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Russia seems to have given up on taking cities, preferring to just capture piles of rubble.
"Russian forces have entered the city of Severodonetsk, as they continue their attempts to capture the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. One of the region's governors says that the bombardment of the industrial centre is so intense that they have given up counting the casualties.
Just days ago, I watched from a rooftop in Lysychansk as, on the horizon, its twin city of Severodonetsk was being bombed indiscriminately. Shells were landing every minute on its length and breath. Severodonetsk was burning....
Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Luhansk, now says that all critical infrastructure in Severodonetsk has been destroyed. Previously, he suggested that Ukrainian forces may have to withdraw from the city and Lysychansk.
The scene of devastation in a third city, Rubizhne - in peacetime just a short drive to the north - shows what Russia's unrelenting artillery fire is capable of. Looking from Lysychansk into the distance, there is now a blot on the emerald green landscape. The small city is gone - scoured from the earth....
Vladimir Putin gambled big - and lost - on taking all of Ukraine, so perhaps that explains the enormous resources he is throwing at achieving a tactical win in Donbas. But a Kremlin victory here won't mean defeat for Ukraine.
I ask the unnamed guardsman, tired after months of battle, but still here at front, what it will take to win?
"There is a sky, and the sky is ours. Drones are helping a lot. Weapons have arrived and multiple rocket launchers. America, lend-lease…" he tells me. "The only question is time. It's time and that's it. And then everything will be Ukraine.""
Russia seems to have given up on taking cities, preferring to just capture piles of rubble.
"Russian forces have entered the city of Severodonetsk, as they continue their attempts to capture the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. One of the region's governors says that the bombardment of the industrial centre is so intense that they have given up counting the casualties.
Just days ago, I watched from a rooftop in Lysychansk as, on the horizon, its twin city of Severodonetsk was being bombed indiscriminately. Shells were landing every minute on its length and breath. Severodonetsk was burning....
Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Luhansk, now says that all critical infrastructure in Severodonetsk has been destroyed. Previously, he suggested that Ukrainian forces may have to withdraw from the city and Lysychansk.
The scene of devastation in a third city, Rubizhne - in peacetime just a short drive to the north - shows what Russia's unrelenting artillery fire is capable of. Looking from Lysychansk into the distance, there is now a blot on the emerald green landscape. The small city is gone - scoured from the earth....
Vladimir Putin gambled big - and lost - on taking all of Ukraine, so perhaps that explains the enormous resources he is throwing at achieving a tactical win in Donbas. But a Kremlin victory here won't mean defeat for Ukraine.
I ask the unnamed guardsman, tired after months of battle, but still here at front, what it will take to win?
"There is a sky, and the sky is ours. Drones are helping a lot. Weapons have arrived and multiple rocket launchers. America, lend-lease…" he tells me. "The only question is time. It's time and that's it. And then everything will be Ukraine.""
What most military analyst are watching for is...culmination. Russia simply can't replace its equipment and ammunition due to sanctions. This is a crazy move by Putin...just for a propaganda win.
What most military analyst are watching for is...culmination. Russia simply can't replace its equipment and ammunition due to sanctions. This is a crazy move by Putin...just for a propaganda win.
Seems like with a few more weeks he will finally get all of Luhansk, but getting all of Donetsk and holding onto what he has elsewhere seems like a pipedream for him.
Interesting comment from the soldier in Severodonetsk in the article. Said 30% of the people were pro-Ukrainian, 30% were pro-Russian and 40% didn't care.
Really? But they're winning, for now. If you mean, you don't see how they could hold onto it, once Ukraine gets all the Canadian missiles, US equipment, Danish and Swedish whatnot, etc., yes, that's the one wild card. Will it all arrive in time, and will Ukraine manage to make good use of it.
The way it looks now, the east and south are Russia's. And they're not done making their way westward along the shore, toward Odessa, while holding tight in the Donbas.
The Russians have been pushed back quite a bit in the west as they were in the north. They are still gaining ground slowly in the east.
But they haven't made big advances since the first couple weeks of the war when they took over most of Luhansk and made large advances in the south.
Oh give me a break. The Ukrainians totally defeated the Russians in the Northern Ukraine. Remember that 40 mile long convoy of Russian vehicles that made it all the way to the outskirts of Kyiv, where it stalled and then was totally annihilated by Ukrainian attacks? No way can that logically be interpreted as anything other than a massive defeat for the Russians.
Yes, those troops were deployed to the Eastern Front, because they had totally failed to achieve any of their military objectives in the Northern Ukraine. They lost that battle big time, and even the Russians themselves know that.
That said, these are battles and who wins the battles has nothing to do with who wins the war.
No I don't.
I don't remember, since I don't listen to Ukrainian propaganda in the first place - it's all white noise to me, sort of like a lot of videos posted on this thread by certain members.
