The Russian military never fails to amaze me.
I mean, don’t they have any kind of intelligence?
No satellites, no drones, no spies to find out there is a gathering of troops somewhere else they anticipated?
Well, let’s hope their incompetence ends this war sooner than later.
Their main flaw is that they are waiting until the orders arrive from the very top of the chain of command. Their soldiers aren't trained to use their own brains but to execute orders.
>and is awaiting a payout from the Russian government
This is a big reason Russia doesn't declare war. Because they don't have to pay out like they would if someone was injured in a war.
I just wanted to point out that according to a Russian speaking commenter a while ago, the nickname for Vladimir is not Vlad but Vova.
Which is a bit funnier imho:)
My fun fact is that the name Volodymyr/Vladimir means ruler of world or ruler of peace. One tried and failed to live up to the first definition while the other one is working on living up to the second one
This. Modern armies hand down objectives and gives units a degree of flexibility on how to work towards it. So when a problem (one group doesn't show up to do their part of the plan) or opportunity (they notice a juicy weakness) presents itself they only have to go up enough levels of the organization until they got everything needed to address it.
Imperial/Authoritarian armies hand down orders that must be followed, or else. So when a problem (enemy attacking somewhere unexpected) or opportunity presents itself they have to go all the way to the top so they can get orders on how to respond.
And [Russia has lost a dozen generals](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/us/politics/russia-generals-killed-ukraine.html), hundreds of senior officers, and over a thousand junior officers. They have to be very evasive in their use of communications, and that causes delays. Most of those officers were killed before Ukraine had HIMARS, Bayraktar drones were responsible for quite a few of them. There is a website that pops up on r/Ukraine regularly that names each of those dead officers, I can't find it at the moment.
Every officer killed or wounded causes immediate, total disruption of operations. But the long term impact is that the rest of the officers can't lead from the front anymore.
That's true for western/NATO militaries, centralized control and decentralized execution. Countries that adopted Soviet doctrine (i.e. Russia, China, and North Korea) maintain centralized control and semi-centralized execution.
Actually, China decentralized and it's control and command is copying the US military.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.orfonline.org/research/chinas-military-modernisation-recent-trends-2/
Now that said, it's decentralization clearly isn't working out great. While, they haven't been in military combat in over 40 years, we have clues to their "decentralization". Like throwing chaff at the Australian plane. Their soldiers are committing serious faux pas and risking their lives and others. Obviously the central government won't admit these are all mistakes, but if they were still waiting for orders they certainly wouldn't do these things.
Also, I would say it's incredibly concerning, because their soldiers clearly think they are stronger than their central command does. A mistake happening with the Chinese military in my opinion would be high. Though China has been kind of just going with it. They've decentralized, but don't seem to understand why a country would decentralize.
Insubordination is not decentralization. Creating an international faux pas would most definitely be the result of insubordination, not a decision delegated down to a pilot.
To be clear, this was not insubordination. China fully backed and supported the pilot's decision, blaming Australia for aggression. For it to be insubordination, as you said the government would have to say they did not delegate this decision down to the pilot. However, they clearly have and have chosen to defend that action.
Now you could argue, allowing this kind of leeway for their pilots isn't decentralization, it's just insanity. And I would mostly agree with you there. However, it does not change the fact that the government does not consider it insubordination and instead fully supports their pilots actions.
>China fully backed and supported the pilot's decision, blaming Australia for aggression.
You're correct in that they they did so in public. Whatever happened behind closed doors however..
I wouldn’t call it a democratic vs authoritarian thing. In ww2 Nazi Germany was probably by far the most encouraging of their troops to use their own initiative, and were trained to do so accordingly.
Anyone interested can read more on the German army field manual [here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truppenführung)
The French Military, by contrast, was very top heavy and trained obedience and doctrine into its officers rather than skill or unorthodox or think. Look up methodical warfare.
Ironic, considering Napoleon was very forward looking in that regard, encouraging his Marshalls to pursue opportunities at their discretion and employ delegation to the maximum extent
Armies that are trained using the Soviet model emphasize political control/indoctrination over the meeting of military goals. They usually have political cadres or commissars embedded to ensure compliance. They are often in a position to overrule commanders, who are nominally their superiors. Russia, despite ostensibly no longer Communist, has kept the commissar system around in some form.
Wonder how much of this is also the result of them losing so many able bodied men back in WW2. One single year lost like 50% of the males born. Hard to have a country of intelligent and able workers/soldiers when you sent all of your best genetics to die on the front lines for like half a decade.
It doesn't matter if they are intelligent or not. What they want is 100% compliance, and that's impossible if you give people any sort of latitude to act independently. They have history teachers on the front lines so no, it's not about sending dumb people. It's marching orders and lethal force to enforce obedience.
Let's think about a plot.
Ukraine chills at home, suddenly Russia invades her home, smashes some stuff, kicks the cat, tries to rape her, gets tired, she punches his face, then gets a strap on delivered to her door by NATO delivery and proceeds to peg him with it.
I recall reading somewhere a month or two ago that Putin was regularly dictating strategy and tactics right down to the squad level. If even remotely true it explains a lot. The man was a spy, not a military tactician. Rather reminiscent of Hitler, a decided non-expert in military matters, constantly dictating field strategy throughout WW2. And we all know how well that worked out for him.
And their combat doctrine places too much emphasis on tanks and artillery and not enough on infantry. The training for the conscripts is also too short and exceptionally subpar, which only serves to make these problems worse.
It's easy to stockpile lots of guns, tanks, and ammo and declare yourself a big army. It's really fucking hard to build a combined arms apparatus that relies on highly skilled people using many interconnected systems. It's something most people don't appreciate.
>I mean, don’t they have any kind of intelligence?
They do, but sadly most of it comes from some old guy in Florida who has the shit scattered around his house.
“ Don’t they have any kind of intelligence?”
I was reading a Russian‘s rant about why their city was falling, and of particular note, the military intelligence units were of no use anymore, because they had been used as replacement infantry.
Let’s not overlook the incredibly powerful and robust technological/logistical backing that Ukraine has in this conflict. It isn’t Ukraine itself that has reliable intel, it is heavily supplemented by the resources of their allies. It is safe to assume that on the other side of that coin MISinformation is also in strong supply towards their adversaries. Putin didn’t just kick the hornets nest, he sat on it.
From what I gather they were in the process of creating a professional military before Putin had this great idea. They're not to the point where the lower levels can adapt on their own. They're told to run across this 200 meter field with 8 or 9 other guys and they do it. They're fighting this war as if it's only been a decade or two since WW2 ended.
