EU against Russia, and the desire to finish Napoleon’s and Hitler’s dream is too strong. Nuclear war is inevitable in this case.
2. If relations improve, then EU will have to break away from US . There is no way neocons can remain in the same room as Russia. This is very remote IMO. Except if Germany declares its sovereignty and gives a middle finger to the neocons. There would be mass assassinations in German political class in this case.
A UK tabloid reports that Russia is now buying a batch of WW-II era T-34s from Laos.
The Brits are evil. They murdered hundreds of millions in India by causing famines and tens of millions of Native Americans.
There is a gap between their self image and reality. That they are no longer world rulers hasn’t sunk in yet completely.
They were able to rule the world because they stole all the tax revenue from India and used it’s manpower to man the imperial army.
One hopes karma is coming back for these evil anglo people.

Posted by: cafe con leche | Jan 28 2023 15:53 utc | 36

Thanks for all the answers and comments on the Canadian CSIS and RCMP. The reason why I was asking is that I’m a member of an “outdoors” forum centered in North America, probably has over 10,000 or more registered people, although maybe 500 actively post a lot. Most of these people are conservative men but there is certainly a sub group of us who aren’t buying all the lies the various western governments are telling anymore. I’ve also tried to stress what 5th generation warfare includes such as information manipulation and control.
I’ve brought up the Ukrainian War many times and there are a few others on the forum who attack me for not being patriotic and a “Putin lover”. But the most vocal is a guy out of the Ontario “bush” who constantly attacks me by calling me a “traitor”, a “commie”, and a few weeks ago that “people like me should probably be hung from light poles”. I find his attacks mostly humorous. This guy claims to be a retired railroad worker and is very good at the “outdoor” endeavors that are the main part of this forum. He’s not dumb, we got into a petrodollar discussion at one point, but I can’t figure out if he’s just one of these people who has to be right and have the last word AND massively a Canadian empire nationalist OR is also a paid troll by Can security services to influence this forum. He posts a lot!! I think it could a perfect set up, a guy who does the outdoor thing but also a security service asset getting paid to influence a particular mostly conservative forum. Maybe I’m crazy and this guy is just a boorish wingnut but who knows nowadays…

Posted by: DakotaRog | Jan 28 2023 15:56 utc | 38

Dakota Rog @20
There is also the Communications Security Establishment (what a name, and this is five-eyes territory.) Definition – “CSE is Canada’s national cryptologic agency, providing the Government of Canada with information technology security and foreign signals intelligence.”
https://twitter.com/cse_cst
Something for your second question:
“The withdrawal of $475,000 in cash by the man who killed 22 Nova Scotians in April matches the method the RCMP uses to send money to confidential informants and agents, sources say.”
https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/the-nova-scotia-shooter-case-has-hallmarks-of-an-undercover-operation/

Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Jan 28 2023 16:00 utc | 40

@Vikichka | Jan 28 2023 15:53 utc | 36
⚡️⚡️⚡️Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said that against the backdrop of the recent protests, the process of the country’s accession to NATO has been suspended.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/31166
They still blew their neutrality. Now they stand naked.

Posted by: Norwegian | Jan 28 2023 16:05 utc | 42

” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto’s remarks that the Third World War would erupt if Russian tanks reached Kiev and “the borders of Europe”, and that the weapons sent to Ukraine were meant to stop the escalation. Medvedev equated his remarks to the calls from the United Kingdom to provide Kiev with all the weapons NATO”
On the above its the West/Europe that’s fuelling this war, a war created entirely by the West/Europe and encroachment towards Russia.
https://tass.com/politics/1568437

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 28 2023 16:18 utc | 44

Russia is braced for a huge cyber attack from Kiev after learning this.
“the other day it became public that Kiev had joined the NATO cyber defense center in Tallinn.”
https://tass.com/politics/1568359

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 28 2023 16:22 utc | 46

@35 The UK has had 14 Challenger tanks in Poland since last July. It’s part of some complicated swap deal. They probably won’t be going into Ukraine just yet.
Zelensky seems to think this tank force is going to make a dash to Crimea. He may find the Polish contingent only gets as far as Lviv.

