Last week the land campaign paused, and Ukraine escalated its rhetoric President Zelensky announcing on Sunday that ‘war was coming to Russia’ as Ukrainian drones hit Moscow damaging buildings and temporarily, suspending flights at Vnukovo airport. The remainder of the week was characterised by an operational pause in the land battle as Ukrainian drones damaged targets in Moscow, Crimea and other parts of Russian. At sea Ukraine’s drones tracked down and sank Russian ships.
A maritime drone attack seriously damaged the large amphibious warfare ship, Olenegorsky Gornyak. An important operation because the ship was attacked in its home port of Novorossiysk. This city is about 120km south of the Kerch Bridge, so a long way from the frontline; or about 700km by sea from Ukraine’s main port Odessa. Later, a Russian oil tanker was struck by similar drones near the Kerch Bridge. Both attacks are important because they demonstrate a high level of capability and more importantly that Ukraine is willing to attack previously safe locations. Essentially, the whole eastern coast of Russia’s Black Sea territories is firmly in the ‘cross hairs.’ Like the drone attacks on Moscow these operations are not focussed purely on military outcomes. Russia’s Black Sea coast is a popular holiday destination and every ship sunk or tank farm set on fire tell holiday makers that Russia is losing the war.
My assessment is that this activity also has a wider military purpose, aiming to deny the Black Sea to Russia’s navy in order to protect grain ships. Last week, six civilian ships hugged the Turkish, Bulgarian and Romanian coastline carefully staying in these countries home waters, protected by NATO fighters as they travelled to Ukraine’s Danubian ports; Orivka, Izmail and Reni. Ports that although small; and already subject to Russian attack may provide a route for Ukrainian grain to get to the world. The development of a ‘safe’ (or rather insurable) civilian route for maritime trade with Ukraine is essential both for sustaining Ukraine’s economy and for feeding the large numbers of people around the world that rely on Ukrainian grain. If Ukraine can destroy Russia’s Black Sea Fleet or make it too risky to operate in the area this goal is more achievable providing the military reason for the increased focus on naval operations this week.
Last week it seemed that Ukraine was starting to transition from reconnaissance and shaping operations into a new phase of the campaign. There were reports of units from Ukraine’s 9th and 10th Corps, their strategic reserve being deployed and we could identify minor ‘break in’ points through which Ukraine may be able to attack. However, this week we are witnessing an operational pause with no significant progress report on any Ukraine’s three main axes of advance:
- The area around Bakhmut.
- Ukraine’s advance from near Orikhiv towards Tokmak; and perhaps further toward Melitopol.
- The Velyka Novosilka salient.
On each of these axes Ukraine’s forces appear to have paused and are probably taking stock of the situation. Russian offensives in the north-east near Svatove appear to have been stopped. However, across the campaign fighting is hard and Ukraine is having a tough time. Russia’s defence is very strong blunting even advanced NATO equipment. Defence is a mechanical phase of war in that it relies on systems and engineering that in this case are more developed than expected. Russian incompetence and poor training mitigated by kilometres of anti-tank ditches, Dragon’s Teeth and minefields. Tanks cannot cross steep sided ditches more that about three metres wide, and Russia has dug hundreds of kilometres of these ditches. The only ways over them are using tightly bound bundles of plastic pipes called ‘fascines’ that are dropped into the ditch, using assault bridges or bulldozer tanks to carve paths through the ditches.
Integrated with the anti-tank ditches are Dragon’s Teeth, large concrete tetrahedrons that tanks cannot easily climb over without either getting stuck or exposing their weak belly armour. And; concentrated minefields of a density and size that dwarf anything seen since World War Two. Further, Russia is making extensive use of artillery fired mines, that can be fired immediately into any area an enemy force is moving through; slowing down or stopping their movement.
Russian infantry is also well dug-in and heavily protected, even with Ukraine using cluster munitions they seem to be able to soak up considerable punishment. And; this is a key point to understand about the defence. When soldiers are in a well-prepared defensive position, they look out at the narrow arc of ground they must cover from under overhead protection and protective cover all around them. It would be a very stupid or scared soldier to run away during an artillery barrage and if their heavy weapons and mines are stopping the enemy’s vehicles then they will stand and fight. The United States or NATO with enormous air-superiority would simply use heavy aircraft bombs to blow holes in the defences. A direct hit from a 500lb or 2000lb bomb would blow most dug-in positions to pieces. An option that Ukraine does not have at this stage.
