A Ukrainian Telegram channel (which I won’t name as I don’t won’t to publicise it) has alleged that X2 F16s using rocket assisted “Hammer Bombs” were used to destroy Russian forces inside Russia during the current Offensive into Kursk.
They state the planes were covered by both US Patriot and BUK systems.
Trawling through the Russian channel I have found acknowledgement that “Hammer Bombs” were intercepted and a Patriot radar system was destroyed by Russian forces.
There is no mention at all of the type of planes used by Ukraine in Russian channels.
This has led to increased speculation that F16s were indeed used, and successfully at that.
This will be seen as another humiliating failure of Russia in protecting the state border if Ukraine can prove this.
There is a Retired Russian General on Telegram (Russian language channel) stating that Senior Officers must now be removed following what he, in his expert opinion, stated is a full military assault into Russia by Ukraine and a serious attempt to open a new front (and not just an incursion or adventure as less qualified people have suggested).
The General said also that Putin must escalate and use decisive force.
He is a well known retired Russian General with his own Telegram, so his channel should not be hard to find for Russian speakers.

Posted by: Lucian from Paris | Aug 11 2024 13:56 utc | 3

The hits just keep coming:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/08/11/zelensky-confirms-ukraines-military-operation-russia/

Ukrainian soldiers have removed a Russian flag from a council building in the Kursk region, as Kyiv continues its attacks on the border region.
In a video shared online, two soldiers who appear to be dressed in Ukrainian uniform, break down the flag in Sverdlikovo and throw it on the ground.
Another video circulating shows destroyed military vehicles lining the side of the road – inside some are injured or dead soldiers.

My prediction, Putin is gone (one way or another) by the end of the year and Russia is forced into a humiliating peace agreement.

Posted by: bored | Aug 11 2024 14:05 utc | 5

Oh and the information war is fierce, ukraine is flooding networks with information designed to demoralize and induce panic. It’s working very well but you’ll need like 5 verifications before you can start to believe something.
Let’s not get carried away with shit the social media networks

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Aug 11 2024 14:08 utc | 7

I’m no military expert, but just off the top of my head, I would say that it is easier to advance through unarmed villages, killing civilians as you go, than it is to advance through hundreds of thousands of well-armed soldiers sitting in fortifications built over 10 years.
Just guessing.

Posted by: wagelaborer | Aug 11 2024 14:16 utc | 9

Ukraine Weekly Update, 9th August 2024: May be useful to some: https://robcampbell.substack.com/p/ukraine-weekly-update-44e

Posted by: Dr. Rob Campbell | Aug 11 2024 14:25 utc | 11

Tolpino is north of Korenovo, the news is from Tass proper. WTF?
How big is this attack , 30.000 strong? More? If the 1.350 announced by RF are kia , total casualties should be 8.000 (4.000 if 1.350 are total disabling casualties and deaths)
I’d expect that near the 40% hit any army has to stop and hold. So in any scenario no less than 10.000 were used in this operation by the AFU.
Milites, unimperator, your 2 cents?
Down South, any news?
The regular Newbie you know
MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Over the past 24 hours, Russian military personnel have prevented attempts by mobile groups of the Ukrainian armed forces to break through deep into the Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
“Over the course of 24 hours, actions by the Battlegroup North units and arriving reserves, strikes by army aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles, and artillery fire in the areas of the settlements of Tolpino, Zhuravli, and Obshchy Kolodez prevented attempts of the enemy mobile groups to break through deep into Russian territory on armored vehicles,” the ministry said.