Posted by: dh | Jan 28 2023 16:26 utc | 48

Brussels is threating Serbia, its an EU candidate, that it must impose sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine.
However.
“During a visit to Turkey, Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic stated that imposing sanctions against Russia would be a wrong move that would harm the country.”
https://tass.com/politics/1568351
Could anyone ever look at Europe, well most European countries again, and think of them as reasonable after the almost pogroms against Russians, their children and businesses from EU residents who’ve blindly bought into the Nato lies, not to mention US social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram suspending their hate crime policies to allow users to speak about and call for the deaths of Russians.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 28 2023 16:29 utc | 50

“Another Ukrainian heinous war crime. 14 civilians killed in a hospital by US-supplied missiles. And as we know from Ukrainian officials the targets of HIMARS are agreed by Washington. So it makes the US directly complicit. US taxpayers should be aware of how their money is useds” – Permanent Representative of Russia to UN Polyanskiy
twitter.com/Dpol_un/status/1619351009473744898

Posted by: rk | Jan 28 2023 16:37 utc | 52

@Et Tu | Jan 28 2023 16:05 utc | 40
Many thanks for the link to Maria Zakharova’s video. This is extremely powerful.

Posted by: Norwegian | Jan 28 2023 16:42 utc | 54

DakotaRog@37….always be wary of those guys type guys, although he does sound boorish.
All comms in all forms are open to surveillance now. So your group will already be compromised. Take care.

Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Jan 28 2023 16:49 utc | 56

@Vikichka | Jan 28 2023 16:19 utc | 44

How do Norwegians inofficially feel about it considering their centuries old spat with Sweden?

I can only speak for myself. I think Sweden and Finland have demonstrated extreme stupidity and shown they were not sincere in their neutrality. I am skeptical by nature and knew it wasn’t for real, but I never thought they would fall this deep.
I say this not to excuse my own country. What the Norwegian government is doing (sending Leopards to Ukraine) is comparable to what the Quisling government did during German WWII occupation, sending soldiers to fight with the Germans against the Soviets. Quisling was arrested, convicted and shot after the war.

Posted by: Norwegian | Jan 28 2023 16:53 utc | 58

At least one European leader has decided that he will not allow the EU to foist fuel hardships on his citizens and businesses to satisfy Biden and Zelensky.
“Hungary says it will veto any European Union sanctions against Russia that affect nuclear energy after Ukraine called on the 27-nation bloc to include Russian state-run nuclear power giant Rosatom in the list of sanctions.
In an interview with state radio on Friday, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban reiterated that nuclear energy “must obviously be vetoed”.
“We will not allow the plan to include nuclear energy into the sanctions be implemented,” he stressed. “This is out of the question.”
Ukraine has called on the EU to include Rosatom in sanctions but Hungary, which has a Russian-built nuclear plant it plans to expand with the Russian energy company, has firmly opposed the move.
EU-member Hungary has repeatedly decried the bloc’s sanctions against Russia and has said that the measures failed to weaken Russia and on the contrary resulted in an economic crisis in Europe.”
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/01/27/697073/EU-Ukraine-Russia-veto-Viktor-Orban

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 28 2023 17:02 utc | 60

Due to mass mobilization in the city of Rivne, there is a shortage of municipal workers and drivers of public transport.
Local officials say there is an acute shortage of electricians, tractor drivers, mechanics, engineers, technicians, and janitors. Also, the Infrastructure Department continues its unsuccessful search for public transportation drivers. According to media estimates, the city’s fleet lost 30 percent of its drivers in 11 months.
Amid complaints from residents, officials are raising these issues in the media to shift the blame to military recruiters who have created problems for the city.

https://t.me/Slavyangrad/31164

Posted by: Down South | Jan 28 2023 17:05 utc | 62

Whether correct or wild speculation this is intriguing. RF trying to create Cuban Missile Crisis tensions to throw the USA off balance and refocus world attention? It didn’t occur to me or anyone here how notable that the Gorshkov changed its claimed route twice to head to the place of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The USA will not take the bait and will ignore it of course.
People in the USA was there any info in the media there of an RF nuclear missile frigate off the USA’s south eastern coast? I bet not, I bet the media was told to nix this story.
It’s a Caribbean Crisis 2.0 ZIRCON Hypersonic Missiles were Put on Alert off the Coast of the US