And; combined with this heavy engineering, the Russians have developed comprehensive reinforcement and counter attack plans that are currently working well. Beating Russia’s defensive system is not impossible but it is hard work. Last week, the United Kingdom’s Chief of Defence Force, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin described Ukraine’s strategy as being to ‘‘starve, stretch and strike’’ speaking to a British Parliamentary hearing. A description that is apt and has been used a lot this week. Essentially, this phrase encapsulates the Manoeuverist doctrine that Ukraine has been employing to solve the problem of not having airpower.
Ukraine’s long-range precision weapons like HIMARs, drones and Storm Shadow cruise missiles ‘starving’ Russia’s frontline by attacking lines of supply, ammunition dumps, roads, bridges and rail lines. Small attacks across a wide front ‘stretch’ Russia’s forces forcing them to use reserve artillery and troops that can be destroyed slowly, attriting the defence to a point at which Ukraine can ‘strike.’ This strategy will take time to work, United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley is already on record stating that his expectation was 8-10 weeks of ‘shaping’ before Ukraine commits its full force.
Ukraine’s offensive is not over yet, and there are a couple of key points to consider before we can firmly state that the offensive has culminated. First, although there has been limited progress this week, throughout the offensive we have witnessed consistent and progressive gains on three widely distributed axes. Secondly, the forces deployed to date are not large and do not appear to be from 9th and 10th Corps. Instead throughout the offensive we have seen relatively small commitments, normally combat teams (about 100 soldiers and a dozen vehicles based on a ‘company’) or at the most battle groups (about 400 soldiers and 50-80 vehicles based on a ‘battalion’). Each of Ukraine’s corps has 4-5 brigades each with 2-3 battle groups meaning that an attack on Ukraine’s ‘main effort’ axis, aiming to achieve a break through is likely to be at least brigade strength. The initial break through being follow by a couple of depth brigades able to push through the assault brigade and exploit.
To-date we have not seen a commitment of force on this scale by Ukraine so we can assess that the offensive has not yet culminated. Unfortunately, Ukraine does not have long to deliver results because in October the autumn rain will arrive and Ukraine will become a muddy bog unsuitable for armoured warfare. Ukraine will then have to wait until winter in January or February for its next opportunity, all the time counting down to the 2024 United States election that may result in Donald Trump being re-elected. A result that would probably finish the war because he is unlikely to provide the current level of support to Ukraine. A situation that Putin is probably holding out for.
Professor Michael Clarke, ex-director of the Royal United Services Institute recently raised another concern while being interviewed on Times Radio. He said that within the Ukrainian military there is growing concern about using modern NATO tactics instead of the older Soviet style tactics that many senior officers are more familiar with. This concern could lead to an internal struggle within the Ukrainian army and a poorly thought-out change in tactics. If Professor Clarke is correct and there is a sudden change in tactics it is likely to be detrimental to Ukraine’s combat effectiveness, the current strategy is slow but is gaining ground and minimising casualties. This is unlikely to be the case if there is a sudden transition back to Soviet-era tactics.
Many commentators and the mainstream media are discussing stories of Wagner Group soldiers massing near the Polish border and possibly threatening the Suwalki Gap. A narrow corridor that runs along the Polish-Lithuanian border and links Russia with Kaliningrad, a small territory on the Baltic Coast that the Soviet Union retained after World War Two. The gap is narrow and provides space for road and rail connectivity with Kaliningrad.
Another option discussed is that Wagner Group soldiers could attack Poland from Belarus. Belarusian military helicopters briefly crossed the Polish border last week. Some media discuss the idea that Russia is planning a Wagner Group attack on Poland or Lithuania, one able to be denied by the claim that the soldiers are ‘volunteers’ rather than Russian soldiers. Commentators citing Putin’s use of this tactic in Crimea in 2014 and further claiming that there is a logic to this plan in that NATO would be distracted by this activity; or possibly that attacks of this nature would dissuade further support for Ukraine.
