ALERT RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE - Consolidated Thread

naegling62

naegling62

Veteran Member
If you read Dugin much I think the Russians hate the British the most along with the USA. Dugin constantly talks about the Anglo-Saxxons and Sea Power vs. Land Power. I would highly doubt they want to take on the administrative nightmare of the E.U..
 
O

Oreally

Right from the start
Cedar Lake said:
Thanks for the confirmation. I read that this is because of the training flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces from Belarusian airfields.
Click to expand...
interesting.

things are definitely heating up.

even if i am on my laptop, i always now keep the phone on. and whenever the screen saver turns off, i go on alert. the sirens , if they go off, is about 10 secs later.
 
N

northern watch

TB Fanatic

Germany Says 'Nein' On Tanks At Allies' Big Ramstein Meeting​

BY TYLER DURDEN
ZERO HEDGE
FRIDAY, JAN 20, 2023 - 10:35 AM

Is that a definitive nein on tanks? New German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in fresh statements has confirmed that defense leaders gathered for a much anticipated meeting in Ramstein failed to achieve consensus on tanks for Ukraine.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was present for the meeting which reportedly involved top military officials from some 50 nations, most of them NATO, who met to coordinate the path forward in arming Ukraine. There's been intense, uneasy back-and-forth this week between Berlin and Washington on the question of supplying Western-manufactured heavy tanks to Kiev, namely the Leopard as well as M1 Abrams. Hawks among the alliance have seen Berlin as essentially standing in the way.

"Today, we can all not yet say when a decision will be made about Leopard and what this decision will look like," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at the end of the Ramstein Air Base meeting.

Amid accusations that Germany is waffling and thus weakening Western allies' resolve, Pistorius continued, "We are not really hesitating we are just very carefully balancing all the pros and contra [cons] — we are not talking just about delivering anything to anybody, this is a new kind of measure we would choose, so we have to be careful because we have a duty to look carefully and intensively at what might be the consequences for anybody in that conflict."

While there was agreement to boost military aid to Ukraine among the allies gathered for the meeting, CNBC underscores that "Germany wavered on further EU tank deliveries despite mounting calls from Kyiv and fellow allies."

The German defense minister continued, according to the remarks translated by CNBC:
"I must say there is very clearly no unanimous opinion. The impression that has occasionally been made that there is a closed coalition and Germany stands in the way of this is wrong. There are many allies who say we share the opinion that I explained here today again, there are good reasons for the delivery and there are good reasons against it."
Click to expand...
Going into the meeting it was widely reported days ago that Berlin has told European allies that it will authorize Leopard tanks only if Washington first leads the way with supply its own Abrams tanks. But the Biden administration has shut the door on these heavy, advanced tanks for the time being.


https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/ramsteinmeeing.png?itok=vCUxUS3P
Via Reuters: Ukraine's Zelensky speaks via video link to allied defense ministers at Ramstein airbase in Germany on Friday.

Multiple NATO countries have been on standby after expressing willingness to send the highly sophisticated German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine, namely, Poland, Denmark and Finland - but Berlin has to sign off on it first.

President Zelensky spoke to the meeting via video link, making an urgent plea for the group to sign off on tanks. Central to this question is German decision-making:
Ukraine’s president has pleaded with Germany and western allies to send their battle tanks to Kyiv, amid speculation that Berlin would allow German-made Leopard 2s to be re-exported by other countries but not necessarily send any of its own stock.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaking via video link at the opening of a meeting of Ukraine-supporting defence ministers from 50 countries in Ramstein, Germany, said it was "in your power" to at least make a decision in principle to send tanks.
Click to expand...
Zelensky further argued that "Russia is concentrating its forces, last forces, trying to convince everyone that hatred can be stronger than the world." In typical fashion he made an emotional appeal at one point, also expressing frustration...

But alas, it seems that for the moment at least, Germany is opting for the more cautious - and we should add saner approach - of not wanting to provoke WW3 by pouring advanced Western tanks into the grinding conflict despite the emotional appeals out of Kiev, also the in face of Kremlin 'red line' warnings. Finally, a rare and rational slow-down in the rush of the past weeks to pour heavier weapons in, which in the case of pulling the trigger on tanks and jets... there would be no turning back.

* * *

German public opinion is on the side of not escalating confrontation with Russia...

