Russia and Ukraine

[The Grand Nudger]

8-18 Lukashenko declares the smo mission accomplished, claiming that ukraine has been successfully de-nazified.
8-19 Putin says nuh-uh, so many nazis comrade and also windows too.
8-20 Lukashenko will send 60k troops to the ukranian border.

[The Grand Nudger]

-In which a ukranian kozak mrap meets two russian ifvs at a three way.....and hightails it out in reverse while the russians get friendly.  
https://x.com/i/status/1826552880242761980

[Thumpalumpacus]

I like his point about this being a Ukrainian counteroffensive rather than "incursion" (which is how I've been analyzing this heretofore). I think his criticism of the "slow, confused" Russian response is a little off the mark -- it seems clear to me that the Russians are trying to drive their attack on Pokrovsk home and avoid shifting troops to defend the Ukrainian attack because they feel a successful capture of Pokrovsk will more than outweigh the loss of ground around Kursk.

I haven't finished the video so I don't know if the general will address this, but the economy of force the Ukrainians are using is really impressive. 10,000 or so troops penetrating 30 km scaring the shit out of the Kremlin is both a tactical and psychological victory. I don't agree that this is a "catastrophe".

Hopefully the Ukrainians can roll up the western flank and make Russians really think about what their sons are dying for.

[Fake Messiah]

Another Russian mercenary leader has turned against Putin

A few days ago, Georgy Zakrevsky, another head of a private military company, effectively called on Russians to get rid of the “Great” Putin.

“Our country is not just on the brink of disaster or already right next to it; our country is already in trouble. In big trouble. Drones are flying all over central Russia, right up to Moscow and St. Petersburg. They even attacked the Kremlin. Our Black Sea fleet is being pushed out. It’s being pushed out as if we were not a great power with a great fleet, but some third-rate country.

“Our air force is practically not working because it is also being pushed out. We are standing in the same positions that we took more than two years ago, and partly in those to which we retreated. The population is dying out, becoming impoverished, drinking itself to death: no one cares. All they have time to do is bring in migrants.”

Zakrevsky’s appeal, which has supposedly been distributed widely among Russia’s military and civilian elites, can’t be dismissed as the unrepresentative grumbling of a disgruntled mercenary. Zakrevsky, like Prigozhin before him, represents Russia’s military class. If he’s unhappy and willing to risk his career — and possibly his life — by going public with his call for Putin’s removal, there must be many others who share his discontent. That may be why he hasn’t been arrested or killed — yet.

https://thehill.com/opinion/internationa...nst-putin/

[Thumpalumpacus]

Another Russian mercenary leader has turned against Putin

A few days ago, Georgy Zakrevsky, another head of a private military company, effectively called on Russians to get rid of the “Great” Putin.

“Our country is not just on the brink of disaster or already right next to it; our country is already in trouble. In big trouble. Drones are flying all over central Russia, right up to Moscow and St. Petersburg. They even attacked the Kremlin. Our Black Sea fleet is being pushed out. It’s being pushed out as if we were not a great power with a great fleet, but some third-rate country.

“Our air force is practically not working because it is also being pushed out. We are standing in the same positions that we took more than two years ago, and partly in those to which we retreated. The population is dying out, becoming impoverished, drinking itself to death: no one cares. All they have time to do is bring in migrants.”

Zakrevsky’s appeal, which has supposedly been distributed widely among Russia’s military and civilian elites, can’t be dismissed as the unrepresentative grumbling of a disgruntled mercenary. Zakrevsky, like Prigozhin before him, represents Russia’s military class. If he’s unhappy and willing to risk his career — and possibly his life — by going public with his call for Putin’s removal, there must be many others who share his discontent. That may be why he hasn’t been arrested or killed — yet.

https://thehill.com/opinion/internationa...nst-putin/

I read about that, and posted elsewhere about it, yesterday. It's significant that unlike the Prig he's not blaming the MoD, but casting blame directly at Putin's feet. There's a sidewalk under a window oiling its mitt as we type.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Ukraine Has Its Foot On Gazprom's Throat

As an expert in gas transit and former head of Ukraine’s gas transmission network, I have closely observed decision-making over Gazprom’s continued use of pipelines through Ukraine, especially since Kyiv’s armed forces  the critical Sudzha gas metering station inside Russia’s Kursk region two weeks ago.

At present, the gas flow through Sudzha is 40-42 million cubic meters per day, making it an indispensable link in the chain of Russian gas exports to Europe. It is even more important to Gazprom, the once money-spinning gas giant financially  by the continent’s turn away from Kremlin energy.

As long as Ukraine holds onto this, they've got Gazprom by the short and curlies. By extension, this is a problem for the Russian war coffers, since Gazprom can't pay taxes on gas they can't meter.

Boru

[Thumpalumpacus]

Ukraine Has Its Foot On Gazprom's Throat

As an expert in gas transit and former head of Ukraine’s gas transmission network, I have closely observed decision-making over Gazprom’s continued use of pipelines through Ukraine, especially since Kyiv’s armed forces  the critical Sudzha gas metering station inside Russia’s Kursk region two weeks ago.

At present, the gas flow through Sudzha is 40-42 million cubic meters per day, making it an indispensable link in the chain of Russian gas exports to Europe. It is even more important to Gazprom, the once money-spinning gas giant financially  by the continent’s turn away from Kremlin energy.

As long as Ukraine holds onto this, they've got Gazprom by the short and curlies. By extension, this is a problem for the Russian war coffers, since Gazprom can't pay taxes on gas they can't meter.

Boru

There are still a couple of European nations which rely upon Russian gas. If Ukraine cuts off the gas flow, they risk alienating those countries, which could harm their application to join the EU.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Ukraine Has Its Foot On Gazprom's Throat



As long as Ukraine holds onto this, they've got Gazprom by the short and curlies. By extension, this is a problem for the Russian war coffers, since Gazprom can't pay taxes on gas they can't meter.

Boru

There are still a couple of European nations which rely upon Russian gas. If Ukraine cuts off the gas flow, they risk alienating those countries, which could harm their application to join the EU.

It isn’t a question of them cutting off the gas flow. Speculation (and that’s all it is at this point) is that, since they have control of the metering station, Ukraine could actually increase the flow without Gazprom knowing. Gazprom loses money, so they pay less taxes, which means the cash-strapped Russian war effort loses money.

Boru

[Thumpalumpacus]

There are still a couple of European nations which rely upon Russian gas. If Ukraine cuts off the gas flow, they risk alienating those countries, which could harm their application to join the EU.

It isn’t a question of them cutting off the gas flow. Speculation (and that’s all it is at this point) is that, since they have control of the metering station, Ukraine could actually increase the flow without Gazprom knowing. Gazprom loses money, so they pay less taxes, which means the cash-strapped Russian war effort loses money.

Boru

See, I like that. More like stealing it than shutting it off. Carry on!

[The Grand Nudger]

The new line coming from russian propagandists on social media is that the kursk operation is weak sauce, bad, and ungood waste because ukraine..with a single brigade, could have wagonwheeled the entire eastern front instead.

Looks like grifters may have gotten into the propaganda mill and stole a few bolts....