Running Newsticker for the War in Ukraine

Deja vu....

Who would've thought German tanks would be back in Ukraine?.....irony being applied.. .

 

....yes another pin up poster boy of the wehraboos....a fine product of German propoganda and hype....

Wittman's contributions to his fellow tankers would have been far more significant had he simply stayed in his bunk and masturbated over his own press coverage...anyway enough of that.....

 

Sorry. Your knowledge is apparently more detailed than mine.

 

....no probs...

 

have you ever seen the film "The Eagle Has landed"? The character Micheal Caine plays "Kurt Steiner" is based on Kurt Knispel....

 

Ukraine Conflict Updates
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 2, 2024

Click here to read the full report
Key Takeaways:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin evoked a wide Russian social and economic mobilization reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s total mobilization during the Second World War during a February 2 speech despite the fact that Russia is undertaking a far more gradual but nonetheless effective mobilization of its defense industrial base (DIB).
• Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated on February 2 that Russian forces retain the “strategic initiative” along the entire frontline in Ukraine, a notable departure from Shoigu’s previous characterization of Russian operations as “active defense.”
• Open-source investigations indicate that Russian forces are benefitting from Ukraine’s ammunition shortage and inability to conduct sufficient counterbattery warfare.
• US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller reiterated on February 1 that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly indicated that he has not changed his aims to capture and subjugate Ukraine.
• Russian milbloggers and ultranationalist figures continue to present themselves as impartial and constructive critics of the Russian military in juxtaposition to official Kremlin sources in the Russian information space.
• Kremlin affiliates reportedly launched an information campaign wherein prominent social media influencers promote the Russian Orthodox Church.
• Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Avdiivka and in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area amid continued positional engagements along the entire line of contact on February 2.
• Russian outlet Izvestiya stated on February 2, citing sources within the Russian military, that the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) is forming air defense units as part of assault units to defend Russian infantry against Ukrainian drones, frontline air strikes, and shelling.
• Ukrainian and Canadian officials announced a new coalition to return Ukrainian children from Russia to Ukraine. . . .

Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ihnat stated on February 2 that publicly available satellite imagery confirms that the January 31 Ukrainian strike on Belbek Air Base in occupied Sevastopol damaged at least three planes.[61] Humenyuk stated on February 2 that the Ukrainian strike on the Russian Ivanovets Tarantul-class corvette near Lake Donuzlav on the night of January 31 to February 1 could have killed its entire crew of 40 Russian personnel, but that the exact number of deaths is still unknown.[62] . . . .

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported on February 2 that it delivered another round of military aid to Ukraine that includes thousands of rounds of “Carl Gustaf” anti-tank grenade launcher ammunition and an unspecified number of RISE-1 remote detonation systems.[75] . . .

 

I believe I saw that movie....it's been a long time though.

 

The Russians are trying to safeguard their access to Iranian drones, but Putin may be having increasing difficulty controlling the Russian information space.

Ukraine Conflict Updates
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 3, 2024

Click here to read the full report
Key Takeaways:

• The Kremlin is doubling down on its support for Iran as the US conducts strikes to preempt attacks by Iranian-back proxies in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen against American and other targets.
• The Kremlin censored a protest by wives of mobilized soldiers in Moscow on February 3 likely to suppress any possible resurgence of a broader social movement in support of Russian soldiers and against the regime.
• Soviet leadership experienced first-hand the influence that social movements of relatives of Russian soldiers wielded in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the Kremlin likely aims to preemptively censor and discredit similar movements before they can garner similar influence.
• Putin may have learned from the Soviet Union’s prior failure to completely censor soldiers’ relatives and changed tactics, instead using limited censorship and discreditation to keep these movements from building momentum.
• Russian milbloggers continued to fixate on a recent unsuccessful Russian mechanized assault near Novomykhailivka, Donetsk Oblast and highlight divisions it caused within the Russian information space, which are indicative of wider issues with the Russian military’s ability to adapt in Ukraine.
• Ukrainian actors conducted a drone strike against the Lukoil oil refinery in Volgograd Oblast on February 3.
• Ukrainian strikes reportedly temporarily slowed Russia’s production of Lancet loitering munitions.
• Russian state media confirmed the appointment of two new officials to senior positions in military-adjacent civilian organizations.
• Ukrainian forces made confirmed advances near Bakhmut amid continued positional engagements along the frontline.
• Russian soldiers imprisoned for refusing to fight in Ukraine are reportedly dying in Russian detention.
• Russian authorities continue efforts to militarize Ukrainian youth through the school system. . . . .

Ukraine’s international partners continue to provide Ukraine with weapons and military equipment through deals and assistance packages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in his February 2 evening address that an unspecified international partner delivered two unspecified air defense systems to Ukraine and described the systems as able to “bring everything down.”[78] Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stated on February 3 that an Estonian military assistance package including Javelins, machine guns, small arms ammunition, land and water vehicles, and driving equipment has also arrived in Ukraine.[79] Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev announced that Bulgaria began transferring some of the 100 total armored personnel carriers (APCs) to Ukraine in accordance with a July 2023 agreement.[80] . . . .

