Sanctions against Russia

[red750]

Ukraine ‘targets critical bridge’ built by Putin as counteroffensive ‘breaks through on southern front’

 

Russia says Ukraine has targetted a critical bridge that links the country to annexed Crimea, as Kyiv says its counteroffensive has broken through on the southern front.

 

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had destroyed three Ukrainian drones attempting to attack the Kerch bridge – forcing closure for the third time in a year – with one drone intercepted late on Friday and two others early on Saturday.

 

Serving as a key supply route for Kremlin forces, the bridge has been attacked repeatedly, Russian authorities claim. In October, an explosion involving a truck bomb is believed to have killed three people, with a subsequent attack in July killing a couple and seriously injuring their daughter. A part of the road was further left hanging in a precarious position.

 

 

Meanwhile, a civilian was killed and two were wounded during shelling in the Belgorod region in Russia, which borders Ukraine, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Two Ukrainian drones attacked the region’s Valuysky district, damaging a home and a car as another was intercepted in the Grayvoronsky district.

 

The Ukrainian military said on Saturday that Russia had launched four missile strikes and 39 air strikes over the previous 24 hours, in addition to 42 attacks from multiple rocket launchers.

 

One person was killed and two were wounded during shelling of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, according to governor Oleh Prokudin. Further north, a 32-year-old police investigator was killed and two other people were wounded when shells hit the town of Seredyna-Buda in the northeast Sumy region.

 

Eleanor Noyce
Sun, 3 September 2023 at 6:23 am AEST
Russia says Ukraine has targetted a critical bridge that links the country to annexed Crimea, as Kyiv says its counteroffensive has broken through on the southern front.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had destroyed three Ukrainian drones attempting to attack the Kerch bridge – forcing closure for the third time in a year – with one drone intercepted late on Friday and two others early on Saturday.

Serving as a key supply route for Kremlin forces, the bridge has been attacked repeatedly, Russian authorities claim. In October, an explosion involving a truck bomb is believed to have killed three people, with a subsequent attack in July killing a couple and seriously injuring their daughter. A part of the road was further left hanging in a precarious position.

Black smoke billows from a fire on the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to Russia after a truck exploded, October 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)
Black smoke billows from a fire on the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to Russia after a truck exploded, October 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, a civilian was killed and two were wounded during shelling in the Belgorod region in Russia, which borders Ukraine, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Two Ukrainian drones attacked the region’s Valuysky district, damaging a home and a car as another was intercepted in the Grayvoronsky district.

The Ukrainian military said on Saturday that Russia had launched four missile strikes and 39 air strikes over the previous 24 hours, in addition to 42 attacks from multiple rocket launchers.

One person was killed and two were wounded during shelling of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, according to governor Oleh Prokudin. Further north, a 32-year-old police investigator was killed and two other people were wounded when shells hit the town of Seredyna-Buda in the northeast Sumy region.

Kryvyi Rih mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said the anti-aircraft defence in the central Ukrainian city, which is President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown, had successfully thwarted a strike, without specifying the nature of the attack. Another four people were wounded following attacks on the eastern city of Donetsk, Moscow-installed mayor Aleksei Kulemzin alleged.

 

It comes as UK military officials now believe that Russia risks having to split its forces in an attempt to prevent a Ukrainian breakthrough in the south of the country.

 

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian troops were progressing in the Zaporizhzhia region, with forces taking offensive action on the Orikhiv axis in southern Ukraine.

 

The White House confirmed Ms Maliar’s statements as it noted “notable success” in the Zaporizhzhia area, though she warned that Ukrainian troops had pushed through to heavily fortified lines of Russian defence following the breakthrough.  

 

President Zelensky said the country’s troops were “moving forward” as part of their long-anticipated counteroffensive, appearing to rebuff Western officials who have suggested that Ukraine has been too slow to recapture ground from Moscow.

 

Ukraine’s military forces further reported a total of 45 combat clashes on front lines in the 24 hours between Friday and Saturday evening.

 

The counteroffensive has successfully reclaimed more than a dozen villages. However, Ukrainian soldiers have been impeded by extensive Russian minefields and defensive lines, and the gains do not encompass any major settlement.

 

Moscow has labelled the Ukrainian counteroffensive a failure, with Kyiv asserting that it has purposefully advanced slowly to minimise losses on the battlefield.

