Russian operation in the Ukraine – end of day 2

Today was only day two of the Russian military operation. And yet, what a day it was!!!

First, a quick update on the progress of Russian forces. Here is a bulletpoint summary for today:

Kherson: liberated
Nikolaev: fighting taking place in outskirts
Konotop: taken by Russians
Chernigov: blocked by all sides by Russian forces
Melitopol: surrounded
Mariupol: is under attack, street fighting
Severodonetsk: under attack
Kharkov: very heavy mopping up operation
Suma: mopping up operations
Kiev: blocked from the West and under attack, the authorities are distributing weapons
Gostomel airport has been captured by Russian forces
Zaporozhie: Russian forces expected there tomorrow
A land corridor from Crimea to Russia should be opened by tomorrow.
Odessa: big question mark – so far, no Russian attacks reported (that I know of!)

Ukie Tochka-U intercepted by LDNR air defenses

Now about Donetsk and Lugansk:

Both cities are still under fire, and that goes to show that the advance of the LDNR forces has been slow, which is hardly surprising considering that the Ukronazis had 7 years to prepare their defenses. Still, things ARE getting better. Not only that, but the LDNR air defenses shot down a Ukie Tochka-U missile aimed at Donetsk. So it sure looks like the long awaited A2/AA “protective cupola” is being extended over the LDNR.
That being said, the LDNR forces did break through in at least two directions today, which means that the life left for the Ukie artillery shelling the LDNR will soon come to an end.

But that does not really tell the full story. So I will try to clarify things a little.

A typical battalion has about 400-600 men, depending on the type. Let’s also assume that that battalion has 3-4 companies with APCs, a mortar battery, an air defense platoon, an automatic grenade launcher platoon, a signal platoon, supply platoon, and a few smaller more specialized subunits. If that battalion loses its APCs it has basically lost its most important source of firepower. If its communications are down (destroyed or jammed), then that battalion cannot operate as part of a bigger force and if its supply routes are cut, then its ability to operate (more or fire) will rapidly dwindle down. So, on paper this battalion will remain combat capable, but in reality it will have broken up and cannot be considered a truly combat capable battalion anymore.

So, to destroy/incapacitate a battalion only a few precision strikes are needed. Such strikes though, will leave most of the soldiers alive and quite capable of resistance, but not as a battalion anymore, but more like a typical infantry company or even squads armed with small arms, machine guns, RPGs, mines, etc.. They cannot maneuver very much, but they can conduct small hit and run operations against the enemy force. Which means that specialized infantry/police forces must now be sent to find these small forces and deal with them in potentially bloody mopping up operations.

Of course, rather than a few precision strikes, it is much more effective to strike the entire battalion with, say, MLRS strikes which will not only destroy most of the hardware, but which will kill most of the soldiers, especially if they did not prepare and seek cover. But that means 400-500 dead in one single strike. That is if this battalion is somewhere in the steppe. But if it is in downtown Mariupol such a strike will inevitably result in even more scores of dead civilians, especially since the Ukies are very careful to always position their artillery near or even on top of buildings.

Does Russia want that?

Not if there is ANY other option left.

Please keep in mind that Russia has the reconnaissance-fire complexes needed obliterate an entire battalion anywhere in the eastern Ukraine in one single salvo. They have deliberately NOT done so today (with one possible exception during the very heavy battle for the Gostomel airport, which was taken by Russian special forces and is now secured as a safe bridgehead for Russian Military-Transport aviation right next to Kiev).

Something similar can be seen in urban offensive operations. It is one thing to get to a city or town’s outskirts, and quite another to penetrate inside the city or town. If the city is lightly defended by small arms fire, that is one thing, but if the city is well defended, in specially engineered defensive circles, with minefield, IEDs, very strong building used as command posts and if the city’s houses and basements have been prepared by combat engineers, then it is much harder to take. Again, one option is to send its dedicated urban combat groups while the other is flatten any building which is used by the defenders as a fortress.

The Russian forces have the means to flatten any building anywhere in the Ukraine, including by cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, MLRS with cluster or fuel-air munition or by using howitzers, heavy mortars and even the TOS-1/TOS-1A heavy flamethrower multi-barrel rocket launch systems.

But, again, that can only be done at a major cost in human lives. Russians won’t hesitate to obliterate some Nazi deathsquads, but to massacre hundreds of regular Ukrainians, irrespective of their personal views, is only and truly a last resort option.

There is a lot of evidence that the Russian forces have moved into the outskirts of many Ukrainian towns, including Kiev, Mariupol and others. Here is how Russian military practice works:

First, approach and try to block or surrender the city
Second, suppress the main enemy firing positions
Third, make sure that the city is truly blocked (except for a few special corridors, see below)
Fourth, hold your position and reconnoiter the outermost enemy lines (by fire when appropriate)
Fifth, send in special reconnaissance groups inside the city to observe and coordinate attacks
Sixth, once the city is surrounded/blocked and once you get a pretty decent picture of what is inside you take the next decisions which might include any of the following: open corridors for civilians to flee and for military personnel to surrender and cross over, determine the main axes of attack and begin slowly grinding down the opposition with heavy firepower (artillery, air, missiles).
Seventh, once the city’s defenses have been sufficiently disorganized, begin a house to house mopping up operation by specialized forces.

Before I go further, I want to remind you that during WWII the Soviet Military freed a whopping 1’200 (one thousand two hundred!) cities from the Nazi forces. Russians know how to do this better than anybody else.

Furthermore, during both Chechen wars, the Russians always managed to take Grozny, which was extremely heavily fortified and defended by some of the toughest fighters on the planet in spite of the fact that at that time the Russian army was it its lowest and badly disorganized, especially during the first Chechen war! But even in the first Chechen, the Russians did seize Grozny, twice, admittedly a huge cost (on both sides), but they did.

That was almost three decades ago.

Speaking of the Chechen war, in the first one the Russian military lost a big part of an entire brigade which had quickly entered the city, moved into the city center only to find itself surrounded and cut off, with terrible communications, quasi-non existing reconnaissance capabilities. That debacle left a very painful memory in the Russian collective memory and if somebody was expecting Russian APCs to reach the Mariupol or Kharkov at full speed with flags and screams of “hurrah!” – they don’t understand what is taking place: the (truly criminal) mistake made by Eltsin’s generals during that first Chechen war will never be repeated by modern Russian commanders.

Any defeat is always a terrible tragedy, the only and best thing anybody can do after a defeat is to understand why and how it happened, and never repeat such a (criminal) mistake again.

That is the true reason why today Russians stopped on the outskirts of so many cities.

The bottom line is this. These are things which the Russians are trying to achieve

Destroy the Ukie armed forces but kill the absolute minimum number of Ukrainian soldiers (real Nazis will probably be destroyed no questions asked). Why? Because these surviving Ukrainian soldiers and officers are the ones who will play the main role in finally cleaning the Ukraine from the Nazi scum.
Get to the outskirts of as many major Ukrainian cities and gradually begin the steps I outlined above.
Convince civilians to flee and convince Ukrainian solders to lay down arms
Delay any Russian penetration inside the cities until the moment is “just right” (not too early, not too late)

Why?

Because Russia has ZERO intention of occupying or, even less so, rebuild or police the Ukraine, that’s why. The LDNR (in its legal borders) is as far as the Russians will go (with only a few possible exceptions).

The Kremlin decided that the goal of the operation was to 1) disarm and 2) to denazify the Ukraine. As soon as these goals are reached, the Russians want to get the hell out of the Ukraine and back into the LDNR and let the Ukrainians fight their own anti-Nazi civil war. That means that:

The Russians now must identify reasonable Ukrainian commanders and/or politicians to negotiate with
That Russia needs to offer the leftover Ukrainian ground forces the same deal which the Ukrainian forces which were tasked with the control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant were given today by the Russian forces: let’s secure this facility together and keep it secure together, with no combats of any kind. The Ukrainians gladly accepted, by the way, and now they are jointly patrolling area.
The Russians might also try something which worked well in Chechnia: tell the local town/city authorities that if they guarantee that not a single bullet will be fired from that town/city not a single Russian bullet will fly back and not a single Russian soldier will enter the city, unless accompanied by locals and in order to ascertain the reality of the situation. But if a city is declared “open and peaceful” and then is used to attack Russian forces, it will be simply flattened with artillery. I call that the “Shamanov ultimatum” and, after a few false starts (and subsequently flattened towns) it worked very well.

The crucial factor is this: during the two Chechen wars or during 08.08.08 the Russians never saw the local people as their enemy and, if anything, they were hoping that the locals would start their own “housecleaning operation” which was a bad joke in the first Chechen war, but worked very well in the second Chechen war, and failed again during 08.08.08.

In military/combat terms the Ukies are much more similar to the Georgians than to the Chechens, so there is a good chance Russia might have to leave unconditionally and let the locals slug it at between each other for as much as they want (which is what Russia did in 08.08.08 even though Russian Airborne units were at the outskirts of Tbilisi).

Which brings me to THE QUESTION for tomorrow: how will the Ukrainian soldiers and civilians behave?

Right now, Ukrainian losses have been minimal (considering the undeniable fact that this is a fullscale strategic offensive), the Russian forces have reached their positions on the outskirts of many towns and tomorrow or the day after will be “decision time”.

I hope and pray that Russian and Ukrainian soldiers find a common language in as many locations as possible. Those who will choose a heroic stance (hardcore Nazis mostly) will be offered the possibility to die for their ideas.

In that context, “Ze” released a video in which he offered to negotiate directly and unconditionally, even about neutrality and any other topic. The Russian reply was simple and to the point:

Russia is immediately ready to start negotiations after the Armed Forces of Ukraine lay down their arms.
The Ukraine must be demilitarized and declared neutral.
The Ukraine must be denazified.
Russia will no longer allow the Nazis to rule in Ukraine. Ever.

After that reply, “Ze” and his aides stopped communicating.

I personally doubt that he has any control over anything. And the fact that a huge amount of weapons has been distributed to whomever wanted one today in Kiev shows that “Ze”‘s handlers have given him the order to make the biggest possible mess and bloodbath before he is evacuated.

This is very sad, and utterly immoral, but there is nothing Russia can do about that: the Ukraine will be flooded by well armed criminals, gangs and Nazi insurgents for years to come.

Putin today made a speech in which he suggested that Russia’s beef was only with the Nazis and their deathsquads but that Russia would seek to cooperate with the Ukrainian armed forces (well, what’s left of them, really) should they overthrow the Nazis. See his full message here.

So, today was “we get to our staging positions” day.

So what did not happen (yet)?

The operational envelopment of the Ukrainian forces along the LOC with the LDNR forces has not happened yet, there is still a corridor by which these forces can withdraw. The Russians could have shut it down already “by maneuver by fire” but, apparently, they want to keep it open for a little longer.
The Russian Black Sea fleet has not engaged in any major combat activities (that I know off, so take that with a grain of salt).

Will that happen tomorrow? Maybe, it all really depends on whether the regular Ukrainian units will agree to surrender or whether they will fight to their last soldier. It also depends on how the Ukrainian civilians will react at the sight of approaching Russian forces.

So what to look for tomorrow?

A further penetration of Russian forces deeper inside Ukie territory, with cities bypassed.
The gradual penetration of Russian forces into blocked/surrounded cities
The intervention of the Black Sea Fleet in combat operations (with maybe Odessa as a strategic target, not necessarily to take, but at least to threaten and weaken).
A Western false flag (some “Russian atrocity” no doubt)

One more thing:

Western PSYOPs are in “max attack mode” and they are being helped by Russian 5th columnist websites. For example, I was trying to find a halfway decent map of the combat operations today, and ALL the Russian websites which offered such maps were hardcore 5th element. Okay, I get it – 5th columnists don’t need any real facts to make their maps, while the real patriots are afraid of both getting it wrong and leaking info. Still, I remember during the first two wars in the Donbass, there were some pretty decent maps available out there.

Today I see such zero. If anybody can recommend semi-decent military maps of the combat operations I would be most grateful.

The fact that the Russian 5th column is allowed to continue to operate the way it does really frustrates me. Could the Kremlin not tell them to “zip it” at least during active combat operations?

I did not even bother checking the output of the 6th column today, I fully expect it to be indistinguishable from the output of the 5th, and so I have no interest in it.

What is certain are two things: the joint efforts 5th and 6th column efforts have had some success, especially in locations where Putin is hated and pro-Western views more common than in most of Russia. The best poll I have seen says “Three-quarters of the respondents rather support the decision of the President of Russia to recognize the independent Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (73%), rather do not support – 16%, and every tenth Russian found it difficult to answer (11%). The majority of Russians – 78% – expressed support for the President’s decision to sign an agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between Russia and the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. Rather, 14% of respondents do not support this decision“. Putin personal rating is at 67,2%.

My guesstimate that no more than 5% of Russian support the 5th column and not more than 15% support the 6th column. Toss in another 5-10% which is afraid and on the fence. This is only a guess following my readings of the Russian social media, not a precise figure or even one based on serious research!

Next, the main thesis of US PSYOPs today was “the Russian movement is very slow, much slower than expected” hinting at some formidable Ukrainian defense operations. I hope that while I did not post any maps today, the above will tell you all you need to know to identify this thesis for what it is: Western information operations, nothing more. The problem is that there is no “smartphone confirmation” of any of that, and by tomorrow I expect the main Western PSYOPs thesis to change from “no/slow advance” to “Russian atrocities” (the smartphone coverage for that will, of course, be provided by the Western press corps).

So, in conclusion, and once more – the “fog of war” is real, and to read through it takes both time and experience. By tomorrow, I only expect this “fog of war” (powerfully augmented by PSYOPs) to drown us all in all sorts of nonsense, rumors and wild claims. Again, please don’t post panicked questions such as “is it true that the Ukrainian forces are already on the Red Square in Moscow” or something equally insipid.

Two quick ones just in, then I need to crash (sorry, I am exhausted).

The US decided to impose personal sanctions personally on Putin (and others) which will result in a full termination of any diplomatic relations (as Russians warned the US many times). Note: such sanctions are entirely symbolic but maximally offensive, so a full break with Russia is what the US wants.

Twelve thousand Chechens will be sent to the LDNR if needed, so promised Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of Chechnia. Actually, I think that this is a very good idea, like in Syria, the Chechens should get involved in policing and public security operations. FYI – when the “toughest” and “NATO trained and equipped” Georgian brigade heard that the Chechen battalion Vostok was approaching, they all ran abandoning all their fancy (and secret) equipment. Russia then organized exhibits of all that NATO kit.

Today, the LDNR authorities report the seizure of large Ukie weapons depots including the famous Javelins and NLAWs. This is all very good news.

I am done for tonight barring some huge event.

I hope to “see you” all tomorrow.

And, again, thanks for all the help (see ADDENDUM in yesterday’s post if you have not yet)!!

You are simply the best :-)

Andrei

PS: I don’t have the energy to proofread what I wrote, sorry. I have to prioritize info over form.

Per Terram on February 25, 2022 · at 10:02 pm EST/EDT

The internet is awash with numerous examples of false information that is suggesting or appearing to show footage of damaged or destroyed Ru Army equipment that is actually Ukr Army equipment. The Western MSM has a long history of falsifying the ground truth & I have one such perfect example to illustrate this for you here.

The ITN News clip begins with some sort of chaotic exchange of fire allegedly somewhere in Kiev. We are firstly shown an individual who is allegedly the ‘Commander’ (bereft of any kind of communications device of course with which to control his sub-unit??) who makes the comment that they are being engaged by a ‘sniper’. The sniper must be armed with a PKM or an AK type of weapon judging by the amount of fire in the background.

Then we are shown footage of a disorganised bunch of what I can only describe as civilians in paramilitary uniforms scurrying about like headless chickens on a bridge with some non-effective small arms fire in the background.

This then cuts to footage of an MTLB SA13 GOPHER TELAR vehicle careering though what we are told is a Kiev Street. We see it collide with a civilian car. Luckily the cars occupant survives the collision.

ITN of course makes the assessment that this vehicle IS Russian.

Finally, we are shown a long distance shot of allegedly dead Russian soldiers?? We know not who these poor souls are do we?

https://youtu.be/r87RmlyB3ks

Comment:

It carries none of the Tactical Recognition Markings being used by the Ru Armed Forces who are conducting the Special Operation inside the Ukraine today. The MTLB SA13 GOPHER TELAR was/is a Regimental level AAA Defence platform that in the Ru Army has been LARGELY REPLACED in frontline service by the 2K22 Tunguska/SA-19 GRISON platform which has been sighted within Ru Army formations operating inside the Ukraine.

Some pertinent questions for you to ask yourself…

1. Why, if this vehicle were an Ru Army AAA vehicle from a Regimental AAA Unit would it be speeding madly through an urban area not yet fully secured by Ru Forces? It is very lightly protected with just one medium machine gun for personal protection, it is not designed to travel away from the main body of a larger mechanised group on some lone suicide mission.

2. Why would an AAA vehicle be placed into a dense, urban area with high buildings which render its surveillance & tracking radar ineffective?

