Ukraine's Zaluzhny Is Back And Asking For More Weapons
Last December the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, talked with The Economist. He asked for more weapons which, he said, would allow him to throw the Russian forces out of Ukraine:
I know that I can beat this enemy. But I need resources. I need 300 tanks, 600-700 IFVs, 500 Howitzers. Then, I think it is completely realistic to get to the lines of February 23rd.
Some seemed to believe his talk. Following the request Ukraine received more or less all of what it had requested. Ukraine then loudly announced a counter-offensive but took several months before launching it. In the meantime it threw all available resources into a useless battle to hold onto the city of Bakhmut against the steady advance of the Wagner mercenary forces. That fight alone cost the Ukraine some 70,000 casualties. Meanwhile the Russian army engineers were building multiple reinforced defense lines which any counter-offensive will now have to overcome.
At the beginning of June, under pressure for the U.S., the Ukrainian army finally launched its counteroffensive. It was a dud. The Ukrainian troops entered the Russian security zone miles away from the real defense lines and immediately ran into mine fields and came under intense artillery fire. After 4 weeks of fighting they 'liberated' some 50 square miles of open land and a few small settlements. This came at significant costs:
There were fewer than 50 men in the unit, he said, and 30 did not return — they were killed, wounded or captured by the enemy. Five of the unit’s armored vehicles were destroyed within the first hour.
...
For the first hour and a half of the 37th’s assault near Velyka Novosilka, the Russians bombarded the unit with nonstop shelling that penetrated their AMX-10 RC armored vehicles, according to Grey, another soldier in the battalion who spoke on the condition that he be identified only by his call sign. The armored vehicles, sometimes called “light tanks,” were not heavy enough to protect the soldiers, Grey said, and had to be positioned behind them instead of in front.
...
“Everyone expected that we would have some kind of support, but unfortunately, for some reason, there was none,” Lumberjack said. His commander had little experience, he said, and had counted on assistance from artillery units. “But he got confused when he saw that there was none.”
At this speed it will take the Ukraine many years of fighting and an unlimited supply of weapons and men to kick the Russians out:
To put the matter in perspective: Today, Russia controls about 17 percent of the territory that was previously Ukraine’s. If Ukrainian forces are no more successful in the weeks ahead than they have been so far, Ukraine will not recapture all of its territory for 16 years.
Over the last months I used a spreadsheet to list and sum up the Ukrainian casualties as they are listed in the daily reports of the Defense Ministry of Russia. These numbers are likely a bit too high but by what percentage, 10 or 20%, is hard to say.
From June 1 to June 30 the numbers sum up to: 313 tanks, 815 Infantry Fighting Vehicles and other armored vehicles, 313 howitzer and other long range artillery systems. The Ukraine also lost some 21,900 men which gives an average of 730 per day.
During the month the Russian air defense claimed to have shot down 15 Ukraine planes, 5 helicopters, 200 HIMARS and 20 Storm Shadow 'wonder weapon' missiles. Those numbers do not include the significant damage Russia has done to defense repair shops, weapon and ammunition depots all over Ukraine with its constant long range missile attacks.
In total the Ukraine lost in one months more than Zaluzhny requested back in December and more than it has received during the time since.
In the Washington Post Zaluzhny is back and begging for more weapons:
For Ukraine’s counteroffensive to progress faster, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, the top officer in Ukraine’s armed forces, says he needs more — of every weapon. And he is telling anyone who will listen, including his American counterpart Gen. Mark A. Milley as recently as Wednesday, that he needs those resources now.In a rare, wide-ranging interview with The Washington Post, Zaluzhny expressed frustration that while his biggest Western backers would never launch an offensive without air superiority, Ukraine still has not received modern fighter jets but is expected to rapidly take back territory from the occupying Russians. American-made F-16s, promised only recently, are not likely to arrive until the fall — in a best-case scenario.
His troops also should be firing at least as many artillery shells as their enemy, Zaluzhny said, but have been outshot tenfold at times because of limited resources.
Zaluzhny wants F-16s and more ammunition but also more of 'every weapon'. Here are the problems.
When Zaluzhny will get his F-16s he will immediately learn that the Russian Su-35 is by far superior to them. Its radar can see farther than the F-16's and its long range over-the-horizon missiles can kill the F-16s before they even have a chance to fire their own ones.
The 'west' is currently unable to produce as much ammunition as Ukraine wants to fire. And while the U.S. still has some Bradleys and Abrams battle tanks in its reserves the depots for 'every weapon' in other NATO countries are already empty. There are no more tanks, armored vehicles or howitzers they could give away.
In total there simply is not enough to replace the losses the Ukraine has on a daily base. Meanwhile Russia is already producing more of every weapon than its military needs for its daily operations.
There is no way the Ukraine can win this fight or even hold on to its current positions. That was easy to foresee and predict. Those who urged Ukraine on should be condemned for the murderous slaughter they caused.
Ukraine needs to make peace with Russia. Yes, it will come with conditions that are not easy to swallow. Still, there is no other way out.
To continue the fight, with ever increasing losses of men and land, is not a sustainable alternative.
Posted by b on June 30, 2023 at 15:05 UTC | Permalink
next page »Lazarusny is dreaming. the F16s will burn on the ground and up on the air.
Posted by: andreweed | Jun 30 2023 15:17 utc | 2
The fantastical thinking these people engage in is amazing. There are dozens of cold, hard facts staring them in the face, continually, and they just keep pretending they aren't there, even though they are constantly stubbing their toe on them.
It would be hilarious if it wasn't getting so many people killed needlessly, and risking the life of every being on the planet.
Russians seem to like the rope-a-dope strategy a lot. Whenever possible they revert to letting the enemy exhaust himself trying to hit them.
Posted by: Bemildred | Jun 30 2023 15:22 utc | 4
Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland & the Neocons are going to triple down, quadruple down: “CNN reports the Biden administration is strongly considering approving the transfer of cluster munition warheads to Ukraine. The weapons are banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions.”
https://jamesburrillangell.substack.com/p/strange-diplomacy-victoria-fck-the
Posted by: doim | Jun 30 2023 15:23 utc | 5
As I said in a previous post about ammo / industry, Russia is out-producing all the NATO countries altogether.
Whether this was accident or design, no-one has made clear.
NATO has to go to nukes - and then we all die.
Posted by: scepticalSOB | Jun 30 2023 15:27 utc | 6
i thought it was questionable whether Zaluzhny had recovered. is it really him?
Posted by: annie | Jun 30 2023 15:29 utc | 7
thanks b... yes, it would be wise to cease and desist, but i can't see the west doing that here..
Posted by: james | Jun 30 2023 15:34 utc | 8
The only thing I can figure for why we are running the war in the way we are is that it is being run by our political class, and what the political class does to retain power is to run for office. It would seem that approach has been transferred to how they run the war. It is like a political campaign, the problem is to retain popularity. The Ukrainians are locked into doing something that retains the appearance of success. And so they fight these battles that do nothing but waste the men and equipment, because then it can be reported that they are staying with it and making gains, however small the gains may be.
Posted by: Jmaas | Jun 30 2023 15:35 utc | 9
This is all fine. Keep playing with a rattlesnake and eventually it's going to bite you.
Posted by: chunga | Jun 30 2023 15:51 utc | 10
adski1977 Larch445
Larch, what are your thoughts on the recent announcements by NATO that in Vilnius they'll decide to freeze the conflict and send a peacekeeping mission to western Ukraine. To me both of these ideas seem to be non-starters - freezing of the conflict would require Russia's consent (it would have to be a bilateral decision, not a unilateral one), and NATO inserting a "peacekeeping" force into western Ukraine sounds like something that they won't have the guts to do out of fear that this force would get crushed by the Russian forces stationed in Belarus.
