The Rus-Ukraine War in progress

[Peter1469]

As they say, better late then never- the stuck convoy is moving.... Although we shall see if the Russians have worked the kinks out.

Also, Russian is bringing some Syrian fighters in to help them out.

Russian strikes hit western Ukraine as offensive widens

Russia widened its military offensive in Ukraine on Friday, striking near airports in the west of the country for the first time, as observers and satellite photos indicated that its troops, long stalled in a convoy outside the capital Kyiv, were maneuvering in an attempt to encircle the city.

The U.S. and its allies prepared to step up their efforts to isolate and sanction Russia by revoking its most favored trading status. But with the invasion now in its third week, the new moves on the ground pointed to Russia forces trying to regroup, bombarding new cities as they tightened their 10-day-old siege on the key Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where tens of thousands were struggling to find food.

The new airstrikes in western Ukraine were likely a message from Russia that no area was safe. Western and Ukrainian officials have said the Russian forces have struggled in the face of heavier-than-expected resistance and supply and morale problems. So far, they have made the most advances on cities in the south and east while stalling in the north and around Kyiv.

And about that convoy. They had to get it moving after the special forces attack on it yesterday.

In another potentially ominous movement, new satellite photos appeared to show that the massive Russian convoy outside the Ukrainian capital had fanned out into nearby towns and forests.

Howitzers were towed into positions to open fire, and armored units were seen in towns near the the Antonov Airport north of the city, according to Maxar Technologies, the company that produced the images.


The 40-mile (64-kilometer) line of vehicles, tanks and artillery had massed outside Kyiv early last week. But its advance had appeared to stall amid reports of food and fuel shortages while Ukrainian troops also targeted it with anti-tank missiles.


The new moves suggest the convoy forces were now moving west around the city, making their way south to encircle it,, according to Jack Watling, a research fellow at British defense think-tank Royal United Services Institute.


“They’re about half-way around now,” he told BBC radio. He said they were likely preparing for a “siege rather than assault” on Kyiv because of continuing low morale and logistical problems. A missile Friday hit the town of Baryshivka, on Kyiv’s eastern perimeter, significantly damaging buildings, according to the regional administration.


The British Ministry of Defense said that after making “limited progress,” Russian forces were trying to “re-set and re-posture” their troops, gearing up for operations against Kyiv.

Here is a CNN video of the ambush where Ukrainian SF killed some tanks and APCs. They got the regimental commander who bravely (not smartly) commanded the lead tank.

[Peter1469]

Another article about the problems with the invasion. Same stuff I warned of. Bad logistical plan. Inability to conduct joint operations. Grossly underestimating their enemy.

After more than two weeks of war, the Russian military grinds forward at a heavy cost

They don't fully control the skies, despite possessing one of the world's most advanced air forces. Their ground assault on the capital has been inching along for days, with a miles-long convoy marooned by supply problems. And all the while, they are taking heavy losses - both in personnel and equipment.

Two weeks after Russian forces streamed into neighboring Ukraine following months of buildup, evidence is mounting that the invasion has not gone to plan - and that Russia's much-vaunted military may not be the formidable force once feared.

"The word I'm hearing from everybody in the government who is watching this is 'surprising.' My own word is 'shocking,'" said Barry Pavel, a former top Pentagon official who is now senior vice president at the Atlantic Council. "It's shocking how incompetent they are in the basics of joint military operations by an advanced country."

The Russians should ask the US DoD for some Green Beret support to get them up to speed on that.

That doesn't mean Russia won't ultimately seize Kyiv and topple the Ukrainian government. And it doesn't mean Ukraine won't pay a horrific price in both military and civilian casualties, as it continues to do daily.

But the stumbling pace of Russia's assault since President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine late last month - marked by apparent confusion among commanders plus viral images of downed Russian planes and tanks set alight - has reset expectations for how the conflict will unfold.


And it probably has raised the ultimate cost - to both Ukraine and Russia - of any eventual Russian victory, especially as Moscow appears to have abandoned plans for a lightning advance, relying instead on shelling besieged cities and launching unguided bombs from the sky.

"What's the number of civilians killed by days and days and days of artillery? What's the number that leads to a more favorable Russian position?" Pavel asked. "I'm really worried about that."