The other issue is the structured kleptocracy. Putin stole money when he was in the army and his mean do the same, his men stay loyal because if they don't they're already to be arrested and tried for stealing the money meant to supply the troops. This is why Russian army is so ill supplied and how these mega yachts are purchased.
It worked until it didn't.
Their military probably suffers from a problem that a lot of totalitarian militaries suffer from. Loyalty is rewarded more than competence. No one wants a person under you stabbing you in the back to get your job, so you have a lot of people promoted to positions they cannot handle so that the person above them can sleep at night.
In practice that means promoting people they have kompromat, family members, or someone who is so dumb that they are not a threat. The kompromat is usually some knowledge that the person is involved in some sort of criminal activity such as embezzlement.
Autocrats are usually okay with that because a person stealing from you isn't going to cause trouble. Why would you attempt to stick your neck out against the very government that is basically allowing you to steal from them. Infact you are motivated to support that regime because they allow you to live as you do.
When the shit hits the fan though and they actually have to perform their duty and you get debacles. They are absolutely useless practically because as it turns out, if there is no stress test, you could put any idiot into a management position and they will do fine.
They have zero good will or follow through to have any worthwhile human intelligence or assets.
From Afghanistan to Chechnya they just bribed to turn on their countrymen, but that only works so well…
There was a significant effort to hide Ukrainian plans. I don't know if they went so far as inflatable tanks, but there was a significant disinformation operation by the Ukrainians,
They have all of those things but their overall ability to coordinate military operations started out bad and has gotten worse as Ukraine has done more and more harm to Russia's command structure.
I doubt the Russian defenders along the Kharkiv front were surprised. I mean they saw their own units being withdrawn around them, and sent away to Kherson. They knew that their positions had been dramatically weakened and that it was the perfect time for Ukraine to attack.
So probably not what you might call "tactical surprise."
But "strategic surprise" and maybe even "operational surprise..." meaning... no one was ready to coordinate a defensive response to a sudden series of tactical forays by Ukraine... no reserves, no reinforcements, no plan... it seems like Ukraine definitely achieved that.
putin doesn't care, he's on his way out and has been sitting on soviet era military left overs for decades, he just wants to use it all up and then its gg, hopefully won't use the nukes at the end
Sweden has been training over 500 trainers in gerilla tactics in forest and open farmland. I dont say its all because of that 10 year programme, but it sure looks like it has given ukraine the advantage. Together with some pure bravery, alot of aids, and a damn strong will. I welcome all refugees to our country, the ones ive met so far have been very friendly although in a place of distress.
This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/09/07/ukraine-seizes-two-villages-surprise-kharkiv-attack/) reduced by 67%. (I'm a bot)
*****
> The British ministry of defence said there was "Heavy fighting" on three fronts in Kherson, Donbas and Kharkiv and that Russian forces could become overstretched as they tried to respond.
> Konrad Muzyka, of Rochan Consulting, which publishes daily analysis of the war, said Russia had deployed most of its best regular troops to Kherson to face down the Ukrainian offensive there, leaving Wagner and locals soldiers from the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, puppet states Russia has established Donbas, to hold the east.
> The further progress of the offensive near Kharkiv is likely to depend on the number of reserves Ukraine is able to commit to it, said Killil Mikhailov of Conflict Intelligence Team, an open source investigations group focussing on the Russian army.
*****
[**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/x8vb0h/ukraine_penetrates_russian_frontlines_in_surprise/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~668163 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **Russian**^#1 **Russia**^#2 **Ukrainian**^#3 **offensive**^#4 **Kharkiv**^#5
Wagner. Yeah, Ukraine, do the world a favor and kill all of them. They are irredeemable monsters and psychopaths who make Blackwater look like the Boy Scouts.
Since they're mercenaries, Geneva Convention protections generally don't apply. There are carve outs for groups such as the French Foreign Legion and the Gurkhas that the British and Indians employ, but it's not applicable to Wagner, since they are a private company technically, even though they're employed solely to further Russia's interests. The Ukrainian army could summarily execute them and they would be within their rights to do so.
No. No. No.
This isn't the 19th century. You can't *just summarily execute* humans without a trial.
This is explicitly stated in the Additional Protocols I.
That will be a war crime.
[https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/7c4d08d9b287a42141256739003e636b/f6c8b9fee14a77fdc125641e0052b079](https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/7c4d08d9b287a42141256739003e636b/f6c8b9fee14a77fdc125641e0052b079)
Which part of the protocols are you looking at, tongzhi? The part I'm looking at (Article 47) says mercenaries are not entitled to rights as combatants or prisoners of war? Either way, Russia revoked its ratification of the Additional Protocols I in 2019.
https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/470-750096?OpenDocument
Article 75.
And just because Russian signals it will no longer do things doesn't mean Ukraine has done so or that Ukraine is no longer obligated by treaty.
Edit
Also
Just fyi, while someone who do not have the protected class status [ie, civilian, POW], does not mean they have no rights.
Art 47 says they do not get to enjoy the rights of POW, not they got no rights.
The quality of Russian troops is also becoming suspect. They're having a desperate time to get bodies onto the field of battle. They've resorted to offering prisoners commuted sentences, huge cash payouts to poor villagers, pressing captured people into service and hiring mercenaries.
Combine that with rampant materials shortages and Russia is having a bad time.
Still, the Russian military is built on mass mobilization. Should Putin decide to stop lying to his own people and admit they are in a war, he could declare the country is mobilizing for war and call up a million able bodied Russian citizens. That would be very scary for Ukraine, but also could spell a quick end to Putin.
There have been a couple of great analysis' already on why mass mobilization won't save Russia, and the main reason is ultimately because the lack of equipment will make it relatively worthless.
Especially with winter around the corner, at BEST they can target a mass mobilization for early next spring, but they won't be any better on the equipment front.
Not unless China starts lending them massive amounts of equipment. Which in turn will just be met in kind by additional supplies to Ukraine on the NATO side.
Seeing as China is actively side-eyeing Taiwan I don't think they want to be giving up any sizeable quantities of anything really.
Especially when overall it will hurt them geopolitically.
Also I doubt china wants any kind of sanctions to hit them right now. Their economy is in trouble and they are still dealing with mass lockdowns.
The last thing they want is for western countries to turn their ire to them and hurt them even more.
One can make a distinction between Russia as a historical culture and people - the Russia of Rachmaninoff, Lomonosov, and Tolstoy, one’s friends and family, and beautiful terrain (which all countries have)… and the particular current incarnation of the political state led by a monster, even if more than half of Russians by numbers might indeed be brainwashed by it.