In my opinion all these theories should be disregarded. The chances of Wagner Group soldiers or Belarus mounting any sort of operation like this are zero. Hybrid war’s military tactics rely on uncertainty and capitalising on the ‘grey zone’ between inter-state war, insurgency, private military operations and terrorism. In this case there is no uncertainty, Poland has already reinforced its border and if Wagner Group (or similar) volunteers cross the border they are likely to be quickly destroyed. Russian planners understand this fact but probably enjoy seeing the media discussing the possibility.
However, the facts are pretty simple NATO currently has approximately 340,000 professional soldiers on alert. Anyone stupid enough to cross a NATO border will be quickly defeated, then Russia will be at war with NATO. Putin does not want a war with NATO and Wagner Group soldiers do not want to die. So, it is highly unlikely that any of these scenarios will eventuate
This weekend, Saudi brokered peace talks started in Jeddah. The talks bring together 40 countries including China, India and the United States but not Russia. President Zelensky has developed and will present a peace plan and at this stage, the main objective is to develop a set of principles for future negotiations. Essentially, many nations from across a range of political perspectives and areas are represented and aiming to develop a plan that can be used to bring the war to an end. It is worth keeping a close watch on this process next week because if China, India and the United States can work together Putin’s Russia, suddenly becomes very isolated. Further, collective security activities of this nature build relationships and trust hopefully providing a basis for defusing other issues like Sino-American tensions in the Pacific.
In summary, Ukraine is still in the war even though it has not made much progress this week. In coming weeks, it is likely that the Black Sea Fleet and Russian shipping will continue to be attacked. Probably to keep a safe corridor for shipping in the western Black Sea. On the ground, keep an eye on Vuledhar, last week Ukrainian forces pushed south there possibly indicating another line of potential attack. And; as we count towards General Milley’s ten weeks keep watching for a large commitment of Ukrainian forces.
Ben Morgan is a bored Gen Xer and TDBs military blogger
Ben – Peace talks have been undertaken for over a year now…NATO keeps trying to block it.
NATO blocking peace talks my arse.
tedheath – It is true…sad
“Peace talks have been undertaken for over a year now…NATO keeps trying to block it.” NATHAN
Oh really
That NATO blocked the peace talks, is another load of Kremlin prowar bullshit out of Putin’s troll farms, being spread by professional anonymous online prowar arseholes, and repeated by useful idiots.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s is a Russian speaker, Ukrainian is a second language for the Ukrainian President.
Alongside Putin’s debunked lie that Ukraine was persecuting/committing genocide against Russian speakers. There have been various versions of the lie that Boris Johnson, or NATO, or the Americans, sabotaged the peace talks and ordered Ukraine to keep fighting the Russian invaders.
Just because the Kremlin’s online trolls and useful idiots in the West keep repeating this bullshit doesn’t make it true.
The prowar troll tactic is to use a firehose of lies to try and make this sort of bullshit stick. Pretty similar to Goebbels ‘Big Lie’ tactic. Tell a really big lie and keep repeating it often.
So what’s the truth?
During the peace talks in March last year held in Turkey, Zelensky called for a ceasefire during the talks, Putin refused Zelensky’s call for a ceasefire during the talks, and aggressively pressed ahead with military advances and missile bombardment of Ukrainian cities including the capital Kiev, right throughout the period of these so called ‘peace talks’.
As well as making a mockery and a sham of the peace talks by pressing ahead with their brutal aggression against Ukraine, even during the talks, the Russian negotiators kept making the bizarre demand in the negotiations that Ukraine must ‘Denazify’, before Russia would agree to stop the war. President Zelensky made a statement, saying that he didn’t even know what they meant by that.
It was pretty clear to me what the Russian negotiators meant by denazification of Ukraine.
In effect, ‘denazifying Ukraine’, the Russian negotiators ‘peace demand’ was or the Zelensky administration to resign and be replaced with a pro-Russian puppet government. ie Ukrainian surrender was Russia’s peace demand.
In essence, the Russia negotiator’s demand for the ‘Denazification of Ukraine’ is no less than the Russian imperialist’s code word for regime change in Ukraine, no more, no less. This was their bottom line.
On the other side of the negotiating table Ukraine offered to stop fighting if Russian forces returned to the areas of Eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia prior to the February 24, full scale invasion.
The Russian negotiators rejected Ukraine’s generous land for peace offer outright, to continue their full scale invasion.