Larch445 adski1977
aski1977,
It signals the realization among the military and Intel of the West that the Ukies cannot gain back anything from the Russians. So, to preserve what is left of Ukraine as a state and as a military that can become a very dangerous-to-Russia terror state and a very severe insurgency within the new Russia territories, they need a freeze.
A NATO force of any kind would be destroyed like the destruction of the Ukie group that squatted under the Antonovsky Bridge and was destroyed by Iskanders today. So, it ain't going to happen. This is bloviation from Brussels types and Russophobic Euros who talk big but sleep in bunkers hoping Putin won't target them.
Russia needs 500 km of a security zone. That finishes Kiev. It puts Russia's de facto border up to the Carpathian zone. So a deal will be arranged with Ukie neighbors and the rest of Ukraine will be parceled out as soon as the neighbors accept Russia's rules. Is NATO ready for this? Not politically. It will take a few more years to get to that spot.
Russia is enjoying the benefits of destroying the West's weapons. The rest of the world will be ordering Russian military weapons systems.
NATO understands that their military will look like Ukraines and their cities will look like Bakhmut if they go to war with Russia. And it will not take months. It will be in hours in some cases and a few days in the others.
Don't forget, the US needs to preserve its buffer, NATO, for its own security and for supposed use against China. It cannot risk losing that, which it will, swiftly and forever.
The West has just realized that Gerasimov suckered them into this static war along a 1000 km front. Doing it without a NoFly Zone. One of the most effective defensive machines capable of grinding full armies of men and machines day after day. So far, three armies have been ground to meat and burnt metal armor.
The West also sees that Putin has an economy that even under draconian sanctions is growing and has low inflation. It is on a war footing, but not anywhere near full wartime stress. Yet, it is outproducing the entire West for a wider range of weapons and ammunition. And it still has the capacity to mobilize another 2 million men if needed with a society that backs the President by 90%.
And always keep this in mind. China, Iran and North Korea are available for industry, parts, logistical (transport) and volunteer manpower if ever needed.
I would add this: if Kadyrov whistled to his fellow muslims around the world, half a million would be in Grozny in a few days. Hardened muslim fighters happy to help defeat the Hegemon's proxies.
Always look at the Order of Battle and the potential in the rear.
The West is being drained of its weapons and finances. Every day the West is weaker.
Russia grows stronger each day.
It's all open source Intel because it cannot be hidden. Facts are facts. (Paris is burning is symbolic of the West 'on fire'. Just look at any West nation. Compare with Russia.)
My take for what it is worth. That is why they want a freeze. They are dying.
(Larch post at smoothiex12)
Posted by: Larch post | Jun 30 2023 15:55 utc | 11
A NATO force of any kind would be destroyed like the destruction of the Ukie group that squatted under the Antonovsky Bridge
Larch post | Jun 30 2023 15:55 utc | 11
Want to place a bet on that idea? Zely will get nukes thru Ukropol union tass.com/world/1641173
Posted by: rk | Jun 30 2023 16:03 utc | 12
Ukraine needs to make peace with Russia.
No first Ukraine needs to break away from US/Nato.
The reason everyone is talking about "what security guarantees Nato can give Ukraine" is precisely because security guarantees make it impossible for Ukraine to reach agreement with Russia.
Finding anyone credible for Russia to negotiate is going to be near impossible. Nato involvement can only be a handicap.
Posted by: Michael Droy | Jun 30 2023 16:07 utc | 13
Ukraine needs to make peace with Russia. Yes, it will come with conditions that are not easy to swallow. Still, there is no other way out.To continue the fight, with ever increasing losses of men and land, is not a sustainable alternative.
Unsustainable things naturally collapse, and more unsustainable things collapse faster than less unsustainable things.
Ukraine's business model is to fight Russia. Salaries, pensions, corruptions as well as the war are paid off by the West.
If Ukraine stops fighting Russia, Ukraine's Western income stream will dry and its business model will collapse, riots and violent anarchy will ensue, and the collapse of the State.
If Ukraine continues foghting Russia Western income streams continue but eventually the destruction will be too much and the State will collapse.
Collapsing from war destruction is slower than collapsing from dried out Western income streams.
Therefore Ukraine will continue fighting so that its collapse its delayed.
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Jun 30 2023 16:09 utc | 14
NATO has to go to nukes - and then we all die.
Posted by: scepticalSOB | Jun 30 2023 15:27 utc | 6
That seems to be the trajectory unless the NATO countries can put together a few pickups and invade the Ukraine, travel across it, and fight one-on-one the Russians. But even then, they will be destroyed as NATO militaries are pathetically undermanned, under resourced, and totally outgun by the Russians.
The only Wunderwaffen remaining will be nukes. Or maybe NATO develops dirty bombs for the Ukrainians to trigger on Russian soil. Who knows. But that ends up with nukes regardless.
I want to tell people to put their affairs in order in the next several months just in case. But then again, who will remain to put those affairs in order once we are gone.
Posted by: Erelis | Jun 30 2023 16:12 utc | 15
b:
There is no way the Ukraine can win this fight or even hold on to its current positions. That was easy to foresee and predict. Those who urged Ukraine on should be condemned for the murderous slaughter they caused.Ukraine needs to make peace with Russia. Yes, it will come with conditions that are not easy to swallow. Still, there is no other way out.
I couldn't agree more. "Ukraine is winning" is the magic spell on which the current strategy (of delivering weapons and expecting Ukraine to perform miracles with them) depends. Once that idea has to be dropped, the strategy loses any justification and becomes obvious in its self-destructive and murderous nature. It has been fairly clear since Feb. 24th of 2022 that Ukraine cannot and will never win, yet this fact must not be mentioned in public, as it pulls away the rug from under the feet of the NATO establishment and their "as long as it takes"-doctrin.
Posted by: grunzt | Jun 30 2023 16:15 utc | 16
air superiority will become a increasingly shrill theme among the war party over the next few months.
Posted by: Exile | Jun 30 2023 16:15 utc | 17
Haven't wee seen this all before?
A great pease of English writing is the propaganda poem of "The Charge of the Light Brigade" during the Cremean war of the midnineteenth sendury, which tennison applayded for their willingness to dye without suck-cess.
One French general exclaimed:
"C'estmagnifique, c'est gloriause -- mai ce n'est pa la guerre.
THe onlu´y living memory worth noticing in that attack on Russian Crimea and Russian Ukraine is thet one nerde named Nightingale sang of the sufferings of British wounderd when thay arrivet in Constantinople -- giving birth to modern nursing an later on to the Interalising Redd cross.to help wounded Latins and Germanic (English and german) soldiers) to recover and be sent back into Hell -- gut never caring about wounded Kaffir, Mao-Mao, Japanese, Viet-nâmese nor Chinese or Korean sufferers.
Posted by: Tollef Ås/秋涛乐/טלפ וש | Jun 30 2023 16:22 utc | 19
“NATO” has NO nukes … they are solely under US Comnand and the nuclear football of Joe Biden can trigger an attack. France nor the UK would initiate an attack …
Posted by: doim | Jun 30 2023 15:23 utc | 5
Have they explained how this will help, beyond a variant of the gnome’s justification for stealing underpants, in Southpark,
1. Supply cluster munitions and other weapons
2. ?
3. Ukrainian victory
Posted by: Milites | Jun 30 2023 16:32 utc | 21
18 , no , by medium using AI.
Medium: Will 100 tanks be enough?
Zalushny's ghost: AyAye
Posted by: Giyane | Jun 30 2023 16:35 utc | 22
. Never has this old adage been put to such a bitter test as this -- quite counter-intuitively:
. that
"The one who runs away/ives ti ficht another day,"
.