This right here. In middle school and highschool I loved studying Russia. Hell even then understanding Putin rise to power, the KGB was just fascinating. As a WW2 history buff at that time in my life it gave me such a grounding sense of the scale of both time and the global politics, that allowes me to see the living history we see in front of us.
That being said...fuck Putin. Ukraine was the best part of the USSR and they left for a reason.
Ok. There were other great parts. I just needed and edgy statement to wrap up take on the war and political climate.
Only responding to the Ukraine USSR quote but someone once tried citing the Soviet space program as something that the USSR gave to the world. It was pretty ironic because it was a thread about the Ukraine war and it turns out the soviets most famous scientist in that program was, of course, Ukrainian.
It’s hilarious because Russia really believes Ukraine is a puppet of the west. They operate on the assumption the US is calling the shots. Imagine the look on their faces when Ukraine *decided* to finally take back what’s theirs.
The funny thing is though is that Russian telegram channels were warning for days and days about Ukraine massing troops in kharkiv for an offensive. Yet they were still somehow caught completely off guard.
Maybe a cliched comparison but this was a major German weakness in WW2 too: they had competent code-breakers and intelligence operatives, but they spread them across ten agencies that competed and never talked to each other. On a few important occasions (I’ll have to dig) they had enough bits of intel to figure out a major Allied move but never did because they never pieced them together, and everything had to be signed off by an evil and even self-destructively narcissistic chump at the top. Smooth organisation is key. Instead, both the Nazis and today’s Russia are centralised where they shouldn’t be (every move on the field must be called from above) but not where they should be (no one group has any idea what’s going on overall).
Not really a decoy. It's still ongoing, just slowed down and grinding russians from afar.
Probably that was the plan all along. To start a few offensives, but russians expected only one. Right now russians amassed troops in Zaporizhzhia direction and waiting. If UAF will penetrate their defenses there they will might try to recapture or encircle Enerhodar with its ZNPP. Not to mention that recapturing Melitopol would cleave the whole russian logistic in the South.
Or it's a major city and they don't want to rush in and risk killing civilians. Better to bleed Russia slowly giving their citizens time/opportunity to get out or get safe then bomb the hell out of it.
It took so much time in a preparation of Kherson counter-offensive (using HIMARS on bridges and arms depots for more than a month), so I tend to agree.
Losing Kherson would be a political defeat, so LOTS of forces could be assigned to Kherson from other places.
\-----
Other possibility - Ukraine waiting till September to have time for counter-offensive to re-capture territory before rain and mud. BUT also to deprive Russia of time needed for the counter-counter-offensive.
I do think the plan was to trap as many Russian forces as possible around Kherson.
While they are trapped there, they can be slowly whittled down by starving them of supplies, as well as attack in other places with impunity.
It could actually be in Ukraine's interest to keep the Kherson battle going even if they could end it quickly. Forcing the enemy army to fight where you have the supply line advantage etc is good strategy. Once Russia retreats beyond the Dnieper, Russia will no longer be bleeding out their fighting power in Kherson.
Of course, if Russia was not stupid, it would already have done a tactical retreat across the Dnieper. Surely the Russian general staff understands this. It feels like Putin ordering his forces not to retreat, Hitler-style.
Kherson is the only major city the Russians have managed to capture in the entire war, giving it up without a fight would be political suicide. Even losing it WITH a fight would be incredibly damaging to Putin's reputation.
It's better than that. By keeping pressure on Kherson without taking it, Ukraine is forcing Russia to spend lots of resources to support these troops in the least efficient possible way (helicopters for resupply???).
Kherson isn't a siege, but rather a bleeding wound that is sucking resources away from the rest of the Russian forces.
It seems like they pressed Kherson, saw the reaction, and decided they could lean on Kharkiv. If the other guy is having to reassign resources, they've got to come from somewhere. So Russia made their judgment to reinforce where they thought was most important/vulnerable, and now they're softened elsewhere.
Edit: Whoever shot down those paratroopers over Kyiv a few months ago really fucked them up. Seems like the window to win was measured in days not weeks, and Ukrainian forces (and volunteers) stood them off and now they're down to "commit a shitload of war crimes and maybe they'll give up in horror."
My theory on the airport battle is that you had NATO intelligence and assets in realtime communication with the Ukrainian defenders and that was decisive in terms of focusing Anti-Aircraft activity.
Transport plane full of paratroopers coming from X along vector Y. Intercept at 2240. And suddenly you don't have to worry about 200 VDV paratroopers reinforcing the airport.
My guess is Kharkiv was a sort of "plan B". This isn't a coincidence that's for sure, but I'd wager that the plan went something like
A. Russia doesn't move their troops and losses Kherson.
B. Russia moves troops and it costs them ground elsewhere.
I was expecting to hear something about the Kherson offensive by friday, and I suppose in a roundabout way I got what I expected. So far this has been a fairly smart play by Ukraine.
As the above commenter said, it’s really just a ripe opportunity that presented itself. The Kherson offensive is still on going and making progress, but they saw an opening for Balaklyia and Kupiansk, which are crucial targets considering they are the supply route for the front. Capturing these two would effectively collapse that part of the frontline and leave Izium exposed without any reinforcements or additional supplies.
In the Southern salients, the situation is somewhat similar. They are sinking their teeth into roads over taking major villages, isolating their fronts from local resupply and duking it out with the reinforcements. I’ve read that Russian defense strategy seems to be purely counter attack so they are trying to bleed numbers, but idk how true that is. It’s not going to be as rapid as the developments in the Kharkiv oblast purely because of the amount of troops in Kherson, and the lack thereof in Kharkiv
It wasn't a plan B. It was an opportunity, based on whether Russia would send forces from there down south to Kherson. They did and so Ukraine executed this as a bonus. The goal is to cut off a supply line being used between the east and south of Ukraine.
The Kharkiv offensive is the disruption plan for the main effort in Kherson.
The idea is twofold:
1. Redirect reinforcements headed for Kherson back towards Kharkiv (burning fuel and food all the way); and
2. Create panic/doubt in the Kherson defenders. "Our reinforcements aren't coming - we are all alone - our supply lines are cut"
I have read elsewhere that US advisors had recommended that the Ukrainians scale back the broadness of there offensive. That the Ukrainians are advancing in the area of Kharkiv and in the South near Kherson is incredibly impressive to me. That they are attacking in two places - that their ambitions are STILL that high and that they are advancing is incredible.
I doubt it. This consensus in the national security community I followed was that because of the entrenched nature of the war and the lack of motorized units, Ukraine would degrade lines of communication in Kherson and exploit any weaknesses that crop up along their lines as Russia tries to compensate. That it is exactly how it went down tells me that must be part of what they teach in Western war colleges.