Germany Says 'Nein' On Tanks At Allies' Big Ramstein Meeting | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com www.zerohedge.com
 
wait-n-see

wait-n-see

Veteran Member

I watched Wagner's Movie about the War in Ukraine (Realistic?)​


Runtime 19:04
Jan 20, 2023 Reaction to Wagner PMC movie called "The Best in Hell" about the War in Ukraine. Title in Russian "Лучшие в АДУ"

@@@

Looks like this movie shows a realistic portrayal of modern urban combat between evenly equipped opponents.
 
C

Cedar Lake

Connecticut Yankee
WTSR said:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1616420458689187842
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/vicktop555/status/1616420458689187842


More information that Lviv is shutdown looking for males of conscript age.
Click to expand...
Each car and bus is checked by the military commissariat for the presence of lads suitable for mobilization. And people just have to sit and wait for their fate.
Forced mobilization nationwide.

I posted the same thing here recently, I think on Wed. It was on Telegram.
There was an article yesterday in Poland that there's 2,000,000 Ukrainians there and Zelensky wants them back.
The males of course.
 
CaryC

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Cedar Lake said:
Each car and bus is checked by the military commissariat for the presence of lads suitable for mobilization. And people just have to sit and wait for their fate.
Forced mobilization nationwide.

I posted the same thing here recently, I think on Wed. It was on Telegram.
There was an article yesterday in Poland that there's 2,000,000 Ukrainians there and Zelensky wants them back.
The males of course.
Click to expand...
In my arm chair opinion, when there is forced conscription (a more serious step than the draft) it means two things:

1) They are loosing men at an enormous rate, as in causalities. Which simply means those unable to fight for what ever reason, need to be re-supplied that voluntary, or draft, is not meeting.

2) The patriotism isn't moving men to do it on their own. Meaning not as big a thing as has been reported by people on the ground there. It's all ra ra Ukraine until we need men at the front and then it's Sorry dude I've got a bad back.

3) if they ain't already, they soon will be, as in the next step in conscription, taking men who aren't Ukraine citizens. As in Follow this guy. When he is shot dead pick up his gun and kill Russians.

Yeah it's real war, and not a video game. People will soon realize it's not going for coffee, and partying anymore.
 
CaryC

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Doc1 said:
I would expect Russia at minimum to claim a territorial corridor direct to Kaliningrad. This would split the Baltic states into northern and southern areas and almost certainly cost Poland territory, as well.
Click to expand...
I think that is valid.

Same type of set up in WWII except going the other way. Germany/Hitler promised to bring the then East Prussia (now Kaliningrad) in to the German home land with a direct route which they had before WWI. After which the Allies gave to Poland the Polish corridor, splitting off East Prussia. And was a major reason for the Polish invasion.

Maybe Russia has the same thing in mind. A land route into Kaliningrad. Or in other words: Pay back.
 