Agreed?
Any thoughts?
Posted by: Tollef Ås/秋涛乐/טלפ וש | Jun 30 2023 16:45 utc | 23
A Survey by Kiev international institute of sociology revealed that 63% of the Ukrainians have experienced death of relatives or friends (3 on average) over the course of the war, 69% experiencing cases of serious injury (5 on avg).
https://kiis.com.ua/?lang=eng&cat=reports&id=1254&page=1
This is a huge increase from the last survey in February, which found only 17% of Ukrainians reported a loss, while the figure in September of 2022 was just 9%. This firmly suggests the Bakhmut Meat Grinder did its job and that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is going as poorly as previously thought.
https://t.me/intelslava/49494
Posted by: aquadraht | Jun 30 2023 16:46 utc | 24
Posted by: Oui | Jun 30 2023 16:28 utc | 20
Indeed it's Joe Biden and the football manager controlling American nukes, including those in vassal states bordering Russia. Nato doesn't need to inform the public in those countries if they deploy some nuclear bombs or other weapons to their countries. Nevertheless, you can bet that Russia knows those deployments even if the population doesn't.
The thing is, it's very possible that this nuclear sharing scheme will significantly increase the risk for participants. These fools think they will be able to bomb Russian cities or troops on the battlefield. Remember that US has a much lower threshold for using them, including global economic interests. US and the vassals also think they could use one here, another there, a third maybe there etc.
These vassal states should know that they won't get many opportunities to drop those sort of bombs or launch missiles. They can never defeat Russia in that sort of conflict. Russia has a crap ton more nukes and better delivery systems than those vassals ever have. And their doctrine is or has changed to include first strike based on pre-knowledge of an imminent attack, as the US doctrine based on domination, fear and their "global interests".
It's very possible that in this sort of scenario, USA will simply watch its vassals getting nuked and say oh well. American oligarchs don't want to sacrifice themselves for vassal states. And that extends even to UK, which is probably the first one to be targeted contrary to most expectations.
Posted by: unimperator | Jun 30 2023 16:50 utc | 25
Posted by: Tollef Ås/秋涛乐/טלפ וש | Jun 30 2023 16:45 utc | 23
"The one who runs away/ives ti ficht another day,"
The one who runs away
May fight another day
But He who always runs away
Will eventually perish
the cowards way ...
Posted by: Arch Bungle | Jun 30 2023 16:52 utc | 26
The wast would not give up the fight. We all see that this is an ideological war like middle nage religious wars.
Furthermore yhe wesretn populstion is untouched by this war.
Posted by: loran | Jun 30 2023 16:55 utc | 27
re: Kramatorsk missile attack - I've seen videos claiming the main target was the hotel next to the pizza restaurant, and the restaurant was "collateral" damage from the main strike.
Does anyone have any more info on this?
Posted by: Observer | Jun 30 2023 16:59 utc | 28
12. While I read your posts, they are invariably doom and gloom, rk. While I also am convinced we are sleepwalking into the apocalypse, I blame the insanity, cowardice and hubris of the leaders of the West. If they decide to escalate to nuclear weapons that's their choice, one Russia cannot be blamed for, nor should the Russian posture be considered the decisive component in Maerican decision making. What can Russia realistically do anyway when faced with madmen?
You would think the reality of assured destruction, catastophic death of species and a new Dark Ages - at minimum - would stay their hand but this current crop seem to think themselves unique in all history and their cause more important than all the children who live afterwards for the coming millenia.
Great article by b. and insightful comment at 11.
Posted by: Doctor Eleven | Jun 30 2023 17:08 utc | 29
To achieve air superiority or even air balance over Ukraine, what is needed is hundreds of airplanes and thousands of missiles to overwhelm Russian Air and Anti Air forces.
It would require an operation similar to the Lybia operation but many many times bigger. At least 20x
Any clown with 2 braincells can see this.
These idiots think a couple dozen F16s will do anything??? Lol
Damn stupid clowns in the West lol
Posted by: Comandante | Jun 30 2023 17:08 utc | 30
Bemildred @4: "Russians seem to like the rope-a-dope strategy a lot. Whenever possible they revert to letting the enemy exhaust himself trying to hit them."
I see it as the Russians really, really don't want to kill Ukrainians. They are like vegans working in an abattoir: their heart just isn't in it. I cannot say I blame them, but the way to pull a rotten tooth is quickly. They are not doing the Ukrainians any favors by drawing the Ukraine's agony out.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jun 30 2023 17:09 utc | 31
I may be wrong; but why would the Russian government ever sit down with Ukraine or any " western government " over anything whatsoever?? Eventually everyone learns that " western governments " have no integrity or honor!! Discussion is " FUTILE "; so why even bother??
Posted by: cousin lucky | Jun 30 2023 17:16 utc | 32
They are not doing the Ukrainians any favors by drawing the Ukraine's agony out.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jun 30 2023 17:09 utc | 31
Well, no they aren't. I think that is because the war is about other things besides the war, it is also a geopolitical instrument, which both sides seek to wield, so to speak.
This is, undoubtedly, any way you look at it, a tragedy for Ukraine.
But I can certainly imagine the distaste with which the Russians might view the job.
Ali's fight caused a lot of controversy too.
I would say as a strategy, it is well chosen in the circumstances, despite those defects.
Thank you for you comment.
Posted by: Bemildred | Jun 30 2023 17:23 utc | 33
@12
put up or shut up
what's your wager?
witnessed here on this very site
Posted by: AleaJactaEst | Jun 30 2023 17:23 utc | 34
As we reported earlier, the landing of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the Antonovsky Bridge began to be actively destroyed, and did not get a chance to develop success after landing.
Why did this happen?
Firstly, a critical mass of people and ammunition has accumulated. There were many wounded, it was impossible to evacuate them, and the personnel from the right bank continued to arrive.
Secondly, the AFU did not have heavy weapons in this area. The only difficulty was the artillery, which works on the positions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from the right bank.
Thirdly, as soon as the necessary intelligence appeared, a rocket of the 9K720 Iskander complex flew under the span of the bridge, where the APU equipped an improvised command post.
milchronicles
It is reported that at these minutes the AF of the Russian Federation is actively working on the AFU in Kherson.
According to preliminary data, FAB-250/500 bombs with planning and correction modules are actively flying through warehouses and hangars with AFU equipment.
Apparently, this is the second phase of today's strike on parts of the Ukrainian army on the left bank under the Antonovsky Bridge.
milchronicles
Posted by: Antonovsky Bridge | Jun 30 2023 17:25 utc | 35
The Washington Post is perfectly capable of interviewing an impostor and billing it as an interview with Zaluzhny. They would air it even if they KNEW it wasn’t him. The ‘proof of life’ videos aren’t the least bit reassuring.
Posted by: jmj59 | Jun 30 2023 17:26 utc | 36
cockroach alerts
GAO, M1 TANKS: Status of Proposed Overhaul Program (11.04.96)
GAO, Army and Marine Corps M198 Howitzer: Maintenance Problems Are Not Severe Enough to Accelerate Replacement System (27.12.95)
.
.
.
GAO, Weapon System Sustainment* (10.11.22)
GAO examined 49 aircraft and found that only four met their annual mission capable goal in a majority of the years from fiscal years 2011 through 2021. As shown below, 26 aircraft did not meet their annual mission capable goal in any fiscal year. The mission capable rate--the percentage of total time when the aircraft can fly and perform at least one mission--is used to assess the health and readiness of an aircraft fleet....*"sustainment" is a malaprop. The term discarded by this illiterate technical writer is "maintenance". Indeed, the expense of equipment maintenance and maintenance of effort to repair or install equipment components is the only subject of this 352 pp report.