I present to you Exhibit A, an oblique view of the same incident:

https://youtu.be/3nG9yBX7MwI

Before the collision incident you will observe what looks like a speeding URAL Truck come under effective small arms fire from what look like individuals in what appears to be a Ukrainian Uniform. One of these individuals firing on the URAL Truck can be observed standing next to a white van. On the back of the URAL Truck is a ZSU23/2 double barrel AAA Gun. They type of which is common place in the Middle East on the back of ‘Technical’ type vehicles. The URAL Truck clearly sustains some damage as it receives fire & the driver most likely is injured/incapacitated/killed.

One individual in what appears to be a Ukrainian Uniform the back of the truck also receives direct fire & appears to be seriously injured as he falls to the ground on the right side of the URAL Truck. A few seconds later he is engaged by a further volley of lethal small arms fire.

The individual standing next to the white van then moves his position & covers the dead individual on the ground by the URAL Truck.

At the top of the frame we see a fleeting image of an MTLB chassis speeding past from left to right. Then the camera pans out & we are shown an oblique view of the same incident as shown by the ITN News clip.

Comment:

I suspect this is footage of a fleeing/deserting Ukrainian Army Unit (possibly of AAA origin & therefore not a frontline combat unit?). They are ambushed/engaged & prevented from fleeing – well some of them are by a Ukrainian SBU Unit/Ukrainian Army/Militia.

Just a small example of the massive pile of lies the Western Mainstream Media perpetuate on a daily basis.

Finally….

The UK SoS For Defence Ben Wallace. A former Capt in The Foot Guards. One day, soon, I hope somebody somewhere remembers these ridiculous comments & he is publicly called out because of them….

https://youtu.be/jnc6Dp70xnA

https://youtu.be/zJy2Tgtsn5M

Comment:

I personally never liked working with Officers from the Household Division. I found them incredibly arrogant, tactically inept poor field soldiers, scruffy whilst on camp whom were legends in their own NAAAFI Break.

401 Comments

Alabama on February 25, 2022 · at 7:27 pm EST/EDT

Zelenski says he’s ready to go down with the ship, could be as early as tomorrow.
- peterd on February 26, 2022 · at 4:37 am EST/EDT
  
  Do you think it’s possible that Viktor Yanukovych could be reinstated as President after what can be called an “interregnum” following the coup from 2014? He is still in Russian exile and always intended to return? It would be a tragic historical lesson for NATO, and difficult to argue with. No more absurd than the EU recognizing Juan Guaidó or Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
  - Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 5:07 am EST/EDT
    
    Reminiscent of how Edward IV and Henry VI alternated kingship during the Wars of the Roses in England. Each became king when the other was defeated; each spared the other’s life and let him live in comfort and honour.
- Antonchik on February 26, 2022 · at 5:06 am EST/EDT
  
  I have seen on telegram locations US secret bio labs in ukraine that matches with the places that were bombed by the Russian forces. Any of you have seen something about that ? I hope Russia will prevail, I think that it is a make or break it moment for the world.
  - Andre on February 26, 2022 · at 5:38 am EST/EDT
    
    I saw it too on: https://eraoflight.com/2022/02/25/russian-strikes-targeting-us-run-bio-labs-in-ukraine/
    and wondered what the effect of spilling would be. How does it feature in the aims of Russia as this looks like it has high priority.
  - Alexandra on February 26, 2022 · at 12:20 pm EST/EDT
    
    Here is a link to an article (it’s the first time I see this site so I’m not sure about the veracity of the article and the site itself):
    
    https://seemorerocks.is/are-us-run-biological-labs-in-ukraine-one-of-the-reasons-behind-russia-invasion/
- V on February 26, 2022 · at 5:41 am EST/EDT
  
  Ze has fled Kiev – apparently, according to the State Duma speaker, it was yesterday and he went to Lvov:
  
  https://sputniknews.com/20220226/zelensky-has-fled-kiev-for-lvov-russian-state-duma-speaker-says-1093390487.html
  
  All stalling tactics. No wonder there was so much theatrics at the UN yesterday……..pathetic.
- So Zemlji on February 26, 2022 · at 10:55 am EST/EDT
  
  Ze fled to the Lvov on the day when his “we are all here” video was released. He is fully committed to do the will of his masters and make bloodshed as big as possible.
imo on February 25, 2022 · at 7:31 pm EST/EDT

This link with Scott Ritter just popped up on moa a little while ago.
I’ve had to listen twice — highly recommended.

I think he is correct — NATO is dead and gone, bar for the funeral.
The European defence process will need to rebuild a less costly, more effective framework for peaceful co-existance with the Slavic world.

And this is a key point about re-alignments at a higher level than simply nation state.
It is at Chinese; Slavic; European; Anglo-American scales — everything else is just “loose ends” from the 20th century past.

Time to wake up, folks, and smell the roses (or the rubbish in the streets) and blame our local political representitives — after all, they ARE our ‘leaders’ (so they keep saying).
Accountability is a bitch ….Lol.

“NATO Too Weak to Face Russia: Scott Ritter on Russian Offensive
17,097 views • Feb 25, 2022 ” [38min]

https://youtu.be/3GkmdCaBECs
- Robert Taft on February 25, 2022 · at 8:42 pm EST/EDT
  
  Thank you!! Just listened. The Ritter interview is stunningly good!
- Ugh... on February 25, 2022 · at 11:18 pm EST/EDT
  
  Highly recommended? How can you invade a country that is captive to foreign interests? NATO is 100% imbedded with them. These will be facts that US will always ignore because it was their agenda and geopolitical strategy. How did US treat Russian security interests? They ignored them for 30 years and pushed NATO to Russia’s borders. American perspective is nauseating considering the amount of invasions they did since WWII. The one benefit of Zone A and Zone B splitting will be the day Zone B no longer has to listen to Zone A’s madness and hypocrisy.
  - Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 5:09 am EST/EDT
    
    If you listen closely, Ritter does state at one point that current international law is badly designed to cope with such situations as Ukraine today. He also points out that it has no terms in which to deal with NATO.
    
    Of course he is American, but given that he seems to me admirably open-minded and fair.
    - Rhys Jaggar on February 26, 2022 · at 6:28 am EST/EDT
      
      He’s been pushed aside by the US PTB, so he has no reason to kiss their ass any longer. He knows his maximum economic value is as a neutral observer, being able to explain reality from both sides of the fence.
  - SouthbySouthWest on February 26, 2022 · at 4:37 pm EST/EDT
    
    When Syrian Army liberated East Aleppo there were dozens of embedded NATO-western, Turkish and Israeli military advisers caught up and desperate to evacuate from the collapsed militant front. Some were captured and quietly negotiated back to their NATO owners – but were NATO explosives/mine specialists and military engineers amonst those identified. There have been NATO advisers and special forces in Ukraine for years, and on the Donetsk front, but the Russians have basically telegraphed in last weeks it/s time to evacuate such NATO advisers, or they will find themselves in hot zone.
- Moses on February 26, 2022 · at 2:06 am EST/EDT
  
  Fantastic interview! Thanks for posting.
- Mihailo on February 26, 2022 · at 3:18 am EST/EDT
  
  Thank you for this interview. I was amazed.
- anodinous on February 26, 2022 · at 4:29 am EST/EDT
  
  Extremely lucid interview.
  Very adequate to introduce the topic to your zone a friends.
  Thanks for link.
- John on February 26, 2022 · at 7:10 am EST/EDT
  
  Thank you imo. It was an excellent, high quality conversative on both the part of Scott Ritter and the host.
- Prospector on February 26, 2022 · at 8:18 am EST/EDT
  
  This needs to be posted as a headline article.
- GioCon on February 26, 2022 · at 11:53 am EST/EDT
  
  Fantastic interview — thanks!
Cookie on February 25, 2022 · at 7:35 pm EST/EDT

So what is a hryvnia worth today? Even though the Russian currency is under attack I will put my faith in that before Ukraine currency.

What Putin has demonstrated is…its not what you own that matters but what you can defend and if you screw your fellow citizen over then can you rely on him to stand his ground when that ground is his/her poverty?

Western countries have been flooded with cashed up duel citizens who have brought themselves the best at the expense of the native born who has generations of commitment, are they going to fight?

Will Southern U.S put their heart and soul on the line for Jewish NY? For Google for Zuckerburg for Wallmart who destoys their bodies for subsistence wages?

The West has some serious self reflection to do.
- bystander on February 25, 2022 · at 8:19 pm EST/EDT
  
  well stated cookie…. pretty sure that the answer is no to all 3 questions. But, we shall see…. the ignorance and stupidity of the general US populace has baffled me for three decades now… since Gulf War I. Moreover, I don’t foresee any promising changes near term…. the Zionist cabal is still running everything and owns most politicos. I suspect the USA will slowly disintegrate into anarchy and the collapse will be ugly.
  - David the Galicia (Spain) on February 25, 2022 · at 8:49 pm EST/EDT
    
    According to a MintPress article. The real number to bribe all American politicians is about 14 billion in long scale or trillions according to the Anglo-Saxon short scale, depending on the mathematical measurement system used in each country.
    
    https://www.mintpressnews.com/data-shows-us-government-bought-adelson-citizens-united/279742/
  - Fermi's Paradox on February 26, 2022 · at 12:10 pm EST/EDT
    
    Think of all of the inconvenient words that have had their meanings drastically changed because they don’t fit the narrative. Like science, vaccine, capitalism, and many many others.
    
    Anarchy is one of them – it means no ruler, not chaos.
    
    Please keep the thread on topic, mod
david the galician (Spain) on February 25, 2022 · at 7:46 pm EST/EDT

For the help received from the USSR to the Second Republic, in the Spanish Civil War. It was the Syria of those times, where many weapons were tested by both sides. Many right-wing politicians, who hate Russia for its Soviet past. They have spewed hate at Russia. Without understanding anything, that they are not Soviets and they are Russians, not soviets.

They say that they want to recover the USSR and things like that, they are very intelligent people. But the hatred for the Civil War, for the propaganda, have made a dent in them.
Krollchem on February 25, 2022 · at 7:51 pm EST/EDT

Here is a site that seems to have a basic handle on the map of the opposing forces
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAXEOW9wPTY

You can select machine translation from the Russian
- The Saker on February 25, 2022 · at 10:16 pm EST/EDT
  
  yes, he is pretty good, I already used one of his maps once.
Walter on February 25, 2022 · at 7:53 pm EST/EDT

Thank you for the update
Black Cloud on February 25, 2022 · at 7:55 pm EST/EDT

Thank you for the critical analysis and insight, always a great counter to the flood of western propaganda.
- the end on February 26, 2022 · at 8:33 am EST/EDT
  
  FOX TV wants more Ukrainians to die, they want to make it more messy, see at 3:13
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbqKpYZafLo
Anton Gorbatow on February 25, 2022 · at 7:56 pm EST/EDT

Ukraine is showing its true cowardly and stupid colors by putting military equipment in residential areas, by handing out weaponry to the public, by telling the citizens to make Molotov cocktails.

Russia’s military operation is not going slower than expected. The only reason it’s not going faster is that Russia wants to minimize civilian casualties.

Be patient everyone, Victory is assured!
- sean the leprechaun on February 25, 2022 · at 8:39 pm EST/EDT
  
  That will be National Guard doing that, I believe that is what the Azov group were rebranded.
  I’d be surprised if it’s Ukie Reg army. May as well sign your own death warrant.
  From earlier reports, RF forces have passed Ukie Reg formations with no threat of attack. Now that could be fake, but, betting man says Ukrainian and Russian reg forces are in full contact. They speak the same language, best to be a Ukrainian General being supervised by Russians, than dead.
  One only need look at what percentage of the Crimean forces switched sides there to get an idea of how many Ukrainian regs just want to go to work without threat of death.
  
  Cheers M
Tony_0pmoc on February 25, 2022 · at 8:14 pm EST/EDT

I am not going to celebrate, but I am feeling a bit better. I just hope the war ends by Sunday, which God willing, I hope it will, with a minimum loss of life

I am just a bloke from Oldham

I have noticed, that some people posting on here, have been rather disrespectful to our English Girls, and even us English men. By all means slag us Englishmen, but do not slag off our Girls, they haven’t done anything wrong.

Its hard to explain this, but despite wherever you live in this world, you are naturally going to be influenced, in all their views, looks and well just being nice to me when I was 5 years old.

Removed. Tony please stay on topic or go to the MFC. Mod.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Nuland

Tony
Ip on February 25, 2022 · at 8:20 pm EST/EDT

Andrei, good one. Get a good nights sleep. Regards.
Ruben Bauer Naveira on February 25, 2022 · at 8:25 pm EST/EDT

Thank you so much. Take a rest.
Yousef on February 25, 2022 · at 8:28 pm EST/EDT

On Friday, 12,000 local volunteers amassed on the central square of the regional capital, Grozny. Kadyrov informed the publication ‘Chechnya Sevodnya’ of their rally, which was organized in order to show their support for the Kremlin and their readiness to aid its objectives.

https://www.rt.com/russia/550649-chechen-soldiers-deploy-ukraine/
Bente Petersen on February 25, 2022 · at 8:28 pm EST/EDT

BEST DATA to date… THANKS SO MUCH…
will send donation as soon as I get paid 28/2
ml bente
Dick Lenning on February 25, 2022 · at 8:28 pm EST/EDT

Western PSYOPs are in “max attack mode” and they are being helped by Russian 5th columnist websites.

Sadly even the Canadian sports are no longer a refuge from politics, and are pushing an anti-Russian narrative. TSN radio, owned by Bell Media Group (also owns CTV News,) has been calling on the Internation Ice Hockey Federation to cancel the 2023 world junior hockey tournament because:

*Russia is too chaotic
*Russia is the aggressor against (innocent) Ukraine
*The IIHF needs “good optics,” thus it needs to follow the cancellation of Formula 1 & UEFA events that were scheduled to be held in Russia

Average Canadians I have heard (I do not engage them in conversation) have suddenly forgotten about protesting truckers, want Canada to:

*Follow Poland’s example on how to confront Moscow.
*Virtue signal with Ukrainian flags everywhere
*Bring in Ukrainian refugees (Azov batallion remnants?)
*Order Canadian forces to attack Russians
- grunchofgiants on February 25, 2022 · at 8:47 pm EST/EDT
  
  Not me or my family! Forgot nothing, nada. Down with little boy ttrudeau
- sean the leprechaun on February 25, 2022 · at 9:05 pm EST/EDT
  
  Dick, those would be cucked Canadians, rare prairie variety, migratory, see: flags, above, wish there was a season, maybe one day.
  
  Cheers, M
- Serg on February 26, 2022 · at 2:09 am EST/EDT
  
  Canada has a lot of experience saving Ukrainian nazis, they did the same during WW2.
  
  Dep. Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is the granddaughter of one of them and grandpa would be so proud of her rabid russophobia.
- maskazer on February 26, 2022 · at 2:28 am EST/EDT
  
  …quite obvious, the Western PSYOPs, like Sean Penn’s trip to Ukraine for shooting a documentary about Russian aggression!! or certain well-fed-western-paid ukie character appearing on television even during the early hours of the operation pretending that she’s got nowhere to go or nowhere to take refuge etc… have become more and more amateurish. For sure, they must have already formed some kind of White Helmet scenarios and are preparing for the Russian atrocities!! By positioning themselves among the civilians – the ukronazi elements are waiting for their Western PSYOP units to start their tasks.
- Rhys Jaggar on February 26, 2022 · at 6:30 am EST/EDT
  
  The UK MSM has gone full ‘9/11 overkill’ on this one.
  
  Literally the first dozen pages is all about warmongering, sabre rattling, etc. Every single front page has the word ‘Kyiv’, not ‘Kiev’.
  
  We aren’t an independent nation, we are just a satellite of the USA now.
  
  It’s nauseating.
  - Prince Andrew on February 26, 2022 · at 1:16 pm EST/EDT
    
    It’s been nauseating since Belgrade 1999 and become toxic since Afghanistan 2001. We’ve been the 51st state for quite some time now and the ‘Americanisation’ of Britain will continue unabated. I don’t know why the Whitehall mob don’t just stick the Stars and Stripes above parliament and Buck House and be done with the pretence.
- the end on February 26, 2022 · at 6:39 am EST/EDT
  
  Croatian amateur psyops: The Croatian National Theatre (Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra) has shown solidarity to Ukraine nationalists by cancelling Tchaikovsky capriccio concert. Laughable!
  
  https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/zbog-putina-kaznili-cajkovskog-zagrebacka-filharmonija-veceras-nece-svirati-talijanski-capriccio-15162925
GW on February 25, 2022 · at 8:30 pm EST/EDT

After two days of combat, I have found evidence of one major Ukie lie. It’s a lie that was parroted by pro-Ukie mainstream journalists in the West, by pro-Ukie social influencers, and by pro-Ukie troll accounts.

What is the Ukie lie? Homostel Airport.

Yesterday, Twitter was flooded with news that the Ukies had successfully counterattacked the elite Russian VdV companies which held the airport. The Ukies also claimed to have killed around 400 Russian VdV paratroopers. To repeat myself, this news was echoed by a large number of pro-Ukie Twitter accounts, including those operated by mainstream journos.

Now, it’s widely reported on Twitter that Russian soldiers still hold Homostel Airport. Nobody on Twitter has explained the contraction of news concerning Homostel. Everyone has conveniently forgotten that the pro-Ukie accounts were acting like rabid dogs, rejoicing in the “victory” and indulging the idea of “400 dead Russians.”