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 28 2023 17:11 utc | 64

Posted by: marcjf | Jan 28 2023 16:41 utc | 52
The RF it seems to me has the strategic initiative just now but is not taking advantage of it. Perhaps their High Command prefers a long, slow, drawn out war of attrition. That does not however seem a good way to win a war against NATO as it gives space and time for it to mobilise economically; and let’s face it, Russia needs to be able to point to some undeniable victories in the near future.
———
I don’t agree with your last two points.
What does NATO have that they can mobilize economically? They have no money, no resources, and no industry base! Unlike WW2, when Europe could look to Uncle Sam for an industrial base of support, China is now the industrial powerhouse. NATO is being drained of the few resources they have through this grind by Russia.
And why on earth does Russia have to point to some undeniable victories? This isn’t the Peoples Choice awards. The west is running a publicity campaign, Russia is disarming Ukraine as per their mandate.
If Russia needs to point to a win, they can point to many; the fact that the western nuclear option (SWIFT, sanctions) failed, or that Saudi publicly stated they are prepared to sell oil in alternative currencies, to name a few.

Posted by: Buddy The Cat | Jan 28 2023 17:17 utc | 66

A new problem of the Office of the President is the association of relatives of military personnel into certain active public structures that begin to talk about problems in the army and the country. Speak out in defense of their husbands, sons, etc.
Soon they will begin to massively go to demonstrations and rallies, they will be joined by other relatives who are waiting for their own from captivity or looking for the missing person, and their officials are “footballing”.
They will be joined by the military, whom the system has thrown, and now he is an invalid running around the offices to prove his right to a pension and payments.
The situation will grow.
On Bankova understand. They are even working on the concept of anti-crisis, which consists of:
1. Use the SBU, intimidate, silence. Discredit relatives, start branding them as traitors.
2. Move the arrows, finding a scapegoat, perhaps someone in the Moscow Region from the conditional group of Zaluzhny (start kicking his people out of the army).
3. Ignore, block the dissemination of this information and problems.
Watching…

https://t.me/legitimniy/14663

Posted by: Down South | Jan 28 2023 17:18 utc | 68

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Kiev needed to defend European values. “We stand by Ukraine’s side without any ifs and buts.”
She said Ukraine “is fighting for our shared values, it is fighting for the respect of international law and for the principles of democracy and that is why Ukraine has to win this war.”

Thats really funny. Reminds of this after Stalingrad 1943.

On 3 February at noon, the OKW had a special report read out on Großdeutscher Rundfunk declaring that the 6th Army had fought “to its last breath under the exemplary leadership of Paulus”, but had succumbed to “superior force” and “unfavourable conditions”. It was declared a historic “bulwark” of a not German, but a “European army” that had led the fight against communism on its behalf.

Posted by: Vikichka | Jan 28 2023 17:25 utc | 70

Down South @ 64
NATO is ready for a direct confrontation with Russia, but the alliance must rearm, the head of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said in an interview with the Portuguese RTP. In his opinion, Russia’s strategic aims are beyond the borders of Ukraine.
Republicofscotland @ 43
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto’s remarks that the Third World War would erupt if Russian tanks reached Kiev and “the borders of Europe”, and that the weapons sent to Ukraine were meant to stop the escalation. Medvedev equated his remarks to the calls from the United Kingdom to provide Kiev with all the weapons NATO”
2 + 2 = WW3.
Seeding of the next narrative, manufacturing consent for NATO-Russia war. Stock up on canned food.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 28 2023 17:28 utc | 72