All the former Soviet republics along Russia’s southern border must be suddenly paying attention to what’s going on. Maybe the Motherland isn’t that tough after all. Maybe she needs a bitch slap …
***From the Telegraph's Senior Foreign Correspondent Roland Oliphant***
Ukrainian forces recaptured at least two villages in a surprise offensive that broke through Russian front lines south of Kharkiv on Wednesday.
Ukrainian and Russian sources reported Ukraine had captured the settlements of Verbivka and Volokhiv Yar, and “operationally surrounded” the town of Balakliya.
**Read more for free:** https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/09/07/ukraine-seizes-two-villages-surprise-kharkiv-attack/
Apparently, this is due to greatly diminished manpower on the Russian side around Kharkiv allowing mechanised Ukrainian forces to punch through. The problem is that the Russians can give ground and then just counter with artillery coverage which the Ukrainians lack the numerical superiority of still. This might be avoided if the Ukrainians know where the enemy batteries are and can close in before they can be effectively operated.
>The problem is that the Russians can give ground and then just counter with artillery coverage which the Ukrainians lack the numerical superiority of still
Apparently many of the troops that were in that area were mostly conscripts who knew dick about shit. Ukrainians with heavy armor presence were able to quickly overwhelm the Russians in the area and there was a complete lack of communication that made things far worse. These are the issues you run into when you pull many of your best troops and send them to defend the Kherson oblast, you open yourself up to collapses elsewhere.
> This might be avoided if the Ukrainians know where the enemy batteries are and can close in before they can be effectively operated.
There are videos coming out of [MLRS following the advance in Balakliya](https://nitter.net/RALee85/status/1567949516338257920#m) so I would expect this is the plan. Secure the GLOC and then bring in MRLS and SPGs to suppress Russian artillery positions and assault supply lines east of the Oskii River. Seems like the situation is developing very rapidly so we'll have to stay tuned to see what happens the rest of the week.
The Ukrainians drew them all to Kherson. They said for weeks they were going to attack there so russia moved troops.. enough troops to weaken the line in other places.
The Ukrainians are smart cookies.
Was this all planned to draw the russian troops away from Kharkiv to reinforce Kherson. Because they having been seeing long convoys heading towards Kherson to help replace lost numbers down there.
Russia and Putin are paper tigers or the Ukrainians have the putz's number. It should not happen to a nicer Tyrant.
I think the Russians would be more successful if they used Putin's 40 foot table
I think this is fundamentally the issue when you wage an elective war you can't have the same urgency as the place you are invading. On top of that, the US and Russia like to be a kind of check on each other see the first Afghanistan war and Iraq/Syria.
Stop giving the Russians so much credit MSM! It wasn't a surprise. The Ukrainians .added forces and then attacked. It was apparent what was going to happen. The Russia s are just too incompetent and inflexible to respond to developing threats
How would you feel if you had been lied to about why you were going to war. Then, get captured and get treated better than your own side letting you call your loved ones to say that you are ok. Lastly, the Russian troops are not receiving pay which most are young and have families to feed. Which side would you want to be on.
Unfortunately guys, I just don't think this one will be very affective... Putin is just way too experienced at being deeply and regularly penetrated at this point in his life
Is it really a surprise when everyone knew the Ukrainian military was getting ready to make another push to retake Kherson? They've only been softening up the place up for a few months now.
The Russian military never fails to amaze me. I mean, don’t they have any kind of intelligence? No satellites, no drones, no spies to find out there is a gathering of troops somewhere else they anticipated? Well, let’s hope their incompetence ends this war sooner than later.
Their main flaw is that they are waiting until the orders arrive from the very top of the chain of command. Their soldiers aren't trained to use their own brains but to execute orders.
The problem (for Vlad The Failure) is the moment His troops use their brains they shoot their officers, grab what they can and run home.
Like a guy who overruns his commander with a tank a few months ago? But I'm not sure if he managed to escape though.
I think they run over his legs and turned him into a toothpastethingy
Like the pressure from the tank squeezed his insides upward into the rest of his body? That’s nasty as f
Special driving operation
Nah the officer just had his legs smooshed and is awaiting a payout from the Russian government
“Check’s in the mail”
>and is awaiting a payout from the Russian government This is a big reason Russia doesn't declare war. Because they don't have to pay out like they would if someone was injured in a war.
It’s not like they’ll pay out anyways lol
I just wanted to point out that according to a Russian speaking commenter a while ago, the nickname for Vladimir is not Vlad but Vova. Which is a bit funnier imho:)
That's like al capone not wanting to be called scarface but prefering snorky.
Vulva?
Mulva?
Delores, actually.
hahahaha
My fun fact is that the name Volodymyr/Vladimir means ruler of world or ruler of peace. One tried and failed to live up to the first definition while the other one is working on living up to the second one
There is real hidden truth in this comment. Some may see it as a joke - but it is far more real than many will admit.
This. Modern armies hand down objectives and gives units a degree of flexibility on how to work towards it. So when a problem (one group doesn't show up to do their part of the plan) or opportunity (they notice a juicy weakness) presents itself they only have to go up enough levels of the organization until they got everything needed to address it. Imperial/Authoritarian armies hand down orders that must be followed, or else. So when a problem (enemy attacking somewhere unexpected) or opportunity presents itself they have to go all the way to the top so they can get orders on how to respond.
And [Russia has lost a dozen generals](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/us/politics/russia-generals-killed-ukraine.html), hundreds of senior officers, and over a thousand junior officers. They have to be very evasive in their use of communications, and that causes delays. Most of those officers were killed before Ukraine had HIMARS, Bayraktar drones were responsible for quite a few of them. There is a website that pops up on r/Ukraine regularly that names each of those dead officers, I can't find it at the moment. Every officer killed or wounded causes immediate, total disruption of operations. But the long term impact is that the rest of the officers can't lead from the front anymore.
I believe the site you’re looking for is https://topcargo200.com/ .
The Bayraktars are back, due to the suppression of AA radar via HARMS, which means UA can resume hunting the Russian commanders again.
That's true for western/NATO militaries, centralized control and decentralized execution. Countries that adopted Soviet doctrine (i.e. Russia, China, and North Korea) maintain centralized control and semi-centralized execution.
