News & views related to the war in Ukraine …
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September 4, 2025
Ukraine Open Thread 2025-201
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Ukraine and World Affairs: Weekly Update, 5th September 2025: May be Useful to Some: https://robcampbell.substack.com/p/ukraine-and-world-affairs-weekly-f68
Posted by: The Busker | Sep 6 2025 9:20 utc | 101
You get less value for your money in the West.
Using the raw uncorrected data creates false impressions, which is likely the Rutte’s intention.
Posted by: ArmChairGeneral | Sep 6 2025 9:21 utc | 102
@ Posted by: taukey | Sep 4 2025 22:18 utc | 94
This is spot on. The usual Westerner is so ignorant.
I have 2 Scandinavian friends who have been ‘Saliva Urina’ sympathizers all of these years, and I have simply given up talking sense into them.
At some point we travelled together to Bulgaria, where I found a Russian/Slavic supermarket. One of them refused to even go in there. When we bought 3 Belarussian beers, this beer loving fella almost refused to drink the Belarussian beer, as he believed Lukashenko to be a very bad man.
At the counter in the Supermarket, the girl was from Ukraine, so since I speak Russian, I spoke Russian with her. When we got out, the friend who went into the supermarket with me asked: “How do you know how to speak Bulgarian”? I told him: “It was Russian. She is from Ukraine”.
The man was completely in shock. This Saliva Urina supporter had ABSOLUTELY NO idea that Ukranians could speak Russian. He was even more in shock when I told him how MANY of them actually spoke Russian.
Not that it changed anything. It just shows how ignorant they all are.
Posted by: Matt Moscow | Sep 6 2025 9:25 utc | 103
Ukrainian losses for the week August 30th to September 5th, as reported by the Russian defence ministry:
– Kursk & Kharkov fronts: 1,170 troops, 3 tanks, 11 LAV/HMV, 69 motor vehicles, 20 artillery pieces, 13 EW and CB systems.
– Zapad Group (Luhansk area): 1,680 troops, 2 tanks, 33 LAV/HMV, 129 motor vehicles, 23 artillery pieces, 53 EW and CB systems.
– Yug Group (Donetsk north): 1,460 troops, 13 LAV/HMV, 50 motor vehicles, 19 artillery pieces, 9 EW & CB systems.
– Tsetr Group (Donetsk south): 2,970 troops, 4 tanks, 27 LAV/ HMV, 37 motor vehicles, 17 artillery pieces.
– Vostok Group (southern front): 1,590 troops, 1 tank, 5 LAV/HMV, 70 motor vehicles, 12 artillery pieces.
– Dnepr Group: 450 troops, 1 LAV/HMV, 70 motor vehicles, 7 artillery pieces, 33 EW and CB systems.
In total: 9,320 troops – reversing the 500 drop from the previous week (40,386 per month, with undercounting probably around 45,000).
10 tanks (3 in Kursk/Kharkov), 0 IFV, 0 APC, 90 HMV/Light Armoured Vehicle (22 in Kursk/Khakrov) a drop of 39, 425 motor vehicles.
A still low 98 artillery pieces (20 in Kursk/Kharkov); 425/mth, about 40% of the peak loss rate.
Plus 108 EW and Counter Battery systems, the Russians are having even greater success wiping out the Ukrainian EW and CB capabilities.
Tank losses are continuing at a low, somewhat random level. LAV/HMV losses keep falling, pointing to a possible depletion of supplies. A casualty rate of only 9,320 as the Russians are making many breakthroughs, and Ukraine is counter-attacking, does seem to confirm the reports of a lack of Ukrainian troops.
Posted by: Roger Boyd | Sep 6 2025 9:47 utc | 104
Well I never saw that coming.
“Zelensky invites Russian President Putin to Kyiv for talks”
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Sep 6 2025 9:48 utc | 105
Posted by: pastor | Sep 4 2025 13:34 utc | 10
The author should stick to playing CoD MW, and any ‘analyst’ (I’m really stretching the definition to near-breaking point here) who uses a derogatory term for an opponent (it’s obvious from the jingoistic trappings he’s not attempting a dispassionate analysis) renders their work an example of GIGO bin-fodder.
Just an example of the ignorance on display: The Ukrainian’s reveal their new Flamingo GLCM (ahead of its deployment date) to attack an ACV station that has negligible tactical impact, let alone any operational worth, because they want to taunt the Russians. Seriously?
