Russia and Ukraine

[The Grand Nudger]

Some of the roughest fighting so far, yeah- judging by casualties and confirmed destruction.

[Anomalocaris]

Russia just revealed a war winning weapon:


[img]<a href=[/img]" />
A EV so ugly ukrainian defenders will be stuck blind even from miles away.

[Fake Messiah]

Short explanation on how aid for Ukraine works

[Thumpalumpacus]

The Ukrainian air force destroyed a Russian amphibious landing ship in an early morning raid on Tuesday, the country’s air force chief claimed, in what would be a major loss for the Russian Navy.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the landing ship Novocherkassk, docked in the Crimean city of Feodosia, was damaged in a strike, The Associated Press reported, adding that two Ukrainian fighter jets were shot down during the operation.

Russian state media TASS reported that one person was killed and two were injured in the attack. An ammunition store blew up amid the attack, it said.

“The fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller!” Ukrainian air force chief Mykola Oleshchuk said on Telegram, mocking the Russians.

Oleshchuk shared a video which appears to show a massive explosion at the port.

The Ukrainian military claimed Novocherkassk has served as a launching point for attack drones in the Black Sea. Oleshchuk said the Tuesday attack was a follow-up to the destruction of the Russian flagship cruiser Moskva in April 2022, not long after the beginning of the war.

He also urged Russians to leave Crimea, formerly Ukrainian land until 2014, “before it’s too late.”

The Ukrainian military has increasingly focused attacks on Crimea as its war against Russia drags on.

Fighting has slowed to a near-standstill as winter sets in and both sides suffer the effects of a long, costly conflict. Ukraine has continued to push the U.S. and Western allies for additional military aid it claims is critical for its defense against the nearly two-year Russian invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky failed to convince Congress to quickly pass a Ukraine aid bill during his Washington visit earlier this month. Congress is expected to restart negotiations over a combined border security-foreign aid deal after the holidays.

https://thehill.com/policy/international...airstrike/

[Thumpalumpacus]

Russian forces are reportedly decreasing aviation activity and their use of glide bombs in Ukraine after Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian Su-34s in southern Ukraine between December 21 and 22. Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ihnat stated on December 24 that Russian forces decreased their use of glide bombs and air strikes in southern Ukraine.[5] Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets stated on December 24 that Russian forces are limiting their use of manned aviation near occupied Crimea, particularly in the northwestern Black Sea region.[6] ISW previously assessed that Russian forces may have recently intensified their use of glide bombs against Ukrainian forces on the west (right) bank of the Dnipro River in part because Ukrainian forces reportedly suppressed Russian long-range artillery in the area.[7] Continued decreased Russian glide bomb strikes in Kherson Oblast may present an opportunity for Ukrainian forces to operate more freely in near rear areas in west bank Kherson Oblast and establish a safer position on the east (left) bank from which to conduct future operations if the Ukrainian high command so chose. Russian forces reportedly use glide bomb strikes so that Russian aircraft can remain 50 to 70 kilometers behind the line of combat engagement, and the decreased Russian use of glide bombs suggests that Russian forces are concerned about Ukrainian air defense capabilities following recent losses.[8] Ukrainian Ground Forces Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Fityo stated on December 23 that Russian forces also reduced their use of aviation and increased their use of strike drones in the Kupyansk and Bakhmut directions.[9] Ihnat also stated on December 24 that Ukrainian forces can deploy air defense systems in any direction, not only in those where Russian forces suffered aircraft loses.[10]

The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s 810th Naval Infantry Brigade edited its acknowledgement that its personnel are deliberately using chemical weapons in Ukraine in a likely effort to hide what could be evidence of an apparent violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia is party. The 810th Naval Infantry Brigade stated on its Telegram channel on December 22 that the brigade is using a “radical change in tactics” against Ukrainian forces in Krynky (on the eastern bank of Kherson Oblast) by dropping K-51 grenades from drones onto Ukrainian positions.[33] K-51 aerosol grenades are filled with irritant CS gas (2-Chlorobenzalmalononitrile), a type of tear gas used for riot control (also known as a Riot Control Agent [RCA]), which the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) prohibits as a method of warfare.[34] Between the time of ISW’s data collection on December 23 and this December 24 update the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade’s Telegram edited the post to delete the specific reference to the K-51 grenade.[35] The original phrasing of the post, however, can be still observed on Russian social media accounts that posted screenshots of it, directly reposted the original acknowledgement (since edits to Telegram posts do not affect reposts of an unedited post), or archived the original post — all confirming that the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade did publish the use of K-51 grenades and then edited its post.[36] ISW has not determined when the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade made the edit.