CRS,Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress (13.02.23), 36 pp including cover
...At present, the Department of
Defense (DOD) has not established any programs of record for hypersonic weapons, suggesting that it may not have
approved either mission requirements for the systems or long-term funding plans...
GAO, F-35 Program: DOD Needs Better Accountability for Global Spare Parts and Reporting Losses Worth Millions (23.05.23), 35 pp including cover
The Department of Defense anticipates spending $1.7 trillion over the life of its F-35 aircraft program. DOD owns certain F-35 spare parts that contractors manage. But DOD doesn't account for or oversee the parts. This is in part because various DOD offices and contractors haven't agreed on whether the spare parts should be categorized as government-furnished property....
DODIG, Management Advisory: Maintenance Concerns for the Army's Prepositioned Stock-5 Equipment Designated for Ukraine (23.05.23)
...While this advisory focuses on the condition of equipment identified for use by Ukrainian Armed Forces, the advisory also provides insights into larger [USEUCOM, NATO, CEGE] issues with the maintenance of all APS-5 [and APS-2] equipment...
press corpse
NY Yella Cake, In Rush to Arm Ukraine, Weapons Are Bought but Not Delivered, or Too Broken to Use (19.06.23)
...Since Russia invaded last year, Western allies have sent Ukraine tens of billions of dollars worth of [AP-2] weapons. As of last week, the United States alone had committed about $40 billion worth of [AP-5] military aid (and more in financial and humanitarian assistance), and European allies have also contributed tens of billions. In addition, Ukraine has spent billions of dollars of its own on the private arms market.Many of the transfers from Western allies have involved modern weapons like American air defense systems that have proven highly effective against Russian drones and missiles. But in other cases allies have provided stockpiled equipment that, at best, needed extensive overhauls ["sustainment" ALERT].
As much of 30 percent of Kyiv's arsenal is under repair at any given time—a high rate, defense experts said, for a military that needs every weapon it can get for its developing counteroffensive....
Posted by: sln2002 | Jun 30 2023 17:28 utc | 37
[email protected] with the rope the dope strategy, no Russians die?
Cheers M
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Jun 30 2023 17:36 utc | 38
All in line - in Ukraine, the list of persons subject to mobilization has been expanded againMobilization measures in Ukraine, which had previously been barbaric, with the start of the “long-awaited” counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the country, turned into uniform madness. The Ukrainian army is doing so “well” that orders for general mobilization have already been issued in the Chernigov and and Ivano - Frankivsk regions, where potential Leopard drivers are now prohibited from even seeking emergency medical care without the permission of the military commissar. Now Bankovaya Street has gone further, allowing the call for guardians of disabled relatives.
Until yesterday, persons with close relatives with disabilities of groups I and II were exempted from conscription as part of mobilization, but the amendments to the law on military service adopted by the Rada changed this provision as well. According to the new decree, exemption from mobilization can only be counted on if the ward relative has no other relatives - otherwise, the person liable for military service has every chance of immediately going to the front.
As we have always said, Kiev, with the support of the West, threw everything it has into the furnace of the “counteroffensive”, and in particular the lives of Ukrainian citizens. For the sake of accountability to the European bureaucracy and the American president, one can easily exchange thousands of lives for political points without thinking about the future of one's own country. The reporting period for creditors is getting closer, which means that at least some visibility of the result must be ensured at any cost.
Such is the fate of a state that voluntarily agreed to become a weapon against Russia in the hands of others. Meanwhile, Ukrainian cemeteries continue to grow every day - Zelensky is unable to show other results of "European integration".
@Slavyangrad
Wollt ihr den totalen Krieg?
Posted by: unimperator | Jun 30 2023 17:37 utc | 39
Bemildred @33: "Well, no they aren't. I think that is because the war is about other things besides the war, it is also a geopolitical instrument, which both sides seek to wield, so to speak."
True enough. This would have been over by May Day last year if it were only the Ukraine that Russia was dealing with. Little Ukrainian blood would have been spilled as well.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jun 30 2023 17:38 utc | 40
Did you know that until Dubya Bush came to town, US Government Accountability Office was Government Accounting Office? alrighty then.
Now you know why federal agencies don't bother with GAAP anymore, and how DOD mistook the historic cost of their 40-year-old lease2buy "lethal aid" sent to Ukraine with FY 2024 replacement cost of equipment, ahem, of "government-furnished property".
Posted by: sln2002 | Jun 30 2023 17:43 utc | 41
It would be hilarious if it wasn't getting so many people killed needlessly, and risking the life of every being on the planet.
Posted by: muttman | Jun 30 2023 15:21 utc | 3
They think emotionally.
Like an animal.
Posted by: Drapetomaniac | Jun 30 2023 17:57 utc | 43
Russia gets stronger and stronger, as a unified sovereign nation and the world’s strongest military. Interesting to speculate how strong they will be when their Ukrainian brethren once again fully integrate with Russia.
Contrary to the biden-backed blowhards that continuously trumpeted the mother of all counteroffensives, when the NATO LBGTQRs least expects it, Russia will launch a massive attack to finish off what’s left of the NATO-reinforced nazis.
Posted by: AobhOSheachnasaigh | Jun 30 2023 17:58 utc | 44
@11 Larchmonter445
I totally agree with your perfect summation of the nightmare over there. I have read many of your posts at The Saker and came away very impressed with your commentary, spot on and succinct as usual. I am angry AF with this useless war of aggression by the UK/US elites especially after watching the recent video of the Ukro platoon getting stuck in a minefield and losing legs left and right. The Square Mile needs a tactical nuke really fuggin bad!
Posted by: safe | Jun 30 2023 18:01 utc | 45
[email protected] with the rope the dope strategy, no Russians die?
Cheers M
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Jun 30 2023 17:36 utc | 38
It seems pretty clear the Russians do no expect anything of the sort, which is wise.
Posted by: Bemildred | Jun 30 2023 18:02 utc | 46
@25 unimperator
You nailed it guy. That is so true, however the thing that sticks in my mind is those elites are so greedy and hegemonic that any nuked "markets" will be just less wealth and profits for these evil scum.
Posted by: safe | Jun 30 2023 18:09 utc | 48
Re: Mobilization
Given that there area now governed by Kiev has less than 12 million population - it’s unlikely that even a Totaler Krieg mobilization there will be significant results.
Perhaps that’s why it’s rumoured that 50,000 or so sheep dipped NATO are now fighting on the front lines
Posted by: Exile | Jun 30 2023 18:13 utc | 49
Speciale status US nuclear bombs in The Netherlands … will Mark Rutte succeed Jens Stoltenberg?
US Nuclear Weapons in the Netherlands: A First Appraisal[https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/nuclear-vault/2021-01-15/us-nuclear-weapons-netherlands-first-appraisal]
St.Magwan Air Base where, during the Cold War, the U.S. Navy had a storage installation for nuclear depth charges, for use by the U.S., United Kingdom, and the Netherlands navies.
Washington, D.C., January 15, 2021 – The stationing of U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe remains a controversial issue on both sides of the Atlantic. One of the less well-known cases involves the Netherlands, which first accepted atomic weapons shortly after the two governments signed a secret stockpile agreement in January 1960. That accord is part of a compilation of declassified documents posted today – most for the first time – by the National Security Archive.
That the U.S. has authorized deployments to numerous NATO states is one of those secrets everybody knows – Dutch former Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers acknowledged the facts of the matter involving his own country in 2013.