Why such divergent reports about Homostel Airport, particularly the wildly inaccurate pro-Ukie version? I’ll speculate as to the answer.

The Ukie military may be absorbing staggeringly high casualties everywhere in the country currently called Ukraine. Russian attacks may be taking quite a toll on the Ukie troops.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the US government and NATO headquarters have exerted back channel pressure to compel US, UK, and European media to censor any negative news regarding the Ukie military’s combat performance these past two days. Total blackout.

Ukie KIA, WIA, equipment losses, loss of morale, and crumbling battle positions are a taboo subject in Western corporate media for a reason.
- Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 8:41 pm EST/EDT
  
  Here’s my personal take on Homostel as I have followed it closely.
  
  1. We know for a fact that Russian forces did initially take it because there’s famous CNN video of correspondent only a few feet away, filming Russian Airborn troops as they took it over. There is also additional non-CNN videos posted of Russian troop transport choppers etc landing there.
  
  2. However, Ukraine then claims they killed all Russian troops and recaptured the airport. One interesting thing to note, is they claim, the few ‘remaining troops’ who weren’t killed, all “fled into the woods.” The interesting thing is that there IS footage that was posted from Homostel also of Russian VDV platoon somewhere ‘in the woods’ but they did not appear retreating or panicked, simply taking up defensive positions. You can’t infer too much from this as the timeline isn’t known but one possibility of what happened is:
  
  VDV did initially fully take the airport, but then the Ukrainian reinforcements arrived, and VDV simply retreated slightly while waiting for reinforcements. During this period that lasted many hours, neither side had decisive control but rather the entire airport was “CONTESTED”. The evidence to me points to this as being most likely because there is no indication whatsoever Russian forces suffered any major casualties and Russian MOD and outside observers/analysts (like Igor Strelkov) all throughout the day issued statements that Homostel was under Russian control and everything was normal. They didn’t even mention any counter attack, etc.
  Now we know of course that the airport was fully captured and there are videos of large explosions and fights happening more recently several hours ago.
  
  So this all points me to conclude that likely the VDV did retreat but not much, only enough to get into defensive positions while the Ukrainians also took up defensive positions on the far / eastern side and neither conclusively “held” the airport for much of the day and it was merely ‘contested.’ Then hours ago the Russian full reinforcements arrived, blew the Ukies to hell and here we are with full control.
  - GW on February 25, 2022 · at 9:02 pm EST/EDT
    
    Thanks greatly for your analysis. It is very enlightening. Me personally, I was worried sick about those VdV troopers. I am very happy about the abundant data (coming from a variety of sources) that they are doing okay.
    - Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 9:34 pm EST/EDT
      
      One of the problems of the incident stems from the dualistic thinking of armchair generals (i.e. most Ukie supporting Twitterati) that do not actually have expertise in military matters or how modern military exchanges actually occur. And one of the big misconceptions is this “all or nothing” or “black or white” thinking that if a force “retreats” from a given position, it automatically means that force was ‘slaughtered’ or “lost” and in fact that is simply not how things work. Exchanges for contested territories are much more fluid, PARTICULARLY with highly trained, highly mobile forces like VDV which can get up on a dime and peel out of an area. So EVEN IF they had ‘retreated’ after advanced intel sent them word that a heavier Ukie reinforcement was heading towards them, does not mean that they “lost” or even had any casualties. It is extremely common in such scenarios (if you’ve studied various conflicts particularly the Donbas and Syria conflicts) where both sides simply “dig in” at opposite ends of a contested zone (such as an airport) and setup defensive measures and then just shell each other hoping to weaken each other’s defenses gradually, rather than suicidally just ‘storming’ the other side and taking massive losses. So there’s a good chance based on such analysis that Ukrainian forces hypothetically arrived and met a ‘dug in’ slightly retreated VDV force upon which time the Ukies themselves would have ‘dug in’ at the opposite end and simply exchanged artillery fire or small arms fire from a distance.
      
      But like I said, that’s just hypothetical, there’s a chance that Ukrainian forces never even showed up and as I mentioned before, reports throughout the day from Igor Konashenkov and others listed Homostel as “captured” the entire time so it’s up to you who you rather believe, official Russian MOD statements or Ukies. Even if one were inclined to think Russian MOD would hide casualty numbers, at least they would perhaps report the base as abandoned/retreated without listing casualties, but they reported it as fully held/occupied by Russian forces so personally I’m inclined to believe them more than the side that’s already proven to have spewed tons of lies and exaggerations, from the various “Russian jets” they downed which later turned out to be Ukrainian jets shot down, to various destroyed “Russian equipment” that later is confirmed to be Ukrainian equipment, etc. The list just from today is a mile long, including the “Russian tank” they claimed ran over a civilian car in Kiev (caught on video), trapping the passenger inside, that now even the Ukie supporting analyst accounts admit was in fact a Ukie Strela system that ran over the Ukie civilian….etc.
  - Lone Wolf on February 25, 2022 · at 9:30 pm EST/EDT
    
    @ Nightvision
    
    “Here’s my personal take on Homostel as I have followed it closely…So this all points me to conclude that likely the VDV did retreat but not much, only enough to get into defensive positions while the Ukrainians also took up defensive positions on the far / eastern side and neither conclusively “held” the airport for much of the day and it was merely ‘contested…’ ”
    
    In military lingo, that is called a “Mexican standoff.”
    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_standoff
    
    Lone Wolf
  - Mellote 22 on February 26, 2022 · at 12:33 am EST/EDT
    
    If Russian forces were in any serious danger of being destroyed, most certainly they would ask for air support.
- Kaiama on February 26, 2022 · at 10:34 am EST/EDT
  
  The 13 dead heroes of Snake Island turned out to be 82 soldiers who surrendered. I saw them being given water and food in Sevastopol, and being put on a bus back to Odessa. Will they still get their medals? I think not. Pretty much 100% of Kiev press releases are treated as gospel truth without any form of verification whereas Russian press releases are treated as unverified claims without any form of verification. Double standards.
  - Boris on February 27, 2022 · at 9:06 am EST/EDT
    
    Is there a source for this? This is a major point if true and should be posted everywhere. That video is all over the globe.
Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 8:35 pm EST/EDT

UN Security Council vote has finished on the vote to condemn Russia’s actions. All countries voted YES to condemn Russia except: China, India, United Arab Emirates all “Abstained”, while Russia voted to VETO.

Interesting, India supports Russia as well?
- Chanakya on February 25, 2022 · at 10:32 pm EST/EDT
  
  The Indian establishment has always been very supportive of the USSR/Russia since Indian independence in 1947 (so 75 years – far longer than any other major partnership Russia has today) and currently the Russian-Indian partnership is described as a very close strategic partnership. The Foreign Minister of India is a career diplomat (like Lavrov) with a distinguished career (including stints as ambassador in China and US) and also speaks Russian and gets along very well w Lavrov.
  
  Having said that India also has increasingly close ties with the US due to the huge Indian diaspora, need for high tech, investments and finally as a counter to China with whom India has border/regional – but not global – confrontation.
  
  By abstaining along w China, India risked the ire of not just the US but its own liberal intelligentsia – who like the Russian one – is riddled with pro-US sentiment (with close family ties with Indians in US/UK) and vocal on social media.
  
  One of the things that Russia – who is horrendously bad at managing global PR – has not done enough of is ensure more PR to the Indian elite and media. For example, an upcoming and increasingly quoted Indian media who aims to be the first global private Indian channel (molded as a CNN vs state funded outlets like Al-Jazeera), WION, has its star reporter emdeded on the Govt side in Donbass with the Ukrainian army a few weeks ago and giving Indians the Ukrainian viewpoint. There was no such reporting from the DPR/LPR. (Though yesterday there was reporting from the separatist side shown on what’s considered a fairly nationalistic Indian channel).
  
  The West has always been masters of PR and global information warfare (which Russia has already lost and seems to have little idea of how important that component is to wage successfully) and India can only withstand both the Western establishment threats and PR onslaught for so long. To most of the general intelligentsia drowned in Western news and traditionally against imperialism (though India has become more right wing as of late), Russia’s attack on Ukraine is incomprehensible and is viewed as negatively as the US attacks on Iraq or Israeli attacks on Palestinians were. Russia is the big power with a dour, stern faced leader facing a smaller power with a charismatic boyish leader is how it’s all playing out (like it is worldwide including in Russia where the younger crowd seems increasingly turned off).
  
  If Russia doesn’t find a way to bring this conflict to a halt pretty soon, India too would have to reluctantly harden its stance against Russia (even China seems a bit askance about the way Russia managed the whole affair going by its state owned media).
  - V on February 26, 2022 · at 5:06 am EST/EDT
    
    The UNSC yesterday was theatrics – totally unbecoming and with spectators clapping along. The Russian Ambassador explained why Russia vetoed the resolution – basically because it was one sided and didn’t give the other side to the conflict about the LNDR and eight years of genocide of the Russian peoples. Plus the weapons flooding in and using people as human shields in Cities.
    
    He also pointed out the false PR – giving an example of the BBC using pictures from Syria, Libya etc. He also said the Russians were protecting Chernobyl from the Ukies making a dirty bomb and that the IAEA had confirmed the readings as stable.
    
    It was obvious the Russians have had enough and the best line was to the US when he said “who are you to moralise”
    
    I was disappointed the African countries didn’t abstain too and Latin Americans – I thought these were Zone B? Brazil showed its true colours.
    
    I think the three countries who abstained will continue to do so – if you listen to their positions on diplomacy and indivisible security. Ze keeps saying he wants to negotiate – but doesn’t – if he doesn’t soon – the rest of the World will realize Ukraine is playing games.
    - Leahn Novash on February 27, 2022 · at 7:53 pm EST/EDT
      
      As a Brazilian, I am very ashamed of my government. Specially how the president not two weeks ago was right there to mediate the situation. Many “alternative” press sites also showed their true colors and are onboard with the narrative. Press here is either absolutely neutral, stating only verified facts, or full pro-Ukraine. But it’s being one hundred percent stated as a fact that Putin is the aggressor, and that he intends to rebuild USSR by everyone.
  - Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 6:09 am EST/EDT
    
    “The West has always been masters of PR and global information warfare (which Russia has already lost and seems to have little idea of how important that component is to wage successfully)…”
    
    The trouble with PR, propaganda and systematic disinformation is that it is a slippery slope. The very best liars are often those who can manage to fool themselves that their lies are true. (E.g. Tony Blair). It’s rather similar to “method acting”, in which the actor takes on the role all the time, even off stage. There is the anecdote about the making of the film “Marathon Man”; Dustin Hoffman’s character had to appear tired and breathless, so he actually went out and ran some distance to get the desired effect. When he returned to shoot the scene, Sir Laurence Olivier asked what he had been up to. When Hoffman explained, Sir Laurence replied, “Dear boy, have you considered… acting?”
    
    If a government lies so continually and consistently that other people come to believe its lies, there is a serious danger that the government, too, will come to believe them. The coinsequences can be appalling.
    
    As the great American journalist I. F. Stone warned long ago, “All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out”.
    
    On the whole, I admire and prefer the Russian style of sticking to the truth. Like explosives and poisons, lies are dangerous things to have lying about.
    - Chanakya on February 26, 2022 · at 9:07 am EST/EDT
      
      On the whole, I admire and prefer the Russian style of sticking to the truth. Like explosives and poisons, lies are dangerous things to have lying about.
      
      I think the Kremlin severely misled the world by assuring there would be no invasion. Even if the final straw/trigger was Zelensky’s prattle about nukes and/or Shultz’s “genocide claims are laughable”, obviously the battle plans weren’t drawn up in a day but took months of work and no doubt preceded the ultimatums that Russia drew up which they knew would be rejected.
      
      It turns out that many including many experienced Russian commentators – both pro/anti-Kremlin including authors featured on this blog – who thought claims of detailed battle plans were US disinfo were fooled: either like a broken clock being right twice a day or more likely, actual intelligence, the Americans were right.
      
      Russia should never have ridiculed the notion of an invasion but said something like “all options are on the table” or refused to comment. IMO they lost the PR battle with that especially among many foreign backers sympathetic to the Kremlin’s predicament.
      
      So far – and there may be yet be an unexpected twist – it looks like Russia has walked into the trap the US set which many had claimed Putin was too clever not to: get involved in a conflict where the West can fuel an insurgency relatively cost free using Ukrainians as fodder to undermine Russia and specifically Putin and his government globally and within Russia. As of now global PR has assured that not just the Kremlin but Russians are reviled across the board.
      
      One thing is definite: Putin rolled the dice hard on this with everything on the line. Either a new European security order is created where Ukraine is a neutral country ruled by a Ukrainian government with domestic and international legitimacy, and an understanding with Europeans is achieved…. or Putin – and Russia – eventually weakens and falls with a disputed Ukrainian Govt and insurgency and growing isolation and internal discontent.
      
      I do see a path to the former: eg Russia finds a way to convince Ukrainians to accept neutrality/loss of Crimea/federated government with autonomous regions in return for Ukraine becoming a dependable center for gas supplies via existing pipelines that will be repaired and modernized with healthy profits to Ukraine beyond 2024 and cheap gas supplies to Europe and security guarantees by Russia along w some European states, leaving the Americans out of it. Russia can offer yearly loan guarantees from its vast reserves. That would be incredible if it happens..a slim chance but within the realm of possibilities if the bulk of the Ukrainian populace is supportive. But if Ukraine remains a black hole – a 404 – as many authors on this blog assured us it would, Russia would be left holding a bag of crap – and worse than before both for Ukraine and Russia. Putin would be severely weakened not just internationally but domestically as well.
      - Man With No Name on February 26, 2022 · at 12:03 pm EST/EDT
        
        @Chanakya
        //So far – and there may yet be an unexpected twist – it looks like Russia has walked into the trap the US set which many had claimed Putin was too clever not to: get involved in a conflict where the West can fuel an insurgency relatively cost free using Ukrainians as fodder to undermine Russia and specifically Putin and his government globally and within Russia. As of now global PR has assured that not just the Kremlin but Russians are reviled across the board.//
        
        Go to hell with your PR. Do you think that the info war would’ve been less intense if the Ukies attacked first and Russia retaliated? Absolutely no. The entire western world had been hard-wired to believe the narrative of the Russian aggression. Russia and Putin would’ve been framed and blamed anyway.
        
        If you noticed, you’d see that while the western world was unquestionably following the western narrative, many people from Zone B countries sided with Russia on social media. The western narrative about the big guy bullying the small, innocent guy hasn’t entirely been successful because there were many people pointed to the illegitimacy of the Kiev regime, the crimes they’ve committed, and the Minsk accords.
        
        Boris Z. on February 27, 2022 · at 9:16 am EST/EDT
        
        Chanakya makes a good point. This is a necessary move by the Kremlin, but it RISKS everything. If Putin does not succeed in his main objectives, this will weaken the resistance for decades and give Atlanticists a second wind. Juat the reality. To deny that risk is to reduce your position to one of cheerleader.
  - Malthus on February 26, 2022 · at 8:19 am EST/EDT
    
    What the Russians lack in public relationship management they make up in brute military force. As Ukraine’ case right now indicates, you either listen carefully to the plain and short and honest statements Lavrov or other Russian diplomats make, or else you soon get to hear Valeri Gehrasmiov’s roar of Russian battle formations.
    A very simple choice.
    
    Russians have no natural inclination for devious and spurious language. But they have a well attested natural inclination for waging wars and more importantly winning them on their terms.
  - diegos on February 27, 2022 · at 8:51 am EST/EDT
    
    Speaking about PR it seem to me that you are softly suggesting that Russia will lose simply because words and media bashing. Dear sir, I’m wondering who controls India’s foreign policy: the diaspora and the liberal élites or the military and political establishement? When it comes to strategic interest what’s most important? What we say or what we do? I’m european and quite pissed of the way our élites are behaving. I only hope that asians will show more winsdom than us.
- Prince Andrew on February 25, 2022 · at 10:51 pm EST/EDT
  
  India and Russia have had strong political-diplomatic ties and relations going back to Soviet days. The old ‘joke’ was ‘China stands with Pakistan, Russia stands with India’. Still true, but with one major change: Russia-China relations. The Yank don’t like that….
- Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 5:58 am EST/EDT
  
  China plus India equals one third of the human species.
Mario on February 25, 2022 · at 8:35 pm EST/EDT

https://t.me/boris_rozhin/22919

One possible map.
paul on February 25, 2022 · at 8:36 pm EST/EDT

Compare US and Russian interventions.

Iraq and Afghanistan – 20 years, $8 trillion, 3 million troops rotated through both countries.
What did that achieve, apart from boosting Raytheon’s profits?

Libya – complete s***show, in Obama’s words. Endless civil war, slave markets, uncontrollable migrant flows.

Syria – billions of dollars, 100,000 proxy terrorists, bombings, rabid propaganda campaigns, for nil return.