In the face of Russia’s intransigence and determination to continue the war, President Zelensky, speaking in his native Russian, presented the same peace offer in a video interview directly addressed to the Russian people over the heads of the Kremlin. Watching or sharing the video of President Zelensky’s peace offer was made a crime in Russia by the Kremlin.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/28/ukraine-zelenskiy-interview-russian-media-make-difference-in-war
It was Russia not Ukraine and the West that wanted the war to continue.
The Kremlin are the ones that blocked peace talks, nothing to do with NATO or Boris Johnson.
In the face of Russian intransigence in the peace talks and continuing Russian aggression on the ground, President Zelensky has announced that only the full liberation of ALL Ukraine’s territory occupied by Russian forces, including Crimea, is the only way to achieve peace. Polls taken in Ukraine show 82% of the public support this position.
Nothing to do with what NATO or Boris Johnson wants.
As for the ridiculous fiction that is currently being spread about by the prowar trolls that NATO and/or Boris Johnson sabotaged the peace talks.
https://www.workersliberty.org/story/2022-11-16/nonsense-about-ukraine-peace-talks
Nonsense about Ukraine peace talks
Workers Liberty – Jim Denham, 16 November, 2022
Exerpt:
…Morning Star writer Ian Sinclair reckons he’s uncovered “the top under-reported story of 2022 … the news the British government worked to prevent a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine war in March-April 2022” (12-13 November).
In fact, this story has been circulating for months and the Morning Star previously referred to it (in a front page story on 11 October) as “widely reported”, claiming: “The deal was ditched after then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at the behest of the Biden administration, pressed President Zelenskyy to break off negotiations.”…..
…..Sinclair’s “proxy war” view of the conflict, regarding the Ukrainians as mere pawns in a geo-political game, also ignores the recent (5 November) Washington Post report that the Biden administration “is privately encouraging Ukraine’s leaders to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia” and that Zelenskyy has [since] said Ukraine is only prepared to negotiate when all Russian troops have withdrawn from all parts of the country, including Crimea.
The idea of Ukrainian agency simply doesn’t fit with the Morning Star’s view of the conflict.
So people like Sinclair continue to claim that peace talks were sabotaged by the west and that there’s a “mainstream media” conspiracy to suppress this “fact”: the truth is that if any publication is misleading its readers about Ukraine, it’s the Morning Star.
Well said Pat!
The “peace talks” initiative is progress.
The fact that India and China are joining other countries in talks coming after talks between Russia and African Nations is a positive.
The world needs this nonsense to stop. The failure of the UN to impact on this war is once again a disappointment and demonstrates the ineffectiveness and limitations of this organisation.
Imagine if Ukraine succeeds in blowing up/shutting down Russian oil exports …… $4 per liter for petrol here in AoNz? ,,,, that would be popular, it reminds me of a saying about ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’/ cutting off your nose to say Slava Ukraine :0 .
………………….
“Early this year, Ukraine began to outfit two separate ‘army corps’ of maneuver brigades specifically for the coming ‘counter-offensive’. These were the 9th Corps and the 10th Corps. The 9th Corps was meant to be the—mostly—NATO-armed and trained one which was famously revealed in the Pentagon leaks. It consisted of the 9 named maneuver brigades, which were the 116th, 47th, 33rd, 21st, 32nd, 37th, 118th, 117th, and the 82nd air assault.
Out of these, the 47th was said to be the most elite, cobbled from all ‘volunteers’ who signed up specifically from other units and were trained in the UK and were armed with 99 x M2A2 Bradleys as well as American M109 Paladins for artillery…..
The role of the two army corps was that the 9th was meant to be the breakthrough brigade which reached the first ‘main line of defense’, the notorious ones with dragon teeth that Russia spent months constructing. Upon reaching this line, the 10th Corps was meant to be the ‘breakthrough’ force which then took over for the 9th, pouring in another fresh 9-12 brigades through the gap to create an unstoppable opening. ” ….
“The 9th experienced catastrophic losses from the start of the offensive on June 4th onward, as we all know. There are rumors that entire brigades were wiped out”
“So the 9th Corps was not able to reach Russia’s first line of defense and the brigades had appeared to be too degraded to go on any further, many of them withdrawn to refit/reconstitute in the rear. The 10th Corps was then injected prematurely to take over, which is what this new ‘second phase’ has been all about since the end of July.” https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-8523-projecting-the-intermediate?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
“What was interesting is that, as per the 32nd brigade above, yesterday some new documents were leaked online which appeared to show that the 32nd was remanded due to mass desertion/mutiny and refusal to follow orders: ”
Suicidal orders ….. https://www.bitchute.com/video/w6Xa39txEkgp/
Jack Carr’s new novel is a great listen
All good Ben – keep them coming.