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgro...ct-updates

[Fake Messiah]

Putin Ally Found Dead After Falling From Third-Floor Window

Vladimir Egorov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was found dead on Wednesday, according to Russian state media.

Tobolsk City Duma deputy Egorov, 46, a member of Putin's ruling United Russia party, fell from the third-floor window of a house on Kedrovaya Street in Tobolsk in the Tyumen Oblast, Russian Telegram channel Baza, which has links to Russian security services, reported.

It is the latest in a series of mysterious deaths involving prominent Russian figures since President Vladimir Putin's forces invaded Ukraine last February.

https://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-egorov...ow-1856059

[Anomalocaris]

He wouldn’t kill a bunch of people the same signature way if he is really interested in not leaving a trail, or at least in credible deniability.

Putin wants everyone to know he did it, and he can keep on doing it, and there ain’t nothing those who he might do it to can do about about it.

[A. Secular Human]

Russia just revealed a war winning weapon:


[img]<a href=[/img]" />
A EV so ugly ukrainian defenders will be stuck blind even from miles away.

Looks like sheet metal wrapped around a surprised hippo!

[Leonardo17]

   The war has officially turned into a typical WWI style artillery warfare. Both side are lacking munitions. Russia is turning to South Korea + China to replenish its stocks. And the US is turning to South Korea + Japan for more munition + it plans to triple its production capacities within the coming years. Germany is left with 20,000 shells (which would be enough for only a few days if they had to use them). A typical artillery shell costs about 800 $.
 
   One of the main issues are those cluster bombs which are banned in many countries. The problem with these is that some of the bomblets do not explode and hurt people years after they have been dropped. So the US using them is a sign that the US is starting to run low on munitions too.
 
   Also the amount of resources, metals etc. I see in this video are simply incredible. According the ChatGPT many advanced militaries have programs to recycle those empty shells. Still all that iron etc. being spent like this is simply incredible.

Business Insider

When did the US join this war between Russia and Ukraine?

And why would we go to ChatGPT as a news source?

Well, billions of your taxes are going there + most of the modern military gears come from the US
 
- I don’t use chat GPT that often. But they say it’s efficient enough to do high school level homework for you

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Anomalocrasis said:

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“It should be noted that when an attacking force is able to break out from a mire in front of prepared defensive positions,  that attacking force almost always enjoyed heavy superiority in numbers, in supporting artillery or air power over the defending force, and in addition always possess considerably more mobile strategic reserves further behind the front than the defending forces can call upon.     Technical solution’s ability to make up for shortcomings in those areas are not nearly as great as those influenced by military fan fiction that glorify individual pieces of weaponry might think.
 
Ukraine with any conceivable western support short of indirect all out NATO Attack not only do not enjoy those advantages,   it is quite on the wrong side of where these advantages lay throughout this conflict, even at the times when Russian effort seemed unremediably incompetent,    The net balance of factors driving the final outcome was always heavily in Russia’s favor, whatever the west think the righteous outcome should be and however the west pretend the war is approaching that righteous outcome.       The entire counterattack Ukraine conducted this year was a gross strategic blunder that could only have been justified if it could have dragged NATO directly into the war.     If it failed in that, as it evidently had,  its net result would inevitably be to put Ukraine much further into the red in both of these two strategic aspects.

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Militarily, in terms of relative frontline strength able to take action in near term, and in terms of relative availability if strategic reserves, both trained and recruitable, Ukraine is now undoubtedly much worse off now than in June, when the current offensive began,  or indeed any time since the initial Russian attack last year.”
 
- And I don’t think it’s pure propaganda. Some people are warning us that Russia could still start to push the Ukrainians back at some point.
 
First: Ukraine is a functioning democracy. People do no want to enlist and die. Having that many casualties in a democratic country is more problematic.  
Two: What if Trump is re-elected? What if he is elected and decides “to solve the problem within a month” as he is claiming on TV shows?
 
Also, Putin said something. The only person I have ever heard building such phrases is my own semi-divine emperor. So here it goes:
 
“We also want to end the conflict, and as soon as possible but only on our terms,”
V. Putin
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/putin...24899.html
 
/ So he is negotiating but only if nobody is arguing with him. That’s what I make of it.  

[The Grand Nudger]

A misperception. Billions of our taxes are going to us states- and then what they produce, and what we have in negative book value surplus…is “going there”. In fact, the trumpiest states with the most Putin loving politicians are the main beneficiaries of the war in Ukraine.

We fuck all sorts of shit up, but turning a profit in conflict is something we’re reliably good at.

As for Russia negotiating™ you e got it exactly right. They’re willing to end the conflict…they say…provided Ukraine undergoes regime change and surrenders all major cities including the capitol.