Russia – small Russian force completely turns the situation round in Syria at minimal cost in a very short time scale. Ukraine – the whole NATO regime change project smashed in 48 hours.
Ric G on February 25, 2022 · at 8:37 pm EST/EDT

Thanks imo for this link

“NATO Too Weak to Face Russia: Scott Ritter on Russian Offensive
17,097 views • Feb 25, 2022 ” [38min]

https://youtu.be/3GkmdCaBECs

A great interview from an honourable American!

Two things have surprised me about the Ukraine situation.

Firstly, how low the Russian helicopters have been flying, when the Ukraine must have huge stocks of shoulder mounted missiles. Maybe it is just Russian bravado??

Secondly, why are the Ukie’s still shelling in Donetsk and Luhansk. The Russian forces will soon have a pincer movement, down from Belarus, and up from the Crimea. I would have thought the Ukie’s would be retreating as fast as they can, or throwing down their weapons and waiting with tea and scones, for the Russians to arrive. Perhaps these forces are diehard Ukonazis, and they want to go out with guns blazing, wearing their suicide vests?
- John on February 26, 2022 · at 7:53 am EST/EDT
  
  Hello Ric G. I was with a CH-53A squadron in my time of service with the USMC. Two points:
  
  When we practiced for real, we went in fast and extremely low. At times, we would embed ourselves in a road. with the leaves from the trees just outswide of bladepath; altitude 5 or 6 meters at 120 knots plus. We did that in Quantico. It was sometimes referred to as ´turf runs´. Flying high is referred to as moving along ´fat dumb and happy´. You don´t do that if you want to stay alive, in proximation to possible or actual active air defenses, in a helo.
  
  One of the most interesting things I observed in the most active part of Russian involvement in the early part of their intervention in Syria, were the videos of Russian ATK helos. When the Hinds were farther away from target, they stayed at a higher altitude. When they entered cities, they got right down in the road, sometimes with an altitude of maybe 10 meters or even less and engaged targets at extremely close range; probably between 100 to 200 meters it appeared to be for me. I watched them do it over and over again. It is not talked about much but, Russian helicopter units are greatly feared by those who have fought and obsevered them. Their courage is unequaled.
  
  Russian helocipter tatics are incredible to watch and very, very agggressive. They do not play around.
  
  My best to you Ric.
  - dbrown90 on February 28, 2022 · at 5:52 am EST/EDT
    
    Very interesting insight re. the Russian helicopter units – thanks for posting.
Paul Greenwood on February 25, 2022 · at 8:38 pm EST/EDT

How much ammo does a foot soldier carry ?

What about tear gas rounds into urban resistance pockets ?
Another Guy on February 25, 2022 · at 8:39 pm EST/EDT

Some more propaganda debunkeed

https://citizenfreepress.com/breaking/wounded-teacher-didnt-see-war-coming/
PokeTheTruth on February 25, 2022 · at 8:39 pm EST/EDT

Does anyone know if the RAF has drones with thermal imaging capability?

Each building in Kiev can be searched at night, floor by floor for heat-signatures, to get an idea of the number of occupants (e.g., adults, children, animals) and possibly match them against a building directory of residents/businesses, etc.

Just a thought . . .
- Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 6:15 am EST/EDT
  
  It would be helpful to call the Russian air force the VVS (its Russian initials) as the RAF has long been used to denote the British Air Force – and there is a possibility (admittedly small) that British aircraft might become involved.
GW on February 25, 2022 · at 8:43 pm EST/EDT

UPDATE: reports are surfacing on Twitter of combat in the city of Kiev. One account states that Russian troops have taken control of the Kiev subway system, but that’s just a rumor as of now. Multiple videos have been uploaded to Twitter in recent minutes documenting combat in Kiev. Respected military analyst Rob Lee takes the reports seriously enough that he has retweeted one of them, so that’s a good sign.

Let’s hope for the best. Maybe the Russian army is about to storm the enemy capital.
- Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 9:06 pm EST/EDT
  
  Even though he works for the other side I respect Rob Lee’s analysis but he’s also amplified/retweeted tons of fake propaganda like that Kiev has shot down 5 russian jets tonight (completely fake) etc etc.
  With that said, yes theres’ been fighting in Kiev all day already as small advanced/scout units have long ago infiltrated the city, but now it seems the reinforcements are starting to arrive but there’s no indication of the size of the force yet, certainly it isn’t full tank columns and main force yet. Zelensky and co were saying that Russia would storm with massive assault tonight because Russia captured the Homostel airport on northwest outskirts of Kiev (walking distance) and there were over 150 Russian choppers positioned on Belarus border ready to ferry in loads of airborne troops (photos do confirm this). No indication yet if that’s what’s happening but given the fact that Washingtonpost is now issuing articles saying U.S. is ‘ready to evacuate Zelensky’ I guess they do view the situation as pretty dire and the noose as tightening over his neck.
  - Toronipa on February 26, 2022 · at 3:27 am EST/EDT
    
    A quick question, sir: Why does Russia allow NATO to transport new ammo from Poland to Ukraine?
    
    https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/convoy-with-ammunition-from-poland-reaches-ukraine-28184
    - Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 6:18 am EST/EDT
      
      Maybe they consider it more efficient and less risky to let the Ukrainians take delivery, and then destroy it.
- Pavlo on February 26, 2022 · at 3:54 am EST/EDT
  
  Presence of Russian troops in the very middle of Kiev as of now makes no sense (reread the explanations of the Shaker above).
  
  If indeed fighting is occurring there, which may be true, then it is NOT from Russian troops but the beginning of an inter Ukrainian fighting that will shape the Ukraine future.
  
  Not all Ukrainiens are Nazis or stupid, but any person living in Ukraine had to be very careful not to be targeted by the Nazis I power.
  But now that the end of the nazi terror is in sight is the time for rebellion.
  Expect to see patriotic uprisings in various Ukrainian cities.
  Of ourse such outcome will be privileged by Russia, not only it minimizes russian soldiers losses, but it also provides for a more stable and solid governance in the city, as it will be the making of the locals.
Bill*B on February 25, 2022 · at 8:46 pm EST/EDT

God bless you, Andrei. Sleep well. Looking forward to your next report.
Jim Christian on February 25, 2022 · at 8:56 pm EST/EDT

Deal is to get this done and get OUT. Hopelessly impossible during Vietnam and Iraq, but doable here. Meanwhile everything that the U.S. donated to the mission needs to be plinked. Antitank weapons, man pads, stingers, YOU name it. It needs to cease to exist. THAT’S the mission at end. If there’s a bunker with American weapons, it must be disappeared. All I got to say.
- Pluto on February 25, 2022 · at 11:37 pm EST/EDT
  
  No I disagree. We already had that “OUT” and the result is Zelensky. Russia gets out of Ukraine and all those Russia’s actions go in vain. If Russia doesn’t occupy it then the West will occupy it. That’s how the nature of this world works. Didn’t you already see that how the the West conspired a coup in Ukraine to set up a puppet? Didn’t you see what happened in Kazakhstan? Don’t you see all those Western countries are sending weapons to Ukraine even now? Why would you want to recreate the same disaster over and over again?
  - Moses on February 26, 2022 · at 12:21 am EST/EDT
    
    The West would like nothing better than Russia to occupy Ukraine. Afghanistan 2.0.
    
    Avoid mission creep. Get in and out quickly. Less geopolitical fallout as well.
  - Rhys Jaggar on February 26, 2022 · at 6:34 am EST/EDT
    
    Well, you could create a constitution which specifically bans US NGOs due to their inevitable infiltration with the CIA I suppose? You could make sure that non-US actors invest in Ukraine to keep the Neocons out.
    
    Given all the anti-Russian sanctions in place, it’s fair to say that there may be sanctions put in a new Ukrainian constitution whose lifting is dependent on the counter-parties lifting sanctions against Russia.
    
    But to be honest, it’s just as possible that you balkanise Ukraine and let the pro-EU rump have their own statelet.
    
    Given the way Ukraine has been militarised, however, do you see Putin giving them that much freedom??
nickels on February 25, 2022 · at 8:58 pm EST/EDT

Listen a couple seconds of Biden today (all I can stand).
What I took away is that the definitive next stage of the American plan is the same old rehashed plan they have failed on for decades- color revolution in Russia.
Biden talked about how it will take time but people will turn against Putin.

Time to start executing the 5th column in Russia. Don’t play around with it.
And obviously more snags and tricks to come to try and bog Russia down in Ukraine.
Russia needs to move ruthlessly.
- rosemerry on February 26, 2022 · at 2:52 am EST/EDT
  
  The USA always seem to decide that another leader will be in their interest. Did they not notice the Duma being the source of the push for this action despite Putin’s usual caution? Do they not read the poll figures of his support ? The wilful ignorance coupled with irrational hatred and cruelty (just check out the “sanctions” the free world is savouring, ready to pounce) are the hallmarks of the gang we are supposed to believe is the international community.
- White Whale on February 26, 2022 · at 3:15 am EST/EDT
  
  Quote: Biden talked about how it will take time, but people will turn against Putin.
  
  Funny. It didn’t take anytime at all for people to turn against Biden.
- Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 6:22 am EST/EDT
  
  “Biden talked about how it will take time but people will turn against Putin”.
  
  Odd that Mr Biden has apparently not noticed that his own people have already turned against him. Maybe not so odd in view of his senility.
John Mason on February 25, 2022 · at 9:00 pm EST/EDT

Of interest would be the US Biolabs and the possible disconnection of Russia from the internet.
One would expect that Russia takes control over those Biolabs and report their findings internationally; the result would be interesting.
If Russia manages to take control of the Ukraine and then decides to leave what guarantees are there that NATO won’t take possession and that would be disasterous for Russia.
- sean the leprechaun on February 25, 2022 · at 9:11 pm EST/EDT
  
  NATO will never set foot in Ukraine again. That ship sailed………er, was sunk.
  
  Cheers
- Englishman on February 26, 2022 · at 7:53 am EST/EDT
  
  The Guarantee is at the first sign of it they will get more of what they are getting now
Andrew Neopalimyi on February 25, 2022 · at 9:01 pm EST/EDT

Sacred victim get ready!
If I were in place Z, I would shoot myself before the USA did it.

WP, referring to US and Ukrainian officials: US ready to help Zelensky evacuate from Kyiv

The US government is ready to help Zelensky leave Kyiv so that “he is not captured or killed by advancing Russian troops.”
A senior US official (?) told the newspaper that US officials have been talking with Zelenskiy in recent days about “various security issues, including the safest places for him to ensure government continuity.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/25/russia-ukraine-president-zelensky-family-target/
- Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 9:35 pm EST/EDT
  
  makes me think of the medical term: ‘evacuating the bowels’
- arise on February 25, 2022 · at 11:11 pm EST/EDT
  
  for us dumb American readers, WP is WaPo. that’s how we understand :-)
  thanks
  - pdb on February 26, 2022 · at 10:42 am EST/EDT
    
    Here at Saker, the majority of commenters and readers are anything but dumb Americans. VVP, or WP, is Mr Putin.
Justin on February 25, 2022 · at 9:12 pm EST/EDT

It would also be very interesting if the Russians uncovered the truth about the MH17 tragedy. Or have the actual perpetrators already been caught and identified?
- Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 9:22 pm EST/EDT
  
  Russian officials have claimed that part of the objective with this operation is to arrest perpetrators and put them on trial in Russia, in fact one official supposedly claimed they seek to put Zelensky himself on trial. So I can only imagine that it IS one of the goals to capture the perpetrators of various horrors from 2014-2015 and put them on trial. I am certain Russia has lists as Putin said about the Odessa incident, of many of the perpetrators and know who they are.
Philalethes on February 25, 2022 · at 9:24 pm EST/EDT

Thanks for all your work, Andrei. Your information is invaluable for Americans who want to know what’s going on. Truly, in war the first casualty is the truth. I’ve been posting links to your articles everywhere I can at Gab. Unfortunately, even there a lot of people who should know better are parroting the AngloZionist narrative. Get a good night’s sleep, and we’ll all be checking with you tomorrow.
Felix on February 25, 2022 · at 9:33 pm EST/EDT

I’m monitoring the situation via Russian telegram channels, and there are multiple reports of Russian casualties in Ukrainian counterattacks. Ukrainian armored columns appear to be moving freely across the country. The Russians are not using air force as heavily as I thought they would be.
- Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 9:46 pm EST/EDT
  
  This might change your mind https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1497379389041958913
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8BVr_B338&feature=youtu.be
- Andrew Neopalimyi on February 25, 2022 · at 9:51 pm EST/EDT
  
  Dead Losses (“Cargo 200”): 30-40.
TRM on February 25, 2022 · at 9:34 pm EST/EDT

“The LDNR (in its legal borders) is as far as the Russians will go (with only a few possible exceptions).”

Great work but I disagree. There could be a lot more provinces east of the river voting for independence. I think you will have east and west Ukraine divided along the river. Russia may want Odessa so the Ukraine has no access to the Black Sea.

I think everything east of the river will never return.
- mothertrucker on February 25, 2022 · at 10:28 pm EST/EDT
  
  right!
  Imagine: you’ve been under the heel of these micro ukro oligarchs for decades sucking the life out of you in ukranian – then one morning you wake up with a T90 parked in front of hour house telling you your tormenters are gone…but they will be back as soon as some paper or other gets signed somewhere…
  
  What do you do?
Malthus on February 25, 2022 · at 9:42 pm EST/EDT

When Putin decided to keep Gerhasimov as the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, instead of letting him got into retirement last year ( Valery Gerhasminov is 66 and the oldest ever acting Chief of Staff), I knew he was preparing for war and that war was very close. You never change horses midstream. Which is exactly what Putin did.
- Andrew Neopalimyi on February 25, 2022 · at 9:56 pm EST/EDT
  
  Valery Vasilyevich (Gerasimov, “tanker”))) – the actual Minister of Defense.
  Tsoi-gu – “jacket” (civilian), watching Putin, a dummy.
  - Alpine on February 25, 2022 · at 11:39 pm EST/EDT
    
    To put it differently, with an American Football anology:
    – You have the head coach (HC)
    – You have the offensive co-ordinator (OC)
    – You have the defensive co-ordinator (DC)
    
    Sometimes, the HC may also be the OC and call offensive plays. Sometimes he may just co-ordinate plays with the OC and the guy upstairs and so on…
    
    One really does not know if Shoigu is just HC or HC+OC, but VVG is definitely OC
    
    Not being HC+OC does not dimish the role of HC as it’s still extremely import to get all parts of the play (offense, defence, special plays) working perfectly
    
    Hope this helps
  - Zil on February 26, 2022 · at 2:10 pm EST/EDT
    
    Andrew Neo.., are you saying that General Sergei Shoigu is a dummy? What do you mean?
Stand Easy on February 25, 2022 · at 9:46 pm EST/EDT

Thank you Andrei for this superb overview.

The Russian forces have the means to flatten any building anywhere in the Ukraine,…

Make that any city.

But the Russians are not animals and Russian generals don’t aspire to become war criminals unlike the freedom-bearing Americans who bombarded a city of 50,000 with depleted uranium and white phosphorus during the battles of Fallujah.

Sanctioning a president of a country and members of his cabinet is stupid. Sanctioning the president and ministers of Russia is doubly stupid. It only exposes the West as a joke and betrays their rage at their own impotence when dealing with RF.

The self-absorbed buffoons in the West are so thick and deluded, they don’t get the fact that Russia has turned its back on them; it is looking East: Putin, Lavrov, Shoigu, etc, don’t give a damn about their silly sanctions and are probably having a good chuckle. Why? Because they know that sooner or later, the same buffoons — the likes of Scholz, Macron, even Naftali Bennet, will be knocking on the Kremlin’s door to bend the knee, kowtow — ‘three kneelings and nine knockings of the head on the ground’ — even, to the very same sanctioned Russians.

The ascendency of the West is over.
- Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 6:27 am EST/EDT
  
  “…Russia has turned its back on them; it is looking East…”
  
  Ah, that helps to explain why the military force sent into Ukraine is so small. It’s the bear’s tail! (I won’t speculate as to what Ukraine itself might be, positioned as it is under the bear’s tail).
Gonzales on February 25, 2022 · at 9:46 pm EST/EDT

2 very strong day. And the Ukrainian leadership is hiding. They play hide and seek. And their plan is monstrous. The result is a world war. Script acting. Give orders in 5 directions. Show a willingness to surrender, send the kids in, play the hero, show emotions. From a TV studio in Natoville.
used the last few years to add many NATO weapons and mercenaries. Nazism is not limited to any specific ethnic group.
NATO said it will send weapons. If NATO sends weapons to UKRAINE then it is better to go after them until they are all destroyed.. Kivy, Livy and everywhere… How it happened:
1 – US regime supports a coup to overthrow the Democratic government of Ukraine.
2 – Ukraine’s Nazis take power.
3 – Ukraine bombs Dunbas for 7 years.
4 – Kiev abandoned the internationally brokered Minsk accords.
5 – Russia acting.

today Zelenskiy on the website of the Ministry of Defense posted instructions on how to make “molotov” and encourages civilians to distribute weapons. He is sick. But I’ll hear in a minute that I don’t know about the ribentrop-molotov pact and the like. So here’s what happened. Zelensky considered fleeing… but the US arrived in time to get him back on track and instructed him to use ISIS methods of fighting back. Terrorism.
These brainless ‘Nazis’ cowards will do whatever their zio crypto-Jewish masters tell them to do, ie hide within the unsuspecting Ukrainian population and cities while bringing in rocket launchers risking innocent human lives.
Shameful, but what can you expect from such vassal plgs. Zelensky is trying to become the best hide and seek world champion in the world!
The world record holder is still Osama Bin Laden! 14 years!!