Posted by: Newbie | Aug 11 2024 14:28 utc | 13

Napoleon @ Aug 11 2024 14:19 utc | 10
Dear NATO citizens, we are planning to spend 80 billion and 300k Ukrainian lives in trenches to lose most of our AD capabilities in a war we are unprepared for. We plan to produce no arms and browbeat Russia into submission by declaring Putin the new Hitler. Look away, the world is really only the clever victorious West. Or 70 eh 16 F16s and the 600 eh 80 Leopards, 20 of those Version 2 wunderwaffen will win the day once we found the spares. Don’t worry, replacements will be delivered I. 20 years at 8 times the price. In the meantime we will fight a war in Moscow

Posted by: SOS | Aug 11 2024 14:30 utc | 15

“@10 napoleon
Re: honest talk
Russians would’ve agreed to it as long as he honestly noted that Ukraine was prepped to crush donetsk, was actively purging russian culture from its historical territory, and was going to attack Crimea afterwards.
After that Ukraine would’ve joined Nato and they would’ve launched a crusade to “decolonize’ Russia with all the attendant terrorist and missile strikes.
You know, just to keep the honesty flowing yah?”
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Aug 11 2024 14:26 utc | 12
Your too good to bother with a such a nonsensical misanthrope.

Posted by: canuck | Aug 11 2024 14:33 utc | 17

@13 newbie
Re: casualties
Casualty means everything.
Wounded, killed, captured or missing.

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Aug 11 2024 14:44 utc | 19

You can’t take the 1350 number and auto magically multiply it. Of that 1350 some are wounded coming back, or still might be on the field

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Aug 11 2024 14:49 utc | 21

reply to 2
You cite a claim from Lord Of War but don’t cite other claims that attacks on Belgorod are small and that Ukraine has had serious losses in Kursk.
Now that some of the fog of war has lifted, a different interpretation is possible: This invasion shows how fragile and desperate Ukraine has become. Why?
First, there are claims of mercenaries from US, France, Georgia and Poland (may be noted by language or insignia/flags). This suggests a hodge podge mixed force is all Ukraine can come up with for aggressive action (not elderly/female/ex-prisoner/unwilling conscripts defending trenches) Not a good sign.
Second, the equipment looks like a hodge podge as well: Marders,Stykers, autos, missiles and artillery from various sources, a few ancient Soviet tanks and so on. Again, not a good sign in pursuit of an invasion. Nazis did this stuff in their desperation, too – with captured French/US tanks, trucks and whatever they could steal. This may have appeared deceptive as if many brigades were involved but not if it was simply scrounging their equipment. Actually, that would be worse. Instead of Russia pulling forces from the front elsewhere, it looks more like Ukraine doing that.
Third, the “strategy” seems to be to hit highways at maximum speed and get as far as possible before being stopped. It looks like blitzkreig at first and conquering big areas but more accurately appears like thin fingers extending down major roads with little reserve or backup. Enjoy it while you can.
Fourth, where’s any massive group of trucks to supply ammo, food, water, removal of the wounded? Invasions fail when logistics are poor.
In summary, this looks very ‘Battle of the Bulge’ -ish. The Germans didn’t get to Antwerp and these dead enders didn’t get to Kurchatov. And they lack aircover. It looks very bad for Ukraine as to a last throw of the dice.

Posted by: Eighthman | Aug 11 2024 15:03 utc | 23

The Battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle in history, involving some 6,000 tanks, 2,000,000 troops, and 4,000 aircraft. It marked the decisive end of the German offensive capability on the Eastern Front and cleared the way for the great Soviet offensives of 1944–45.
Well?

Posted by: Ostro | Aug 11 2024 15:05 utc | 25

Ukraine was prepped to crush donetsk
@Neofeudalfuture | Aug 11 2024 14:26 utc | 12
Why was that an issue? Ukraine is 404. Surely superpower Russia can stop the forces of a failed state, lingering near their border.