Information resources in Ukraine are enthusiastically discussing the format of the coming counteroffensive. In particular, it is reported that Zaluzhnyy suggests organizing a “double” counteroffensive in the spring to stretch the Russian army’s forces. One group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces should attack in the south, while the second group should organize an additional strike in the direction of Severodonetsk to capture Svatove and Kreminna, creating pressure on Luhansk.
At the same time, it is reported that Zaluzhny in his proposal opposes the Pentagon, which allegedly demands from the Nazis, a concentrated strike in the Zaporozye direction to dissect the Russian grouping and force it to retreat to Crimea. But the AFU chief has a different point of view.
If talk of a spring offensive by the AFU should light a light at the end of the tunnel for the dull Ukrainians, or hang a carrot in front of them that they will never reach, then reports of Zaluzhny arguing with the Pentagon and with his provider and protector Mark Milley, without whom he would have been devoured long ago, should show that he is not an American puppet but an independent military commander. Such a classic stubborn Khohol, who is his hetman and cannot be bent. In other words, the media promotion of the general continues.
But apart from the information programs, the question of what to do now remains with the Banderites. Ukrainian sources report that the Pentagon has proposed to Zaluzhniy a defensive strategy along the entire front line to wear down the Russian army’s offensive momentum before the spring counteroffensive. To do this, the AFU must impose battles for every town/village. Western military analysts believe it is important “to tie up the enemy in small battles, which will not allow him to use the experience of the Kharkov offensive operation by the AFU with deep flank breakthroughs, and small local victories will only wear down the Russian army. Meanwhile, the reality is that the Bakhmut direction alone has all but eaten away at the 40,000-strong grouping released from near Bakhmut. Which is unsurprising, given the multiple hardware advantage of the Russian forces. If such battles are unleashed along the entire line of contact, the AFU will be finished, perhaps even before the touted spring offensive.
There are reports that the West is preparing an information campaign against the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Progozhin, which aims to weaken his influence in Russia. Washington is alarmed not only by the combat success of the fighters of the Russian PMCs but also by the fact that it has become a kind of laboratory for the creation and refinement of some effective models that can be extrapolated to other Russian structures. At the behest of their masters, the technologists at Bankova have already launched an information campaign in the Russian telegram feeds, intending to discredit Prigozhin. In particular, they seek to portray him as a contender for supreme power in Russia.

https://t.me/Slavyangrad/31187

Posted by: Down South | Jan 28 2023 17:39 utc | 74

Who was determining matters before?
Posted by: Bill Smith | Jan 28 2023 17:39 utc | 74
It was the idea that negotiations are over, now it’s the army. You can find the video translated on youtube but it’s very long. This part is somewhere in the first hour I think

Posted by: rk | Jan 28 2023 17:43 utc | 76

Why the meat grinder? Pentagon’s idea:
…But apart from the information programs, the question of what to do now remains with the Banderites. Ukrainian sources report that the Pentagon has proposed to Zaluzhniy a defensive strategy along the entire front line to wear down the Russian army’s offensive momentum before the spring counteroffensive. To do this, the AFU must impose battles for every town/village. Western military analysts believe it is important “to tie up the enemy in small battles, which will not allow him to use the experience of the Kharkov offensive operation by the AFU with deep flank breakthroughs, and small local victories will only wear down the Russian army. Meanwhile, the reality is that the Bakhmut direction alone has all but eaten away at the 40,000-strong grouping released from near Bakhmut. Which is unsurprising, given the multiple hardware advantage of the Russian forces. If such battles are unleashed along the entire line of contact, the AFU will be finished, perhaps even before the touted spring offensive…
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/31187

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 28 2023 17:48 utc | 78

” So it makes the US directly complicit. US taxpayers should be aware of how their money is useds” – Permanent Representative of Russia to UN Polyanskiy
twitter.com/Dpol_un/status/1619351009473744898
Posted by: rk | Jan 28 2023 16:37 utc | 51 ”
If true then Russia looks like an impotent fool because all they do is complain about their citizens getting slaughtered and never render ” payback”.
For instance the US “accidentally” bombed a Chinese embassy years ago, Why doesnt Russia get creative ?

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Jan 28 2023 17:52 utc | 80

A video from the body cameras of some eluminated members of Kraken unit,who intimidated their military personnel is circulating on the network
This video confirms that the Kraken fighters act as detachments that do not allow ordinary fighters to refuse to perform combat missions.

https://twitter.com/JohnEdgarCarter/status/1619391732214542338
Video embedded in Tweet. Semi graphic. The video cuts as the shooting starts so you don’t see the actual execution.

Posted by: Down South | Jan 28 2023 17:59 utc | 82

Turns out even a ‘gas station masquerading as a country’ can be deadly if you’re grinning like a fool while smoking next to the gas tanks.