Preparing for the role of “Government in Exile”! Audiences will love it: lonely, tragic and mysterious! He can join that lady from Belarus and that guy from Venezuela. They will become trio fantasticus.
You have to be very patient, because it can take a while. The Ukro-Nazi tactic can really work. The Russians will not dare to do anything that could cause civilian casualties. Mass media would amplify any single victim of collateral damage unavoidable in any war. All civilian victims will be displayed as victims of Russian offense and brutality.
So it could take a long time. Russia cannot accept NATO in Ukraine, and certainly the US cannot launch nuclear weapons within a few kilometers of Moscow. It’s a matter of life and death, as Russia and the US would do the same if Mexico or Canada behaved the same way. The collective West has never been interested in the Ukrainian people, what they want is to use their territory close to Russia to inflict maximum attack on Russia.
Andrew Neopalimyi on February 25, 2022 · at 9:49 pm EST/EDT

Tactical nuclear weapons have always been considered by the Regulations and Tactics as a battlefield weapon, including urban ones.
Nuclear artillery, YaZ power: 1-2.5 kT. Tactical nuclear bombs: 5-30kT. Tactical and operational
tactical missiles: from 5 kT to 500 kT. RCC: up to 1mT

If the Big batch begins, do not hesitate, we will use tactical nuclear weapons (humanely, hitting civilians))). We have it like dirt.

Combat regulations for the preparation and conduct of combined arms combat
“Tactical nuclear weapons allow the tactical command to exercise a certain independence in choosing methods of combat operations and achieve faster successes that determine the achievement of operational results.
At the same time, the strategic and operational command of inflicting powerful nuclear strikes on important targets and large groupings of enemy troops (forces) can solve major strategic (operational) tasks and create favorable conditions for performing tactical tasks.
- Zil on February 26, 2022 · at 2:08 pm EST/EDT
  
  …hitting civilians? What do you mean?
Felix on February 25, 2022 · at 9:49 pm EST/EDT

Saker,

The reason you don’t see any good maps is because Russian military doesn’t report its advances. For example, Konashenkov (Russian military talking head) claimed that Gostamel was taken on the second day, when in fact it was taken in the first hours of the invasion, and Ukrainians made multiple attempts to retake it since.

Russian military operations are shrouded in layer of secrecy, and that allows the West to shape the narrative.
- Andrew Neo... on February 25, 2022 · at 10:08 pm EST/EDT
  
  Gostomel is a village. Purpose and task – the strategic airport “Antonov” (25 km from Kyiv).
  When the bridgehead was cleared to the “Safe” level, they began to receive aircraft from the main forces.
  
  PS Stinger has a range of up to 8 km. )))
  - Andrew Neopalimyi on February 25, 2022 · at 10:39 pm EST/EDT
    
    By the way, in addition to the Antonov airfield in Gostomel, that night they occupied the airfield near Vasilkov (south of Kyiv).
- Lone Wolf on February 25, 2022 · at 10:24 pm EST/EDT
  
  @ Felix
  
  “…Russian military operations are shrouded in layer of secrecy, and that allows the West to shape the narrative.”
  ———————
  
  Who cares if the West shapes the narrative? What counts is shaping reality, which will survive any fake-and-phony narrative, for centuries to come. This quote is from “Reminiscence of the Future…” Andrei Martyanov’s blog. He is quoting a retired US Navy officer identified only by the name “Bryan.”
  
  Enlightening for the current subject.
  
  “War is a dark room,” said one of my old professors at the Naval War College. Yes, because it’s hard to know exactly what’s going on while so many other things are happening in the complex arena of combat. It’s the classic fog-of-war issue. To phrase it another way, pretty much everything you see or hear about the early phases of a war are wrong. Okay, yes. You may see a photo of a smoking hole in the ground or a burning truck. And likely somewhere there’s a smoking hole in the ground, or a burning truck. But that doesn’t explain what’s really happening. Meanwhile, it’s not as if Western media are all that good at covering wars in general, despite all the practice over the past 30 years and more. And it’s not like many colleges or universities teach anything like real “military history.” (No, that course you took on the Civil War doesn’t cut it.)
  ————————-
  
  Lone Wolf
WTFUD on February 25, 2022 · at 9:55 pm EST/EDT

So the fighting 5th & 6th are not deemed enemy combatants?

Will need to read up on Russia’s Treason Laws and see what qualifies.

Over here in London, the Westminster political rent boys & girls are spitting feathers of fury; am really enjoying their visible trauma. Sad lot, helpless to halt their own demise.
- Andrew Neopal... on February 25, 2022 · at 10:00 pm EST/EDT
  
  “Criminal Code of the Russian Federation” dated 06/13/1996 N 63-FZ (as amended on 01/28/2022)
  Criminal Code of the Russian Federation Article 275. High treason
  
  High treason, that is, espionage committed by a citizen of the Russian Federation, the issuance to a foreign state, an international or foreign organization or their representatives of information constituting a state secret, entrusted to a person or becoming known to him through service, work, study or in other cases provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation, or providing financial, logistical, consulting or other assistance to a foreign state, international or foreign organization or their representatives in activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation,
  shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of twelve to twenty years, with or without a fine in the amount of up to 500 thousand roubles, or in the amount of the wage or salary, or any other income of the convicted person for a period of up to three years, and with restraint of liberty for a term of up to two years.
  
  Note.
  A person who has committed the crimes provided for by this Article, as well as Articles 276 and 278 of this Code, shall be exempted from criminal liability if he, by voluntary and timely notification to the authorities or otherwise contributed to the prevention of further damage to the interests of the Russian Federation, and if his actions do not contain other composition crimes.
  
  http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_10699/2ca391674eeaa02069722fa3f13cbb41cce0a95d/
- Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 10:06 pm EST/EDT
  
  did you see even the Mi6 headquarters building is now flying only the Ukrainian flag out front. Check the pics on Twitter.
  
  Can you offer a link?
  Andrei
  - Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 10:23 pm EST/EDT
    
    Zoom in to the lower front of the building https://twitter.com/HannahAlOthman/status/1497225486086324263
Lone Wolf on February 25, 2022 · at 10:01 pm EST/EDT

@ Ric G on February 25, 2022 · at 8:37 pm EST/EDT

“…Firstly, how low the Russian helicopters have been flying, when the Ukraine must have huge stocks of shoulder mounted missiles. Maybe it is just Russian bravado…??”

No, nothing to do with bravado, it is called flares. Watch this video posted on another thread, of Russian helicopters under attack over Ukraine, using a serious deployment of flares to divert missiles coming at them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew5_0zJYC3w

Lone Wolf
- Andrew Ne... on February 25, 2022 · at 10:20 pm EST/EDT
  
  To me it is very like – https://t.me/milinfolive/76983
  
  And as for anti-aircraft missile systems like “Stinger”, “Igla”,
  then they are effectively suppressed by the L-370 “Vitebsk” (export designation: President-S) – a complex of optoelectronic suppression of infrared homing systems for anti-aircraft missiles.
  By the way, “President-S” is also installed on board No. 1 of the United States, it stores the President of the United States.
- Per Terram on February 25, 2022 · at 10:26 pm EST/EDT
  
  Its also indicative of poorly trained individuals trying to use MANPADs in a sub optimal attack profile in a ‘head on shoot’ attack profile.
  
  These weapon systems rely on the thermal signature from the exhaust plume to get a good missile lock before launch. A head on attack profile gives the missile very little time or room to manoeuvre once it has been launched against a rapidly closing & itself manoeuvring target.
  
  Add into the mix the so called Defensive Aid Suites or DAS that almost all military aircraft now carry – that are designed to locate & react to the very hot launch flare of any AAA missile threat (by launching very hot decoy flares to fool the seeker head on the tip of the missile) & the chances of a kill hit in this type of attack profile are low.
  
  A flank or side or rear shot is much more likely to achieve a single shot lethal kill.
  
  I did not hear any kind of heavy machine gun fire at all, just small arms fire, indicating to my mind that this very likely approach route was left lightly defended. Or, larger AAA defences were destroyed/neutralised before the aviation assault was launched.
Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 10:02 pm EST/EDT

UPDATES:
Right now there’s major fighting in the Shulaivka / Shulayvka district of Kiev. This is a western district about halfway from the outside to the middle of Kiev. Pull up your googlemaps if you want to follow along. Northwest of there at the Hostomel / Vorzel airport is where Russians have setup a bridgehead via airborne troop capture and are loading in troops.
Ukraine troops have confirmed blowing the bridge at Beresteiska Station just west of Shulaivka district in order to slow the Russian advance. The most interesting and grim analysis of this, is the fact that Russian troops appear to have the Ukrainian Presidential HQ in its sights as the objective. If you follow along the main arteries and biggest streets from Shulaivka district, which is Peremohy Avenue, due east — you will land right near 11 Bankova Street which is the Presidential HQ where I believe Zelensky last claimed to still be holed up (not sure if he’s went to some bunkers by now, but his last videos he released were still from the presidential palace).

This is just my own personal analysis but the trajectory of the Russian spearhead inside Kiev appears to be heading straight for the presidential palace rather than any sort of general envelopment plan, or other strategic objectives like capturing certain important administrative/military/what-have-you facilities. I could be completely wrong but it seems they’re headed straight for him. Ukrainian announcements have blared emergency messages for anyone in Shulaivka polytechnic district to stay in doors and do not come outside under any circumstances and heavy gunfire and explosions are taking place in this district.
- Andrew Neopalimyi on February 25, 2022 · at 10:31 pm EST/EDT
  
  Do you think he will be left alive to sign an unconditional Surrender? ))
  Moreover, it is so convenient to shift the blame on the Russians?
  - Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 10:46 pm EST/EDT
    
    No clue but just moments ago supposedly it was stated again that Zelensky refuses to evacuate and stays ….now troops are coming even closer. Gunshots are heard right next to Maidan Square which is 1 block away, 600 meters from Presidential Palace………………….it seems almost the end for the Comedian…
- Jorge L Borges on February 25, 2022 · at 10:55 pm EST/EDT
  
  (Operation Storm-333) 2.0 ?
  - Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 11:19 pm EST/EDT
    
    Looks like it
  - Baba Yaga on February 26, 2022 · at 2:50 am EST/EDT
    
    That’s exactly what I thought was going to happen, dont know if my comment on that in a previous thread ever got approved by the mods?
    
    Didn’t see a full scale “invasion” coming this quickly though that’s for sure…
- JJ on February 26, 2022 · at 9:38 am EST/EDT
  
  one wonders where main admin buildings are….Defence ..economy ..individual forces…reserves military..civilian emergency depts SBU might make a nice target as well as HQ of Azov etc are…
Per Terram on February 25, 2022 · at 10:02 pm EST/EDT

The internet is awash with numerous examples of false information that is suggesting or appearing to show footage of damaged or destroyed Ru Army equipment that is actually Ukr Army equipment. The Western MSM has a long history of falsifying the ground truth & I have one such perfect example to illustrate this for you here.

The ITN News clip begins with some sort of chaotic exchange of fire allegedly somewhere in Kiev. We are firstly shown an individual who is allegedly the ‘Commander’ (bereft of any kind of communications device of course with which to control his sub-unit??) who makes the comment that they are being engaged by a ‘sniper’. The sniper must be armed with a PKM or an AK type of weapon judging by the amount of fire in the background.

Then we are shown footage of a disorganised bunch of what I can only describe as civilians in paramilitary uniforms scurrying about like headless chickens on a bridge with some non-effective small arms fire in the background.

This then cuts to footage of an MTLB SA13 GOPHER TELAR vehicle careering though what we are told is a Kiev Street. We see it collide with a civilian car. Luckily the cars occupant survives the collision.

ITN of course makes the assessment that this vehicle IS Russian.

Finally, we are shown a long distance shot of allegedly dead Russian soldiers?? We know not who these poor souls are do we?

https://youtu.be/r87RmlyB3ks

Comment:

It carries none of the Tactical Recognition Markings being used by the Ru Armed Forces who are conducting the Special Operation inside the Ukraine today. The MTLB SA13 GOPHER TELAR was/is a Regimental level AAA Defence platform that in the Ru Army has been LARGELY REPLACED in frontline service by the 2K22 Tunguska/SA-19 GRISON platform which has been sighted within Ru Army formations operating inside the Ukraine.

Some pertinent questions for you to ask yourself…

1. Why, if this vehicle were an Ru Army AAA vehicle from a Regimental AAA Unit would it be speeding madly through an urban area not yet fully secured by Ru Forces? It is very lightly protected with just one medium machine gun for personal protection, it is not designed to travel away from the main body of a larger mechanised group on some lone suicide mission.

2. Why would an AAA vehicle be placed into a dense, urban area with high buildings which render its surveillance & tracking radar ineffective?

I present to you Exhibit A, an oblique view of the same incident:

https://youtu.be/3nG9yBX7MwI

Before the collision incident you will observe what looks like a speeding URAL Truck come under effective small arms fire from what look like individuals in what appears to be a Ukrainian Uniform. One of these individuals firing on the URAL Truck can be observed standing next to a white van. On the back of the URAL Truck is a ZSU23/2 double barrel AAA Gun. They type of which is common place in the Middle East on the back of ‘Technical’ type vehicles. The URAL Truck clearly sustains some damage as it receives fire & the driver most likely is injured/incapacitated/killed.

One individual in what appears to be a Ukrainian Uniform the back of the truck also receives direct fire & appears to be seriously injured as he falls to the ground on the right side of the URAL Truck. A few seconds later he is engaged by a further volley of lethal small arms fire.

The individual standing next to the white van then moves his position & covers the dead individual on the ground by the URAL Truck.

At the top of the frame we see a fleeting image of an MTLB chassis speeding past from left to right. Then the camera pans out & we are shown an oblique view of the same incident as shown by the ITN News clip.

Comment:

I suspect this is footage of a fleeing/deserting Ukrainian Army Unit (possibly of AAA origin & therefore not a frontline combat unit?). They are ambushed/engaged & prevented from fleeing – well some of them are by a Ukrainian SBU Unit/Ukrainian Army/Militia.

Just a small example of the massive pile of lies the Western Mainstream Media perpetuate on a daily basis.

Finally….

The UK SoS For Defence Ben Wallace. A former Capt in The Foot Guards. One day, soon, I hope somebody somewhere remembers these ridiculous comments & he is publicly called out because of them….

https://youtu.be/jnc6Dp70xnA

https://youtu.be/zJy2Tgtsn5M

Comment:

I personally never liked working with Officers from the Household Division. I found them incredibly arrogant, tactically inept poor field soldiers, scruffy whilst on camp whom were legends in their own NAAAFI Break.
- Arfur Mo on February 26, 2022 · at 2:37 pm EST/EDT
  
  Per Terram. I concur with the thought that the SA-13 was Ukranian. The alternative viewpoint certainly puts the incident into context and clarifies the identity of the vehicle. I guess it was the heroic Neo-Nazis ensuring the cannon fodder don’t leave the frontline.
  
  As for the Household officers, it is an excellent route to membership of the finer gentleman’s clubs.
- Arfur Mo on February 26, 2022 · at 3:27 pm EST/EDT
  
  Here is another video of an Sa-13 being harassed by an armoured kar, This must be the same SA-13?
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_WM7G_8BMA
Obama's man-wife Michael (Michelle) on February 25, 2022 · at 10:06 pm EST/EDT

Facebook is openly inciting anti-govt protests in Russia.

Facebook VP has requested ordinary Russians to come to streets in protest of the Kremlin.

https://www.rt.com/russia/550663-meta-facebook-russians-organize/

Every move shows their desperation. Russia can’t be beaten either militarily or economically, so these MF s are trying their brainwashed self hating 5th column to topple the Russian govt.
- Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 10:25 pm EST/EDT
  
  Did you see this? The whole corporate cabal is out against Russia https://twitter.com/TheSimpsons/status/1497366451837190155
  - Rhys Jaggar on February 26, 2022 · at 6:36 am EST/EDT
    
    That doesn’t matter if the Russian people are behind Putin.
    
    Russia has already mostly dedollarised, it has been self-sufficient in food, its military is strong, it has a strong fiscal position compared to the indebted NATO nations.
Per Terram on February 25, 2022 · at 10:08 pm EST/EDT

Who are these ‘Dudes?’

https://youtu.be/ZcYlnXii3fE

I wonder???
Jim Given on February 25, 2022 · at 10:12 pm EST/EDT

I greatly profit from reading this log and the associated columnists.

But this is not at all the way that things were supposed to go-

We were told that Russia would never invade Ukraine; that it did not have to to achieve its objectives; that it very much did not want to invade; that it did not want to and could not afford to either get bogged down in a lengthy occupation or to assume economic responsibility for the reconstruction of Ukraine. We were told that Russia could not rule eastern and norther Ukraine because the population still hates and resents the Russians. The Russians would not allow the US to cast them in an Empire narrative as the reborn Soviet Union.