Posted by: Napoleon | Aug 11 2024 15:11 utc | 27

@ wagelaborer | Aug 11 2024 14:16 utc | 9
lol.. yes, exactly… i find it impossible to read the ukraine open threads at this point.. too much insanity for my tastes, but kudos to you and some of the others…

Posted by: james | Aug 11 2024 15:12 utc | 29

You can’t take the 1350 number and auto magically multiply it. Of that 1350 some are wounded coming back, or still might be on the field
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Aug 11 2024 14:49 utc | 21
RF usually presents only AFU permanently disabled (AFAIK) otherwise we’d be talking about (estimate) 225 KIA 225 permanently WIA and 900 recoverable WIA so far (very low values for the areas and fighting involved these 5 days).
In that case they could be as little as 5.000 and be over in 3 days.
But I find it hard that they could run a 6km gauntlet around Korenevo to reach Tolpino, maybe used the railway line, but shouldn’t be possible.
That’s why I asked if anybody had some news (and some others to present another analysis)
Yours truly, the regular Newbie you all know

Posted by: Newbie | Aug 11 2024 15:19 utc | 31

Oh and the information war is fierce, ukraine is flooding networks with information designed to demoralize and induce panic. It’s working very well but you’ll need like 5 verifications before you can start to believe something.
Let’s not get carried away with shit the social media networks
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Aug 11 2024 14:08 utc

Just look at /r/worldnews on Reddit.

Posted by: ReinhardVonSiegfried | Aug 11 2024 15:25 utc | 33

After not capturing the npp, nor sudzkha and the measuring station, provided that those were the targets, and after than the RF didn’t, apparently, move any forces from the rest of the front, what it all remains to afu, being heavily pounded in the rear region of sumy what’s remain of this ‘massive’ offensive are some idiots in the blogsphere.
A couple of them are wining here in the bar.

Posted by: Mario | Aug 11 2024 15:28 utc | 35

Commander Alaudinov says 14 AFU AFVs were destroyed near Martynovka alone, this is probably the AFU vanguard Dima said yesterday was defeated. Zelensky’s blitzkrieg has failed.

Posted by: unimperator | Aug 11 2024 15:33 utc | 37

The Ukrainian Armed Forces were driven out of Kursk Martynovka. Summary of the SVO for August 10

Russian troops drove Ukrainian militants out of the village of Martynovka in the Kursk region. Military correspondent Boris Rozhin reports this on his Telegram channel.
«During fierce battles, our troops recaptured Martynovka. The first assault, working closely with the 810th Marine Brigade, showed outstanding resilience and courage in completing the mission. At the moment, the territory is being cleared of surviving enemy forces», — he reported.
«Martynovka released. Several tanks and armored fighting vehicles, a certain amount of enemy personnel were destroyed, but in general the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces still need to be clarified», — adds war correspondent Alexander Kharchenko.
British mercenaries spotted near Kursk
«Soldiers of fortune» from Great Britain fighting for the Kiev regime were discovered in the Kursk region. This was reported by the Telegram channel «Military affairs».
«British mercenaries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) were spotted in the Kursk region, they post their photos on social networks», — says in the publication. Earlier it became known that other foreign militants were also operating near Kursk: the French, British and Georgians were terrorizing and executing civilians. This was reported by witnesses to the bloody massacres.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are driving women to the front line
The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine transferred a unit consisting of women in the Kreminnaya area to the LPR. TASS writes about this with reference to its own sources.
According to the agency, «weak gender» is directly on the front line. The women’s unit is intended to replace the drained assault force. The Ukrainian Armed Forces combatants were given the task of holding the line.
Earlier it became known that women prisoners began to be drafted into the Ukrainian army in exchange for parole. It is still unknown whether the former «zachki» — fell under Kremennaya.
More than a thousand corpses for PR
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian troops have already lost more than a thousand people during the attack on the Kursk region. Let us remind you that the invasion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces began on August 6.
«In total, during the fighting in the Kursk direction, the enemy lost up to 1,120 military personnel and 140 armored vehicles, including 22 tanks, 20 armored personnel carriers, eight infantry fighting vehicles, 88 armored combat vehicles, as well as 13 vehicles, two self-propelled firing units of the “Buk M1” anti-aircraft missile system, a BM-21 “Grad” multiple launch rocket system launcher and six field artillery guns», — was reported by the ministry.
Enemy losses in other directions
The Russian Ministry of Armor reports that over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 1,850 military personnel killed and wounded. The most lethal zone for Ukrainian militants was the zone of action of the Russian group of troops «South», working in the DPR — here the enemy was missing 680 soldiers and officers.
Units of the «North» group of troops disabled up to 95 people, the «West» — group up to 495, the «Center» — group up to 350, the «East» group up to 125, group «Dnepr» — up to 110.
https://cont.ws/@Severro/2864774