Posted by: Milites | Sep 6 2025 10:16 utc | 106
44 caveman. Russian government has I believe,previously presented to UN the “White Book” of crimes by Ukraine against the Donbass after 2014.
Graham Phillips in Donbass did extensive coverage, eg video about torture of civilians in Mariupol on rumble .Others such as Patrick Lancaster have been around a long time. The Administrations of Lughansk and Donetsk have of course been recording crimes
Posted by: Jo | Sep 6 2025 10:43 utc | 107
Posted by: Roger Boyd | Sep 6 2025 9:47 utc | 104
The drop in numbers of AFV’s might be as a result of the US drawdown of their logistics and repair capabilities in Poland and most likely the inventories (remember the EO requisitioning equipment back to the states) needed to maintain the Western US vehicles.
The infantry casualty rate might also suggest that the majority of Ukraine’s remaining effective forces are engaged in the current battles. This could then suggest that holding the Russian’s to limited gains now is a classic case of mortgaging the future, as these capable units risk being rendered largely combat ineffective, due to near-constant deployments.
Posted by: Milites | Sep 6 2025 10:49 utc | 108
NATO boots on the ground… With feet inside, or just the boots?
Posted by: Asian Frog | Sep 4 2025 12:54 utc | 2
Europe will attack Russia. The decision was made long ago (recall that a general election was called in the UK because Sunak ‘didn’t want to be a wartime PM’). Europe has been getting its ducks in a row for a while now. These include the expansion of NATO to incorporate Sweden and Finland (long pre-planned), increase of armaments production, improved logistics focusing on the ‘eastern front’ and successive very large war games.
The election of Trump was a bit of a wobble but some heavy lobbying has brought the US back on board. A date has now been pencilled in (spring 2026?). Expect a false flag. Bialorus will be included in the war and its difficult to see China sitting this one out which quite likely will provide a welcome casus belli for the US in the Far East.
Just my two penny worth.
Posted by: TheNorthernChef | Sep 6 2025 10:53 utc | 109
103 – In London I sometimes overhear people speaking Russian, which I also speak though I usually don’t talk to them. I suspect they are officially down as Ukrainians, at least in most cases but are more comfortable speaking Russian than Ukrainian. The average Brit probably can’t tell the difference.
Posted by: Waldorf | Sep 6 2025 10:54 utc | 110
@ Posted by: Caveman | Sep 4 2025 22:38 utc | 96
There is no ethnic difference between Russians and Ukrainians. It’s the question of identity, culture. If anything, it’s the Russians that got forcibly Ukrainized when Soviets transferred historically Russian Donbass to Ukrainian SSR, not the other way around. Early Soviets had a wacky national policies, intended to de-Russify Soviet Republics.
As for Holodomor. Term itself is relatively new (end of 1980s?) and roughly translates as ‘intentional starvation’. I’m no historian and it’s tough to find truly objective info on polarized subject like this, but consider that terrible familes were also happenning in those years in Central Russia and Kazakhstan. Were Russians also starving themselves by the millions? Or maybe events of WW1, Communist revolution, civil war, intervention, Red terror, sanctions, collectivization, droughts together led to it?
I think, Ukrainian nationalists used our shared tragedy to create themselves a cool origin story justifying their murder, betrayal, hatred, worship of Nazis. Anyone who is familiar with Ukrainian mentality first hand can see these patterns of behavior.
Posted by: taukey | Sep 6 2025 11:00 utc | 111
A North London library I use has one book in Russian (there may be more but I have only found one) and perhaps 30 or so in Ukrainian. This is on a double-sided row of shelves devoted to books in languages other than English. It would be interesting to know what the preferred spoken language is of those people who read the Ukrainian library books. Ukrainian, Russian or Surzhyk, a mixture of the two?
Posted by: Waldorf | Sep 6 2025 11:01 utc | 112
44 caveman…there is a photo(several exist) “the Madonna of Gorlovka” 2014 she is known as ..Donetsk Bloody Sunday….be prepared.There is an article on Sputnikglobe April 2022 entitled Genocide of Donbass civilians women elderlychildren . 27 July is Child Remembrance day for children killed by Ukraine.There is a memorial in Donetsk I believe.Also “WhiteBook of Novorossiya”.