danielboon

danielboon

TB Fanatic

Putin’s Secret Attack Plan Would Be Ukrainian Nightmare​


915


Anna Nemtsova
Fri, January 20, 2023 at 4:48 AM EST·5 min read








Stringer/AFP via Getty

Stringer/AFP via Getty
KYIV—Ukraine is braced for a major new offensive that could begin within weeks. One of President Zelensky’s key insiders told The Daily Beast that they expect a looming Russian move to encircle the country with a simultaneous attack on three fronts.
Rustem Umerov, a member of the team negotiating with Russia, said the Kremlin was preparing for a fresh advance which could begin as soon as February. The assault would come from the north, over the Belarusian border, from the Russian strongholds in the east of Ukraine, and from the south, where the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea was seized by Vladimir Putin’s forces in 2014 and nearby cities of Melitopol and Zaporizhzhia are now also under Russian control.
“Russians are encircling us from 240 degrees, attacking from the Black Sea, from Belarus and the Luhansk and Donetsk regions,” Umerov said.
Russia declared its first victory in the war for months this week, claiming they had taken the salt-mining town of Soledar in Donetsk. There is still some dispute as to whether fighting continues for control of the town but the Russians have clearly made territorial gains—at a huge cost.
Mercenary fighters working for Wagner, Putin’s private army, have led the charge on Soledar and the nearby city of Bakhmut. Fighters recruited from Russian prisons were key to the onslaught; The Daily Beast reported that their fearless advances towards near-certain death helped the Russians identify pockets of Ukrainian resistance.
“They are coming from all directions, with three lines of fighting: criminals, private contractors, and regular forces. Their goals are to get rid of their criminals, to test and train their contractors,” Umerov said.
Putin: I Could Never Have Foreseen 2022’s ‘Unexpected’ Crises That I Created
Ukrainian intelligence and defense experts believe that it is all preparation for a large-scale ground offensive, bolstered by more recruits to the regular army.
Colonel Oleh Zhdanov, a former staffer in the operational directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told The Daily Beast that Ukraine’s military and intelligence units are tracking the movement of Russian troops in real time.
“We are watching Russia build lots of forces in the Zaporizhzhia region. It looks like they are planning a pincer attack from Kharkiv [in the east] and Zaporizhzhia [in the south] directions, they will attempt to capture all of Ukraine’s major defense forces,” Zhdanov told The Daily Beast. “We are also watching Russian military constantly moving 10-12,000 men in Belarus [to the north]. They are also reinforcing in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.”
Colonel Zhdanov says there is only one man in the world who knows when the war in Ukraine will end: President Joe Biden. He believes that the war will go on until the White House signs off on all of the additional military firepower Ukraine is requesting.
“President Biden has a detailed scenario of this war in the White House. The sooner we get weapons the sooner we finish the war, but it looks like the U.S. wants Russia to exhaust itself with all of its war efforts,” Zhdanov told The Daily Beast. “In Russia they now have a cult of death: on all levels, from propagandists to the Orthodox Patriarch, Russians are called to go and die in this war, as their grandfathers died in previous wars.”
According to the most recent polls by the Levada center, the number of Russians who believe the country “should definitely continue military actions in Ukraine” has dropped to 23 percent. And so, Putin is updating his rhetoric. He no longer talks about the “unity” of Ukrainian and Russian peoples. The Kremlin has given up on calling for Russians to die for the ancient Kievan Rus heritage. Instead, they are casting this war as a mighty battle against NATO.
Ukrainian soldiers equip trenches on a field not far from Soledar on Jan. 14.

1674237371300.png
Ukrainian soldiers equip trenches on a field not far from Soledar on Jan. 14.
Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty
On Saturday, his top adviser Nikolai Patrushev said: “The events in Ukraine are not a clash between Moscow and Kyiv; this is a military confrontation between NATO, and above all the United States and England, with Russia.”
Putin and Patrushev are both graduates of Soviet KGB schools. They have always seen the United States and its allies as enemies worth destroying at all costs.
Ukraine knows full well it is facing the wrath of that decade-old conflict with NATO.
Umerov, who is also the head of State Property Fund, said Russian missiles and land attacks have already destroyed or stolen property worth more than $127 billion. The violence has wiped out Ukrainian business. To try to compensate for the losses and build Ukraine’s resources, the state is now selling off state-owned companies, but that is nowhere near enough. They need an increase in investment from the West.
Ukraine lacks ammunition and weapons. “We fight the Russians with bare knuckles,” Umerov said.
One of Ukraine’s problems is a lack of air defense systems, but they are hoping a flood of Western military aid being announced will help to change that.
The Epic Arsenal of Western Guns Coming for Putin This Year
A Russian Kh-22 missile destroyed more than 70 apartments, killing at least 44 people including four children, in the south-central Ukrainian city of Dnipro last Saturday. “The screams of victims in the debris on the videos of the catastrophe are still ringing in my head,” Yulia Mashuta, editor at Svoi.City newspapers, told The Daily Beast earlier this week.
As well as the civilian deaths, a monstrous number of Ukrainian soldiers have also perished.
A field of little blue and yellow national flags has been growing in Kyiv’s central square, known as the Maidan. Each flag is inscribed with the name of a dead soldier. Walking past this week, Olena Zinchenko, an engineer, donated her change to volunteers collecting money for the army: “This is for our defenders,” she said. She took a small blue and yellow ribbon from a volunteer and twirled it around her wrist.
With eyes full of tears, she looked at the little flags on the ground. “Putin knows he can stay out of jail only for as long as he is fighting this war, so he is not going to stop attacking us for as long as he is alive,” Zinchenko told The Daily Beast. “Russia is mobilizing more soldiers, there is no end to this hell.” Putin’s Secret Attack Plan Would Be Ukrainian Nightmare
 
C

Cedar Lake

Connecticut Yankee
WTSR said:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1616420458689187842
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/vicktop555/status/1616420458689187842


More information that Lviv is shutdown looking for males of conscript age.
Click to expand...
t.me

Slavyangrad

Mobilization in Lvov continues. All entrances and exits to Lviv are blocked. Cars and buses are inspected by the staff of the military department for the identification of potential conscripts. Apparently, the 24th Mechanized brigade from Lviv was completely destroyed near Artemovsk. Join...
t.me t.me

Mobilization in Lvov continues.