Posted by: unimperator | Aug 11 2024 15:47 utc | 39

An attack on Transdniestria would be interesting. I think Russia is greatly disadvantaged here because of relying on rail and the huge problem of rivers, swamps and estuaries in the way.
OTOH, it could force them to march across north of Odessa and cut it off.

Posted by: Eighthman | Aug 11 2024 16:07 utc | 41

https://t.me/Mestb_Dobroj_Voli/12144

(Revenge of Good Will) In the area of ​​military operations in the Kursk region, it is urgently YESTERDAY necessary to establish a system of communication and identification of one’s troops!!!! Gather all the commanders (at worst, the dispatchers from each participating organism) and introduce them to each other!!! Introduce a curfew for civilians! Otherwise, there is already a mess there!!!
First of all, the Armed Forces are taking advantage of this!!!

https://t.me/rybar/62668

🇷🇺🇺🇦On the problems of coordination in the Kursk direction
We explain the overly emotional appeal of comrades from the channel Revenge of Good Will .
▪️The Kursk direction is now being filled with units from different branches and types of troops , which are subordinated to different groups and commands. “Fire brigades” are arriving in an accelerated manner, in these cases the bureaucratic gears of the RF Armed Forces are somewhat, ahem, slowing down and creaking.
▪️You don’t have to look far for an example: one of the special forces units of the Russian army, sent to eliminate the operational crisis in Martynovka and Sudzha , encountered on the way… the military police, who tried to check the documents of the people who were going to liberate the territories for a long time and tediously.
▪️Due to communication failures for both objective (enemy electronic warfare) and subjective reasons, neighbors on the right and left often do not know each other, do not know who to turn to in order to cover the flanks. Because of this, the integrity of the front is lost , and enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups break through ( the night entry into the Belovsky district is a clear confirmation of this).
▪️In the conditions of the counter-terrorist operation, the organization of horizontal connections without excessive bureaucracy is the key to the survival of troops and the effectiveness of their work. No one wants our own units to suffer from friendly fire, right? Everyone is on edge, such an outcome, alas, is not zero.
▪️Without establishing horizontal connections, debugging the combat command and control system, it is very difficult to operate effectively in the Russian borderland. Why overcome again if problems can be simply avoided?
❗️In general, what is happening in the Kursk direction was a stress test of all the RF Armed Forces for the ability to act in a crisis situation, and it remains so. We have already said that it is necessary to draw conclusions and take into account mistakes. Now, alas, we are patching up holes, and not correcting the approach .

Posted by: anon2020 | Aug 11 2024 16:10 utc | 43

The restoration of Mariulpol
https://t.me/s/intelslava?before=64837
https://t.me/s/intelslava?before=64837

Posted by: Mary | Aug 11 2024 16:10 utc | 45

Posted by: Mary | Aug 11 2024 16:10 utc | 45
https://t.me/intelslava/64823

🇷🇺 Mariupol In August 2024
Restoration work is in full swing

Posted by: anon2020 | Aug 11 2024 16:17 utc | 47

Posted by: Eighthman | Aug 11 2024 16:07 utc | 41
Let’s not kid ourselves. If Nato wants to attack Transnistria, they will. And most likely they will do it with a large amount of ‘mercenaries’ like in Kursk.
This thing is spiraling out of control with half of Nato armies sheep dipped under the AFU banner and Nato air bases arming those F-16s. I expect this path will lead to some bases in Romania and Poland, maybe even some primary Nato bases further west getting nuked.