This post has the same ending as other posts: "Ukraine must make peace, although the terms are really going to be harsh..." It falls into similar cases where this site insists Ukrainian soldiers just surrender to Putin's troops, supposedly to spare it of huge losses. I still don't feel this concern for avoiding large losses is more sincere than the concerns people had when they urged Czechoslovakia and Poland to just surrender to Germany.
And actually, I'm just pleased this website acknowledges General Zaluzhnyi, after so many conspiracy theories claiming his death.
Posted by: Inkan1969 | Jun 30 2023 18:23 utc | 51
One heckuva read -- Bob Scheer's interview with Ray McGovern:
https://scheerpost.com/2023/06/30/ray-mcgovern-russias-coup-is-actually-bidens-disaster/
Interviewer and interviewee have different agendas. McGovern is notably nonplussed by some of Scheer's questions, surprised that Scheer, not playing "devil's advocate," apparently believes some of the garbage we're fed about Ukrainian success and Russian failure:
The press, I’m sorry to tell you this, I thought you knew this, Robert, but the press is thoroughly corrupt. They’re run by the same people who make tons of money who are profiteering on the war.
Poor Ray is practically jumping up and down on the sofa, alarmed by the lack of any constraints as USA's braindead leadership drifts into nuclear war. It's the same problem worrying other clearsighted folks, such as Scott Ritter. NATO's actual battlefield dilemma has become so doggedly disjoint from reality, we're dreading nuclear resonance as the sky inevitably falls, this July.
Legions of completely ignorant Russia experts see instability in the Kremlin. That's obvious nonsense. Of most concern, to the clearsighted, is meteoric desperation in the White House.
Posted by: Aleph_Null | Jun 30 2023 18:24 utc | 52
Washington Post is very good, being able to interview a dead man (must've learned from the Vatican). Anyway, the official goal of the denazify and demilitarise the Ukraine. The unsaid goal was to demilitarise the NATO and other unfriendlies. Russia is gaining in both goals, the said and the unsaid goals.
Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2023 18:33 utc | 53
The one who runs away
May fight another day
But He who always runs away
Will eventually perish
the cowards way ...
Posted by: Arch Bungle | Jun 30 2023 16:52 utc | 26
Rubbish. The cowards are the ones in government who cause the wars. They should be the ones on the frontline in any war.
Posted by: Drapetomaniac | Jun 30 2023 18:33 utc | 54
Anyway, the official goal of the SMO was to denazify and demilitarise the Ukraine. The unsaid goal was to demilitarise the NATO and other unfriendlies. Russia is gaining in both goals, the said and the unsaid goals.
Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2023 18:33 utc | 55
Just so you understand, Mike Pence doesn't speak for all American conservatives:
Posted by: Elmer Fudd | Jun 30 2023 18:34 utc | 56
Originally a joke about Germany's F104 Starfighter fleet, but newly updated for the 21st century:
Anybody want to buy an F16?
Then buy a plot of land in the Ukraine....and wait.
Posted by: Occasional poster | Jun 30 2023 18:34 utc | 57
Posted by: sln2002 | Jun 30 2023 17:28 utc | 37
They’ve embiggened that report with their cromulent vocabulary.
Posted by: anon2020 | Jun 30 2023 18:34 utc | 58
The first deputy permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, published a letter with a warning about the upcoming provocation by the Kiev regime at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, distributed at the UN
[translation]...
I must draw your attention to the vile accusations spread by the Kiev regime about the nuclear risks allegedly created by the Russian Federation in connection with the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.
The claims that the Russian Federation could have deliberately mined and destroyed a nuclear power plant that it controls and which is located on the territory of one of its subjects are simply absurd. The absurdity of such statements surpasses the absurdity of the accusations of the Kiev regime that the Russian Armed Forces are firing at the NPP.
We would like to refer to our numerous letters distributed earlier as official documents of the Security Council and the General Assembly, which indisputably prove that the only threat to the NPP comes from reckless shelling and attacks on it by the Kiev regime. As we have repeatedly stated, any incident at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe will inevitably entail the most severe consequences not only for Ukraine, but also for its neighboring countries, including the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, as well as for the entire continent and, possibly, for the whole world.
However, as can be seen from our recent reports, the Kiev regime continues its provocations against the power plant, despite numerous meetings of the United Nations Security Council on this issue, held at the request of the Russian Federation, or the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency to promote the protection of the NPP and the presence of its specialists at the plant at the invitation of the Russian Federation.
Moreover, the apparent inability of the Kiev regime to come to its senses and stop endangering the nuclear power plant causes extreme concern that its provocative accusations against the Russian Federation are nothing more than a smoke screen hiding preparations for a real accident at the NPP. Unfortunately, we cannot rule out such a scenario after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant - a criminal act that demonstrated that recklessness can push the Kiev regime to any, even the most catastrophic actions that can harm not only Russia, but also its own citizens.
It should be noted that such accusations surfaced simultaneously with the discussion by United States senators of a resolution on considering any case of radioactive contamination in Ukraine as a pretext for launching the NATO political and military response mechanism provided for in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. Such a move is a clear attempt to escalate the Ukrainian crisis to an unprecedented level with unpredictable consequences.
In light of the above, we urge the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the international community as a whole to make every effort to prevent the Kiev regime and its sponsors from organizing another catastrophic provocation, this time on an even larger scale.
We want to confirm once again: Russia categorically denies any allegations of its intention to destroy the NPP.
I would be grateful if this communication could be circulated as an official document of the Security Council and the General Assembly (under agenda item 99, "General and complete disarmament").
Posted by: ZNPP | Jun 30 2023 18:39 utc | 59
Anyone have a link to this interview with the dead guy? I am interested to see if it is more realistic than the last one, or if it might even be as realistic as that video of Gen Surovikin singing that Simon & Garfunkel song.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jun 30 2023 18:41 utc | 60
How was this interview conducted? By telephone?
Posted by: Oh | Jun 30 2023 16:18 utc | 18
##########
Ouija board.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jun 30 2023 18:45 utc | 61
"Leopards" in the steppes of Ukraine burn no worse than "Panthers" and "Tigers" 80 years ago on the same lands.
- Mikhail Onufrienko
Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2023 18:54 utc | 62
@51 Inkant1969
What a maroon! So self-righteous in your concern troll commentary. The us/uk monstrosity is the most evil entity the world has ever known and you single out people's worries over the sad destruction of a nation's people?? WTF??
Btw, Zaluzhny like Badanov have brain damage so your hero's are only half a man these days...
Posted by: safe | Jun 30 2023 18:57 utc | 63
I think the American MIC is wary of exposing accounting errors, and that it has consistently misreported the amounts and quality of what has been stockpiled. To fully open American reserves to Ukraine is to expose the condition and amounts of what has been there, and make it much easier for those with an untrusting nature to document fraud and waste.
In a Mario Puzo novel based in Las Vegas, Fools Die, there's a scene wherein a new manager takes a look around the counting room, which is filled with only the most trusted men. On an impulse he asks for all the chips stacked in the back as a reserve to be be brought out. It turned out that a big chunk of them were dummies. The real ones had been snuck out and cashed in. Awkward!
I imagine that back in the days when Egypt and Rome maintained vast granaries for days when the harvests were poor (there's even a Biblical tale with that driving the plot), there would often be an awkward moment when what was actually in the granary didn't match what had been deposited.
If hundreds of millions of dollars have gotten paid out to maintain F-16s, Abrams, and Bradleys, and there are records saying they've been checked out, and are ready to go, there will be an awkward moment similar to the ones above if many of them are only good for spare parts.
This could be part of why Biden has been coached to be reluctant to give up more equipment to Ukraine. That, and if Russia is just going to obliterate a whole batch of American equipment during a very well covered offensive, that could greatly negatively impact the bottom line of defense contractors who will be counting on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of new orders to feed America's reawakened appetite for their goods.