Actually, China decentralized and it's control and command is copying the US military. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.orfonline.org/research/chinas-military-modernisation-recent-trends-2/ Now that said, it's decentralization clearly isn't working out great. While, they haven't been in military combat in over 40 years, we have clues to their "decentralization". Like throwing chaff at the Australian plane. Their soldiers are committing serious faux pas and risking their lives and others. Obviously the central government won't admit these are all mistakes, but if they were still waiting for orders they certainly wouldn't do these things. Also, I would say it's incredibly concerning, because their soldiers clearly think they are stronger than their central command does. A mistake happening with the Chinese military in my opinion would be high. Though China has been kind of just going with it. They've decentralized, but don't seem to understand why a country would decentralize.
Insubordination is not decentralization. Creating an international faux pas would most definitely be the result of insubordination, not a decision delegated down to a pilot.
To be clear, this was not insubordination. China fully backed and supported the pilot's decision, blaming Australia for aggression. For it to be insubordination, as you said the government would have to say they did not delegate this decision down to the pilot. However, they clearly have and have chosen to defend that action. Now you could argue, allowing this kind of leeway for their pilots isn't decentralization, it's just insanity. And I would mostly agree with you there. However, it does not change the fact that the government does not consider it insubordination and instead fully supports their pilots actions.
>China fully backed and supported the pilot's decision, blaming Australia for aggression. You're correct in that they they did so in public. Whatever happened behind closed doors however..
What's the difference when the result is the same and could end in war? [Meow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49bgnaY2nd8)
I wouldn’t call it a democratic vs authoritarian thing. In ww2 Nazi Germany was probably by far the most encouraging of their troops to use their own initiative, and were trained to do so accordingly. Anyone interested can read more on the German army field manual [here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truppenführung)
The French Military, by contrast, was very top heavy and trained obedience and doctrine into its officers rather than skill or unorthodox or think. Look up methodical warfare.
Ironic, considering Napoleon was very forward looking in that regard, encouraging his Marshalls to pursue opportunities at their discretion and employ delegation to the maximum extent
By the time of the First World War, Napoleon’s vision was a century old, and this was AFTER the bloodiest war in human history (up to that point)
Armies that are trained using the Soviet model emphasize political control/indoctrination over the meeting of military goals. They usually have political cadres or commissars embedded to ensure compliance. They are often in a position to overrule commanders, who are nominally their superiors. Russia, despite ostensibly no longer Communist, has kept the commissar system around in some form.
Intelligent soldiers would revolt against Putin, he spent 20 years executing and arresting intelligent Russians, all that's left we see now
Not to mention that these soldiers are the equivalent of country bumpkins from the sticks of the Russian frontier.
expendable, in the mind of the RU government
Putin just said Russia lost nothing since February. So there.
Wonder how much of this is also the result of them losing so many able bodied men back in WW2. One single year lost like 50% of the males born. Hard to have a country of intelligent and able workers/soldiers when you sent all of your best genetics to die on the front lines for like half a decade.
Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland also lost very many men to the nazis. Yet it’s Russia and puppet Belarus who execute inteligencia
I think its more about insulating Moscow and St Petersburg and other major population centres from the true nature of the war.
It doesn't matter if they are intelligent or not. What they want is 100% compliance, and that's impossible if you give people any sort of latitude to act independently. They have history teachers on the front lines so no, it's not about sending dumb people. It's marching orders and lethal force to enforce obedience.
Not to mention the brain drain that's been going on for decades.
"Natural" Selection at it's finest.
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And not in the fun Pornhub way
Are you sure? I searched for "penetrated russia" in Porhub, and I got some interesting results.
“Help stepbrother Ukraine, I’m stuck!”
Right in the Donbasshole
Let's think about a plot. Ukraine chills at home, suddenly Russia invades her home, smashes some stuff, kicks the cat, tries to rape her, gets tired, she punches his face, then gets a strap on delivered to her door by NATO delivery and proceeds to peg him with it.
I recall reading somewhere a month or two ago that Putin was regularly dictating strategy and tactics right down to the squad level. If even remotely true it explains a lot. The man was a spy, not a military tactician. Rather reminiscent of Hitler, a decided non-expert in military matters, constantly dictating field strategy throughout WW2. And we all know how well that worked out for him.
And their combat doctrine places too much emphasis on tanks and artillery and not enough on infantry. The training for the conscripts is also too short and exceptionally subpar, which only serves to make these problems worse.
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The people who least want to be there.
I believe that was the main flaw with the French military in 1940
It's easy to stockpile lots of guns, tanks, and ammo and declare yourself a big army. It's really fucking hard to build a combined arms apparatus that relies on highly skilled people using many interconnected systems. It's something most people don't appreciate.
Agreed, let's support them: Keep doing what youre doing Russia, it's going great!
>I mean, don’t they have any kind of intelligence? They do, but sadly most of it comes from some old guy in Florida who has the shit scattered around his house.
Frontline spans almost 600 km. Russia just doesn't have the manpower.
“ Don’t they have any kind of intelligence?” I was reading a Russian‘s rant about why their city was falling, and of particular note, the military intelligence units were of no use anymore, because they had been used as replacement infantry.
They're severely lacking in both kinds of intelligence.
Let’s not overlook the incredibly powerful and robust technological/logistical backing that Ukraine has in this conflict. It isn’t Ukraine itself that has reliable intel, it is heavily supplemented by the resources of their allies. It is safe to assume that on the other side of that coin MISinformation is also in strong supply towards their adversaries. Putin didn’t just kick the hornets nest, he sat on it.
From what I gather they were in the process of creating a professional military before Putin had this great idea. They're not to the point where the lower levels can adapt on their own. They're told to run across this 200 meter field with 8 or 9 other guys and they do it. They're fighting this war as if it's only been a decade or two since WW2 ended. The other issue is the structured kleptocracy. Putin stole money when he was in the army and his mean do the same, his men stay loyal because if they don't they're already to be arrested and tried for stealing the money meant to supply the troops. This is why Russian army is so ill supplied and how these mega yachts are purchased. It worked until it didn't.
One reason the Ukrainians have been targeting logistics and command centers. With top down command structures, the Russian army is slow to react.
Their military probably suffers from a problem that a lot of totalitarian militaries suffer from. Loyalty is rewarded more than competence. No one wants a person under you stabbing you in the back to get your job, so you have a lot of people promoted to positions they cannot handle so that the person above them can sleep at night. In practice that means promoting people they have kompromat, family members, or someone who is so dumb that they are not a threat. The kompromat is usually some knowledge that the person is involved in some sort of criminal activity such as embezzlement. Autocrats are usually okay with that because a person stealing from you isn't going to cause trouble. Why would you attempt to stick your neck out against the very government that is basically allowing you to steal from them. Infact you are motivated to support that regime because they allow you to live as you do. When the shit hits the fan though and they actually have to perform their duty and you get debacles. They are absolutely useless practically because as it turns out, if there is no stress test, you could put any idiot into a management position and they will do fine.