Posted by: unimperator | Aug 11 2024 16:22 utc | 49

Let’s not kid ourselves. If Nato wants to attack Transnistria, they will. And most likely they will do it with a large amount of ‘mercenaries’ like in Kursk.
unimperator that was an astute observation, in my gut I just know that false flags and serious atrocities will be the order of the day. Your nukes comment sounds a little goofy and far-fetched just mirroring some of the ridiculous ideas of the NAFO types that squat here.
My real hope, IMO I truly hope and pray that regular folks…people power in force will stand up and be counted and say no with their protests and their bodies to halt this grievous BS. In places like Moldova, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia and Romania where over half the population hate the liberal west and want closer ties with Russia. These people MUST stand up and be counted!!

Posted by: bisfugged | Aug 11 2024 16:34 utc | 51

How are they able to do this? Russia advances a few meters after months of fighting, Ukraine advances kilometers in days. The discrepancy in competence between the Russian army and Ukraine/NATO is glaring.
Posted by: bored | Aug 11 2024 13:51 utc | 2
So that’s one metric but another is that Russia has built it’s army in Ukraine from 100,000 in 2022 to 700,000 by the end of this year while Ukraine has had to be rebuilt from the ground up by NATO three time and has to press gang people into joining the army.
Out of these 2 strategies which one makes the most sense long term?
Russia is taking territory it intends to hold. Ukraine drives 50 KM into Russia then stalls. You can drive around border controls and go 50 km in less than an hour but that doesn’t mean you can hold the territory or if it’s even territory worth holding … I know what Russia is going to do with all those mines and factories they’re seizing in the Donbas but what is Ukraine going to do with a few villages in Kursk or a dacha in Krynky? Is there anything there worth losing thousands of trained soldiers over?

Posted by: HB_Norica | Aug 11 2024 16:44 utc | 53

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Aug 11 2024 14:37 utc | 18
“There was no assault on Kiev and only enough soldiers to say hello”
That is truly a putin-level move in 88D chess. Start a war with just enough troops to say hello 🙂

Posted by: Membrum Virile | Aug 11 2024 16:50 utc | 55

⚖️🇺🇦 The cost of the Kursk operation for Ukraine
1️⃣Losses in people and equipment. Everything is clear here – everything that is available is flying at the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that have entered;
2️⃣Losses on the eastern front have not gone away. The Russian Armed Forces are still slowly advancing;
3️⃣Losses of territory in the East also continue. Forced evacuations from additional settlements indicate that the command has little faith in the ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to hold them;
4️⃣Debunking the myth that Ukraine is only defending itself. Public breakdown of the official narrative about the exclusively defensive nature of the war from Kyiv. This proves that we are right – the main goal of the war is to inflict maximum damage on the Russian Federation.
From self-defense and “we don’t need what’s not ours” to “they should feel the war too” Zelensky led to an attempt to seize CONTROL over the canonical territories of the Russian Federation.
This will inevitably turn some of the partners away from Ukraine, especially in case of failure. Helping in defense is one thing, but in the occupation of part of a nuclear state – quite another☝️
5️⃣THE STUPIDEST THING is that all the territories controlled in the Kursk region will still have to be returned! Either the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be driven out of there, or they will leave them as a result of peace agreements.
Sudzha and the villages around it will never become Ukraine in any case. This means that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are advancing and holding there simply pointlessly, but the territories in the east are being lost.
It is clear that Bankovaya does not measure by human lives and logic, but by the media effect:
🔹the population’s trend towards a quick peace has been temporarily reversed;
🔹partners in the West have been shown: we struck at Russian territory and nothing happened to us for it😛
Here, sum up the true “accounting” of the Kursk operation🧩