 

“Ukrainian forces are moving forward. Despite everything, and no matter what anyone says, we are advancing, and that is the most important thing. We are on the move,” Mr Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Ukrainian military confirmed further advances towards Melitopol, a major Russian-occupied urban centre in the Zaporizhzhia region.

 

Elsewhere, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Zelensky, warned that drone strikes on Russian soil were only set to increase, adding that Ukraine has ramped-up attacks on Russian-occupied areas.

 

Mr Podolyak noted that Ukraine would also escalate attacks in Russia itself. However, Kyiv does not generally directly claim attacks outside of Ukraine, with Mr Podolyak saying such strikes would be carried out by “agents” or “partisans”.

 

“As for Russia ... there is an increasing number of attacks by unidentified drones launched from the territory of the Russian Federation, and the number of these attacks will increase,” Mr Podolyak told Reuters. “This is the stage of the war when hostilities are gradually being transferred to the territory of the Russian Federation.”

[pmccarthy]

Several commentators are speculating about an imminent collapse of Russian defences in Ukraine. Lack of supplies and poor morale could result in a rout if Ukraine breaks through the defence lines.

[willedoo]

Satellite image of a Tu-95 bomber at Engels air base with car tyres on it for protection against drone strikes.

 

[Marty_d]

Plenty of fuselage uncovered.

 

[onetrack]

Just a bit more flammable material to ensure it burns better!

[willedoo]

9 minutes ago, onetrack said:

Just a bit more flammable material to ensure it burns better!

They're not the sharpest tools in the shed.

[willedoo]

This bloke usually has good observations and commentary on the war. It's a cut and paste as the well known website now has an idiot owner who has account walled it. The author is not a natural English speaker, so there's the occasional blip.

 

Quote:

The Ukrainian counteroffensive has been going on for almost 3 months and over this period of time the Ukrainian onslaught has created some gaping wounds in the Russian defense network. It started Velyka Novosilka which was culminating in the devastating Russian defeat and costly withdrawal in Urozhaine. Far more dangerous, however, for the Russian war effort are the Ukrainian operations south of Orikhiv. Russians have specifically fortified this area. Especially, Robotyne was vital for the Russian defense sector. It also explains also why Russians continue to counter attack this area, knowing their weakness in the hinterlands.

 

But this is not even the worst for the Russians. Far worse is that this whole battle has evolved in an open tug-of-war. Both sides know more less the strengths and weaknesses of each other. The open terrain makes sneak attacks and counterattacks virtually impossible. This is only emphasized by the usage of drones. Some might argue that this point might be favorable for Russians but even that Russians squandered long ago.

The biggest thinking error many, especially Russians, are making is to make this about trench networks. The trenches are delaying the advance, there is no doubt about that. But the most crucial aspect of this battle is logistics, as always. And here Russians made absolutely decisive mistakes, by not targeting Ukrainians logistic lines in the same way than the other way around. Ukrainians masterfully and since day one of this operation targeted all the logistics hubs and HQs from Melitopol to Tokmak.

 

It is also those Russian logistics lines which get increasingly compromised. I have added Screenshot 1 where some of the Russian trenchlines are marked, including the far more vital and primary logistic lines. Most of them are in range of Ukrainian tubed artillery.

 

Another aspect which Russians have not employed as much as Ukrainians is the usage of drones. The occasional lancet strike is published, of course, but the drone warfare is a matter of quantities. The Ukrainian FPV strikes are far more numerous. To put that into perspective: Magyar birds alone have destroyed Russian equipment worth a billion USD (!), while using drones which do not exceed in price of 10,000 USD, and most of them being even below 1,000 USD. The flow of new drones is not only exceeding, but also being supported by a vast Ukrainian drone industry, which comes up with more intriguing and even cost-effective drones. This comes parallel with the long-range drones which increasingly strike vital Russian bases far away from Ukraine.

 

The bulk of the drones at the front have a range of 5km and when you overlay this (Screenshot 2) on the Ukrainian advance then you see that in this orange area that life for a Russian soldier is short. This is also the area where increasingly the Russian elite force such as the 76th Guards Air Assault Division are getting hammered and softened up, while the heavy Ukrainian brigade still wait for the big push.