I half expect any huge shipments of such American weaponry to come with strings attached, and it would be forbidden to use them in a frontal assault against well prepared defenses. End runs only, maybe, to secure an area Russia deemed tactically irrelevant. And that would mean America had given up on trying to defeat Russia, but instead wanted to look good while Ukrainians bled out in an attempt to make Russia weary of the slaughter, and willing to allow its opponents to save face in exchange for relief of the sanctions, and sanctifying the territory it currently occupied.
P.S. Way too early to prognosticate imo. And I think Odessa is the wild card for Russia. If they gain possession of that then the West eventually has to make steep concessions, no matter what. Odessa under Russia control would determine the value of Western investments in what remained of Ukraine. "Grab them by the wallets, their hearts and minds will follow". Once this long awaited Ukrainian offensive is destroyed, and before a new one can be cobbled together, Russian forces might begin entrenching outside of Odessa. That would create pressure just by its existence, and if the entrenchment was encompassing, it would constitute another killing zone for any Ukrainian force that was rushed to attack it. And that would free up Russian forces to make moves up in the Northeast, while compelling Ukraine to maintain an unsustainable supply chain towards Odessa.
Posted by: Babel-17 | Jun 30 2023 19:05 utc | 65
Posted by: William Gruff | Jun 30 2023 18:41 utc | 60
was it bridge over troubled water?
Posted by: pretzelattack | Jun 30 2023 19:08 utc | 66
Has there been confirmation Zaluzhny is alive? Last I heard he may have been killed or injured in a strike. I am curious if the interview was in person, via video, on the phone or via email etc...
Posted by: Slat1 | Jun 30 2023 19:09 utc | 67
Posted by: Slat1 | Jun 30 2023 19:09 utc | 67
------
Ouija board...
Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2023 19:15 utc | 68
Ok let's step back a bit...
Ukraine is still attacking strongly, and has made a bridgehead at kherson, is threatening to retake bahkmut and is still grinding away at zaporizhia.
It's common, I've noticed, to count chickens before they hatch here at MoA.
Ukrainian dead doesn't matter to their commanders and lost equipment is being replaced, don't doubt it, Poland just signed up for 15 billion more.
Russia will be on the defensive all summer and fall and they can lose everything.
Stay tuned.
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Jun 30 2023 19:15 utc | 69
The interview never took place as Zaluzhnyi is being treated in Berlin, in coma or perhaps deceased.
Excellent write-up by AI and part of Deep Fake in war propaganda. The phrase: “Europe’s largest atomic power station
” is one give-away. Zaluzhnyi cannot be blamed for the harsh criticism and is a-political as he already attained the hero status on the level of Stepan Bandera.
The so-called interview lacks cohesion … machine made.
Following his visit to the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi visited Russia’s Kaliningrad for talks with Rosatom officials. Rosatom’s press service said that Grossi and Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev discussed safety measures at the plant.
It's common, I've noticed, to count chickens before they hatch here at MoA.
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Jun 30 2023 19:15 utc | 69
###########
That's a human thing. The West does it as well.
At least the few remaining humans in the West do.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jun 30 2023 19:31 utc | 71
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Jun 30 2023 19:15 utc | 69
Ukraine is still attacking strongly?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMD6DstL6Wg
Brian Berletic doesn't agree.
Posted by: pretzelattack | Jun 30 2023 19:38 utc | 72
I was recently encouraged to watch some videos that mentioned something I thought I had picked up on. That being that a decidedly unexpected and unwanted result for Ukraine from its botched long awaited counter-attack in June is that not only did their attacks cost them gobs of manpower and equipment, and humiliate them on the global stage to such a degree that their friendly propagandists embedded in the MSM couldn't cover for it, but it served to both highly train and "season" Russian forces to a degree that not even the longest and most elaborate live firing drilling could accomplish, and it did that while massively boosting Russian morale, and providing Russian forces the opportunity to legitimately earn commendations, medals, and awards, by the thousands.
On the other hand, afaik the AFU has recently had to deploy a higher percentage than usual of its best troops so as to move forward its barely trained units into the grinder. They lost a lot of their best veterans in Bakhmut, lost more in their frontal assaults in June, and will lose even more as the cannon fodder grows ever more reluctant to get blown up before even gaining sight of a Russian soldier.
Russia meanwhile is well on the way in the process of creating tens of thousands more crack veteran troops. Ukraine for its part is instead creating the kinds of inceensed veterans that, feeling betrayed and sorely used, went back to fight against the Czar's government in Russia, and join radical groups that opposed the Weimar Republic's ruling government in Germany, after the Kaiser abdicated and fled. There's a whole underclass in Ukraine that has been victimized by the press-gangs, and they all know friends and family who went on to get maimed or killed in nonsensical assaults against Russian lines. They will never forgive or forget their treatment by the Zelenskyy regime, and eventually they will demand for the books to be balanced.
Posted by: Babel-17 | Jun 30 2023 19:42 utc | 73
The West also sees that Putin has an economy that even under draconian sanctions
Posted by: Larch post | Jun 30 2023 15:55 utc | 11
The G7 does not see. This fact was made plain in their joint statement (19.05.23 pdf).
iii) We reiterate our call on third parties to immediately cease providing material support to Russia’s aggression, or face severe costs. We will reinforce our coordination to prevent and respond to third parties supplying weapons to Russia and continue to take actions against third country actors who materially support Russia’s war.These maniacs will never accept failure
• to restrain trade
• to "embargo" RF gas and oil production and export
• to "limit" RF revenue
• to "limit" G7 gas and oil consumption
• to control price discovery worldwide
• to eliminate G7 gas and oil production
• to control producer price inflation worldwide
• to enforce gas and oil terms of sale worldwide
• to enforce G7-denominated "benchmark" price structure
• to reduce the cost of petroleum substitution
• to reverse price inflation (currency devaluation)
because revoking SWIFT access gravely handicapped their "off-shore" surveillance visibility. But each of the ten (10) sanctions packages, 23 Feb 2022 - 25 Feb 2023, systematically severed limbs of cooperation on which G7 relies to maintain and extort authority in governments indebted to the IMF. The G7 racketeering operation grows blind, deaf, and dumber by the day.
OPEC Shuts Bloomberg, Reuters, and WSJ Out of Oil Conference: This an abstruse confession that (1) OPEC ministers mistrust their work product; (2) swing producers SA and RU promised LAST YEAR additional "balancing" bbl cuts up to CYE 2023; (3) they've running out of material to spin into IEA "recovery" data products; and (4) imperial chits are not the only "reserve currencies" circulating the planet of central bank "messaging systems".
Not only has G7 irrevocably lost good will from the RF, the G7 has poisoned trust offered by parallel EME trade organizations—G20, SCO, ASEAN, AU55, OPEC, OAS, OIC, BRICS which furnish the arbitrage opportunities on which the G7 "value chain" has depended for centuries. Look here. The bottom of the barrel:
EU adopts 11th package of sanctions against Russia for its continued illegal war against Ukraine.
Posted by: sln2002 | Jun 30 2023 19:52 utc | 74
Posted by: ZNPP | Jun 30 2023 18:39 utc | 59
That sort of stuff just makes me angry.
Posted by: anon2020 | Jun 30 2023 19:55 utc | 76
They’ve embiggened that report with their cromulent vocabulary.
Posted by: anon2020 | Jun 30 2023 18:34 utc | 58
LOL!
Posted by: sln2002 | Jun 30 2023 19:56 utc | 77
The neocolon's are acting real irrational. More than usual. Something is bugging them that we may not know of. But I have a possibility that might explain Blackrock or Blackstone (whatever) buying up irradiated Ukrainian land.