https://t.me/ZeRada1/20974

Posted by: Down South | Aug 11 2024 16:54 utc | 57

Posted by: anon2020 | Aug 11 2024 16:10 utc | 43
The same, if not worse, will be plaguing the AFU, so once again it’s a contest between who can make the least mistakes.
What’s interesting is that the Russians have not released the Divisional forces that are nearby, relying on ad-hoc groups, backed by fire support, to contain the situation. Putting two and two together to make 3 and a half, I wonder if we are not going to see a mini-Kharkov II situation, or a separate Russian assault on this front, which would put them on the horns of a dilemma.
By the way, this offensive once again shows the strengths and weaknesses of drones, but also the superiority of the conventional platforms in carrying out most missions assigned to them. Drones are a force multiplier, but you must initially have sufficient force, before any effective multiplication can occur.

Posted by: Milites | Aug 11 2024 16:56 utc | 59

Posted by: unimperator | Aug 11 2024 16:22 utc | 49
Not going to happen.
RF will not nuke first.
NATO is not going to win any war against a peer unless they go nuclear but it will not be RF to start.
So, expect a false flag from Nato and then Armageddon will happen.
Not that nato will win or, at that time, who the winner will be will be questionable or, probably, irrelevant.

Posted by: Mario | Aug 11 2024 16:56 utc | 61

@myself in 62
Should read change your handle to mentula canis..

Posted by: Mario | Aug 11 2024 17:03 utc | 63

How are they able to do this? Russia advances a few meters after months of fighting, Ukraine advances kilometers in days. The discrepancy in competence between the Russian army and Ukraine/NATO is glaring.
Posted by: bored | Aug 11 2024 13:51 utc | 2
###########
If you think rape and murder of civilians is competence …
Remember, the NATO-trained Ukrainians have been raping and murdering in the Donbass for a decade.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Aug 11 2024 17:06 utc | 65

Unimperator@1622
What’s your fascination with nukes? Toxic.

Posted by: aristodemos | Aug 11 2024 17:11 utc | 67

BTW according to the TG Masno channel, supposedly he’s lives in Sumy, the city is filling up with AFU troops and machines. Bit weird, if in support of the incursion they should have been long there, if emergency reserves the Russians are now prepared and Kursk is all open fields roads, if defensive AFU are expecting a retreat and a defense of the city.

Some very interesting Ukrainian weapons standing around the corner from my house. The pieces of shit that they are, love parking key weapon systems in-between civilian apartments. There is a huge army here, they are coming thick and fast.
“>https://t.me/Novichok_Rossiya_2/11719

This is how I see Sumy in a couple of months
“>https://t.me/wagnernew/17533

I still suspect the veracity of the Masno TG, he’s sort of a Gonzalo Lira Lite and not sure how he hasn’t been shut down, but the channel is useful for providing UKR vids that the Russian channels avoid, the UKR channels are totally nauseating and full of fakes so I check his channels for some sort of balance. Meh, I know it’s all social media BS, “in war the first casualty is truth” not less so in the digital age but much more so. Who knows what we’ll discover when it’s all over, takes around 50ys so, I’ll never know.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Aug 11 2024 17:14 utc | 69

Posted by: Down South | Aug 11 2024 16:55 utc | 58
Thanks for the updates, so basically AFU is still being a PITA in a 20kms radius …
But did you see anything more? As I mentioned earlier I found bizarre the Tolpino combats (and as coming from Tass it’s not disinformation per se)
@unimperator, was it really you who mentioned tactical nukes in nato countries or was there an hijack of your user?
Yours truly, the regular Newbie you all know