Trump has promised he would “end the war in a week” if he came back into office, but you might be surprised as to how he might achieve that.
> Declaring Ukraine a no-fly zone for Russia?
> Giving Ukraine the kit to really finish the job?
The current stalemate benefits one group only – the Pentagon and the arms industry.
1) “Ports that although small; and already subject to Russian attack may provide a route for Ukrainian grain to get to the world.”
The World doesn’t get these grain exports mostly only european countries. The rhetoric is astounding from Ben also to be noted that the netherlands feeds these grain imports to its pigs. Also not mentioned is that Mr Putin at the Russia-African summit promised africa free grain exports which is probably why Niger has decided to coup its colonial France puppet leader for independence.
2) “The United States or NATO with enormous air-superiority would simply use heavy aircraft bombs to blow holes in the defences.”
David Petraeus on CNSBC that coin this phrase should actually be locked up in prison for espionage charges not Julian Assange. He seems to forget like Ben that Russia has one of the best anti-aircraft and missile defense in the world that will incinerate their aircraft if any attempt is forthcoming.
3) “Professor Michael Clarke, ex-director of the Royal United Services Institute recently raised another concern while being interviewed on Times Radio.”
Radio Times is a NATO funded propaganda outlet and like Professor Clarke gets paid a heap from the MIC to spin BS to keep the war going to make themselves a ton of money.
4) “This weekend, Saudi brokered peace talks started in Jeddah. The talks bring together 40 countries including China, India and the United States but not Russia.”
This is all speculation on behalf of Ben. Whether or not you could facilitate a peace arrangement without all parties involved in this conflict is wishful thinking. Russia made multiple attempts after the coup of the legitimate govt in 2014 with the Minsk accord. Dissenters to Ben Morgans narrative have repeated these facts but he chooses not to add this to his discussion I wonder why?
Cuckoo
“…collective security activities of this nature build relationships and trust hopefully providing a basis for defusing other issues like Sino-American tensions in the Pacific.” BEN MORGAN
A forlorn hope.
That ship has already sailed.
Sino-American (and Russian) powers increase “deterrence”, in preparation for a major blood bath in the Pacific region.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/06/us-navy-warships-china-russia-naval-patrol-near-alaska
The US dispatched four navy warships as well as a reconnaissance airplane after multiple Chinese and Russian military vessels carried out a joint naval patrol near Alaska last week….
…. the flotilla’s proximity to Alaska was a “highly provocative” maneuver given Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and political tensions between the US and China over Taiwan. The flotilla has since left….
By fair means or foul.
The need of growth economies to expand cannot be denied, on a finite world, war between them is inevitable.
By the way freedom and democracy and worker solidarity Pat, here’s a petition you can put your name to
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-the-ukrainian-government-to-drop-prosecution-of-peace-activist-yurii-sheliazhenko/?link_id=4&can_id=b59cf5230c8e2f3c3c5e182d3f571b76&source=email-wbw-news-action-under-the-mask&email_referrer=email_2010367&email_subject=wbw-news-action-prosecuted-for-not-killing
So it’s ok for the US to sail its Warships through the South China Sea, thousands of miles from its Shore but the Russians & Chinese can’t sail Warships off Alaska, the hypocrisy is unbelievable!
Is this your idea of peace talks:https://www.rt.com/russia/580884-donetsk-cluster-shelling/ ? no comment.
No comment?
I’ll give you a comment you piece of filth.
We already know what your idea of peace is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrGZ66uKcl0&ab_channel=WallStreetJournal
Pat the neo-con wears no cloths ,,,, were the Azov unit who went into Bucha on a collaborator hunt/safari the reformed neo-nazi ones ?.
Or were they the ultra nationalist “(pure) blood and soil” types.