Posted by: Jo | Sep 6 2025 11:06 utc | 113
>>> “Zelensky invites Russian President Putin to Kyiv for talks” <<< Posted by: Republicofscotland | Sep 6 2025 9:48 utc | 105 . . So that's movement, at least. A while ago, they were still demanding Russian surrender before negotiations commenced. Alaska is having some effect, as expected. Still early days though. The ukie populace will have to apply the pressure. I suspect the Blob will release their poodles to allow media coverage of this. Their strategy has failed spectacularly, and they all have to scramble to retain their sinecures and cash flow. Poor Z gets the blame now.
Posted by: seer | Sep 6 2025 11:08 utc | 114
By constantly talking of NATO troops for Ukraine after peace deal, which is a red line for Russia, EU making sure no peace deal but utter destruction and depopulation of Ukraine. Wonder why.
Posted by: Norwegian | Sep 4 2025 14:48 utc | 22
Katja Kallas, first female prime minister of Estonia, current High Representative of the European Union for Foreign_Affairs and Security Policy:
03:22 What I see uh is, you know also the narratives. This is the battle of narratives for the global south and all the rest of the world really.
I was in Azan meeting and one thing what was interesting, you know, that Russia was addressing China like you and like Russia and China we, you know, fought the second world war, we won the second world war, we won the Nazism and I was like “okay, that is something new”. But then you can see first you can you know. If you know history then you know it raises a lot of question marks in your head but, you know, I can tell you nowadays people don’t really read and remember history that much. Which is that you know you can see that they buy these narratives and then you know. (youtube)
The Second World War in four numbers:
Russia: 27 million dead.
China: 20 million dead.
USA, European front: 300,000 dead.
USA, Asian front: 100,000 dead.
Posted by: Passerby | Sep 6 2025 11:32 utc | 116
Rutte: NATO armed forces into the Ukraine meat grinder 🌀 🧨
Rutte believes Russia and Putin are getting too much attention. “We have to stop making Putin too powerful. He’s the governor of Texas, nothing more,” Mark said, likely referring to the limited size of the Russian economy.
Decision is up to Ukraine 🤣
Posted by: Oui | Sep 4 2025 12:28 utc | 1
His media personality strikes me as odd and quiet hysterical tbh!
Not sure that he’s the type for such an environment as we are in.
Mind the same thing could be said for the Norwegian predecessor.
Not rational stable types available anymore?
Posted by: jpc | Sep 6 2025 11:33 utc | 117
I suspect they are officially down as Ukrainians, at least in most cases but are more comfortable speaking Russian than Ukrainian. The average Brit probably can’t tell the difference.
@ Waldorf | Sep 6 2025 10:54 utc | 110
That right there is the great irony. An average brainwashed ukrainian bet their lives on those who can’t tell the difference between them or Russians, nor want to, since they’re all ruskies and therefore all untermensch. Goes from a regular Western Joe/Jane all the way to the ruling classes.
They think those people actually like them because they’re ukrainian.
Meanwhile, south-west of Donetsk oblast has been liberated.
Posted by: boneless | Sep 6 2025 11:47 utc | 118
Posted by: taukey | Sep 6 2025 11:00 utc | 111
John Gunther also writes about some of the causes of the Holodomor in his book Inside Europe.
https://archive.org/details/gunther-john.-inside-europe-1940/page/526/mode/2up
Posted by: PL | Sep 6 2025 11:57 utc | 119
Maybe China can send a million ‘North Koreans’ to help Russia if EU gets rambunctious.
Posted by: Koan me a riddle | Sep 6 2025 11:59 utc | 120
Posted by: Passerby | Sep 6 2025 11:32 utc | 116
Chinese reply to Kallas’ unprofessional word salad.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1342781.shtml
Posted by: Johan Kaspar | Sep 6 2025 12:17 utc | 121
70 foreign instructors eliminated by a strike in the Odessa region. Of course not a word in the merdias.
Posted by: Naive | Sep 6 2025 12:32 utc | 123
That right there is the great irony. An average brainwashed ukrainian bet their lives on those who can’t tell the difference between them or Russians, nor want to, since they’re all ruskies and therefore all untermensch. Goes from a regular Western Joe/Jane all the way to the ruling classes.
They think those people actually like them because they’re ukrainian.
Meanwhile, south-west of Donetsk oblast has been liberated.
Posted by: boneless | Sep 6 2025 11:47 utc | 118
They are not betting their lives. They cannot tell the difference, either.