Something(s) is buried in the oblasts that Russia now commands. Things that when discovered, will mean even more trouble for the nominal leader of the US and several corporations that tell it where to defecate and when.
Russia did get an additional bonus with the sanctions now destroying the party sanctioning. So bankruptcy or civil unrest may soon come to all the western nations that have little left give to the war and nothing for their citizens.
It always happens on a Friday. Gives them 2 days to steal more and screw everyone else on Monday. The French don't appear to be backing down and the idiot macron parties with Elton as Paris burns.
Let em eat cake someone said? Oh don't worry, the "Irish Traveler" runs the show now.
Posted by: Tard | Jun 30 2023 19:56 utc | 78
The Washington Post is perfectly capable of interviewing an impostor and billing it as an interview with Zaluzhny. They would air it even if they KNEW it wasn’t him. The ‘proof of life’ videos aren’t the least bit reassuring.Posted by: jmj59 | Jun 30 2023 17:26 utc | 36
LOL What makes you think there ever was an interview in the first place?
Posted by: Ian2 | Jun 30 2023 19:58 utc | 79
re: Ukraine needs to make peace with Russia. Yes, it will come with conditions that are not easy to swallow. Still, there is no other way out.
No, Russia must insist on victory with a Ukraine surrender because:
...Reuters. . .
NATO members closer to compromise on Ukraine's membership hopes -US envoy
. . .The U.S. ambassador, Julianne Smith, said she was confident North Atlantic Treaty Organization would agree on a text that went beyond a declaration in Bucharest from 2008, which said Ukraine would join the alliance but did not say when or how.
"Most of us feel confident that we are going to be able to come to an agreement that will reflect where we are and that the Ukrainians will believe and feel is something above and beyond restating Bucharest," Smith told reporters. . .here
Posted by: Don Bacon | Jun 30 2023 20:12 utc | 80
Ukrainian dead doesn't matter to their commanders and lost equipment is being replaced, don't doubt it, Poland just signed up for 15 billion more.
Russia will be on the defensive all summer and fall and they can lose everything.
Stay tuned.
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Jun 30 2023 19:15 utc | 69
---------------------------------------------------------
The fly in your ointment is the "not caring about the dead Ukrainians." The NATO nations can give Zelensky everything it wants to fight his pro-Nazi NATO proxy war with Russia, but without a willing military force to fight with, Ukraine can't win a war with Russia who has (relative to Ukraine) and endless supply of military forces and reserves (not to mention nuclear weapons).
Also, the citizens of the collective west nations who are paying for this war will soon tire of the endless waste of their tax dollars to preserve US imperialism, and that includes Americans as well. RFK Jr's antiwar message is catching on in the US in case you are too neo feudal to notice.
So, how do you like those eggs; fried or scrambled?
Posted by: Ed | Jun 30 2023 20:17 utc | 81
Tard@78.... a Gypsy, running the show....hmmm, freaking latchico.
Cheers M
....no insult to Gypsy's btw, I spent a bit of time around them as a kid, lots of fun, contrary to being told by adults that they'd kidnap us......
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Jun 30 2023 20:17 utc | 82
What is G7? In Russian it is gowno 7...
Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2023 19:54 utc | 75
Group of 7, latest iteration of "groups" organized by the IMF since 1944.
9 heads of the Advanced Economies™ comprised the G7. (ITaly is a kind of understudy. EU Council and European Commission aren't even sovereign nations.)
G7: FR, DE, IT, EU-CO, EU-EC, JP, UK, US, CA
Posted by: sln2002 | Jun 30 2023 20:20 utc | 83
The Moscow Times. . .
Prigozhin closes media holding responsible for infamous troll farm.
The Wagner Group Founder has closed down his media holding, which includes the notorious "Internet Research Agency" troll factory.//
So the US can have a fair and meaningful presidential election next year. (just kidding)
Posted by: Don Bacon | Jun 30 2023 20:23 utc | 84
Posted by: sln2002 | Jun 30 2023 20:20 utc | 83
------------
I know what consists of the G7, but it is still gowno!
Means shit!
Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2023 20:23 utc | 85
A Survey by Kiev international institute of sociology revealed that 63% of the Ukrainians have experienced death of relatives or friends (3 on average) over the course of the war, 69% experiencing cases of serious injury (5 on avg).
https://kiis.com.ua/?lang=eng&cat=reports&id=1254&page=1
This is a huge increase from the last survey in February, which found only 17% of Ukrainians reported a loss, while the figure in September of 2022 was just 9%. This firmly suggests the Bakhmut Meat Grinder did its job and that the Ukrainian
counter-offensive is going as poorly as previously thought.
Posted by: aquadraht | Jun 30 2023 16:46 utc | 24
------------------------------------------------------------
It could also reflect that many families with sons that they have not heard from in months, many of them pressed ganged into the military, are in fact dead.
Posted by: Ed | Jun 30 2023 20:28 utc | 86
It is long overdue to openly discuss the role of Jews in the unspeakable tragedy experienced by Russia during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
To say nothing of the Jewish looting of Russia in the 90s (in conjunction with American Jews) that crashed Russian life expectancy. This is one of the most hidden stories in America. People think Russian oligarchs are Russian, when in fact they are all Jews. Just like stupid New Yorkers think the "Russian mob" is Russian, when that is also almost entirely Jewish.
Posted by: ASensibleMan | Jun 30 2023 20:31 utc | 87
Posted by: ASensibleMan | Jun 30 2023 20:31 utc | 88
--------------------------------------------------------
So, you want to turn MoA into an anti-Semitic web site. That is a good way to reduce viewership rating.
Posted by: Ed | Jun 30 2023 20:40 utc | 88
re: Ukraine needs to make peace with Russia. Yes, it will come with conditions that are not easy to swallow. Still, there is no other way out.
....................................
Ukraine must become agreement capable and agree to demilitarize and denazify.
How can Ukraine become agreement capable?
First it must become a sovereign nation of sovereign people otherwise there is no bona fide party with whom to fashion sincere and meaningful accords.
NATO and the EU might have to disband for Ukraine to have an opportunity to become sovereign.
This is going to go on for many years. Riots in Paris are just appetizers before main menu.
"So, you want to turn MoA into an anti-Semitic web site...
Posted by: Ed | Jun 30 2023 20:40 utc | 89"
So Ed... What are supposed to do if the truth is "anti-semitic?
Posted by: Just Deplorable | Jun 30 2023 20:49 utc | 90
It's rare that Lavrov gives a briefing which might be called a general press conference, but he did today. It's very long, so I've provided the link to the transcript and video, the latter being @90 minutes in length, and have posted the translation at my VK here. Here's Lavrov's opening paragraph to the gathered press:
"Events in the world are developing rapidly and in different vectors. The more often we meet, the more useful it is for you in terms of informing your viewers, readers, listeners about the position of the Russian Federation. It's good for us too. I must admit that when we hear questions from media representatives, it also leads us to some reflections, helps us draw conclusions that reflect the interests of those for whom you work. This is the general public, and it is fundamentally important that we feel its interests."
Lavrov as usual minces no words as he continues to layout the situation from Russia's perspective. As with all of Lavrov's statements and answers to questions, they are Must Reads.
Posted by: Ed | Jun 30 2023 20:17 utc | 81
«the citizens of the collective west nations who are paying for this war will soon tire of the endless waste of their tax dollars to preserve US imperialism»
That's the usual wishful thinking: the USA+EU have a population more than 5 times larger than that of the RF+BL and with an higher income, even if the ratio is not as high as comparing nominal GDPs per person, and USA+EU can easily spend 1-2% of their GDP on pummelling the RF+BL for decades, and may well wish to do so even if only because of "military keynesianism".