Apparently, the 24th Mechanized brigade from Lviv was completely destroyed near Artemovsk.
 
A

Abert

Veteran Member
LightEcho said:
LOL... I was part of the implementation of plans in 1980s. We had no chance to stall for 3 days against the Russian tanks and artillery.... except..... tactical nukes. We did not need any distant permission. That was already planned in if things went as fast as we expected. We had nukes in artillery and pre-chambers for blowing roadways to slow down the advance. We had DIP missions unless we were able to shoot and move fast enough.

Back then, counter-battery artillery was in its infantile stages. Computers were primitive. Manual calcs were hit or miss, but getting better. Now, forget it. Any fixed flight pattern can get the point of origin pinpointed in seconds. Add in real-time satellite vision, missiles, drones, smart artillery and soon robotics, and this is getting to be a hell terminator game.

Also back then, Russia did not have tactical nukes and they did not have a submarine force comparable to ours. Plus they did not have hypersonic missiles. Nor did they have a functional ally in China. Game is totally changed.
Click to expand...
LightEcho - thanks for the update to the 80's - I was at TransCom Europe and our primary planning was on the relocation of commands and units - most to Belgium - within a 3 day window of Soviet Armor going West. And as you note - even in 1970 the US (NATO) had ZERO expectation that our conventional forces had ANY chance of stopping their Tanks.
I do not think/recall that line units had the authorization to use nukes at their level - needed to come from DC - but this was not an area we were involved with. Interesting to note that in the 80's they did!
Which points to the very real possibility that without question in 2023 the policy is still in place.
In the 70's and 80's our official public policy was no first strike (yet on the ground / real world not the case)
Now with the US claiming the right to use Nukes first - without any reason needed things are going in a very dangerous direction.
 
O

Oreally

Right from the start
Cedar Lake said:
Each car and bus is checked by the military commissariat for the presence of lads suitable for mobilization. And people just have to sit and wait for their fate.
Forced mobilization nationwide.

I posted the same thing here recently, I think on Wed. It was on Telegram.
There was an article yesterday in Poland that there's 2,000,000 Ukrainians there and Zelensky wants them back.
The males of course.
Click to expand...
i can't reach anyone tonight to confirm this . . .
 
A

Abert

Veteran Member
Doc1 said:
From the above post:

"Yes - Ukraine had around 2000 tanks at the start of the war - all Russian - not sure on the count but likely T-72's - ALL taken out by the initial Russian SMO when they only had only around 100k troops."

I don't know the numbers. Does anyone know how many Ukrainian tanks were taken out in tank on tank combat and how many were taken out by anti-tank weapons, mines, air power and other means?

I'd suspect that tank on tank casualties would be on the low side, but again, I don't know. Does anyone have the percentages?

Best
Doc
Click to expand...
Doc - good point - should have some hard fact on the tanks - this looks to be a valid source. Looks from the numbers posted - a general mix of T80. T84, T64, and T72 with the bulk being the T64 and T72 - at the time of this report many were still in storage but a general total of 2200. So it is very likely with the current conflict - everything was pulled from storage and put into use - so a GENERAL number of tanks at the start of this as 2000 is a good working number. NOTE this report is a few years old but not likely to differ much from the start of the SMO.

Tank Encyclopedia - The Online Tank Museum

All about the tactics, technologies, and evolution of the tank worldwide, from World War I to the Atomic and Digital Ages.
tanks-encyclopedia.com tanks-encyclopedia.com
 
von Koehler

von Koehler

Has No Life - Lives on TB
CaryC said:
I think that is valid.

Same type of set up in WWII except going the other way. Germany/Hitler promised to bring the then East Prussia (now Kaliningrad) in to the German home land with a direct route which they had before WWI. After which the Allies gave to Poland the Polish corridor, splitting off East Prussia. And was a major reason for the Polish invasion.

Maybe Russia has the same thing in mind. A land route into Kaliningrad. Or in other words: Pay back.
Click to expand...

East Prußia was never historically part of Russia.
 