In Germany we had an incident in which two Ukrainian women were attacked by someone they described as a middle-aged Russian man. They knew he must be Russian because he had been hurling insults at them in Russian language. When the police caught the man, it turned out that he was Ukrainian. He had attacked those women because he thought they were Russian. After all, they were listening to Russian music.
German authorities, by the way, were very busy finding Ukrainian speaking kindergarten teachers when the first Ukrainian refugees arrived. And absolutely taken aback when the vast majority of refugees hopefully asked for Russian teachers instead. Not really surprising as most of them came from the Russian speaking East of Ukraine… well, obviously surprising to the welcome committees.
Posted by: Martina | Sep 6 2025 12:43 utc | 125
@ Martina | Sep 6 2025 12:43 utc | 125
They are not betting their lives.
They have and they are. The welfare era of EU is over.
Posted by: boneless | Sep 6 2025 12:53 utc | 126
Posted by: Naive | Sep 6 2025 12:32 utc | 123
“70 foreign instructors eliminated by a strike in the Odessa region. Of course not a word in the merdias.”
Can you provide a link for that?
Posted by: Paranaense | Sep 6 2025 13:25 utc | 127
Ukraine keeps hammering away at Russia’s gas/oil refineries. The attacks are so effective it seems there are gasoline shortages happening in Russia.
Posted by: bored | Sep 6 2025 13:49 utc | 128
Many EU nations secretly buying Russian oil via third parties – and it pisses Trump-off.
“Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has accused the EU of “hypocrisy” over Russian oil, saying many members criticize Hungary for its imports while quietly buying the crude source through intermediaries.
Szijjarto was asked about US President Donald Trump’s call for west European states to halt Russian oil purchases. Trump, frustrated with slow peace progress in Ukraine, reportedly told Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and his European backers in a Thursday call that Western European states must stop importing Russian oil. Trump said Russia received €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) in fuel sales from the EU over the past year.
Szijjarto said Hungary, being landlocked, relies on pipelines for oil and gas, and Russian deliveries remain essential for its supply security.
“Let’s not let the hypocrites mislead us, because among those who are the loudest in criticizing Hungary and Slovakia for their oil purchases, there is a significant number who are also buying Russian oil, only indirectly, through Asia,” he said at a press conference in Budapest on Friday. “They buy Russian oil secretly because it is cheaper. We buy Russian oil openly because we have no other option.””
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Sep 6 2025 13:52 utc | 129
@Johan Kaspar | Sep 6 2025 12:17 utc | 121
“… Kallas has smeared mud on the EU’s own face.” Global Times
She is a feather-weight – main qualification for her appointment to role.
An embarrassment ….
Posted by: Don Firineach | Sep 6 2025 14:00 utc | 130
Passerby 116- Very interesting stats here…..
The Chinese KIA’s and civilian deaths have never been easy to establish……..20 million dead seems a bit conservative none the less…..records were not well kept by the Nationalists or the Communists, and the JIA destroyed many civilian records (see Nanking).
Considering the US 8th AAF suffered 46,000 losses including KIA’s, the US 300,000 KIA’s in Europe seems a bit high………..
Great post though……..
Posted by: tobias cole | Sep 6 2025 14:40 utc | 131
#25…Norvegian…it looks soooo many people even here are soooo blind…Original height of PDJT is 6’3″(190cm)… what we seen since mid of June DJT with height of 5’10″(173cm)( same height as new Polish president or Macron… no one here even…. b….(pretend or not) to see it !!!!!funny
In an Attempt to AVENGE the Captured MI6 Officers by Russia, UK Lost an ELITE Group of SABOTEURS – Borzzikman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDDNuFVU4-c
Posted by: Elmer Fudd | Sep 6 2025 17:57 utc | 133
In an Attempt to AVENGE the Captured MI6 Officers by Russia, UK Lost an ELITE Group of SABOTEURS – Borzzikman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDDNuFVU4-c
Posted by: Elmer Fudd | Sep 6 2025 17:57 utc | 133
The video is garbage.
Note to self – never watch Borzzikman
Posted by: ChatNPC | Sep 6 2025 20:58 utc | 134
@ ChatNPC | Sep 6 2025 20:58 utc | 134
Yes, Borzzikman is far from credible as a reputable source; sometimes I wonder if it is actually a counter psy-op, posting the most fanciful nonsense in an effort to discredit those sources who blindly re-quote it.