Putin has been very clear in his speeches that he is aware that the RF is begin attacked by a much bigger adversary, and that the RF therefore needs to be very careful and methodical.
Posted by: Blissex | Jun 30 2023 20:54 utc | 92
You would think the reality of assured destruction, catastrophic death of species and a new Dark Ages - at minimum - would stay their hand but this current crop seems to think themselves unique in all history and their cause more important than all the children who live afterwards for the coming millenia.
Posted by: Doctor Eleven | Jun 30 2023 17:08 utc | 29
---------------------------------------------------------------------
And to think, they are willing to risk all of this so that a bunch of Nazis can join their pro-war military alliance. History means nothing to these people, these alliances led to WW1. What if they had nuclear weapons then? There was a race to get them in WWll, and the US won, and we all know what they with them.
Posted by: Ed | Jun 30 2023 21:08 utc | 93
With the amount of money being literally blown up overseas, the US could have eliminated homelessness in its major cities and alleviated its own burgeoning cost of living crisis through the build out of public housing and allocation of funds for future maintenance. We will continue to be told, by Republicans and Democrats alike, that such an idea is folly, however, and in lieu of such spending, we will continue to funnel money into the furnace to bleed the Russians, and soon the Chinese, white.
Posted by: fnord | Jun 30 2023 21:17 utc | 95
Didn’t this Lying, sleazebag criminal Zalushny waste most all of his good troops and weapons being a Hitler wannabe “defend to the last man” order for Artemovsk?
The idiot who is currently ferociously grinding his forces against the jagged glass of Artemovsk to this day trying to repeat the above Hitler moment?
Was he the mental midget who openly attacked across the steppe to Kherson, losing tens of thousands of men, and even more wunderwaffle weapons without much support? The same reprobate who dreamed up this current insane bloodbath towards Tokmak? Why should anyone listen to him?
He begs, and begs, and begs, but the world hasn’t enough weapons for The Ukraine as absolute cretins like him and Zelensky waste manpower and machines for a few meters of land, not Ukraine’s land, as Ukraine is a made up country, for a made up purpose, used by psychopaths for the destruction that makes more fake money for these crooked rakes of the West to hoard.
The EU should knock itself in the head until they come to their senses, sending more weapons didn’t work, hasn’t worked and will not work. The only thing that has worked is war crimes, trickery and deception in the use of fake treaties before they break them with gusto and blame the innocent for their crimes. Who would trust them for anything? Canada and the big cheese, the US/UK axis of evil will fail because evil always turns against itself, as these petty tyrants will eat each other for a few scraps of paper.
Russia (and the citizens of the EU) have every right to assassinate the leaders doing this blatant trickery with murderous intent wherever they may hide as they are filthy diseased rats hiding from their citizens that they impoverish, their responsibilities as leaders given up to craven desires for power for the sake of it. They are diminished human-like monsters with no soul.
In a terrible mood today. There is no integrity left in the West, our trust, apathy and comfort spawned this slow moving nightmare called the ‘New World Order” with WEF being the theater headquarters for this evil farce of a dystopian delusion. May they all drown in their own blood. Zelensky, may he live forever, a small ridiculed excuse of a man fearfully waiting for the noose he deserves to come for him. Trapped in the web he helped spin.
There will be a reckoning.
Posted by: Fudup | Jun 30 2023 21:27 utc | 96
I agree with everything B says in his post. And yet, I am not so sure we can say Russia is winning. Winning will mean that Russia achieves it's goals which leaves it in a stronger, more advantageous position that it was in.
The West continues to slowly escalate, apparently absolutely confident that Russia will not confront Nato and will concede Ukraines sanctuaries for resupply in Nato Land.
The Ukrainian government seems to have a firm lock on it's populace. Foreign volunteers can be bought. All that is needed is Dollars and those exist in endless supply.
Right now Russia has a few key technical advantages over the west, but that won't last forever.
The Russian strategy seems to be to out wait the west. But meanwhile Russia is suffering 1000 - 2000 casualties per month. War is corrosive to a society especially one facing demographic challenges like Russia is facing.
Perhaps Russia will be able to out last the west or perhaps Ukrainian moral will crack. But it is not a sure bet and defeat of Ukraine does not translate into gaining the settlement and relationship with Europe it needs in the long run.
To win, Russia needs to confront Nato with a plan to win that confrontation. Thats a very high risk strategy, but we've been told that Ukraine is existential for Russia. It's no inconsequential thing that Finland is now part of Nato.
Thus far, there has been no evidence that Russia plans to do anything other than grind the enemy while allowing them safe sanctuaries in the west. Im not sure that will be a winning approach in the end. Of course it might be, because the West might be much more rotten than we suspect now. Time will tell.
Posted by: danf51 | Jun 30 2023 21:35 utc | 97
Posted by: Just Deplorable | Jun 30 2023 20:49 utc | 91
Used, I guess, in a similar way as the statement, ‘the truth has a liberal bias’, is used to excuse a blatant example of media bias. I suspect some posters motivations for making these deliberately provocative statements is to dissuade alt-media from referencing the site, or for the MSM or institutions to be able to dismiss the site as extremist, referencing ‘fact-checkers’. The others are either part and parcel of the left wing politics I was involved with or simply prejudiced, ignorant or both. Though it is deliciously ironic that they share similar views about this subject as some of the countries that they daily lambast in their posts.
If this link has been posted before, I apologise, but it is a fascinating trawl through the historical foundations of the SMO and a wealth of little pieces of the jigsaw. His description of the importance of an arts based PhD is priceless!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkfxJgdMEmw&pp=ygUNY29sIG1hY2dyZWdvcg%3D%3D
Posted by: Milites | Jun 30 2023 21:35 utc | 98
The depletion of US and NATO weapons stocks illustrates one good thing: the fact that the military is willing to give them up and the world didn't end in a nuclear reply too Russian and Chinese invasion of the west shows that they are totally unnecessary and should not be replenished.
Posted by: bill wolfe | Jun 30 2023 21:37 utc | 99
The gains while marginal for now, are gains, and the price paid in gear and men more than they expected (at least outwardly), but a price they are clearly are willing and for now at least, are able to pay. To the degree that can continue is unclear, I could play devils advocate a bit with select elements of the OP comments as just an exercise, but it's probably a waste of everyone's time.
I suspect said offense(s) will continue unabated, or even increase in concert with the next wave of weapons escalations on the horizon for summer and early fall(atacms\cluster\f-16\AD\and more). It does not appear, at least from afar, that Ukr\west are going to punch themselves out of gear and men in a _timely_ fashion. Particularly since the collective west is committed to throwing in ever more of both, one way or _another_. They don't want a peace, let alone on terms acceptable to Russia, let alone a lasting one, and are agreement incapable credibility wise.
I keep asking myself and I don't expect any answers, is what's the next move(s) for Russia as this continues through this summer and further out, to overcome or shift present dynamics? Assuming of course they desire or have any ability too. My assumption (and it could be wrong of course) is they aren't just resigned to just play the long game of waiting out the geopolitical environment hoping something to break in their favor all while equally constantly trying to dodge daggers and dangers there, as well as on other fronts.
Posted by: knighthawk | Jun 30 2023 21:37 utc | 100
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After the victor, Russia, writes the history, we'll see the 'war' in Ukraine as the biggest money-laundering con-job, mass murder in the history of the world.
And to one of b's points: Ukraine should be begging for those robot attack dogs, because there is no one left to shoot bullets, and fire rockets.
Posted by: gottlieb | Jun 30 2023 15:15 utc | 1