So here we are watching the Russian siege of Kiev. Has the US Empire gotten Russia to do exactly what it wants? Is there any brief account of why analysis by the Saker of what Russia would do was so horribly wrong? Will it bankrupt Russia to be saddled with Ukraine?
- corvo on February 25, 2022 · at 11:03 pm EST/EDT
  
  “We were told that Russia would never invade Ukraine”
  
  –this is actually a good point. I myself was imagining that a decapitation strike against the Ukraine’s military assets and Azovite personnel concentrations would be sufficient. So the only question is whether Russia was planning an invasion all along, or whether invasion was Russia’s last-resort option. That’s probably a question for the history books. For my part, I believe that if the Russian leadership was lying about its intentions all along, it was a morally necessary lie. It’s not on the same level as, say, *”Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten” or “Seit 5.45 Uhr wird zurückgeschossen.”
  
  My greatest regret about the invasion is that it lends credence to Western “news” media, which had been hysterically predicting war and invasion, and was proved correct, at least after a fashion, thus making its other and numerous lies regarding the Ukraine matter easier to believe. Of course Russia hardly cares what the West thinks — at least if she did, she certainly doesn’t now.
  
  The second half of your long paragraph deals with eventualities that have yet to materialize, e.g., whether Russia will assume responsibility for rebuilding the Ukraine, or whether it plans to rule eastern (I believe you meant western) and northern Ukraine. We’re just spectators; we’ll find out — hopefully — as soon as the situation clears up.
  
  *Google translation,MOD:
  “No one intends to build a wall” or “Since 5:45 a.m. there has been a return fire.”
  - corvo on February 25, 2022 · at 11:39 pm EST/EDT
    
    A little historical context wrt the two German-language quotes, since a translation has been added:
    
    The first was Walter Ulbricht commenting on the suspicious piles of bricks that started appearing in August 1961 on the eastern fringe of the zone in Berlin allotted to the USSR at the end of World War II. Those bricks were, of course, used to construct the Berlin Wall.
    
    The second dates from 1 September 1939 and probably requires no further explanation.
  - Man With No Name on February 26, 2022 · at 12:50 pm EST/EDT
    
    @Corvo and Jim Given
    
    >–this is actually a good point. I myself was imagining that a decapitation strike against the Ukraine’s military assets and Azovite personnel concentrations would be sufficient. So the only question is whether Russia was planning an invasion all along, or whether invasion was Russia’s last-resort option.
    
    Can’t you see that you’re actually witnessing a decapitation strike? Russians took the Ukies by surprise and are now enveloping entire Ukrainian fronts. Simultaneously, the VDV and special forces are leading the charge on Kyiv. It is exactly a surgical strike aimed at annihilating all the neo-Nazis.
    
    My take is that the Russians are going to capture the comedian and get him to issue a command to the entire Ukie military to lay their arms down and surrender. If the rabid neo-nazis continue to resist, either the special forces or Kadyrov’s Chechen battalions will take care of them.
    
    Russia reiterated today that what they wanted was a neutral Ukraine with no Nazi affinities. It’s certain that the Russian armed forces will leave Ukraine once the situation is stabilized.
- Kimbal on February 25, 2022 · at 11:56 pm EST/EDT
  
  I think one explanation for Russia’s actions is that they are entirely logical. Yes, trying to keep Ukraine in Russia’s orbit will be excrutiatingly costly, regardless of military/political arrangements being made, but what is the alternative? Putin pointed out that living side-by-side with an Anti-Russia that’s a (de-facto) NATO member and armed to the teeth is impossible, especially if it’s engaged in an ongoing genocide against the Russian speakers in the Donbass. So it’s about taking a large gamble now, when there is still an off chance of winning, against a sure fatal loss later. In such a situation many still have a mentality of not taking the gamble but just hoping for a miracle to appear that spares them the fatality. Not so Putin. It’s a horrific call to make but nevertheless as simple as that. Regardless of outcome, Putin’s greatness lies in that he made the decision that was decreed by rationality. Now that the dies are cast, it’s necessary to stay the course.
  
  There may be another thesis, which is that it’s all a distraction from the Donbass and Chernobyl. What speaks for this thesis is the small number of troops that Russia has committed. Some tens of thousands of troops will never suffice to enact regime change, not even if restricted to the East of the Dnepr. Most cities on the Saker’s list have only been surrounded, which goes to show how difficult regime change would be. Also, a mere pincer movement around the Donbass would be too obvious and difficult to carry out, so the idea is to pretend that all of Ukraine was the objective, especially Kiev. This strategy still requires a pincer movement, however, engaging elsewhere with small forces keeps the Ukrainians from attacking the pincer from the West. Once the Donbass is secured, troops can retreat. It will be objected that, having been attacked like this, Ukraine will still become an Anti-Russia. The objection to this objection would be that there will always be Anti-Russia to deal with – on the Polish-Ukrainian border, along the Dnepr or along the Russian-Ukrainian border. In this world it is assumed that Russia can live side-by-side with an Anti-Russia. Currently, the West is cutting off all ties with Russia, and that might actually help. An added benefit of this strategy is that it brings Chernobyl under Russian control, making it more difficult for the Ukrainians to acquire nuclear weapons. Chernobyl would have to be kept under occupation but that would be easy because nobody would ever dare attack it due to the vast amounts of radioactive materials that are present there.
  - Perimetr on February 26, 2022 · at 3:49 am EST/EDT
    
    Kimbal, you write: “An added benefit of this strategy is that it brings Chernobyl under Russian control, making it more difficult for the Ukrainians to acquire nuclear weapons.”
    
    That’s nor correct. There is plenty of spent (used) uranium fuel at Ukraine’s nuclear power plants that could be used to extract/reprocess plutonium, which then could be used to make crude nuclear weapons.
    
    There is an issue with using ‘reactor grade’ plutonium for weapons, as it contains significant amounts of plutonium 240 along with plutonium 239. The Pu240 acts to make a much less ‘efficient’ nuclear weapon, which results in a much lower explosive power of maybe a kiloton or two (the Pu239 is the desirable isotope for nuclear weapons). Reactors can be run to produce mostly Pu239 for nuclear weapons, but I don’t think that has been the case with the Ukrainian reactors.
    - Kimbal on February 26, 2022 · at 4:58 am EST/EDT
      
      But, AFAIK, the RBMK reactors at Chernobyl were specifically designed for producing both electricity and nuclear waste from which weapons-grade material could easily be extracted. But maybe I’m wrong and it was only about being able to remove spent fuel rods easily while these fuel rods themselves were not in any way better-suited than in more conventional reactors. I am ready to be corrected.
    - David Sant on February 26, 2022 · at 9:56 am EST/EDT
      
      Ukraine did not need to create plutonium at all. All Zelensky had to do was ask NATO to place nuclear weapons on Ukrainian soil. That is why Russia reacted immediately.
- Thomas on February 26, 2022 · at 6:47 am EST/EDT
  
  When Zelenski, with the consent from the US neocons was asking for the permit to deploy nuclear weapons Russia had no other options but a full invasion.
Band Itkoitko on February 25, 2022 · at 10:26 pm EST/EDT

Great job, Saker! Thank you!
Prospector on February 25, 2022 · at 10:28 pm EST/EDT

As soon as Russian forces take Kiev, Ukraine will have a new pro Russian government.
End of conflict.
End of NATO.
- Andrew Neopalimyi on February 25, 2022 · at 10:49 pm EST/EDT
  
  It doesn’t mean anything. And Constitutions change like gloves. And contracts are terminated.
  And most importantly, what to do with the zombie population, and there are already a couple of generations of the Gitderjugend. And who will pay their debts? Who will restore the economy, infrastructure, medicine, … ?
  They sold everything Soviet, they didn’t build their own, they didn’t create, they lost their competencies, they killed technologies, … and they hate Russia, they blame the Russians for all the misfortunes.
  
  A neutral/non-bloc [Confederate] Republic – a free trade zone, that’s all we need from them.
  - jojo on February 25, 2022 · at 11:26 pm EST/EDT
    
    Is Russia going to try and get Ukraine’s gold back? Right after the coup it disappeared. There were photos and reports of U.S. cargo planes and that they took the gold to New York.
    The gold could help rebuild some of Ukraine.
    - Johnny Conspiranoid on February 26, 2022 · at 3:32 am EST/EDT
      
      “There were photos and reports of U.S. cargo planes and that they took the gold to New York.”
      US seems to do this everywhere; Libya, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Venezuela.
  - Rebello on February 26, 2022 · at 5:39 am EST/EDT
    
    I don’t see them blaming and hating Russia so much. I live in Italy, we have a lot of ukranians here. Yes there are the ones talking crap about Russia. They mostly are from the western Ukraine or from big cities like Kiev. None of them is from the east. The ones from the east decisively sound another tone. A girl was talking about how, in her village, 7 young girls simply disappeared because of the nazi scum. They wrote a letter to Poroshenko, no answer.
    
    I think that military personnel ( especially officials ) now much more on what the westernized Ukraine really is under the hoods. And this is one of the reasons we are seeing very little resistance to the russian advances. I did see the same thing during the second Donbass war, when Givi and Motorola were questioning some ukrainian soldiers. They soldiers looked guilty more than afraida. They did know what was happening and that is was a crime.
Pablozz on February 25, 2022 · at 10:36 pm EST/EDT

My god fidel jr canadian regime leader just accused putin of a “war on democracy” i think anyone would be speechless at that. Umm war powers for freedom truckers. Head shaker .
Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 10:38 pm EST/EDT

Update:
According to this account, Russian airborne are about to come head to head with the infamous and feared Azov nazi battalion.

“@nexta_tv·6m⚡️The #Azov territorial defense unit is preparing to mop up the #Russian military in #Vasylkiv, where hostilities are going on.”

Azov is known to be headquartered in Mariupol / Donbas, but they apparently have regiment in Kiev as well, particularly in the area south Kiev called Vasylkiv which houses the other nazi group, Right Sector.

“⚡️Mayor of #Vasylkiv Natalya #Balasinovich confirmed that a #Russian landing operation takes place in the city despite the downed #IL-76. (FAKE NEWS)

“A lot of paratroopers have landed in the fields in the whole community, who are now fighting hard with the fighters of our 40th Brigade”.”

^^^ Supposedly Airborne are landing all around in rural Vasylkiv south of Kiev and the warcrime specialists, inhuman Azov Nazi battalion have been mobilized to hunt them down.
- Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 6:42 am EST/EDT
  
  In normal armies, a regiment consists of several battalions. But apparently the Azov battalion has several regiments.
  
  Truly exceptional!
Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 10:41 pm EST/EDT

Satanist Madonna posts scathing condemnation of Putin/Russia with photo of Putin as Hitler

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1497413342876553216
Lone Wolf on February 25, 2022 · at 10:48 pm EST/EDT

@ Saker

“…Next, the main thesis of US PSYOPs today was “the Russian movement is very slow, much slower than expected” hinting at some formidable Ukrainian defense operations…”

I posted a comment earlier today about same subject, told the poster anyone making assertions about the slow speed of the Russian troops, should be considered a troll.
———————-

“…Today I see such zero. If anybody can recommend semi-decent military maps of the combat operations I would be most grateful…”

I just copied this quote from Martyanov’s blog to another poster.

““War is a dark room,” said one of my old professors at the Naval War College. Yes, because it’s hard to know exactly what’s going on while so many other things are happening in the complex arena of combat. It’s the classic fog-of-war issue. To phrase it another way, pretty much everything you see or hear about the early phases of a war are wrong. Okay, yes. You may see a photo of a smoking hole in the ground or a burning truck. And likely somewhere there’s a smoking hole in the ground, or a burning truck. But that doesn’t explain what’s really happening. Meanwhile, it’s not as if Western media are all that good at covering wars in general, despite all the practice over the past 30 years and more. And it’s not like many colleges or universities teach anything like real “military history.” (No, that course you took on the Civil War doesn’t cut it.)…”
———————–

Lone Wolf
Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 10:51 pm EST/EDT

Update as per my situation update above:

Now heavy gunfire is reported from on the ground vetted sources to be EXTREMELY CLOSE to “Maidan Square”. This is literally 1 block away, 670 meters away from Presidential Palace where Zelensky was last holed up.

It seems Zelensky’s time may be numbered in hours if not minutes….unless he’s already escaped.
- Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 6:45 am EST/EDT
  
  I seem to recall a very similar sequence of events from long, long ago… even before I was born…
  
  A Nazi leader, whose forces have been driven back at huge cost in blood and materiel, took to his bunker and waited fatalistically. Meanwhile Russian troops and armoured vehicles approached, closer and closer…
  - Andrew S MacGregor on February 26, 2022 · at 10:32 am EST/EDT
    
    Yes, and that Nazi leader ended up in Argentina. The skull supposedly found was much later found to be that of a female.
    
    Please keep this thread on topic, mod
Kimbal on February 25, 2022 · at 11:10 pm EST/EDT

Ukies boast of two Il-76’s having been shot down. Let’s hope it’s not true or that they were empty.

What would be the reason for ferrying around troops in Il-76’s anyway? These airplanes have to land on airfields that have been reached by ground troops before. So why not bring in troops via these same land routes? If a stinger missile has several kilometers of range, then it’s very difficult to scour a sufficiently large area around the landing strip for anyone with a launcher who has hid in some basement. Besides, the Ukies claim it was done with a Su-27. It might not be impossible. Last night we have seen at least one Ukie Su-27 over Kiev that sneeked through, the one that was shot down.
- Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 11:20 pm EST/EDT
  
  completely fake. Nothing was shot down. Their president is encircled with Russian troops literally 1 block away in central Kiev, they are desperate to create ANY morale boosting propaganda at this point so their troops don’t lay down arms.
  - Kimbal on February 25, 2022 · at 11:58 pm EST/EDT
    
    Great to hear but would the Russians actually risk ferrying around troops in Il-76’s?
    - Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 2:11 am EST/EDT
      
      I highly doubt it, particularly in an airspace where Kiev continues to squirrel away some air to air units and play cat and mouse with them. We know they have some anti air units inside Kiev and Russia probably refuses to target them (with missiles at least) because the risk to civilian collateral damage may be too high as the Ukies very often position their equipment with civilians as meat shields. So knowing this, I highly doubt Russia would fly gigantic obvious targets like IL76’s right over Kiev.
      
      The bigger thing is, as you probably have seen online, Ukraine loves to post any single disabled piece of Russian equipment etc. because of how high the propaganda value is for it and gives huge morale boost to their troops. So imagine the propaganda value they’d get from posting videos/photos of not one but TWO massive IL76 filled with dozens of troops each. I mean such an image would single handedly bring Moscow gov’t to its knees and have citizens in Russia revolting over the war. Yet there’s nothing, even now that it’s turned to daytime when visibility is perfect and they could take videos/photos at their leisure. So clearly this is proven as a complete fake.
      - Per Terram on February 26, 2022 · at 8:25 am EST/EDT
        
        Well said.
kontrapunktus on February 25, 2022 · at 11:16 pm EST/EDT

just a thought…

if rf (re)takes kiev, perhaps it will be declared the capital city of russia.

full circle.
- Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 11:27 pm EST/EDT
  
  So far it seems Russian airborne/spetsnaz have been operating out of Hostomel airbase bridgehead on northwest Kiev outskirts but presumably they’re able to only bring in light armor/trucks, which is mostly what’s been assaulting the western districts of Kiev. However now there’s reports in Babintsey village which is about 20km northwest of Kiev (a few km further than Hostomel itself, just down the road) there has been the “sounds” of tank column driving down the main road towards Kiev.
  
  This could mean a big escalation from just motorized or light mechanized forces to full blown heavy armor entering Kiev soon.
  