A

Abert

Veteran Member
danielboon said:
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
·
5h

The Netherlands ready to deliver more tanks and F-16s to Ukraine | RTL News
Click to expand...
This is about the first serous talk of upping the weapon systems to include F-16 - a constant ask by Ukraine. While no numbers are provided the "offer" opens the gates for other nations. While the tanks require German approval (likely coming) not sure if the US needs to approve the F-16 transfer first?
nltimes.nl

Netherlands would consider helping Ukraine with F-16 fighters, Leopard 2 tanks

The Dutch Cabinet will look into supplying F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine if the Kyiv government asks for it. During a parliamentary debate on Thursday, Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs said the Cabinet would look at such a request with an “open mind.” In Davos, Minister Kajsa Ollongren...
nltimes.nl nltimes.nl
 
Red Baron

Red Baron

Paleo-Conservative
_______________
Jan 20, 2023
"There is deep cold, frozen earth, and fighting." RFE/RL correspondent Maryan Kushnir sent this special report after spending time recently on the front line in Soledar. Later, Russian forces claimed to have seized control of the town but this has not been independently confirmed.

3:29

Ukrainian Troops In Battle For Soledar Faced Waves Of Russian Infantry

View: https://youtu.be/QWyY44-QG6I
 
wait-n-see

wait-n-see

Veteran Member
Abert said:
LightEcho - thanks for the update to the 80's - I was at TransCom Europe and our primary planning was on the relocation of commands and units - most to Belgium - within a 3 day window of Soviet Armor going West. And as you note - even in 1970 the US (NATO) had ZERO expectation that our conventional forces had ANY chance of stopping their Tanks.
I do not think/recall that line units had the authorization to use nukes at their level - needed to come from DC - but this was not an area we were involved with. Interesting to note that in the 80's they did!
Which points to the very real possibility that without question in 2023 the policy is still in place.
In the 70's and 80's our official public policy was no first strike (yet on the ground / real world not the case)
Now with the US claiming the right to use Nukes first - without any reason needed things are going in a very dangerous direction.
Click to expand...

I never left the US BX, but our nickname for US forces Europe/Korea was "speed bumps". ;)
 
wait-n-see

wait-n-see

Veteran Member
Abert said:
This is about the first serous talk of upping the weapon systems to include F-16 - a constant ask by Ukraine. While no numbers are provided the "offer" opens the gates for other nations. While the tanks require German approval (likely coming) not sure if the US needs to approve the F-16 transfer first?
nltimes.nl

Netherlands would consider helping Ukraine with F-16 fighters, Leopard 2 tanks

The Dutch Cabinet will look into supplying F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine if the Kyiv government asks for it. During a parliamentary debate on Thursday, Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs said the Cabinet would look at such a request with an “open mind.” In Davos, Minister Kajsa Ollongren...
nltimes.nl nltimes.nl
Click to expand...

Contractual requirements prevent the owning country from transferring equipment like panes and land vehicles to a 3rd party without the explicit approval from the manufacture and government.
 
CaryC

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
von Koehler said:
East Prußia was never historically part of Russia.
Click to expand...
I never said it was.

However it was read by anyone the historical meaning was:

East Prussia was part of GERMANY, which got cut off from Germany, by the Polish Corredor, after WWI. Hitler promised to bring it back in. Hence invasion of Poland to do that. Make it part of Germany again, and be connected by land as it once was.

Sounds valid then that Russia would want to do the same as Doc1 said.
 
A

Abert

Veteran Member
wait-n-see said:
I never left the US BX, but our nickname for US forces Europe/Korea was "speed bumps". ;)
Click to expand...
Same in the 70's - EVERYONE was aware that our front line units to the East were effectively expendable - as noted the BEST that could be expected is they SLOWED the Soviet Armor enough for most (not all) of the key commands and support to "BUG OUT" - even at our command - many 4:00 in the morning DRILLS - truck lined up and troops loading equipment and docs to "operate" from field locations - if necessary!
So today with the US and NATO a fraction of what they were in the 70's and 80's and Russia in a massive buildup of their armed forces and supporting industries over the last 10-20 years we sill have the "PRO WAR" group in DC thinking we can roll over Russia without even breaking a sweat.
When Russia moves - Europe better HOPE all they want is Eastern Ukraine - because - like the 70's and 80's there would be nothing to stop them this time as well!
 
J

John Deere Girl

Veteran Member
von Koehler said:
A bit vague. He gives specific months as key times for a start of the war, but doesn't explicitly say when. He did give 2024 as the year.

Seems he doesn't expect Putin to last; and has warned that his replacement could will be a hard liner who would use nukes. He sees Putin as a moderate.
Click to expand...
Does he say what months?
 
von Koehler

von Koehler

Has No Life - Lives on TB
John Deere Girl said:
Does he say what months?
Click to expand...