Posted by: Newbie | Aug 11 2024 17:19 utc | 71

Newbie | Aug 11 2024 17:19 utc | 71
I quoted a bit from the Ukie channels in the last thread I think. The Ukie/nato types are attacking points from civilian cars, Russian military vehicles uniforms ect – its designed to try and get Russian forces firing at each other and firing at any civilian.
It why and anti terrorist regime has been set up in Kursk region. They seem to now have been cleared in most areas. But these were just small units of several militants each that have tried to operate deep behind what now is beginning to emerge as a frontline.
Designed to sow confusion, but also to make Nato held ground seem much larger that it is/was for propaganda purposes.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 11 2024 17:31 utc | 73

48, No Name:
As I’ve frequently explained, you get the wrong impression by just relying on the YT videos. And I say that as someone who enjoys them (although Dima and Weeb are not very good, even within that group). The daily videos always have clickbait titles and emphasize the areas of the front that changed. They don’t give you a scale for what is happening quantitively. If you look at sources like War Mapper, it is clear that the rate of advance was much slower than the flashy titles would imply.
For example, Russia took 0.03% (i.e. three ten thousandths of UKR territory) in July. And that was a “good month”. In June, they took .01%. (Yet you would never know from the videos with clickbait titles, even that the rate of advances was three times different.) For that matter, even if Russia was able to keep up .03% per month (and not clear yet they can, look at June), AND their only objective was the ~5% of UKR territory within annexed oblasts that are not yet RFA controlled, it would still take them over a decade to get there.
Comparing the rate of advance in first couple days of Kursk versus the months in the Donetsk, it is night and day. Not same thing. Now, of course UKR may slow down or even get pushed out. But to not acknowledge the initial rate of advance is just “coping”. If RFA had mounted a similar rapid armored towards Sumy, would you also dismiss their progress? Would you dismiss the planning, intelligence, information security, combined arms operations, etc. that went into it?
———–
Don’t be a coper. Be analytical. That doesn’t mean you have to give up. Doesn’t mean you have to start talking about Crimea beach parties. But it does mean you need to be honest and intelligent.

Posted by: Anonymous | Aug 11 2024 17:37 utc | 75

congratulations, you played yourself.
@Posted by: Justpassinby | Aug 11 2024 16:17 utc | 46
You’re supporting an old KGB officer, that is magically worth billions today, $78 billion is the low estimate. You trust Russian war propaganda, and you can’t admit to yourself, let alone others, that the SMO is a so far a failure.
You got played by a billionaire who used to be in Russia’s secret police. Stop the gaslighting.

Posted by: Napoleon | Aug 11 2024 17:53 utc | 77

What war have you been watching? In this war NATO proactive escalation dominance meeting Russian passivity/reactivity has been the way of things since Putin first begged for Minsk III talks just a few days in to the “SMO”.
Posted by: flying dutchman | Aug 11 2024 17:36 utc | 74
#########
I am watching the war where all of the Western world has been contributing training, weaponry, and ISR while Russia has annihilated 3 Ukrainian armies and captured some of the most valuable real estate in the world (ask BlackRock).

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Aug 11 2024 17:54 utc | 79

You’re supporting an old KGB officer, that is magically worth billions today, $78 billion is the low estimate. You trust Russian war propaganda, and you can’t admit to yourself, let alone others, that the SMO is a so far a failure.
You got played by a billionaire who used to be in Russia’s secret police. Stop the gaslighting.
Posted by: Napoleon | Aug 11 2024 17:53 utc | 77
#############
You’re starting to sound increasingly shrill.
Take a deep breath. Maybe go for a walk.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Aug 11 2024 17:56 utc | 81

Some call this the Battle of the (little Z) bulge.
But it looks exactly like the Monty (Python) Market Garden Redux.
A lot of ginned up Brits and “volunteers” eagerly rushing in to be slaughtered.
Let Russia learn one lesson (again) and learn it well. The British Blue Bloods and the Euro Uber Class can never forget the killing of Saxe Coburg Gothe’s Nicky and his German Princess. Even though they conveniently whitewash that it is they that gave Lenin the train and boat tickets to Moscow.