Posted by: Boo | Jan 28 2023 18:02 utc | 84

Prior to 2014 Moscow and Kiev had good relations but then, with CIA and MI6 founding and meddling, the coup happened – Euromaidan. The dummy government started a process of desovietification and derussification, basically outlawing the communist party and several russophilic parties.
Additionally, Russian language, which was very widespread in Ukraine, even in Kiev, begun to be discriminated and Ukrainian being heavily favoured. This was not a problem in Kiev or Lwów but was one in Crimea, Donbass and, in general, the region that’s known as Novorossiya because the language of people’s forefathers was being eliminated in favor of a minority language – Russian was the native language of the great majority of people in Donbass and Crimea.
Banning loved parties and discriminating languages stired conflict up. Crimea decided to join Russia because since this was a peninsula, Ukrainian army couldn’t prevent the annexation and Donbass decided to take up in arms because Ukrainian army, mainly neo-nazis of Azov Battalion and Right Sector, were able to stop these oblasts from joining Russia. This was an ongoing conflict since 2014 with russophilic rebels. A peaceful resolution was drafted but was never implemented.
In essence, one reason for the start of the special military operation responded to the grass-root desire of many people in Ukraine’s eastern oblasts to escape the far-right government of Ukraine that discriminated people’s believes, ideologies and cultures.
All know that NATO is a terrorist organization with millions of deaths upon its shoulders. Its officials are thugs. All know why NATO was created : Keeping Russians out, Americans in and Germans down. After the unfortunate dissolution of the soviet union, NATO was not dissolved because its objective was not fulfilled : Moscow hadn’t bowed down to Washington. NATO has always pursued western hegemony and Moscow stood in the way. Kievan regime flirted with joining EU but most worrisome, flirted with joining NATO. This was an undeniable security concern for Moscow : An organization that so deeply desires to annihilate itself at the doorstep. The baltic states joining was already a HUGE concession, Ukraine couldn’t be surrendered.

Posted by: Consistent Drive | Jan 28 2023 18:07 utc | 86

Et tu no. 40
If only the west had such articulate speakers and politicians.
But look what we are lumped with. A bunch of silly, childish, lying hypocrites.

Posted by: ThusspakeZarathustra | Jan 28 2023 18:08 utc | 88

Good to see some of the Russian and Ukrainian telegram reporters reporting in English are starting to correct their erroneous use of the false cognate “direction”. Of course, in some contexts it is the appropriate word, e.g. where movement is implied. I wait impatiently for tardier ones to follow suit.

Posted by: petra | Jan 28 2023 18:18 utc | 90

reply to 80
It’s strange to hear the Pentagon’s supposed strategy because it looks no different from what Ukraine is already forced to do: be defensive, fight for every town. If I was Zaluzhny, I’d feel insulted
They should have done mobile warfare as Russia does, not fighting for every inch of territory – but it’s too late. They’ve lost too much armor and men.

Posted by: Eighthman | Jan 28 2023 18:48 utc | 92

Berlin will initially send fourteen tanks and, then, the total supply by the end is intended to be eighty-eight.

Neo-nazis use 88 as an abbreviation for the nazi salute. H is eighth in the alphabet, whereby 88 becomes HH.
Often, this number is associated with 14, E.G. 14-88 or 1488. This number symbolizes the fourteen words coined by David Lane, a prominent white supremacist.

Posted by: Fyre | Jan 28 2023 18:58 utc | 94

@Colin | Jan 28 2023 11:24 utc | 2
@Colin | Jan 28 2023 11:32 utc | 3
The most fascist country in history is the USA.

“The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism—ownership of Government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.
The second truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if its business system does not provide employment and produce and distribute goods in such a way as to sustain an acceptable standard of living.” Roosevelt Franklin D. US President (1938-04-29). Message to Congress on Curbing Monopolies.

