The Russian Invasion of Ukraine

[clearspira]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65657621

Russia MAY be about to take Bakhmut. Classic Pyrrhic victory. It has no strategic value, it has no resources, it has no supplies. Its not even technically a city anymore - more of a pile of rocks. And the Russians lost something like 20,000-30,000 men to take it. It is nothing more than propaganda.

Pictured: Vladimir Putin

[phantom000]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/uk ... smsnnews11

Earlier today, Ukrainian officials had also said fighting for the regional transport and logistics hub in the Donetsk Oblast is still ongoing.

I think the Russians have occupied or destroyed a large part of the city but the Ukrainians are holding onto the more important parts, the parts that allow them to bring in troops and supplies. So the siege could still go either way, especially with Russia holding back supplies for the big counter offensive they keep anticipating.

[Madner Kami]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/uk ... smsnnews11

Earlier today, Ukrainian officials had also said fighting for the regional transport and logistics hub in the Donetsk Oblast is still ongoing.

I think the Russians have occupied or destroyed a large part of the city but the Ukrainians are holding onto the more important parts, the parts that allow them to bring in troops and supplies. So the siege could still go either way, especially with Russia holding back supplies for the big counter offensive they keep anticipating.

No, Ukrainian forces have left the city. They still control around 50% of the area surrounding the city though. Unfortunately, that area is in the shape of a pocket, but local counter-offensives keep the russians in check. If Russia decides to attack from the city, the Ukrainians will perform a slow fighting retreat to Ivanivske and Chasiv Yar, where the next Stalingrad awaits the Russians. Ivanivske is about the same size as the territory the Russians have been trying to capture for the last 3ish months. Chasiv Yar is about one forth as large as Bakhmut.



Bakhmut is the graveyard of the Wagner Group. Russia has permanently lost between 10,000 and 20,000 troops in their attempts to capture the city, with an unknown amount of injured soldiers (numbers from elsewhere indicate, that another 30,000 to 60,000 soldiers can be expected as wounded in action). They can't repeat this anymore, unless they start conscripting people they don't want to conscript and all the while, Russia is now using T-55s as artillery units.

[Frustration]

Does Russia derive any actual benefit from the territories it's capturing?

[Madner Kami]

Does Russia derive any actual benefit from the territories it's capturing?

Less mouths to feed. Less guns to maintain. Less tanks to fuel. Strategically, it's completely irrelevant.

[CmdrKing]

In the universe Russian intelligence was creating for Putin the live in, the one where they were welcomed as liberators and the pro-Russian Ukrainians would be sufficient to keep the Ukrainian nationalists in line, there’s all sorts of stuff that’s good for Russia in those regions. But they’ve bombed all that and gotten most of the workers there killed, so it’s just dirt to serve as a “buffer” (a tactic that makes no sense in the 21st century). Or put another way, it’s a token for Putin to proclaim victory over.

[Madner Kami]

Meanwhile in Belgorod, Russia: A group calling themselves "Legion Free Russia", a group estimated to be battalion-sized (about a 1,000 men) and comprised of ethnic Russians, yesterday began an attack on a russian borderpost in Kozinka, near Belgorod

A similar action happened in the past already, but the group retreated after occupying the border-post. This time however...

Twitter: HMMWVs of Russian Volunteer Corps at the Russian border post Grayvoron, #Belgorod Oblast.



They don't stop.

Twitter: Russians civilians are fleeing from the aree

Twitter: The Legion showing off captured military assets

Twitter: Belgorodian citizens publically demand to be armed by the state, to counter the insurrection

The Russians are getting antsy, because there's a "Special Weapons Depot" nearby, "Object 1150". It's up to debate whether there are currently any such weapons, but it's essentially a nuclear weapon silo. Unconfirmed reports talk about hectic activities by russian personell, to clear the area, though russian military bloggers keep saying that the depot was already cleared when Kupiansk was liberated in September of 2022.



The situation is quite unclear. While Russia claims to have killed 70 insurrectionists already, other sources claim there were more border crossings by the Legion. The leadership of the Legion, represented by Ilya Ponomarev, made a public statement (YouTube), that they'll continue their assault, aiming for Belgorod.

Fun-fact: This Legion occupied more russian soil within 48 hours, than Russia conquered in the last 8 months, if I am not entirely mistaken. Certainly far more than they gained in Bakhmut in those 8 months. They'll probably retreat as soon as they meet any serious opposition, but this is just too hilarious to not pick up.

[clearspira]

Fun-fact: This Legion occupied more russian soil within 48 hours, than Russia conquered in the last 8 months, if I am not entirely mistaken. Certainly far more than they gained in Bakhmut in those 8 months. They'll probably retreat as soon as they meet any serious opposition, but this is just too hilarious to not pick up.

Islamic State conquered more in 8 months armed only with Toyota's and AK's than Russia has in Ukraine. The Taliban too for that matter. Yeah, the situation is different, but it still amuses me.

[Madner Kami]

Nah, it's not Ukraine. It's Belgorod People's Republic self-defence militias liberating their land from the oppression of the Muscovite junta (remember how Russian Nazi planes dropped a big bomb on Belgorod some months ago!) with equipment from army surplus stores.

And just to keep up with Russian parlance in what was done so far:

[clearspira]

Nah, it's not Ukraine. It's Belgorod People's Republic self-defence militias liberating their land from the oppression of the Muscovite junta (remember how Russian Nazi planes dropped a big bomb on Belgorod some months ago!) with equipment from army surplus stores.

And just to keep up with Russian parlance in what was done so far:

The more I look at what an embarrassing shit show this is for Putin, the more convinced I am that he'll use tactical nukes. Amusingly however, those hypersonic wonderweapons of his so readily taken out by Patriot are also his nuclear launch platform.