 

Interesting that the Pootster faces the classic dictator's problem of lack of credible feedback.

Ukraine Conflict Updates
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 4, 2024

Click here to read the full report
Key Takeaways:

• Russia's reported reserve concentrations throughout Ukraine largely align with Russia’s assessed priorities along the front, although they are not necessarily indicative of future Russian operations.
• The Russian defense industrial base (DIB) is unlikely able to fully support Russia’s reserve manpower despite Russia’s ability to sustain its current tempo of operations and ongoing efforts to expand the Russian DIB.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the frontline near Robotyne, Zaporizhia Oblast and the Ukrainian Eastern Air Command in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on February 4.
• Russian milbloggers continued to criticize Russian authorities’ failure to properly equip Russian forces with drones and electronic warfare (EW) systems in response to a recent unsuccessful Russian mechanized assault near Novomykhailivka, Donetsk Oblast.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to face the authoritarian’s dilemma, whereby his authoritarian regime is itself systematically preventing him from receiving accurate information about military-political realities in Russia.
• Russian forces made confirmed advances near Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka amid continued positional engagements along the entire frontline.
• Kremlin newswire TASS reported on February 4 that Vladimir Oblast will be a patron of the new Knyaz Pozharsky Borei-A class nuclear submarine.
• Ukrainian officials continue international efforts aimed at returning Ukrainian citizens whom Russian authorities illegally deported to Russia. . . . .

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated on February 3 that the EU maintains strong support for Ukraine following the Gymnich meeting of EU foreign ministers and expressed hope that the EU will agree upon the Ukraine Assistance Fund within the framework of the European Peace Facility within the next several days.[54] Borrell also stated that the EU still needs to decide how to implement its military support bilaterally and through the European Peace Facility framework.[55] The Gymnich meeting also discussed Borrell’s proposal to create a 20-billion-euro (about $21.5 billion) aid fund for Ukraine for the next four years within the framework of the European Peace Facility, implying 5 billion (about $5.4 billion) annual aid allocations.[56] . . . .

 

it's a longish read but well worth it.....

‘Ukraine fatigue’: why I’m fighting to stop the world forgetting us | Ukraine | The Guardian

 

"Your Most Exalted Mightiness, we are please to tell you the 3 day special military operation will be going exactly as you planned it when you decide on which 3 days you have planned it......"

 

Nadezhdin's popularity is worth noting.

Ukraine Conflict Updates
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 5, 2024

Click here to read the full report.
Key Takeaways:

• 
  
  
  • US Senate negotiators unveiled their proposed supplemental appropriations bill on February 4 that — if passed — would provide roughly $60 billion of security assistance for Ukraine, the overwhelming majority of which would go to American companies and US and allied militaries.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on February 4 that Ukraine needs to replace a “series of state leaders” across the Ukrainian government who are “not just in a single sector” such as the Ukrainian military.
  • The Kremlin is intensifying rhetoric pushing for the hypothetical partition of Ukraine by seizing on innocuous and unrelated topics, likely in an attempt to normalize the partition narrative in Western discussions about Ukraine.
  • Delays in Western security assistance continue to exacerbate Ukraine’s shell shortage and undermine Ukraine’s ability to use high-value Western counterbattery systems.
  • The Kremlin may not allow Boris Nadezhdin, the only anti-war Russian presidential candidate, to run in the March 2024 presidential election due to Nadezhdin’s larger-than-anticipated popularity.
  • The Kremlin is reportedly nationalizing private enterprises in Russia quietly.
  • Russian forces made confirmed gains near Kupyansk, Kreminna, Avdiivka, and northeast of Bakhmut amid continued positional fighting along the entire frontline.
  • The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) may expand the list of courses available to women at the FSB Academy.
  • Russian occupation administrations continue efforts to indoctrinate Ukrainian children into Russian culture and nationalism through patronage networks with Russian federal subjects (regions). . . . .

A recent Ukrainian HIMARS strike on occupied Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast, killed at least one significant Russian occupation official. Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) Head Leonid Pasechnik stated on February 5 that a February 3 Ukrainian HIMARS strike killed LNR Emergency Situations Minister Colonel Alexei Poteleshchenko, and other occupation officials claimed that the strike killed 28 people.[38] Some Russian sources claimed that many of the 28 killed were occupation officials, public prosecutors, and law enforcement officers who had gathered for a celebration.[39] ISW is unable to verify this claim, however. . . . .

The Netherlands announced on February 5 that it will provide an additional six F-16 aircraft to Ukraine.[65] The Dutch Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported that it decided to send the six F-16s to Ukraine in addition to the 18 F-16s that it initially promised after negotiations on the sale of the aircraft to American aviation company Draken International fell through.[66] Ukrainian pilots will likely train on the F-16 aircraft at the F-16 training center in Romania.[67]

Poland reportedly allocated a new loan for joint Ukrainian-Polish weapons production.[68] Ukrainian President’s Office Deputy Head Ihor Zhovkva announced the loan on February 5 but did not offer specifics about the joint projects that the loan will finance or the amount of the loan. . . .