What did the original Nazis do to ‘collaborators’ ,,,, same as their Azov kin/filth …. bullet in the brain,,, maybe with a bit of torture/knee-capping first
Ukrainian Journalist EXPOSES The Naz*s We’re Arming https://youtu.be/JMud2lo5Sao?t=71
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
P.s when are you going to take down your bullshit slanderous post where you make shit up and deviously misquote ‘reason/me’
Your crap excuse of the TDB being hacked and Martyn being responsible for my original post disappearing,,, a post that you then go on to lie about,,,,is obvious bullshit.
Because then we’d have to believe that they hacked your next shit authors propaganda post and Martyn deleted this comment as well…
“Anne with an E (She/Her)
Why has the article posted on 22 April been removed?” ,,,,
your response to “Anne with an E (She/Her)”,,,, who it should be noted is no friend of mine and as bigger bullshitter as you,,, your non-answer response to her was ‘it’s back up now’ …. and then both her and your comments to her subsequently disappeared/were deleted.
It should also be noted that my numerous attempted reply’s to your steaming pile of crap and lies regarding my conveniently removed (for you) post were blocked/deleted.
I suggest you remove your second post in which you edited/misquote me ,,, as your lying garbage does not make sense with my original source material removed.
Or re-post your bad faith Authors hijacking of Martin Luther kings good name ,,,, and I’ll show why you Pat the racist are not fit to lick his boots ,,,, again.
No Eastern Ukraine ethnic Russian children were killed/murdered in the nationalist coup governments ATO shelling and bombing against where they lived ,, according to Pat…. and then the sick fucker has the gall to call Others filth .
AZOV are not nazis ,,,, and their SS Panzer ‘Das Reich’ division wolf’s angle insignia is not that either,,, according to Pat.
Pat hates Russians so much he supports and covers up for ISIS etc in Syria ,,, he claims Idlib is a bastion and hold out for ‘freedom fighters’ ,,, rather than an extremist shit-hole where women get executed for adultery.
Same with his attitude and covering up for AZOV, right Sektor, Krakken, Aider, C14, Georgian legion etc etc etc in Ukraine.
You stink to high heaven and you wear no cloths Pat ,,,, it’s a shame you were to low grade and shit for even Lyn Prentance ,,,, his neo-con rats nest machine is more suited to you.,,, he’s as racist/hates Russians as much as you do.
I’d just scroll past .Pat has outed himself time and again .He goes for simplistic formulae, shoe horning his theories into ill fitting slippers.Not a great thinker
He’s nailed his colours to the mast early on , then outsourced his critical thinking to the most propagandist , billionaire owned media sources aligned to western imperialism
I’d say he’s scuppered his credibility
I would say pat is dumb as dirt
I’m sure you are on the SIS radar BA going by their latest statement. I would watch my Ps and Qs if I were you!
Pat, you have an anger problem. Get help.
It is Awakesky that has the anger problem. What’s more his spelling is appalling which makes his arguments nonsensical.
Don’t bother Gin, bombarding citizens, burning citizens alive in buildings, coordinated ethnic terrorism has been the hallmark of the Kiev regime since 2014.
You won’t have seen Pat or the other Zhelensky apologists here recognising this fact, they did however get very upset when Vlad said enough. Which suggests they were all in favour of Ukrainian ethnic violence.
Pat is in denial over the killings of civilians in the Donbas from 2014 on .He demands written signed confessions.He will not believe the families of victims .He’s become so invested in his own line of bullshit, he’ll defend it to the end of time .This is tribalism at its most blatant.
Pat seems to think he is some kind of fearless freedom fighter, battling for the little man, the working man, all the while supporting a dictator who’s abolished elections, shut down trade unions, tolerates neo nazism in its army ranks, a secret service that kills its own (the negotiator at Minsk who was gunned down on the street by the SBU who hilariously admitted it claiming both the guy was a traitor, then later , a patriot).
A country that to this day refuses to investigate the Odessa Trade Union building massacre
I gave up on Pat with his snarling accusations and heavily bolded drek a while ago , when he ditched his own critical thinking
He’s a warning to us all
Well put, he is. He is hung up on the fact that Russia chose this war; overlooking the fact that after trying words for almost a decade, Russia chose this war rather than fighting the war that would have begun with the amassed Nato-fuelled Azov forces flooding into the Donbass first.
The Minsk agreement was actually working!!! Until Putin decided it was not working.
No need to get cross when you are wrong.
How do you come to the notion it was working?