By your definition, whatever government Ukraine has, it will be a puppet regime.
At least, it looks Ukraine doesn't want to be a Russian state puppet anymore. Which makes you mad.
WILL BE, yes, from 2014 on.
But that was not a case before that.
Both times, when Ukraine elected the pro-American and pro-Russian presidents respectively ( back in 2004 and 2010) - I didn't think they were "puppets" at all.
They were elected for very valid reasons, in democratic process, but what took place in 2014 was anything but "democratic."
So yes, from this point on we can talk about "puppet regimes" only.
This smashing of the cities: Will that really accomplish what Russia needs or wants in Odesa? If they smash the city there is no working infrastructure, and without infrastructure of ports, piers, cranes and other ship handling resources, what good would Odesa be?
Maybe they'll try and they may even succeed, if they have the ammunition to do it. But then they'll have to rebuild everything in order to export the new "Russian" grain.
As it is, they are just daring The West to do something about the blockade. As far as I know, Turkey is still not letting warships through the Bosporus. Russia tried to send a ship through in March and was told no. I wouldn't expect them to let a NATO fleet in, either.
And the Russians are innocent of any war crimes?? There is going to be alot of partisan activity moving forward.
I am not sure what "Russian war crimes" are you talking about exactly, but this latest explosion of the hi-rise targeting people that live there indiscriminately, exposes the essence of Ukrainian terrorist state like never before.
Gone now all this lamenting that "Ukrainians would never target "their own" ( remember that shelling of Kramatorsk station?)
Gone the assurances so loved by Ukrainian propaganda that "no Ukrainian wants to live under Russian rule," and gone are the lies that "Russians want to kill all Ukrainians" and "Russians deliberately target Ukrainian civilians."
What it shows though, that current Ukrainian government works hand in hand with the West, ready to fight the war "till the last Ukrainian," since that's the only way it can survive.
But then, again, we always knew what these puppets were all about.
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The counter-insurgency has been planned for 8 years.
Not exactly.
What was going on throughout these 8 years in this so-called "democratic state," was the elimination of any "dissidents" - i.e. anyone daring to oppose the ideas of the Nationalist state. That's what all these murders/tortures/imprisonments and marching Nazi units on the city streets were all about.
It was a lengthy process, so at that point they couldn't plan "counter-insurgency" YET.
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The targets will be Russian and Russian supporters and their will be collateral damage however unfortunate.
Well I guess then the supporters of the Nationalist regime were an "unfortunate collateral damage" as well? ( According to your logic.)
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NONE of this would be happening if Putin had not invaded a Internationally recognized sovereign country based on trumped up justifications. All the blood is on Putin's hands and ANYBODY that supports this "Special Military Operation".
None of this would have happened if Americasn wouldn't have sponsored the coup d'etat in Kiev, so "International recognition" will have to be changed I guess.
With that being said, I still question what will come out of Putin's government, when the dust settles.
It seems to me that the "military wing" of the Russian government/society in general has a lot of questions to the "liberal" wing of it. Including the initial "planning" of this military operation.
This smashing of the cities: Will that really accomplish what Russia needs or wants in Odesa? If they smash the city there is no working infrastructure, and without infrastructure of ports, piers, cranes and other ship handling resources, what good would Odesa be?
Maybe they'll try and they may even succeed, if they have the ammunition to do it. But then they'll have to rebuild everything in order to export the new "Russian" grain.
As it is, they are just daring The West to do something about the blockade. As far as I know, Turkey is still not letting warships through the Bosporus. Russia tried to send a ship through in March and was told no. I wouldn't expect them to let a NATO fleet in, either.
I have NO IDEA how all this will shake out.
The Russians will never make it to Odesa. If they manage to capture all of Donetsk their military will be at the culmination point after that and they will not have the manpower or equipment for further offensives.
This smashing of the cities: Will that really accomplish what Russia needs or wants in Odesa? If they smash the city there is no working infrastructure, and without infrastructure of ports, piers, cranes and other ship handling resources, what good would Odesa be?
I dunno, because with all the destruction of Mariupol, its port is already operational.
However when it comes to Odessa specifically - destruction of this city will be a shame, since it's one of the oldest Russian cities, built in times of the Russian empire, and unlike Mariupol it has a lot of architectural value.
But the port most likely will remain operational.
I understand the worries of Western creditors at this point that provided credits to Ukrainian farmers to grow all this wheat that they can't retrieve through Odessa port, but who would have thought about a war erupting there.
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Maybe they'll try and they may even succeed, if they have the ammunition to do it. But then they'll have to rebuild everything in order to export the new "Russian" grain.
As it is, they are just daring The West to do something about the blockade.
Can you please give me more info on the blockade?
What kind of blockade is that, provided by what exactly?
Russian military ships or what?
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