Not yet. Probably when the date approachs. You have to realize he has clients all around the world paying him big bucks for information from Socrates. So public disclosure probably is on the bottom of the pile.

He has highlighted certain months in 2024 but not sure if it is because of financial importance or start of a war. Definitely involves Ukraine and the West versus Russia.
 
J

John Deere Girl

Veteran Member
von Koehler said:
Not yet. Probably when the date approachs. You have to realize he has clients all around the world paying him big bucks for information from Socrates. So public disclosure probably is on the bottom of the pile.

He has highlighted certain months in 2024 but not sure if it is because of financial importance or start of a war. Definitely involves Ukraine and the West versus Russia.
Click to expand...
Thank you for responding!
 
CaryC

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB

CIA Chief Gave Zelensky A Personal Intel Briefing In Secret Meeting​

The Washington Post revealed in a bombshell Thursday evening report that CIA Director William Burns made a secret trip to Ukraine's capital last week to give a personal briefing to President Volodymyr Zelensky on what can be expected from Russian military strategy and Putin's likely vision for the war in the weeks and months ahead.

"Director Burns traveled to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian intelligence counterparts as well as President Zelensky and reinforced our continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression," one US official confirmed to the Post.
CIA Chief Gave Zelensky A Personal Intel Briefing In Secret Meeting

The Washington Post revealed in a bombshell Thursday evening report that CIA Director William Burns made a secret trip to Ukraine's capital last week to give a personal briefing to President Volodymyr Zelensky on what can be expected from Russian military strategy and Putin's likely vision for the war in the weeks and months ahead.

"Director Burns traveled to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian intelligence counterparts as well as President Zelensky and reinforced our continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression," one US official confirmed to the Post.

While in prior months, particularly the summer, it might have been expected that such a high level trip by the head of America's top intelligence agency to Kiev might have had as top of the agenda discussion of ways forward for negotiated peace, increasingly Washington is talking a "win" - or at least enough clear battlefield leverage for Ukraine to come away with victory at a future negotiating table. Part of this is the current push to get heavier US and NATO weaponry to Ukraine as fast as possible.
Crucially, there's no mention in WaPo's coverage of the Burns trip that opening a pathway for ceasefire talks was at all a point of discussion with Zelensky. This as the bloody battle for Bakhmut reportedly is resulting in immense casualties for both sides.
Instead, "Top of mind for Zelensky and his senior intelligence officials during the meeting was how long Ukraine could expect U.S. and Western assistance to continue following Republicans’ takeover of the House and a drop-off in support of Ukraine aid among parts of the U.S. electorate, said people familiar with the meeting," the Post writes. And importantly:
"Burns emphasized the urgency of the moment on the battlefield and acknowledged that at some point assistance would be harder to come by, the people said."
Click to expand...
Currently the Biden administration is finalizing another some $2.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Though it will include a reported 100 Stryker combat vehicles and at least 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, the US is expected to continue refusing to send M1 Abrams tanks.

On Wednesday the White House's undersecretary of defense for policy Colin Kahl presented this as based on specific battlefield strategy. "What we’re trying to look at is the mix of armored and mechanized forces that make sense," he said, explaining that "The Russians are really digging in. ...They’re digging trenches, they’re putting in these dragon’s teeth, laying mines. They’re really trying to fortify that that FLOT, that forward line of troops." Kahl continued.

"To enable the Ukrainians to break through given Russian defenses, the emphasis has been shifted to enabling them to combine fire and maneuver in a way that will prove to be more effective," Kahl added.

Likely, Burns' briefing to the Ukrainians emphasized this. As for the reference to Burns reportedly informing Zelensky that at some point assistance would be harder to come by, this suggests the US still doesn't see Ukraine's path forward as one of an outright military "win" involving the regaining of all pre-Feb.24 territory, but instead would reflect something more like what the CIA director said in a PBS interview last month...

"Most conflicts end in negotiations, but that requires a seriousness on the part of the Russians in this instance that I don’t think we see," Burns said at the time. "At least, it’s not our assessment that the Russians are serious at this point about a real negotiation." Thus for the time being it's all about battlefield leverage to gain the most spoils whenever that final negotiated settlement does come. But then again the 'alternative' is a major great power war, which the world may already be witnessing the beginnings of.

CIA Chief Gave Zelensky A Personal Intel Briefing In Secret Meeting | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com www.zerohedge.com

BTW MSM is reporting (think it is the Times) an AWOL (which was way down in the article, cuz they make it sound like he was active) a US Navy SEAL was killed in Ukraine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top