Did you miss the bit where Merkel, Hollande and Poroshenko all said they had no intention of ever implementing it .So how was it working when it was never implemented?
Data lie!!
Annual civilian deaths dropped below 30 from a high of over 2000 per annum!!
A peacekeeping force could have been positioned on the Donbas, but the Russians said no.
Do you even know what the Minsk agreements were?
Ceasefire was just the start,and at the beginning at least,largely held
More importantly Ukraine was to change its constitution to allow?autonomy for the east
That move was never taken
Quite so JKT!
Merkel, Hollande, Poroshenko…….. for real!
But Julius Caesar, George Washington and Stalin supported……
Merkel is such old news…. that I will not even bother you with the real facts …
You have been captured by Kremlin propaganda ‘Francesca’. Does the Russian Embassy pay well?
Civilian deaths
2014: 2,084
2015: 954
2016: 112
2017: 117
2018: 55
2019: 27
2020: 26
2021: 25……. Good reason for Putin to escalate!! Yeah, right.
sure sure
They were only Russians anyway
1000s dead ?..pffft
After February 2022: over 8000
And then to date in 2023: nearly 3000 civilians killed.
Thanks to the Russian efforts to de-escalate the problems in Ukraine.
Not mentioning the deaths of the poor soldiers. You know those awful numbers….. pffft??
It is insane.
All of those people are dead because Fuckface Merkel, Hollande, and Poroshenko decided it was worth it to ignore the
Minsk agreements.They boasted about this.
If they’d implemented them the Donbas would be inside Ukraine’s borders , the industry in that region that the Soviets had built would be available to them , the far right movement in Ukraine would have been marginalised , there’d be no war
But no , Poroshenko, followed by Zelensky sent their young men off to murder their compatriots in the east, hoping to cleanse the east of those cockroaches as they called them
Plenty of Youtube videos available show Ukrainians calling the Russian Ukrainians of the east backward and useless.
So cry your crocodile tears somewhere else ,I don’t believe them .
“Plenty of Youtube videos available show Ukrainians calling the Russian Ukrainians of the east backward and useless. FRANCESCA
Well why don’t you produce one of these “plenty of youtube videos”?
Everyone should notice that Francesca makes a lot of claims but never backs them up with any evidence.
Evidence presented of Russian atrocities she claims are faked by crisis actors, or were committed by the Ukrainians to make Russia look bad. In essence Francesca is a pro-war propagandist and liar.
4238 civilians killed in the Donbas since the start of the SMO
THe people of Donbass were dying year on year, for what? They just wanted some federal autonomy under the new Ukrainian coup regime?
Only racists, fascists or dunderheads deny the basic injustice of the situation.
Exactly.
It is terrible that 30 civilians died as a result of a political dispute per annum.
It therefore makes so much sense that Putin came in and escalated it all back to levels of violence not seen since 2014 in the name of “peace”. Are these Putinistas for real?
On the contrary the Donbas is occupied by criminals, thugs, racists, Nazis, mafiya. It is a cesspit of criminality and the sooner it is cleaned up the better!
Remember who shot down MH 117?
Your argument is rubbish and you know it NJ. ‘Kiev regime’ is a well worn propagandist phrase. Straight out of the Kremlin playbook. Bearing in mind the latest SIS report, does the Russian Embassy pay well NJ?
what next? russia sets off something in the ME and implicates Iran – the US and Israel go batshit and forge in. China annexes Taiwan and the US is fucked. We better get another refinery built or start making aluminium e-bikes – lol
In 2014 the then Ukrainian President started ending ethnic russians and Putin killed him. Or poisoned what ever. There’s been a lot of big talk. Big big talk. To be more precise we totally fucked up any hope of a peace settlement.
Hi PhuD the troll. Only food you get is humble pie. The “offensive”… eat up loser.
You really are an a..hole NJ.
How do you explain the execution of Andrew Bagshawe by your Ruzzian mates? You are supporting war criminals. You should be ashamed of yourself!
Whose mates troll? Eat the humble pie loser, admit you got it wrong. And it’s going to get worse for you supporters of neoNazis.
Your money from the Russian Embassy is worth less now NJ (stands for nut job!)
The rouble is plummeting.
This war is not a zero sum game so don’t get all triumphalist with me arsehole! There are no winners and losers and if you think there are, you are sick!
Comments are closed.