  The only thing that puzzles me is, why does Kiev itself not seem to have much armor defending it. There’s an informational blackout so maybe I’m wrong but all the fighting so far seems to be light forces vs. light forces. It’s almost as if a secret ‘deal’ was made between Russia and top generals to sell Zelensky out (after all Putin made an address earlier today where he openly called for Ukrainian military to overthrow Zelensky/leadership to end this conflict). So why is it that Kiev seems to be so lightly defended that lightly mechanized Airborne forces are able to penetrate in less than a day into the center of the city? Wouldn’t your capital city have massive, full armor defenses? It doesn’t make sense to me unless Ukraine truly is trying to outlast Russia by using its own tactics against it from the Napoleonic War, i.e. give up Kiev and go underground with endless guerilla insurgency, but this simply doesn’t sound likely to me.
  - Nightvision on February 25, 2022 · at 11:32 pm EST/EDT
    
    This comment was not meant to be response, not sure how that happened. Was supposed to be its own comment.
  - Per Terram on February 25, 2022 · at 11:57 pm EST/EDT
    
    I have seen pictures of at least 1 x 2S9 Mortar platform allegedly in & around the Hostomel AB. Unlike the BMD this cannot be ‘air dropped’ via a parachute assembly from the tailgate of an IL-76, it would have to be flown in by either an IL-76 or the AN124.
    
    https://preview.redd.it/q1kfqmqcixj81.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=4b23cc4acab7f8cd5e3b28eb7109dca22fc5de36
    
    This would suggest that the Ru VDV at Hostomel AB are now receiving further air reinforcement by air with their own heavier organic fire support.
  - Peterd on February 26, 2022 · at 1:26 am EST/EDT
    
    The fact that the US evacuated Kiev (embassy, etc.) suggests some sort of prior knowledge. We all thought this was simple scaremongering to suggest an unlikely and at the time continually flatly denied Russian “invasion”, notably other countries did not follow suit, seeing it as scaremongering and an overreaction. Clearly not, but it is too early to say. The concentration of the Ukrainian army in the East appears to have assumed only that Donbas operations were expected, and an attack on LPR and DPR. That’s how I read it at the time. Again a false call. So many miscalculations and false assumptions. The Russian military(and diplomacy) have outsmarted everyone, astonishing to witness. Difficult to estimate, also as we do not really know what Russian plans are afoot to carry out demilitarisation and denazification. Whatever, Ukraine is lost to NATO. If Kiev falls its possible to imagine thesedays a new kind of iron curtain at West Ukraines borders to prevent future NATO incursions.
- Alpine on February 25, 2022 · at 11:42 pm EST/EDT
  
  [insert any pejorative]
  No. Moscow is the third Rome man…
tranquilocomp on February 25, 2022 · at 11:23 pm EST/EDT

-“Because Russia has ZERO intention of occupying or, even less so, rebuild or police the Ukraine, that’s why. —
The LDNR (in its legal borders) is as far as the Russians will go (with only a few possible exceptions).
The Kremlin decided that the goal of the operation was to 1) disarm and 2) to denazify the Ukraine. As soon as these goals are reached, the Russian want to get the hell out of the Ukraine and back into the LDNR and let the Ukrainians fight their own anti-Nazi civil war.”

Okay, but without a military coup from a sympathetic force, it’s hard to see how you can defeat an existing government without immediately occupying the country, like the U.S. in Irak, or like the allied powers did after WWII. If military victory is achieved but the local people remain hostile, how does the military victor leave and still achieve his own goals (denazification, disarmament, etc.)? Maybe this is why Russia is trying, first, to find a sympathetic force inside the Ukranian army and, besides the military considerations you have detailed, it is bidding for time and hoping that a sympathetic force will arise either within the army or among the people (waiting for that as much as possible, then). I think that if it does not find that sympathetic force, and since it is already there, that it would have no choice but to win militarily, which entails deposing the government and leaving an occupying force, as done not just in the cases I mentioned, but in all past history, right? The “special military operation” designation, instead of “war”, is looking for that scenario where significant allies are found inside Ukraine (the sympathetic force), because if you have to occupy the country, you cannot call it anything other than the outcome of a “war.”

Does Russia have a chance to achieve this “special operation” objective? It does, of course, but that remains to be seen. If it finds that it has no choice but to occupy, it will not be able to continue to call it a “special military operation” as opposed to “a war.” This is war. Chances are that it will need to “occupy” (to achieve her objectives) and only the size of the occupation is the question mark. If soon there’s the military coup or the general uprising, then things would have gone according to their more optimistic expectation (and the term “special military operation” can stick).

“…so there is a good chance Russia might have to leave unconditionally and let the locals slug it at between each other for as much as they want (which is what Russia did in 08.08.08 even though Russia Airborne units were at the outskirts of Tbilissi).”

I don’t think they can do that. It would not “denazify” or “disarm” as they mean to. There’s the goal; there’s what they want to do; there’s what they must do to achieve the goal(s).

“…the Ukraine will be flooded by well armed criminals gangs and Nazi insurgents for years to come.”

Then the occupation scenario seems likely if not necessary. Although the Russian military forces are being successful, the open question of a “special military operation” versus the alternative of an occupation of some kind or magnitude, as the result of “war”, must be a source of anxiety for Russia.
- Johnny Conspiranoid on February 26, 2022 · at 3:44 am EST/EDT
  
  “the Ukraine will be flooded by well armed criminals gangs and Nazi insurgents for years to come.”
  Yes, but if there is no russian speaking population left in Ukraine the situation would be manageable with a well guarded border. The continued deterioration of a rump Ukraine with the exodus of its non-nazi population would be a propaganda victory for Russia.
  - tranquilocomp on February 26, 2022 · at 5:05 am EST/EDT
    
    There’s no stopping Russia in achieving victory against Ukraine. Germany beat Ukraine. Only the cost is unknown. We don’t know the details, but a lot went behind the decision to designate it a “special military operation.” Hard to even conceive that Ukraine would resist more than it did Germany in 1940. The Donbass showed them what the resistance of the Ukranian army is like. Zelensky lost two regions forever already, this counts. Psychologically, it was effective to make him lose those two regions before invading (rather than now with the invasion).
Pablo on February 25, 2022 · at 11:40 pm EST/EDT

Maybe Moscow can install Yanukovich and then leave. A real compromise.

OK, not so practical, but the idea that Russia can leave quickly seems impossible – perhaps why they didn’t do much back after the coup. The West can come in through Western Ukraine, and the last twenty years of a takeover of the institutions plus the minds of Ukrainians has made it difficult to deNazify without controlling things like the media and education.

In fact, a big argument made at the time of the coup was that Moscow should not invade or support the half of the country that could easily be either pro-Russian or at least anti-Bandera was that there would be no way out. Plenty of such discussions right here. Too expensive and a better way was to let the country collapse economically.

As an outsider, it seems to me that Moscow had a problem that was allowed to fester to the point the gangrene is life-threatening. Going to the doctor or dentist a long time ago would have been far better, but it was painful and expensive.

It seems more practical to partition the country and keep a Russian presence in Novorossiya. Drive out those who hate Russia by firing them or whatever. The Central Ukraine is a tough question. Now that the Donbass republics are independent, trying to keep the Ukraine in one piece seems borderline impossible. Why continue with the mistakes of the past?
- Kimbal on February 26, 2022 · at 12:36 am EST/EDT
  
  The whole argument that it’s impossible to live side-by-side with an Anti-Russia needs to be re-examined. Quipping Donald Trump, of all people, walls work. So why not build a wall along the Ukrainian border, I mean, literally? Expensive but surely less expensive than occupying Ukraine. The main danger posed by Anti-Russia, so the argument goes, is that its presence will somehow infiltrate your peoples’ minds and demoralize them. There is much truth to that – It’s like having a colleague at work who is a psychopath. One way of dealing with it is to remove the psychopath, another other one is building walls – mentally and physically. In my other post (not yet approved) I speculate whether the special military operation might only be about securing the Donbass and occupying Chernobyl because that would be prerequisites for a withdrawal into Fortress Russia. Psychopaths can also be dealt with by distancing oneself from them. It has long been suggested to move the capital from Moscow to Siberia for various reasons, but putting a greater distance between Anti-Russia and the capital would surely be one of them. Shoigu with his suggestion of building new cities in Siberia seems to be a champion of this idea. The wall would serve not so much as a means against physical infiltration, although it would be useful in this regard too, but more as an important psychological device and tripwire.
  - Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 2:07 am EST/EDT
    
    You missed the part where Ukrainian gov’t threatened to acquire nukes in order to threaten to destroy Moscow/Russia, i.e. an EXISTENTIAL THREAT. And Russian experts have stated that Ukraine actually has the legacy soviet technology to obtain nuclear weapons VERY FAST if they chose to do so. A regime of psychopathic (actual) NAZI’s with nukes on your doorstep who have already threatened to “destroy Russia” (this is an actual quote from one of their parliamentarians, who said “Russia needs to be destroyed”).
    - Kimbal on February 26, 2022 · at 3:57 am EST/EDT
      
      I was ignoring the argument for the moment but it needs be carefully considered, of course. The most difficult part of producing nuclear weapons is said to be obtaining weapons grade nuclear material. The bigggest stash of such material in Ukraine is in Chernobyl, which is already securely under Russian control. They have other facilities, but in their case the extraction process would take longer. They could even build new ones but in that case everything would take even longer still. Occupying Chernobyl is, thus, buying time, hence the only question is whether Ukraine could be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons altogether, since that would be the only outcome that’s strictly better. It’s possible if more or less the whole of Ukraine is brought under control, yet this “if” is a big one – think of heavily nazi-dominated Ukraine to the West of the Dnepr, an area the size of Germany that’s home to millions of people The counter-scenario is perhaps a little bit long-winded, but what would happen if Russia retreated to the administrative boundaries of the Donbass and the Chernobyl exclusion zone? As compared to full denazification, it would be far less of a drain on Russian resources at least in the short run. It would also release some of the political pressure that’s building inside of Russia, and it would also allow the nazi-supporting West to declare victory, thereby also letting off political pressure. Nazis would come back into power with full NATO backing but what would they do then? In this situation the Donbass position is much more defensible geographically than prior to the SO, and it is endowed with full Russian protection. Everybody continues pretending that Russia with Putin at its helm is the source of all evil, but secretly most of the world is relieved about the outcome. Also, the nazi problem in Ukraine has been brought to the world’s attention, leading to much more scrutiny and focus than prior to the SO. And nobody outside NATO, i.e. almost all of the world, likes these nazis. So, if nazis go back to shelling the now much larger Donbass, then Russia has the leeway to strike back militarily using stand-off capabilities, thereby letting the nazis bleed out at little cost to itself. If they bide their time to attack later, then the world has gotten used to the calm and, thus, will be so annoyed about the attack that Russia has even more leeway to strike back. If they eventually acquire nuclear weapons to threaten Russia, then Russia informs the world that any nuclear attack will lead to the molten glas scenario for Ukraine. It all depends on whether that holds back the nazis but why not? Russia already relies on deterring NATO, which is at least as sick and crazy. As for the general question of co-existing side-by-side with an Anti-Russia, see my other posts.
      
      I’m almost putting my money on Russia retreating once the Donbass is secured but I may very well be wrong, of course.
      - Imagine on February 26, 2022 · at 9:47 am EST/EDT
        
        Turkey, Germany have NATO nukes that can be “borrowed” on short notice. Don’t technically need to build your own.
- Rebello on February 26, 2022 · at 5:44 am EST/EDT
  
  Yanukovich is an old corrupt fart. He was in bed with Kuchma and Pinchuk too. He is worse than Lukashenko. He is ready to sell himself to the best offerer and this chaos is his own fault. He obeyed Pinchuk TO NOT alert the Berkut during the Maidan and beat down the nazi scum.
  
  Ukraine new president must be someone with balls. They need a Putin. And this time a Putin ready to kick the asses of the oligarchs from day one. These parasites must be dealt with and their riches confiscated.
- imo on February 26, 2022 · at 5:52 am EST/EDT
  
  “Maybe Moscow can install Yanukovich and then leave.”
  
  Not impractical if he’s still up to it. All he needs do is pick up where he left off and arrange for a new constitution and elections etc. A cosnstitution that will allow a 100-year peaceful existance with Russia. And with the twins back in the voting Federation he (or those like him) may even get to form the new government. A nice symbolic “fingure!” to the West.
  - JonLX on February 26, 2022 · at 8:14 am EST/EDT
    
    Actually, that would be quite brilliant. Prop up Yanukovich as the last legitimate president of Ukraine, returning in triumph, then have him stay in power just long enough to modify the constitution and organize new elections, then bow out. Tolstoy’s pistol?
  - Cosimo on February 26, 2022 · at 10:48 am EST/EDT
    
    I don’t have a clear picture, but I think Yanukovich may have acted cowardly, I don’t know, but maybe the people expected him to go down shooting, like Chilean President Allende in 1973. That would have been worth something in the propaganda war, but I would not blame him for preferring to say alive. But really, I think you may be missing one piece to the puzzle, that Western “public opinion” is not worth (in an immortal American quip about the value of being vice-president), not worth a warm bucket of spit … and the Russians no longer place much value on the baubles of propaganda to entice the various citizenries of the West.
Taffy on February 26, 2022 · at 12:01 am EST/EDT

“Sixth, once the city is surrounded/blocked and once you get a pretty decent picture of what is inside you take the next decisions which might include any of the following: open corridors for civilians to flee and for military personnel to surrender and cross over, ”

What about a traditional siege operation, where food and other supplies and even water are cut off but civilians and those who surrender are allowed to leave?
- JackJC on February 26, 2022 · at 11:24 am EST/EDT
  
  @Taffy,
  
  Sieges tie up troops needed elsewhere and are difficult to sustain when your rear is exposed. Better sometimes to suck up the losses, or negotiate the polite surrender before moving on. Sun Tzu teaches that you should always give your opponent a path to flee, people with their backs to the wall and no chance to escape tend to fight to the death. So far the Russian Forces are waging a very Asian style of war – they are avoiding infrastructure destruction and civilian deaths as much as possible.
  
  As for the siege, if you have sufficient rear echelon troops – and the time – by all means.
  - Taffy on February 27, 2022 · at 6:09 pm EST/EDT
    
    I just listened to a vid from Mercouris, and one fellow who is now in Kyiv (American) reports that the basic tactic is to surround the cities—not engage in fisticuffsd with Ukr troops there, but to pull back and surround.
    Wait it out.
    Don’t harm civilians or civilian infrastructure. But, don’t go away, either. Until people start to feel the pressure and start wanting to leave. Then arrange for civilians to leave via one route. And try to snag the nazis.
    Sounds like maybe “siege lite.”
    Maybe under these circumstances, and will humint and other intel, they can figure out who are the bad apples that they need to eliminate via drone strikes or something else.
taffy on February 26, 2022 · at 12:03 am EST/EDT

Re “The fact that the Russian 5th column is allowed to continue to operate the way it does really frustrates me. Could the Kremlin not tell them to “zip it” at least during active combat operations?”

My contact in Moscow writes this:

“These are the efforts to stop the war that has continued about 8 years and to prevent a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe. Hope the military operation will end soon.
The absolute majority of people in Russia support it. Of course, the fifth column – in particular, the actors of shoddy show business and pseudo-culture – became furious pacifists. They did not notice the slaughter that was occurring in the East of Ukraine during 8 years. “
cdvision on February 26, 2022 · at 12:09 am EST/EDT

As Sott Ritter said in his video interview, no one else but Russia can conduct all arms combat on such a scale at such speed. And some of it has been truly heroic – the advanced paratroopers capturing and holding the airport outside Kiev before the heavier stuff came in. High risk, high return. Only extremely skilled and confident troops, with exceptional planning and leadership can pull this off.

And as Ritter says, so far the Russia hasn’t used the heavy stuff. This war will be studied for years to come. I know its not over till the fat lady sings, but there is only one outcome.

200 helicopters ferrying in troops at low level. This is simply amazing.

Call me a blood thirsty bastard if you like, but I want to see Kadyrov’s men showing the Asov batallion a thing or two. We won’t be hearing about Nazis ever again.
- Kimbal on February 26, 2022 · at 12:43 am EST/EDT
  
  It will be studies for years to come and, if successful, the guy who planned it will go down in history as one of the great generals.
jiri on February 26, 2022 · at 12:48 am EST/EDT

Thinktank land in despair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-US9Ds0PgSg
torak on February 26, 2022 · at 12:51 am EST/EDT

“That Russia needs to offer the leftover Ukrainian ground forces the same deal which the Ukrainian forces which were tasked with the control of the Chernobyl nuclear planet were given today by the Russian forces: let’s secure this facility together and keep it secure together, with no combats of any kind. The Ukrainians gladly accepted, by the way, and now they are jointly patrolling area.”

I can’t find any reference to joint patrols via Internet search, which does not suprise me. My guess is that all major search engines are now being censored.
Can someone source a reference to joint Russia/Ukraine patrols in Chernobyl?
Uncle Bob on February 26, 2022 · at 1:07 am EST/EDT

New updates from Donbass:

2 Teachers Killed In Shelling Of School. The blame goes to Ukraine. (My Investigation)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIW-IacnviQ&ab_channel=PatrickLancaster

Massive Cluster Bomb Hits Donetsk Oil Plant and civilian area(My Investigation)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQkttqFt6eQ&ab_channel=PatrickLancaster
Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 1:08 am EST/EDT

Might be part of the armor column that was heard in Babintsey village NW of Kiev an hour ago is closing in on Kiev. Though this might be a different one as ‘Vyshorod’ is in the north rather than NW. No telling what’s going to happen at this point. I don’t know what the convoy consists of in terms of specific armor. We all know tank/armor does not do well in Urban environment (just look at Chechnya/Grozny combat) so I’m not sure what the Russian military’s plan is here.

“NEXTA@nexta_tv·12m❗️ A #Russian convoy of about 100 armored vehicles is heading into #Kiev from the direction of #Vyshhorod. The vehicles have a white “V” letter on its sides and the invaders wear white scotch tape on their sleeves.”
- John on February 26, 2022 · at 8:38 am EST/EDT
  
  Hello Night vision. Depends on the armor tactics used. The SAA became deadly at urban combat with armored verhicles. Part of it is that they do not operate solo but, in a least pairs. It is like watching ballet.
  
  My best to you.
  - Analyst on February 26, 2022 · at 12:06 pm EST/EDT
    
    You noticed that too ! The Syrians were superb. The cross-over-sweep-tactic was an instant ‘hit’ (pun-intended) with the local takfiri population !
David Sant on February 26, 2022 · at 1:21 am EST/EDT

There has been a dearth of info coming out of Ukraine today. Unlike the first two Donbass wars, this time full Russian electronic countermeasures are in effect. This is suppressing mobile phones and internet.