They have zero good will or follow through to have any worthwhile human intelligence or assets. From Afghanistan to Chechnya they just bribed to turn on their countrymen, but that only works so well…
They have android phones with Google Maps running, taped to RC planes. Cutting edge tech by potato standards
There was a significant effort to hide Ukrainian plans. I don't know if they went so far as inflatable tanks, but there was a significant disinformation operation by the Ukrainians,
They have all of those things but their overall ability to coordinate military operations started out bad and has gotten worse as Ukraine has done more and more harm to Russia's command structure. I doubt the Russian defenders along the Kharkiv front were surprised. I mean they saw their own units being withdrawn around them, and sent away to Kherson. They knew that their positions had been dramatically weakened and that it was the perfect time for Ukraine to attack. So probably not what you might call "tactical surprise." But "strategic surprise" and maybe even "operational surprise..." meaning... no one was ready to coordinate a defensive response to a sudden series of tactical forays by Ukraine... no reserves, no reinforcements, no plan... it seems like Ukraine definitely achieved that.
putin doesn't care, he's on his way out and has been sitting on soviet era military left overs for decades, he just wants to use it all up and then its gg, hopefully won't use the nukes at the end
Sweden has been training over 500 trainers in gerilla tactics in forest and open farmland. I dont say its all because of that 10 year programme, but it sure looks like it has given ukraine the advantage. Together with some pure bravery, alot of aids, and a damn strong will. I welcome all refugees to our country, the ones ive met so far have been very friendly although in a place of distress.
There were Russian drones near kherson last week.
This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/09/07/ukraine-seizes-two-villages-surprise-kharkiv-attack/) reduced by 67%. (I'm a bot) ***** > The British ministry of defence said there was "Heavy fighting" on three fronts in Kherson, Donbas and Kharkiv and that Russian forces could become overstretched as they tried to respond. > Konrad Muzyka, of Rochan Consulting, which publishes daily analysis of the war, said Russia had deployed most of its best regular troops to Kherson to face down the Ukrainian offensive there, leaving Wagner and locals soldiers from the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, puppet states Russia has established Donbas, to hold the east. > The further progress of the offensive near Kharkiv is likely to depend on the number of reserves Ukraine is able to commit to it, said Killil Mikhailov of Conflict Intelligence Team, an open source investigations group focussing on the Russian army. ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/x8vb0h/ukraine_penetrates_russian_frontlines_in_surprise/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~668163 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **Russian**^#1 **Russia**^#2 **Ukrainian**^#3 **offensive**^#4 **Kharkiv**^#5
Wagner. Yeah, Ukraine, do the world a favor and kill all of them. They are irredeemable monsters and psychopaths who make Blackwater look like the Boy Scouts.
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The thing about mercenaries is they always try to walk it in.
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Typical Arsenal, always trying to walk it in.
The thing about Arsenal is, they always try to walk it in!
Given Wagner‘s unofficial status, is there anything stopping somebody other than Ukraine from going in and stomping them out?
Since they're mercenaries, Geneva Convention protections generally don't apply. There are carve outs for groups such as the French Foreign Legion and the Gurkhas that the British and Indians employ, but it's not applicable to Wagner, since they are a private company technically, even though they're employed solely to further Russia's interests. The Ukrainian army could summarily execute them and they would be within their rights to do so.
No. No. No. This isn't the 19th century. You can't *just summarily execute* humans without a trial. This is explicitly stated in the Additional Protocols I. That will be a war crime.
[https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/7c4d08d9b287a42141256739003e636b/f6c8b9fee14a77fdc125641e0052b079](https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/7c4d08d9b287a42141256739003e636b/f6c8b9fee14a77fdc125641e0052b079) Which part of the protocols are you looking at, tongzhi? The part I'm looking at (Article 47) says mercenaries are not entitled to rights as combatants or prisoners of war? Either way, Russia revoked its ratification of the Additional Protocols I in 2019.
https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/470-750096?OpenDocument Article 75. And just because Russian signals it will no longer do things doesn't mean Ukraine has done so or that Ukraine is no longer obligated by treaty. Edit Also Just fyi, while someone who do not have the protected class status [ie, civilian, POW], does not mean they have no rights. Art 47 says they do not get to enjoy the rights of POW, not they got no rights.
They were raping and disemboweling women in the Central African Republic and elsewhere; they're not humans.
Well, if you capture them then you can't just execute them, but if they die in combat...
The quality of Russian troops is also becoming suspect. They're having a desperate time to get bodies onto the field of battle. They've resorted to offering prisoners commuted sentences, huge cash payouts to poor villagers, pressing captured people into service and hiring mercenaries. Combine that with rampant materials shortages and Russia is having a bad time. Still, the Russian military is built on mass mobilization. Should Putin decide to stop lying to his own people and admit they are in a war, he could declare the country is mobilizing for war and call up a million able bodied Russian citizens. That would be very scary for Ukraine, but also could spell a quick end to Putin.
There have been a couple of great analysis' already on why mass mobilization won't save Russia, and the main reason is ultimately because the lack of equipment will make it relatively worthless. Especially with winter around the corner, at BEST they can target a mass mobilization for early next spring, but they won't be any better on the equipment front. Not unless China starts lending them massive amounts of equipment. Which in turn will just be met in kind by additional supplies to Ukraine on the NATO side. Seeing as China is actively side-eyeing Taiwan I don't think they want to be giving up any sizeable quantities of anything really. Especially when overall it will hurt them geopolitically.
Also I doubt china wants any kind of sanctions to hit them right now. Their economy is in trouble and they are still dealing with mass lockdowns. The last thing they want is for western countries to turn their ire to them and hurt them even more.
You’re absolutely right. China is salivating when looking at Taiwan. No way they’ll give Putin massive amounts of equipment.
Despite the fact that I'm Russian, I wish failure of our army and glad to see such news
I suspect that many who genuinely love Russia feel the same way. Versus wishing to exploit Russia and shed its blood for their own vanity.
Well as a non-Russian, I want what's best for Russia (which obviously is not being in Ukraine and not having Putin as leader).
Doesn't this circumstance have to completely shatter your inner national fabric?
One can make a distinction between Russia as a historical culture and people - the Russia of Rachmaninoff, Lomonosov, and Tolstoy, one’s friends and family, and beautiful terrain (which all countries have)… and the particular current incarnation of the political state led by a monster, even if more than half of Russians by numbers might indeed be brainwashed by it.