 

...saw an interview with him...brave lad doing what he's doing....hope he survives....

 

'Yet another fine mess':
Forbes
David Axe
Forbes Staff 2/4/24
'A Funny Story Happened.' How A Ukrainian Drone Group Destroyed 21 Russian Vehicles In A Single Raid.
Each wrecked Russian tank or fighting vehicle is the result of training, planning, violence and risk on the part of the Ukrainian troops who wrecked it.
1 day ago

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/02/04/a-funny-story-happened-how-a-ukrainian-drone-group-destroyed-21-russian-vehicles-in-a-single-raid/?sh=5f8cc41a5073

 

....ouch!!!!

 

This can't be possible......according to Konashenkov....UAF military has been destroyed since June 2022?

 

Outside of the braindead MAGA fringe, does anyone actually give a crap what this guys says in the States?? I mean is this the culmination in this wankers career...seriously....just being another mouthpiece for Putin....will we see him and Patrick Lancaster sporting the latest journo-camis, steel helmets wobbling on their heads as they run hand in hand down debris strewn streets clutching their microphones?
Who cares....

 

Looks like he survived the meeting?

Tucker Fartson better hope his plane don't crash.

 

The Russian General Staff and Putin often seem to be channeling the ghosts of Stan and Ollie.

 

Putin and Carlson probably exchanged Top Secret UFO documents.

 

Adivka and so on.

Situation is Getting Critical in Avdiivka! JASSM for Ukraine? (youtube.com)

 

Russians are upping the ante, but Chinese banks are folding.

Ukraine Conflict Updates
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 7, 2024

Click here to read the full assessment
Key Takeaways:

• Russian forces conducted the second largest combined drone and missile strike of 2024 on the morning of February 7. The February 7 strike package is emblematic of the constant air domain offense-defense innovation-adaptation race in which Russia and Ukraine are engaged.
• Russia targeted Kyiv City during the February 7 strike for the third time thus far in 2024, notably coinciding with EU High Commissioner Josep Borrell’s visit to Kyiv.
• Deputy Chairperson of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev continued his nuclear saber-rattling rhetoric likely aimed in part at deterring Western aid to Ukraine.
• The Russian Federation Council approved a bill on February 7 that allows the Russian government to confiscate property from individuals convicted of spreading “fake” information about the Russian military, likely as part of ongoing censorship efforts to limit criticisms of Russia’s war effort ahead of the March 2024 Russian presidential election.
• Yandex NV — the Dutch holding company of Russian internet technology company Yandex — announced that it will sell all of its Russian assets for 475 billion rubles (about $5.2 billion) to a purchasing consortium consisting of five Russian companies.
• Russian forces made confirmed gains west of Horlivka and in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area amid continued positional engagements along the entire frontline.
• The Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) stated on February 7 that Russia is mobilizing citizens from Syria who come to Russia under the guise of security guard jobs at oil refineries.
• Russian occupation authorities continue to militarize Ukrainian children and youth in occupied Ukraine. . . . .

Western sanctions are reportedly pushing Chinese banks to stop or restrict Russian transactions. Russian outlet Vedomosti stated on February 6 that the Chinese Zhejiang Chouzhou Commercial Bank, which is reportedly the main bank for Russian importers working with China, notified its clients that is suspending all transactions with Russian and Belarusian organizations.[59] Vedomosti reported that its sources stated that the bank initially stopped payments for certain goods that fall under Western sanctions in December 2023 but later completely stopped any transactions with Russia regardless of the product, the currency of payment, or the payment system used, out of fear of Western banks requesting reports on these transactions. Vedomosti stated that other unspecified Chinese banks are also restricting Russian transactions and are requiring confirmation that the buyer does not have contact with sanctioned people or companies, that the products will not be used in the Russian defense industrial base (DIB), and that the products will not go to occupied Crimea. At least two People’s Republic of China (PRC)-owned banks reportedly ordered reviews of international transactions with Russian clients in January after the US authorized secondary sanctions on financial institutions that facilitate Russian sanctions evasion and support the Russian war in Ukraine.[60] Turkish banks also reportedly started to close Russian companies’ accounts due to the threat of US secondary sanctions in early February.[61] . . . .

 

Soon the Mafiosi will need to resort to a "barter" system of finance.....my wagon of manure for your wheelbarrow of cabbages....

 

Meanwhile in Ukraine exports are up again.

XM
Ukraine soybean exports increase 17% to 1.9 mln T so far in 2023/24
KYIV, Feb 7 (Reuters) -Ukrainian soybean exports have risen 17% year-on-year to 1.9 million metric tons in the first five months of the 2023/24 season...
23 hours ago
https://www.xm.com/research/markets/allNews/reuters/ukraine-soybean-exports-increase-17-to-19-mln-t-so-far-in-202324-53759468