While the invasion has turned into a bloody slog in the face of a fierce Ukrainian resistance, Russian forces have continued to make slow advances around multiple cities - particularly in the south, where several major cities appear in danger of falling in the coming days. Only one major city, Kherson, has so far been taken by the Russians.

[JesusIsLord]

the green berets are too busy training and arming neo nazi gangs that burn people alive in buildings.

[Peter1469]

the green berets are too busy training and arming neo nazi gangs that burn people alive in buildings.

ODAs going to do what ODAs do.

[Peter1469]

Makes sense for Putin.

Putin to use Middle East volunteer troops

Russian President Vladimir Putin has given the green light for up to 16,000 volunteers from the Middle East to be deployed alongside Russian-backed rebels to fight in Ukraine, doubling down an invasion that the West says has been losing momentum.

The move, just over two weeks since Putin ordered the invasion, allows Russia to deploy battle-hardened mercenaries from conflicts such as Syria without risking additional Russian military casualties.


At a meeting of Russia's Security Council, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East who were ready to come to fight alongside Russian-backed forces in the breakaway Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.


"If you see that there are these people who want of their own accord, not for money, to come to help the people living in Donbass, then we need to give them what they want and help them get to the conflict zone," Putin said from the Kremlin.


Shoigu also proposed that Western-made Javelin and Stinger missiles that were captured by the Russian army in Ukraine should be handed over to Donbass forces, along other weaponry such as man-portable air-defence systems, known as MANPADS, and anti-tank rocket complexes.


"As to the delivery of arms, especially Western-made ones which have fallen into the hands of the Russian army - of course I support the possibility of giving these to the military units of the Lugansk and Donetsk people's republics," Putin said.

[Peter1469]

Odessa is preparing for an attack. It would make sense for Russia to make the attempt as it would shore up the Black Sea and turn Ukraine into a landlocked nation. But considering Russia's logistics problems this may be a bridge too far.

‘We won’t be welcoming the Russians with roses’: Odesa prepares for attack

Some 30 men form a human chain on an icy, wind-swept Odesa beach: They are shoveling fine sand into white canvas bags and passing them from one man to the next and into the trailer of a truck parked at the Odesa Yacht Club.


Recreational boats in a dry dock evoke happier days of sunny outings on the Black Sea. But on this day, March 10, it is the war that is on everyone’s minds. The thousands of sandbags will be used to barricade Odesa’s city centre, as it calmly prepares for a Russian attack.

Pro-tip for the Ukrainians. You have to worry not just about an amphibious assault from the sea, but a coordinated airborne mass attack from above. The only area where Russia does well with joint operations is with the airborne and naval infantry units.

Remember airborne comes with what they dropped. Don't let the two forces link up and the airborne forces will have a hard time being resupplied.

“It’s just common sense. Their boats won’t approach until the Russian ground forces have taken Mykolaiv [a strategic city 130 km to the east] and they are at the gates of the city. I think fighters who have already infiltrated Odesa will also show their faces then,” Brig, a computer engineer, told FRANCE 24. “So we have to be ready to fight on three fronts at the same time”.

[Peter1469]

Russia is striking targets in western Ukraine, even up to the border. The media is shocked that Russia may target the convoys with western military aid. So long as they target them inside Ukraine it seems a prudent measure for Russia to take.

Waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base close to Ukraine’s western border with NATO member Poland, killing 35 people. The strike followed Russian threats to target foreign weapon shipments that are helping Ukrainian fighters defend their country against Russia’s grinding invasion.
More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling training facility that is less than 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the closest border point with Poland, according to the governor of Ukraine’s western Lviv region. Poland is a key location for routing Western military aid to Ukraine.


Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Lviv had largely been spared the scale of destruction unfolding further east and become a destination for residents escaping bombarded cities and for many of the nearly 2.6 million refugees who have fled the country.

[JesusIsLord]

Russia is striking targets in western Ukraine, even up to the border. The media is shocked that Russia may target the convoys with western military aid. So long as they target them inside Ukraine it seems a prudent measure for Russia to take.

war materiel is war materiel, no matter where it is.

[Peter1469]

Maps: Tracking the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

[JesusIsLord]

looks like Putin's done for now! Are dilators hard to get on the front line? Asking for a friend.

ukraine trannies.jpg


edit: check out the username top left: TheAbbadon.