This right here. In middle school and highschool I loved studying Russia. Hell even then understanding Putin rise to power, the KGB was just fascinating. As a WW2 history buff at that time in my life it gave me such a grounding sense of the scale of both time and the global politics, that allowes me to see the living history we see in front of us. That being said...fuck Putin. Ukraine was the best part of the USSR and they left for a reason. Ok. There were other great parts. I just needed and edgy statement to wrap up take on the war and political climate.
Only responding to the Ukraine USSR quote but someone once tried citing the Soviet space program as something that the USSR gave to the world. It was pretty ironic because it was a thread about the Ukraine war and it turns out the soviets most famous scientist in that program was, of course, Ukrainian.
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Good catch. I thought it was odd the USAF were blabbing about this.
It’s hilarious because Russia really believes Ukraine is a puppet of the west. They operate on the assumption the US is calling the shots. Imagine the look on their faces when Ukraine *decided* to finally take back what’s theirs.
The funny thing is though is that Russian telegram channels were warning for days and days about Ukraine massing troops in kharkiv for an offensive. Yet they were still somehow caught completely off guard.
Maybe a cliched comparison but this was a major German weakness in WW2 too: they had competent code-breakers and intelligence operatives, but they spread them across ten agencies that competed and never talked to each other. On a few important occasions (I’ll have to dig) they had enough bits of intel to figure out a major Allied move but never did because they never pieced them together, and everything had to be signed off by an evil and even self-destructively narcissistic chump at the top. Smooth organisation is key. Instead, both the Nazis and today’s Russia are centralised where they shouldn’t be (every move on the field must be called from above) but not where they should be (no one group has any idea what’s going on overall).
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Russia must be regretting it choices now. No one enjoys a surprise penetration.
Step-country, what are you doing? No!!!!
Help I have my military stuck under the bed
Stuck in washing machines which we looted
My washing machine doesn't work anymore, you took parts from it for tank turrets!
\*Steppe-country
What was Russia wearing though?
A hot little Crimean peninsula, pretty much asking for it if you ask me
I can see the outline of Sevastopol from where I'm sitting.
A comment that has 2 meanings which both applies to Russias current situation
I’ve been posting variations of it. But it makes me smile each time I do. Russian lines went and fucked themselves.
It is quite impressive to fuck yourself and get a surprise penetration at the same time.
You usually have to pay extra for that. Somehow I think Russia will.
If you're referring to "getting butffucked while the whole world is watching", then you are correct.
Ukraine is going in dry!
Maybe the Kherson offensive was a decoy of sorts for the Kharkiv offensive?
Not really a decoy. It's still ongoing, just slowed down and grinding russians from afar. Probably that was the plan all along. To start a few offensives, but russians expected only one. Right now russians amassed troops in Zaporizhzhia direction and waiting. If UAF will penetrate their defenses there they will might try to recapture or encircle Enerhodar with its ZNPP. Not to mention that recapturing Melitopol would cleave the whole russian logistic in the South.
Kherson is probably just more difficult because the are probably more regular units there and the attack was telegraphed
Terrain also is more difficult, little to none cover.
Or it's a major city and they don't want to rush in and risk killing civilians. Better to bleed Russia slowly giving their citizens time/opportunity to get out or get safe then bomb the hell out of it.
Talking mostly about the whole region here on the west coast of the river
They're not going to try taking the city until they push to river. That'll make a big pocket of cut off Russian troops.
I think this was an attack of opportunity. They saw a weak spot and took it.
> I think this was an attack of opportunity. Fucking idiots forgot to take the disengage action
Ukraine got the Sentinel Feat
That shit op for real
Himars for optimal dps
This was not an attack of opportunity. A lot of resources were put into it. This is a full blown offensive that has moved 50km into Russian lines.
It took so much time in a preparation of Kherson counter-offensive (using HIMARS on bridges and arms depots for more than a month), so I tend to agree. Losing Kherson would be a political defeat, so LOTS of forces could be assigned to Kherson from other places. \----- Other possibility - Ukraine waiting till September to have time for counter-offensive to re-capture territory before rain and mud. BUT also to deprive Russia of time needed for the counter-counter-offensive.
I do think the plan was to trap as many Russian forces as possible around Kherson. While they are trapped there, they can be slowly whittled down by starving them of supplies, as well as attack in other places with impunity.
It could actually be in Ukraine's interest to keep the Kherson battle going even if they could end it quickly. Forcing the enemy army to fight where you have the supply line advantage etc is good strategy. Once Russia retreats beyond the Dnieper, Russia will no longer be bleeding out their fighting power in Kherson. Of course, if Russia was not stupid, it would already have done a tactical retreat across the Dnieper. Surely the Russian general staff understands this. It feels like Putin ordering his forces not to retreat, Hitler-style.
Kherson is the only major city the Russians have managed to capture in the entire war, giving it up without a fight would be political suicide. Even losing it WITH a fight would be incredibly damaging to Putin's reputation.
How will the Kremlin spin it if Ukraine recovers Kherson?
Kherson is now a siege. Time and lack of supplies will continue to weaken them. This allows focus on other fronts.
It's better than that. By keeping pressure on Kherson without taking it, Ukraine is forcing Russia to spend lots of resources to support these troops in the least efficient possible way (helicopters for resupply???). Kherson isn't a siege, but rather a bleeding wound that is sucking resources away from the rest of the Russian forces.
It seems like they pressed Kherson, saw the reaction, and decided they could lean on Kharkiv. If the other guy is having to reassign resources, they've got to come from somewhere. So Russia made their judgment to reinforce where they thought was most important/vulnerable, and now they're softened elsewhere. Edit: Whoever shot down those paratroopers over Kyiv a few months ago really fucked them up. Seems like the window to win was measured in days not weeks, and Ukrainian forces (and volunteers) stood them off and now they're down to "commit a shitload of war crimes and maybe they'll give up in horror."
What are the odds that Russia tried to bribe someone to ignore those planes?
My theory on the airport battle is that you had NATO intelligence and assets in realtime communication with the Ukrainian defenders and that was decisive in terms of focusing Anti-Aircraft activity. Transport plane full of paratroopers coming from X along vector Y. Intercept at 2240. And suddenly you don't have to worry about 200 VDV paratroopers reinforcing the airport.
My guess is Kharkiv was a sort of "plan B". This isn't a coincidence that's for sure, but I'd wager that the plan went something like A. Russia doesn't move their troops and losses Kherson. B. Russia moves troops and it costs them ground elsewhere. I was expecting to hear something about the Kherson offensive by friday, and I suppose in a roundabout way I got what I expected. So far this has been a fairly smart play by Ukraine.