 

All and all Russians have completely lost the initiative and only hope that Ukrainians stop their assault. The frantic call of Pro-Russian minions such as Hungary's Orban are a very good sign how much in distress Russia has come. They desperately need and hope that the Ukrainian attack stops, and if they don't then we are not far away from a complete Russian collapse along the southern front. This collapse is only determined by how and when the Russian logistics will not be able to repel Ukrainian attacks in an organized fashion, and that point is nothing what you can see on maps where trenchlines are marked. It is determined by logistic lines and their hubs as well as the attrition rate. When this tipping point is reached, then collapse of Russian army in Zaporizhzhia is complete.

 

The dire situation for Russians will move then from critical to hopeless when Ukrainians break through the lines and storm to the Azov Sea. In the early stages of this open war, Russians focused on securing the Azov coast in order to protect their bases in Crimea. With the Ukrainian arsenal such as HIMARS, Stormshadows/Scalp-EG and likely soon TAURUS, as well,  Ukrainian control of whole Zaporizhzhia will make the Russian occupation in Crimea untenable. It will be similar to Germany 1944 where a fight might still continue another year (which it did), but it wouldn't change the outcome. The liberation of Zaporizhzhia by Ukrainians forces equals Russia's strategic defeat. Both sides know that.

 

This is why the influx of resources and ammunition for Ukrainian forces must be sustained and increased. The fight will go on for some time but in end Russia will lose this battle. Even when supplies are delayed there is no way that Russia can turn the tide, but any delay in supplies could result in an unnecessary and  prolonged war. It is time that some Western leaders, especially in Germany, stop sitting on their hands and turn on the factories. The earlier it is done, the earlier we can end this miserable war.

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by willedoo

[willedoo]

The Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, has resigned to avoid being sacked. The rumour mill has it that he might be offered the post of ambassador to the UK. The replacement defence minister is expected to be Crimean Tatar Rustem Umerov, head of the State Property Fund. That will probably make Ukraine the only country with a Jewish president and a Muslim defence minister. It will send a big message to putler that Ukraine is serious about regaining control of Crimea. Defence cooperation with Turkey will no doubt grow stronger with Umerov's appointment as Turkey considers the Crimean Tatars as kin.

[red750]

Kim Jong Un is going to Russia next week to meet with Putin to discuss North Korea supplying weapons for use in the Ukraine war.

[facthunter]

Trumps "Little Rocket Man" . World wars are fun with toys. What are weapons for if not to let them OFF. IF you have $#!t for brains.  Nev.

[onetrack]

Bring it on! It'll be good to see the level of sabotage and "accidents" that then start to happen to North Korean industries and their shipping movements.

[Old Koreelah]

20 hours ago, willedoo said:

The Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, has resigned to avoid being sacked. The rumour mill has it that he might be offered the post of ambassador to the UK. The replacement defence minister is expected to be Crimean Tatar Rustem Umerov, head of the State Property Fund. That will probably make Ukraine the only country with a Jewish president and a Muslim defence minister. It will send a big message to putler that Ukraine is serious about regaining control of Crimea. Defence cooperation with Turkey will no doubt grow stronger with Umerov's appointment as Turkey considers the Crimean Tatars as kin.

Hard to imagine a future peace deal, but perhaps it should have Crimea become a Tartar Autonomous Region.

[facthunter]

I see OUR very basic (cardboard ) drones are getting Putin Upset. This IS the guy that threatens the whole Western world with Intercontinental Atomic Ballistic Missiles plus hypersonic stuff as well.  Nev

[onetrack]

The Commos in Vietnam, equipped with only the most basic weaponry, defeated the worlds superpower outfitted with the worlds most sophisticated weaponry. The VC and NVA used anything they could find, including failed armaments provided by the Americans.

 

I've never forgotten watching an NVA film where Nth Vietnamese were filmed removing the anti-handling mechanism of an American bomb that failed to explode, sawing open the casing with a hacksaw, and extracting the explosives so they could manufacture grenades and booby traps in tiny jungle factories. They even had homebuilt grenade-casting facilities hidden in the jungle. 

 

I'd like to see the Ukrainians retrieve all the Russian anti-tank mines and armaments and see them utilise them against the Russians. In Vietnam, one idiot Australian senior officer had a minefield installed with 20,000 M16 mines laid. The Vietnamese crawled in at night, defeated all the anti-lifting mechanisms and stole around 10,000 of the M16's - and then placed them randomly anywhere the Australians or Americans might operate. Then they marked the location of those randomly-placed mines with secret markings, such as blazes on trees or sticks placed in a certain manner.