Posted by: kupkee | Aug 11 2024 18:01 utc | 83

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 11 2024 17:07 utc | 66
I think this was a spoiling attack by Ukraine. If the Russians aren’t moving forces from nearby reserves it kinda plays into that theory.
On the subject of theories Dima was talking about how Belarus moving forces away from the Ukraine border freed up the Ukraine forces that were used in the Kursk operation. Those forces were deployed between the Belarus border and Kiev. This could in fact be a Russian ploy to get them away from guarding Kiev and tied up holding down farming villages in Kursk leaving the road to Kiev wide open. They could have deceived Ukraine into believing an offensive toward Sumy was about to kick off at the same time as Belarus moved back from the border giving Ukraine both motive and opportunity.

Posted by: HB_Norica | Aug 11 2024 18:03 utc | 85

HB_Norica @ 85

I think this was a spoiling attack by Ukraine. If the Russians aren’t moving forces from nearby reserves it kinda plays into that theory.

This would be one of the advantages of Russia going slow and moving forward in the Donbas with an active defense. If they do get into the shit on a new front, Kursk, they can have their Donbas forces go on full defense and be able to move a part of the forces elsewhere.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Aug 11 2024 18:11 utc | 87

HB_Norica | Aug 11 2024 18:03 utc | 85
Could be. Will be interesting to see what eventuates. I do think though that Nato still has a force in 404 to launch a main offensive somewhere, perhaps in the south again.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 11 2024 18:15 utc | 89

Peter AU1 @ 89

Could be. Will be interesting to see what eventuates. I do think though that Nato still has a force in 404 to launch a main offensive somewhere, perhaps in the south again.

It’s cleary part of something bigger so there must be more coming and I’m sure the F16s play a key part, and if it’s big then they have a plan B, probably to turn the Kursk Belgorod area into a grey zone. But their track record for plans is awful. Syrsky or someone at the top gave an interview last month saying to not worry they have something coming that will change everything, guess it’s here.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Aug 11 2024 18:23 utc | 91

Posted by: Anonymous | Aug 11 2024 17:37 utc | 75
I was merely pointing out that Russia was gaining more ground than bored was implying. Just look at the Battle of Avdeevka.
The titles are clickbait, but I think that for example Defense Politics Asia is quite neutral in his reporting.
You write „to not acknowledge the initial rate of advance…“ I was not talking about the Ukrainian advance (which looks somehow impressive) I was just reacting to the opinion, that Russia just take meters. Even if it was only a figure of speech, it is bullshit.
And the personal insult at the end goes right back at you.

Posted by: NoName | Aug 11 2024 18:25 utc | 93

And the personal insult at the end goes right back at you.
Posted by: NoName | Aug 11 2024 18:25 utc | 93
The Putin fans are attacking anyone who doesn’t parrot Russian propaganda. They are also emotionally lashing out at us, unable to deal with the pain of their shattered illusions about the SMO and their fantasy that Ukraine is a failed state, an assertion that only makes Russia look even more pathetic.

Posted by: Napoleon | Aug 11 2024 18:34 utc | 95

Let’s do some Fermi estimation here.
1. Figure a 200km front on eastern Ukraine. I’m too lazy to look it up, exactly. Good chance it is more. Certainly more if you include the northern border. But for simplicity.
2. Figure a “bad month”, like June (which by the way, nobody here acknowledged as a bad month), where they take 50 kmsq. Again this is for the math. If you want to double or triple it, fine.
3. So that is 50sq km over 200km. Or an increase of depth of 250 m, in a month.
4. Divide by 30, to get advance per day. That is ~8 meters per day.
———
So, yes meters per day, along the line of contact.

Posted by: Anonymous | Aug 11 2024 18:34 utc | 97

Posted by: Napoleon | Aug 11 2024 18:34 utc | 95
Since you addressed me directly I will give you one answer: I consider a discussion with you as worthless.

Posted by: NoName | Aug 11 2024 18:42 utc | 99