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War News From Ukraine
We have not had one of these for a while, and I apologise for the lack of any links.
On Monday Aug 29 Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in the south of the country, all along the line from Zaporizhzhya to Kherson and Mikolaiv. After initlal breahthroughs, there has been a news blackout on Ukraine's troop movements and consequently any news of progress on the ground. However enough has leaked out to indicate that they are making slow but steady advances.
The real objective appears to blast and starve Russian forces, now effectively cut off in the Kherson region north of the Dnipro, all bridge crossings having been rendered unusable, including the largest pontoon bridge and very probably a recently operational ferry crossing, There are now no road or rail bridges across the Dnipro from Kherson all the way to Zaporizhzhya. There have been a series of air attacks on Russian tropop concentrations, ammunition and airfields. About 800 Russian troops are estimated to have been killed in this region alone in the last two days.
In Donetsk to the east, Ukrainian forces appear also to be making small gains, including crossing the Siverskiy Donets River (that gives Donbas its name)to territory previously all controlled by invading forces. This is probably significant, as there would be little point making this advance were it not also part of a larget counterattack.
Putin set his military the target of taking all of Donetsk by Sept 15 - Thursday week. Given they still have roughly have of the region to take in that time and given their progress to date, that would seem to be a fantasy.
It's hard to know that the top military in Russia must be thinking by now: it's plain their offensive has stalled and indeed may be going backwards in most places, and yet there is still no sign that they think they cannot carry on to achieve their "objectives".
There's a growing feeling that their war effort will have collapsed by next spring.
Fingers crossed.
On Monday Aug 29 Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in the south of the country, all along the line from Zaporizhzhya to Kherson and Mikolaiv. After initlal breahthroughs, there has been a news blackout on Ukraine's troop movements and consequently any news of progress on the ground. However enough has leaked out to indicate that they are making slow but steady advances.
The real objective appears to blast and starve Russian forces, now effectively cut off in the Kherson region north of the Dnipro, all bridge crossings having been rendered unusable, including the largest pontoon bridge and very probably a recently operational ferry crossing, There are now no road or rail bridges across the Dnipro from Kherson all the way to Zaporizhzhya. There have been a series of air attacks on Russian tropop concentrations, ammunition and airfields. About 800 Russian troops are estimated to have been killed in this region alone in the last two days.
In Donetsk to the east, Ukrainian forces appear also to be making small gains, including crossing the Siverskiy Donets River (that gives Donbas its name)to territory previously all controlled by invading forces. This is probably significant, as there would be little point making this advance were it not also part of a larget counterattack.
Putin set his military the target of taking all of Donetsk by Sept 15 - Thursday week. Given they still have roughly have of the region to take in that time and given their progress to date, that would seem to be a fantasy.
It's hard to know that the top military in Russia must be thinking by now: it's plain their offensive has stalled and indeed may be going backwards in most places, and yet there is still no sign that they think they cannot carry on to achieve their "objectives".
There's a growing feeling that their war effort will have collapsed by next spring.
Fingers crossed.
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Twitter and telegram rocky. Tho I am quite impressed with the detail in that Express link. We were actually able to inform our friends in the Kyiv territorial defence last week about the Aug 29 counteroffensive - they have more important things to do than follow all that :-)
Over the months I've got a bit more savvy about ignoring some of it, from the hectic days of late Feb, when Kyiv appeared to be at the mercy of Russian tanks and saboteurs.
There's word Russia may attempt a three-pronged offensive in the next days, in two places in Donetsk and possibly even border incursions again in the north, from Belarus, but honestly it's hard to see any of that being significant. They are now so vulnerable to long range rocket attack. And their reinforcements are increasingly poor it would seem while Ukraine is getting refreshed by newly trained and highly motivated recruits from Salisbury plain ...
Twitter and telegram rocky. Tho I am quite impressed with the detail in that Express link. We were actually able to inform our friends in the Kyiv territorial defence last week about the Aug 29 counteroffensive - they have more important things to do than follow all that :-)
Over the months I've got a bit more savvy about ignoring some of it, from the hectic days of late Feb, when Kyiv appeared to be at the mercy of Russian tanks and saboteurs.
There's word Russia may attempt a three-pronged offensive in the next days, in two places in Donetsk and possibly even border incursions again in the north, from Belarus, but honestly it's hard to see any of that being significant. They are now so vulnerable to long range rocket attack. And their reinforcements are increasingly poor it would seem while Ukraine is getting refreshed by newly trained and highly motivated recruits from Salisbury plain ...
https:/ /ibb.co /pWSkHy b
Pictured in happier times: Igor and Sophia Fedko aged 1 and 6 at the time of their death.
They were in a car fleeing Kherson when it was shot up by Russian - soldiers - or terrorists if you prefer. They died of their injuries in the vehicle when no one came to save them.
This is when you realise that occasionally sadly war becomes not only necessary but can be viewed as a humanitarian effort.
Pictured in happier times: Igor and Sophia Fedko aged 1 and 6 at the time of their death.
They were in a car fleeing Kherson when it was shot up by Russian - soldiers - or terrorists if you prefer. They died of their injuries in the vehicle when no one came to save them.
This is when you realise that occasionally sadly war becomes not only necessary but can be viewed as a humanitarian effort.
I was chatting to a Ukrainian radio amateur the other day, who said that people in the west of his country (where he's located) are largely living their lives as normal, with the war having very little impact there at all, if any.
So at least it's good news that not all Ukrainian people are suffering.
So at least it's good news that not all Ukrainian people are suffering.
Morale of Russian troops appears to be at rock bottom, because they are not being paid:
https:/ /inews. co.uk/n ews/wor ld/mora le-disc ipline- issues- hitting -russia n-troop s-face- inadequ ate-rat ions-bo nus-pay -mod-sa ys-1832 180
https:/
I was interested in Bueno's comments on relatively "normal" life in some parts of Ukraine. I watched a long vlog on youtube on the recent Independence Day. It was by an American tourist walking and interviewing anyone who would talk. There were plenty.
Walking around burnt-out Russian tanks in an otherwise spotless Kyiv main street, he was clearly surprised by just how stoical these people are in such a situation. I guess there was similar footage from UK TV stations.
Progress is being made, but more by attrition that gung-ho flag waving. I think that's important from a humanitarian point of view since, when this invasion is finally repulsed, the last things anyone wants are mindless repercussions.
Walking around burnt-out Russian tanks in an otherwise spotless Kyiv main street, he was clearly surprised by just how stoical these people are in such a situation. I guess there was similar footage from UK TV stations.
Progress is being made, but more by attrition that gung-ho flag waving. I think that's important from a humanitarian point of view since, when this invasion is finally repulsed, the last things anyone wants are mindless repercussions.