 

It's impossible to defeat a guerilla army that is dedicated to recovering its claimed territory, with a larger force that has low morale and little desire or reason to fight.

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by onetrack

[spacesailor]

If we were Informed of the atrocious conditions the French had the Vietnamese living under .

( before their uprising ) .

I don't think we would have even gone to war there .

spacesailor

[willedoo]

4 hours ago, onetrack said:

I'd like to see the Ukrainians retrieve all the Russian anti-tank mines and armaments and see them utilise them against the Russians.

I saw a short video a couple of days ago where they were rigging anti-tank mines with a detonator to drop them from small drones. They have a lot of bang. Another video showed them making improvised anti-personnel mines. It was just a metal ammo box stuffed with plastic explosive, then a layer of flour dough and topped off with a few kilos of ball bearings. They didn't show how it was detonated.

[willedoo]

9 hours ago, Old Koreelah said:

Hard to imagine a future peace deal, but perhaps it should have Crimea become a Tartar Autonomous Region.

Tartar is the stuff you get on your teeth, Tatar is a Turkic ethnic group, Tata is a crappy Indian car. Also how my Grandma used to say goodbye.

[red750]

Selenskyy has new Minister of Defense: Parliament confirms appointment of Umjerov

 

Rustem Umjerov is the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine after the confirmation of the appointment. This has been reported by local media, according to n-tv.de.

 

338 deputies with 226 necessary votes voted for the resolution, the bill had been submitted by President Volodymyr Selenskyj. The latter already announced the new personnel last Sunday. Umjerov was previously the head of the State Property Fund, his predecessor Olexij Resnikow is to go to London. For the first time since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this change of ministers marks a new appointment to a key position held by President Selenskyj.

 

 

[willedoo]

13 hours ago, Old Koreelah said:

Hard to imagine a future peace deal, but perhaps it should have Crimea become a Tartar Autonomous Region.

If Ukraine takes it back it could be anyone's guess what it's final status would be. In that case, I'd assume it would semi autonomous within Ukraine. Not sure about the Tatars though, being only about 10% of the population. If Russia loses this war and Ukraine regains control of Crimea, how many Tatars would migrate there from Tatarstan? A big percentage of the Tatarstan Tatars would have been born there in Russia and would think of it as home. On the other hand, if things get really crook in Russia and Crimean Tatars re-establish their status and culture in Crimea, the Russian Tatars might be tempted to move to what is their ethnic group's traditional home. It would be a bit like the way Jews from all over the world have migrated to Israel.

[Jerry_Atrick]

On 04/09/2023 at 3:03 AM, willedoo said:

Satellite image of a Tu-95 bomber at Engels air base with car tyres on it for protection against drone strikes.

 

They're not car tyres; they're soviet style vortex generators

[Marty_d]

Risky business I would have thought, having ground crew slinging tyres on and off your wings.  Plenty of opportunity for damage to flaps/ailerons.

[spenaroo]

I doubt its for drone strikes.
putting up netting to catch the drone above it would be more effective.
Boeing made an entire fake neighborhood above their factory in  WW2

the tires would probably focus the blast more it anything.

looking into it, its a story created by Ukrainian bloggers.
which the military analysts have said is possible, but more likely an attempt at camouflage to throw off automated targeting systems of cruise missiles.

 

personally I think its more likely to be an attempt at weather protection. adding weight and disrupting the airflow while its out on the apron

Edited September 7, 2023 by spenaroo

[Old Koreelah]

That clever campouflage netting over a huge aircraft factory is a story in itself, and shows how much they were spooked by Japan. Why they didn’t build their critical factories far inland I don’t know. During WWI Australia set up a steelworks and arms industry at Lithgow partly because it was out of range of naval guns.

[facthunter]

The Main steel places were Newcastle and Port Kembla, Both right on the coast My father was involved with the ferro alloys Electric Furnace alloy steels at Commonwealth Steel Co at Waratah which would have been the first place to cop a real bomb if it had gotten to that. Newcastle was bombed at about t he same time as the mini subs got into Sydney Harbour but they were just armour piercing things that knocked a few bits off buildings in Newcastle itself  to put the frighteners in the People.  Nev

[willedoo]

Cope tyres on a Su-34.