Rumor is that Russian lasers have blinded the five eyes spy sats. So, even the CIA may not know what is going on.
- Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 1:50 am EST/EDT
  
  I don’t know about the laser bit, but certainly there is an absolute blackout of information from the Russian side. Only the Kiev Regime continues to spew nonstop 24/7 ludicrous propaganda to try to fortify their troops’ morale.
  - Aslangeo on February 26, 2022 · at 5:47 am EST/EDT
    
    I think that the Russian Info blackout is unwise
    need to present a clear story and credible narrative
    need to keep own people on side
    Need to rebut falsehoods spread by the other side – ghost of Kiev? – snake island?
    - Anayst on February 26, 2022 · at 12:09 pm EST/EDT
      
      Far too early for that. Operations are ongoing. There is no ‘need’ yet. to inform/explain/justify anything.
    - Man With No Name on February 26, 2022 · at 1:06 pm EST/EDT
      
      @Aslangeo
      
      >I think that the Russian Info blackout is unwise
      need to present a clear story and credible narrative
      need to keep own people on side
      
      This is a military op and not a reality show
Random Access on February 26, 2022 · at 1:56 am EST/EDT

I am an American, and I cannot even begin to describe the absolute mindlessness of the people who live in this country.

Propaganda is their daily bread.

They know nothing else, and their minds and bodies begin literally shutting down when confronted by incontrovertible evidence of the atrocity which is American foreign policy.
- ThorvidA on February 26, 2022 · at 3:06 am EST/EDT
  
  Same here in the UK, to try and explain why this is happening, with reference to all the salient points gets you branded as a ‘Putin lover’ and told to move to Russia &/or branded as a mad conspiracy theorist, (at best).
  
  It’s sad that people just lap up the 24/7 one sided propaganda with out even being able to consider that there maybe an other side they should consider. Let alone actually consider that other side!
- Tom Welsh on February 26, 2022 · at 6:56 am EST/EDT
  
  That, Random Access, is a pitfall which might be even more dangerous than the Ukraine crisis. It is better, as I argued before, for the Russian government to speak truthfully about what it can, and otherwise remain silent. This, the wise and moral policy, is universally mocked and criticised by Westerners who have become used to a life saturated with PR and propaganda.
  
  It is vital for Russia to remain a land where the truth is widely shared and deception is kept to a minimum.
- Susan on February 26, 2022 · at 11:25 am EST/EDT
  
  So true! I have been helping out a young woman who is running for Congress against the Usual garbage we are offered up. Well a few days ago that ended with a tweet about the horrors of Putin. We had a long phone call and her ignorance of geo political issues was astounding. She told be that she had been against war forever yet she was clueless about Ukraine. When I asked her how many countries Putin invaded all she could come up with was Syria lol. When I explained to her Syria was invited in to stop the US invasion , and that the US was in their illegally and with out an invitation stealing oil! She was un able to respond. She then got all defensive not a good look!
- Pennsylvania Chuck on February 26, 2022 · at 12:53 pm EST/EDT
  
  Not all of us brother. I’m an American and by the grace of God see through the filth of propoganda. And yes I see too when you challenge peopke to question what they think most times its almost like a hatred comes over them. A hatred or just a total mental shut down. I’m a dish washer at a resturant so I hear alot of people spewing crap they heard on tv and that filthy jew social media. The hestary and filth is sickening and peooke are so happy to not only believe it. But spread it. Every once in awhile in inject an intellegent comment and people just look at me like I’m crazy and probably think this ignorant dishwasher must be a Russian foreign agent in disguise. Don’t fear what people can think and judge of you. Do and up and oppose the filth of American government and t the filth of American media. Being acceptable to God is what matters.
- The Kansan on February 26, 2022 · at 12:53 pm EST/EDT
  
  The USA population is being fed a smorgasbord of CIA, State Department, and USA military droppings mixed with a great deal of corporate propaganda (advertisements) that tell them endlessly how great their lives are as the number of tent villages and RV “homes” rise, infrastructure fails, and gas, an essential element for workers forced to commute to jobs, rises much faster than wages. Don’t you know it’s really a great life?
Ric G on February 26, 2022 · at 1:57 am EST/EDT

It is always nice when the US neocons are having a really bad week! Years of satanic work, and Nuland’s five billion dollars gone up in smoke.

I recommend Scott Ritter’s video for those who missed the link. American hero!

https://youtu.be/3GkmdCaBECs
- Justin on February 26, 2022 · at 3:55 am EST/EDT
  
  Have you seen Nuland’s face? She has this evil, malevolent look on her face all the time, only at times punctuated by this strange, typically American, phony-baloney smile.
Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 2:17 am EST/EDT

Zelensky has made an address refusing to leave Kiev. https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1497450853380280320

You can see he is standing right in front of the famous building: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_with_Chimaeras known as “Gorodetsky House” on googlemaps which is right adjacent to 11 Bankova Street which is the Presidential HQ. So it is confirmed that he is in fact continuing to stay at the Presidential palace with Russian armor columns *allegedly* on the way to Kiev, and other light recon/spetsnaz forces already inside the city (although fighting has died down for now).
- White Whale on February 26, 2022 · at 3:21 am EST/EDT
  
  Can the roof accommodate a helicopter ?
  - imo on February 26, 2022 · at 5:44 am EST/EDT
    
    Hopefully, we need another classic “Saigon Roof” photo for Time Mag.
    If Putin does not give us (&history) one of these at least then he only gets 9/10, imo.
    Problem is, the rats scampered a week or so ago.
    This tiny-hat with all the spiel will be out of there stage-left and sipping his red wine with Yatz (& probably Epstein) down Occupied Palestine way before the show curtains have even closed.
- MikeBa on February 26, 2022 · at 8:26 am EST/EDT
  
  new Infos say now that he is in Lwiw (Western Ukraine close to Poland )
  So probably no real actions with Kalashnikovs together with Klitschko are coming
  Thats a little dissapointing
- David Sant on February 26, 2022 · at 9:55 am EST/EDT
  
  Green screen. Just like Biden’s fake Oval Office.
Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 2:29 am EST/EDT

Absolutely unreal video of shell/rocket/missile hitting Kiev highrise.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1497469371018588167

here’s aftermath photos https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1497459977350492171

Luckily Ukraine authorities have declared no casualties in the event so far and have rescued some people.
No indication yet if this is Russian or Ukrainian attack, or what it even is. Judging by the window, and the direction where the sun is rising behind the building (which would be the East), someone correct me if I’m wrong but it appears the trajectory of the shell is coming from roughly the southwest somewhere, TOWARDS the northeasterly direction. IF that guess is correct then I can’t see it being a Russian munition because the Russians are currently trying to storm Kiev from the Northwest (Hostomel) and directly North (Vyshgorod region). So I don’t see how Russian forces would be firing from a southwesterly towards a northeasterly trajectory. But it’s impossible to really know as of yet.
- Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 2:44 am EST/EDT
  
  I’ve geolocated the building to 50.42271853201248, 30.46542794400736 on google maps. Judging by my own analysis I THINK I seem to be correct that the projectile’s trajectory was heading from south-southwest towards north-northeast. The only possible Russian force that lies on that axis is the alleged landing party we kept hearing about all night in Vasylkiv exactly to the southwest of that. But problem is, Vasylkiv is exactly 18 miles / ~28 kilometers from those apartment buildings. That’s probably way too far to be firing artillery. Of course it could be some kind of cruise missile coming from god knows where, though that trajectory seems unlikely as you’d expect any russian missiles to come from the east/north/northeast. So for now I’m led to conclude that as it stands at the moment with no further details, it can only have been a Ukrainian shelling of some sort. The only thing is that doesn’t make sense either (barring a deliberate provocation) because what could they possibly be shelling in such a manner? The russian ‘tank column’ WAS supposedly coming in on exactly that axis i.e. northeast Kiev in the direction where the shell/missile/rocket was heading. But problem is those highrises are towards southern part of Kiev so it seems a bit unlikely/improbable Ukrainian forces would be shelling from all the way there towards the northeast outskirts right OVER the highrises/skyrscrapers of town. So I’m absolutely puzzled on this one.
  - Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 3:09 am EST/EDT
    
    Also should mention judging by that video that could not have been a cruise missile as the projectile has massive white plume contrail and cruise missiles run on clean turbo fans that do not produce that type of trail. It looks like a rocket or some sort maybe MLRS
    - Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 3:33 am EST/EDT
      
      Ok I should have thought of that: it is now being reported by some that the missile was a likely Ukrop anti air missile / S-300 https://mobile.twitter.com/200_zoka/status/1497481389876338688
      
      1. I think everyone is still just hypothesizing but now that someone’s mentioned it, I don’t see anything else it can be because the signature looks just like an anti air missile and definitely not any type of ballistic or cruise missile or artillery shell.
      
      2. Only question is: why is an anti air firing randomly at such a low trajectory with seemingly nothing in the sky that it could be intercepting ? We’ve seen anti air missiles fail before many times and take flat or downward trajectories (particular this often happens to faulty Patriot and Iron Dome missiles) but it still seems strange. Only question is, is the damage on that apartment building consistent with something like an S300 or Buk missile since I know many of these types of missiles aren’t actually very powerful in conventional sense but rather have shrapnel warheads to pepper their targets and shred them. But not conventional powerful explosives that can necessarily punch holes through concrete / steel high rises.
      - Kimbal on February 26, 2022 · at 4:51 am EST/EDT
        
        As Alexander Mercouris noted, this reckless use of anti-aircraft systems by the Ukies raises questions about the downing of a certain passenger aircraft that occurred over the Donbass in 2014.
      - Blackring on February 26, 2022 · at 6:38 am EST/EDT
        
        @Nightvision
        
        “Only question is, is the damage on that apartment building consistent with something like an S300 or Buk missile”
        
        The question is answered. One more misuse of complicated military equipment by inexperienced personnel.
        
        *******
        Russia MOD: “In attempts of repelling a rocket attack on the military infrastructure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, failure occurred in the missile guidance system of a Ukrainian AF Buk-M1 medium-range air defense system and the missile hit the corner of a residential building.”
        
        *******
    - Blackring on February 26, 2022 · at 4:40 am EST/EDT
      
      Missile was on the downward trajectory but rocket engine still worked. It is unlikely this was MLRS. Looking at the trajectory and measuring speed from the video, it is possible to pinpoint missile type, even launch position. Plus, there are always missile fragments in the debris. I am sure we will have multiple “expert” opinions on this tragedy.
      
      One thing was obvious in two hectic days. Level of incompetence of Ukraine soldiers in Kiev is epic. They shot down own planes, drivers of tanks and APCs could not tell left from right, freshly armed angry mob is killing whoever is in sight.
      
      I do not know for how long this madness will last, it reminds me of Captagon fueled ISIS fights.
      - Thomas Milton on February 26, 2022 · at 5:10 am EST/EDT
        
        AA missiles have very specialized shrapnel. Geometrically shaped and cut. The truth would be easily seen.
      - imo on February 26, 2022 · at 6:40 am EST/EDT
        
        “.. it reminds me of Captagon fueled ISIS fights.”
        
        How’d Victoria “fvck the EU” cookie Nuland get back in town?
        
        Or were they Uber delivery, …?
  - Robert Lindsay on February 26, 2022 · at 4:03 am EST/EDT
    
    Hello, this “Russian attack on a high rise” is actually a stray Ukie anti-aircraft missile. Pretty much confirmed now.
    
    But Russia really needs to play this clean. Twitter was going nuts with Russia-haters and “Kill Putin” after this clip. Russians can’t be seen as deliberately targeting civilians AT ALL. Keep it clean, Putin. Take the high road.
    - AndrewK on February 26, 2022 · at 9:08 am EST/EDT
      
      Haters gonna hate. These braindead people turn the blind eye to pictures of the similiar aparment buildings destroyed in Donetsk. Typical emotional game.
- Anton Gorbatow on February 26, 2022 · at 2:52 am EST/EDT
  
  It’s probably a false flag.
- Freedom on February 26, 2022 · at 3:28 am EST/EDT
  
  It was reported to be the Ukraine S300 Missile hit.
  
  https://southfront.org/ukrainian-s-300-missile-destroyed-building-in-kiev-as-zelensky-office-dreams-to-dictate-terms-in-talks-with-moscow/
  
  Fake News: There is also reports accusing the Russians of holding 92 Hostages (workers) at Chernobyl. Its only interesting the level and degree of disinformation that the Ukrainian government is willing to spew out.
  - Blackring on February 26, 2022 · at 6:59 am EST/EDT
    
    Imagine the level of information the same guys will spew when interrogated after being captured.
- bb12 on February 26, 2022 · at 3:53 am EST/EDT
  
  The consensus on telegram is that it was a Ukrainian SAM fired from within the city
  
  https://t.me/boris_rozhin/23043
  
  https://t.me/boris_rozhin/23092
  
  ColonelCassad
AndrewK on February 26, 2022 · at 2:32 am EST/EDT

Russian MoD: Russian Armed Forces Establish Full Control Over the City of Melitopol

Couple minutes ago on Sputnik.
- Prince Andrew on February 26, 2022 · at 2:54 am EST/EDT
  
  …and the Russian flags are out & on display.
Willi on February 26, 2022 · at 2:47 am EST/EDT

I don’t know if this is allowed in here. But it must be shown. Moderator move it if necessary.

18+ 2 Teachers Killed In Shelling Of School. The blame goes to Ukraine. (My Investigation). Patrick Lancester.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIW-IacnviQ

PS. What mean APC Weapons?
- ΚΓΨ on February 26, 2022 · at 4:13 am EST/EDT
  
  Armo(u)red Personnel Carrier (APC)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armoured_personnel_carrier
  - Willi on February 26, 2022 · at 5:26 am EST/EDT
    
    Thanks.
Victor on February 26, 2022 · at 2:55 am EST/EDT

“Destroy the Ukie armed forces but kill the absolute minimum number of Ukrainian soldiers (real Nazi will probably be destroyed no questions asked). Why? Because these surviving Ukrainian soldiers and officers are the ones who will play the main role in finally cleaning the Ukraine from the Nazi scum.”

“The Kremlin decided that the goal of the operation was to 1) disarm and 2) to denazify the Ukraine. As soon as these goals are reached, the Russian want to get the hell out of the Ukraine and back into the LDNR and let the Ukrainians fight their own anti-Nazi civil war.”

I don’t understand. If Russia intends to de-nazify Ukraine before they leave, then why the first statement – leaving the army to clean up the nazis after the Russians have left?

Maybe I missed something?
Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 3:40 am EST/EDT

Truth about Snake Island (scroll down for video as well)

https://mobile.twitter.com/SyriaObReloaded/status/1497487434661044229
Igor Vuksanović on February 26, 2022 · at 3:45 am EST/EDT

Very good points regarding fear of numerous readers: how to proceed in urban warfare conditions, against enemy seemingly intent to increase his own civilian casualties? Of course, I glean from article, it is doable, there is extensive experience, but it will not necessarily be easy.

Russian offensive is to be studied in military academies. And although war is hell, I would like to commend incredible care to lessen casualties, military and civilian, on other side, even if that puts Russians themselves in harm¨s way!

Questions of political nature will be in forefront rapidly. Might there be a way to finish operation quickly and retreat to Donbass legal borders if practically all heavy weaponry of Ukrainian army is destroyed or impounded, military industry basically taken apart and destroyed or shipped to Russia…and of course Nazi leadership and war criminals killed in battle or taken to Russia and put to trial? Of course legal agreements regarding neutrality would have to be concluded.

Perhaps. But unfortunately, even that might buy peaceful sleep only for a few years. However you look upon it, anti – Russia in whatever borders can always be financed and resurrected by interested parties, legal agreements can be broken, whole bad situation can be replayed, if Ukrainians themselves should not resolutely reject fascism and hate. That is why Russian army is so careful not to produce bitternes and hate by its actions. But, will Russians suceed?
Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 3:47 am EST/EDT

What I’ve been saying all along !

https://mobile.twitter.com/AlexeiArora/status/1497467579799113729
Alfred (Antalya) on February 26, 2022 · at 3:48 am EST/EDT

I have no expertise in this area. But I imagine that armed “robots” or just cameras that can crawl about and look around corners are invaluable in an urban setting. Syria was a testing ground.

“Uran-9, Russian Robotic Tanks Slated to be Deployed “Soon” Despite Flaws During Syrian Tests”

https://www.syriahr.com/en/213520/
Nightvision on February 26, 2022 · at 3:50 am EST/EDT

Indian ambassador gives his exact reasons for abstaining from today’s UNSC vote to condemn Russia https://mobile.twitter.com/ambtstirumurti/status/1497343528258650113
- tranquilocomp on February 26, 2022 · at 5:51 am EST/EDT
  
  “For all these reasons, we abstain…” It was a funny abstention for what it did not say explicitly. Can I put it? How shall I put it, “They’re both bad, we abstain.”
  - Rhys Jaggar on February 26, 2022 · at 6:43 am EST/EDT
    
    ‘We have relations with both the USA and Russia, so if we take sides here, we will lose out.’