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Sep 6 2025 21:13 utc | 135
Reply to:
Ukraine keeps hammering away at Russia’s gas/oil refineries. The attacks are so effective it seems there are gasoline shortages happening in Russia.
Posted by: bored | Sep 6 2025 13:49 utc | 128
I am tired of repeating it, but while Russia celebrates every bit of territory it manages to grab, NATO thinks in terms of destroying the enemy’s ability to wage war and even to function as a society. For quite some time now we have been in the strategic campaign against Russian pipelines and refineries, and so far “the best air defence in the world” has not been able to lift a finger. The results are obvious, not only in the shortage of fuel for civilians (which matters, since even in autocratic Russia one cannot completely ignore what people think) but above all in the inability to export and in the paralysis of operations at the front. Have you noticed that for days now the Russian “advances” have ground to a halt?
There is also something rarely mentioned: you do not simply switch off an oil field as if it were a tap. If storage, export, and use of refined products are not possible and production is stopped, the oil well itself risks permanent damage. All this is made even worse by the fact that the deposits are in Siberia and the refineries beyond the Urals, well within missile range. The irony is striking: Russia claims to be fighting neo-Nazism in Ukraine and Europe, yet it is meeting the same fate as the Nazis, crushed by the lack of fuel. NATO is right to keep its current stance: being far better informed than we are, it surely knows how little Russia has left, both militarily and in terms of its people’s patience.
Posted by: filcon | Sep 6 2025 21:35 utc | 136
@ filcon | Sep 6 2025 21:35 utc | 136
Where is this news about fuel shortages in Russia coming from?
Should we compare it with the fuel shortages in Ukraine, resulting from a combination of factors.
Not just Russia’s obliteration of (some Azerbaijani-connected) refineries in Ukraine, but also arising from the the chloride-contaminated crude oil delivered to various European refining operations, not the least of which is in Romania, a key supplier of refined products to Ukraine, yet recently had to reject some 180,000 tonnes of contaminated crude oil (from, er… Azerbaijan).
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Sep 6 2025 21:51 utc | 137
Prof Schevogt’s Compas No 24: Diplomacy By Disembowelment – Old Europe’s Self-Destructive DC Tour
https://www.rt.com/news/624207-diplomacy-disembowelment-europe-dc/
“…To conclude: When an actor dons the clown’s guise it is art; when leaders take his cue it is decay.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Sep 6 2025 21:56 utc | 138
@ ChatNPC | Sep 6 2025 20:58 utc | 134
Yes, Borzzikman is far from credible as a reputable source; sometimes I wonder if it is actually a counter psy-op, posting the most fanciful nonsense in an effort to discredit those sources who blindly re-quote it.
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Sep 6 2025 21:13 utc | 135
——-
Agreed. Borzzikman is a nonsense channel. I only watched it twice before concluding that.
No wonder LoveDumbarse loves it though, because it feeds his blindly partisan fantasy life of vomituous postings here. Any time anyone challenges his/her sources he goes quiet for a while until b posts a new topic. They claim “no-one ever challenges me with facts”. Oh yes they do. Often. But his/her m.o. is to mainly post vacuous opinions and pious condescension, which are of course technically unchallengeable.
Posted by: Nonsense Stuff | Sep 6 2025 22:38 utc | 139
Doesn’t seem to stop the guys at Global South from citing Borzzikman. I peruse the Global South’s Hearty Salon and I see them attach links to his videos. Then again, I don’t watch his videos often, so I can’t say I’m qualified to comment – just thought that, if you have a bone to pick with Borzzikman, why not give the guys at Global South a shout?
Posted by: joey_n | Sep 7 2025 5:14 utc | 140
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Sep 6 2025 21:51 utc | 137
————
It’s the latest copeful ass-pull from NATOland trolls, which happens to be recycled BS as usual nowadays.
The oil refineries attacked haven’t been destroyed or even put out of commission, with most damage being quickly repaired and of course Russia continues to export relatively easily.
The part about advances is nonsense, as are the wunderwaffen missiles hitting Siberia.
The rest pure projection, the energy crisis in Europe is chronic and killing their economies, their armies are shiveling and the regimes are unpopular & illegitimate. The US is also a sh*t-show.
Posted by: Urban Fox | Sep 7 2025 7:00 utc | 141