To avoid this, the USA has merely redefined how fascism is seen. As an aside, it is also strange to see a country with more of it’s citizens incarcerated and under judicial supervision than any other totalitarian state in history talking about liberty and freedom, especially when it has the world’s largest percentage of extreme poor and a rising level of people without “an acceptable standard of living”.
It is also worth refreshing your understanding of genocide.
Genocide, as defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention) and enforced by the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Duty to Protect (refer https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide.shtml) and cited on the above Website as:
Definition
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Article II
In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
1 Killing members of the group;
2 Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
3 Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
4 Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
5 Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
While not as bad as Israel, the Ukraine has engaged and is still indubitably engaged in 1, 2, and 3 above, against people of Russian and Hungarian origin.

Posted by: Hermit | Jan 28 2023 19:14 utc | 96

It’s not just the EU politicians, it’s the EU electorate too. They want war and devastation they will get. Now, how do I avoid this shit the idiots are bringing down.
The long-time Russophobe Petr Pavel (yes, that is his real name) wins the Czech presidential election
The second round of the presidential elections in the Czech Republic by more than 15% wins the old enemy of our country, ex-Chairman of the NATO Military Committee – General Petr Pavel, who was promptly congratulated by Zelensky, apparently expecting a change in the Czech policy on the issue of Leopard supplies. However, his rival Andrej Babiš also had no particular sympathy for Russia.
“Only pressure and the language of force apply to Russia at the moment. I do not mean threats, but a confident force that will clearly establish barriers beyond which it must no longer go,” Petr Pavel said in an interview with the Czech publication iROZHLAS on May 9, 2022. 
As far back as 2016, as chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, Pavel put the threat from Russia on a par with international terrorism and extremism. Today, he calls on Europe to actively support the Kiev regime. General Pavel’s militaristic campaign slogan is: “It’s time to use the big guns”.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/31206

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 28 2023 19:18 utc | 98

Yesterday’s Weekly Briefing by Maria Zakharova had one of the longest Q&A sessions I’ve seen, 41, after 14 main points covered in here briefing. Out of all that, I chose the following Q&A to share here. Yes, there’s additional context to the answer as Maria notes the reader will need to discover.

Question: I would like to ask a question from the Italian NGO Humanity within the War. It was asked by the President, Professor P. Pasculo. He is the son of an Italian soldier in Donetsk, who later became an anti-fascist, he was saved by a Russian woman. Preserved spelling and spelling style:
“We know that the Russians paid the biggest blood debt in World War II, and there was no hatred for the soldiers who, despite them, were sent to Russia by villainous governments.
NATO is aggressive. What can Russia do, what sacrifices or renunciations is it willing to make to save the world and bring peace, knowing that the West will not appreciate it?”
Maria Zakharova: Today I partially answered this question. No matter how you think that times are changing, humanity is progressing, this is a controversial topic. By and large, no advances in science and technology change human nature. The problems of humanity remain the same: what is good and evil? What is more important – love, compassion, mutual assistance, respect, support or benefit, self-interest, comfort, etc.?
To the question of what our country can do, what sacrifices or renunciations it is ready to make in order to save and bring peace, Russia answers right now, every day. It did not begin on February 24, 2022, but much earlier. In our history, we have always answered the same questions.
In the twentieth century, the response was global. They thought that mankind would have enough of this answer for a long time. But see, the memory seems to be getting shorter. Perhaps because there are a large number of means of storing information, a person does not need to keep so much in mind, everyone forgets about what happened 50, 60 or 70 years ago. Unfortunately, the memory of those times evaporates. People are leaving, family members who remembered. Reading a book or going to an encyclopedia, going to the library is not a part of our lives today. There are a lot of fakes on the Internet, propaganda works.
It so happened that once again in its own and world history, Russia is again forced to answer the same questions. She made her choice. It was also done by the Russian people to preserve the civilizational values that are the true property of our planet, humanity, what we have just talked about: love, mutual respect, respect for ancestors, glorification of true heroes, anathema to traitors and enemies who destroy people. The most important factor is the desire and ability to stand up for those who, with absolutely no reason to do so, have been shamelessly subjected to trials and tortures for many years. Russia is now answering all these questions not only to the world community, but also largely to itself.

Again as it was announced over 80 years ago, Russia fights to establish the Four Freedoms, the same freedoms the Outlaw US Empire/NATO now wish to destroy and replace with “rules” that will never allow them to flourish.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 28 2023 19:22 utc | 100