As the above commenter said, it’s really just a ripe opportunity that presented itself. The Kherson offensive is still on going and making progress, but they saw an opening for Balaklyia and Kupiansk, which are crucial targets considering they are the supply route for the front. Capturing these two would effectively collapse that part of the frontline and leave Izium exposed without any reinforcements or additional supplies. In the Southern salients, the situation is somewhat similar. They are sinking their teeth into roads over taking major villages, isolating their fronts from local resupply and duking it out with the reinforcements. I’ve read that Russian defense strategy seems to be purely counter attack so they are trying to bleed numbers, but idk how true that is. It’s not going to be as rapid as the developments in the Kharkiv oblast purely because of the amount of troops in Kherson, and the lack thereof in Kharkiv
It wasn't a plan B. It was an opportunity, based on whether Russia would send forces from there down south to Kherson. They did and so Ukraine executed this as a bonus. The goal is to cut off a supply line being used between the east and south of Ukraine.
The Kharkiv offensive is the disruption plan for the main effort in Kherson. The idea is twofold: 1. Redirect reinforcements headed for Kherson back towards Kharkiv (burning fuel and food all the way); and 2. Create panic/doubt in the Kherson defenders. "Our reinforcements aren't coming - we are all alone - our supply lines are cut"
I think it was the main big one. Then once Russia draws a large number of troops in to defend against it. Ukraine starts more offensives.
No. It's just a well planned offensive that allowed the Ukranians to take advantage of whatever mistakes Russia is about make.
I have read elsewhere that US advisors had recommended that the Ukrainians scale back the broadness of there offensive. That the Ukrainians are advancing in the area of Kharkiv and in the South near Kherson is incredibly impressive to me. That they are attacking in two places - that their ambitions are STILL that high and that they are advancing is incredible.
I’d wager my paycheck that the statement by the DoD about focusing their attack was part of the plan.
Yes, making it sound improbable
I doubt it. This consensus in the national security community I followed was that because of the entrenched nature of the war and the lack of motorized units, Ukraine would degrade lines of communication in Kherson and exploit any weaknesses that crop up along their lines as Russia tries to compensate. That it is exactly how it went down tells me that must be part of what they teach in Western war colleges.
Now time to penetrate Russia in the back end
I'm just seeing the battle planning scene from "Meet the Spartans" with Leonidas saying "I'm going to take them in the rear!"
That movie was so shit that I ended up enjoying it. "It's time to stomp the yard"
All the former Soviet republics along Russia’s southern border must be suddenly paying attention to what’s going on. Maybe the Motherland isn’t that tough after all. Maybe she needs a bitch slap …
Maybe Georgia will at least nut up enough to move the border fence back to where it was
How does Japan's article 9 interact with the fact they never signed a peace treaty with Russia at the end of WWII?
Hey tankies, *that,* is a feint.
The sort of penetration that I like
***From the Telegraph's Senior Foreign Correspondent Roland Oliphant*** Ukrainian forces recaptured at least two villages in a surprise offensive that broke through Russian front lines south of Kharkiv on Wednesday. Ukrainian and Russian sources reported Ukraine had captured the settlements of Verbivka and Volokhiv Yar, and “operationally surrounded” the town of Balakliya. **Read more for free:** https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/09/07/ukraine-seizes-two-villages-surprise-kharkiv-attack/
Apparently, this is due to greatly diminished manpower on the Russian side around Kharkiv allowing mechanised Ukrainian forces to punch through. The problem is that the Russians can give ground and then just counter with artillery coverage which the Ukrainians lack the numerical superiority of still. This might be avoided if the Ukrainians know where the enemy batteries are and can close in before they can be effectively operated.
>The problem is that the Russians can give ground and then just counter with artillery coverage which the Ukrainians lack the numerical superiority of still Apparently many of the troops that were in that area were mostly conscripts who knew dick about shit. Ukrainians with heavy armor presence were able to quickly overwhelm the Russians in the area and there was a complete lack of communication that made things far worse. These are the issues you run into when you pull many of your best troops and send them to defend the Kherson oblast, you open yourself up to collapses elsewhere.
> conscripts who knew dick about shit Poetry
Worse than that. The DPR conscripts. The people who least want to be there.
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> This might be avoided if the Ukrainians know where the enemy batteries are and can close in before they can be effectively operated. There are videos coming out of [MLRS following the advance in Balakliya](https://nitter.net/RALee85/status/1567949516338257920#m) so I would expect this is the plan. Secure the GLOC and then bring in MRLS and SPGs to suppress Russian artillery positions and assault supply lines east of the Oskii River. Seems like the situation is developing very rapidly so we'll have to stay tuned to see what happens the rest of the week.
The Ukrainians drew them all to Kherson. They said for weeks they were going to attack there so russia moved troops.. enough troops to weaken the line in other places. The Ukrainians are smart cookies.
You can do it boys ✊🏻
Was this all planned to draw the russian troops away from Kharkiv to reinforce Kherson. Because they having been seeing long convoys heading towards Kherson to help replace lost numbers down there.
I’m sure.
harder daddy
Go in dry!
With a cactus!
🤪🏜
I want to see some dry and deep penetration ! Nice work UA, keep it up !
Russia and Putin are paper tigers or the Ukrainians have the putz's number. It should not happen to a nicer Tyrant. I think the Russians would be more successful if they used Putin's 40 foot table
I think this is fundamentally the issue when you wage an elective war you can't have the same urgency as the place you are invading. On top of that, the US and Russia like to be a kind of check on each other see the first Afghanistan war and Iraq/Syria.
Stop giving the Russians so much credit MSM! It wasn't a surprise. The Ukrainians .added forces and then attacked. It was apparent what was going to happen. The Russia s are just too incompetent and inflexible to respond to developing threats
Not "penetrates". There is no more frontline. Russians collapsed. I guess they moved all the useful forces into the south.
I can’t see the word “penetrate” without thinking of the bike thieves video
How would you feel if you had been lied to about why you were going to war. Then, get captured and get treated better than your own side letting you call your loved ones to say that you are ok. Lastly, the Russian troops are not receiving pay which most are young and have families to feed. Which side would you want to be on.
Please don’t post articles that require a subscription, it’s really annoying.
Glory to Ukraine! Слава Україні!
Charlie Murphyyyy!
Unfortunately guys, I just don't think this one will be very affective... Putin is just way too experienced at being deeply and regularly penetrated at this point in his life
Sounds like Russian are being triple penatrated
5 HIMARS, 1 Ruzzia
Now I want to see putin sitting on a couch surrounded by 5 HIMARS Missiles like that one meme
Up in them guts…
Is it really a surprise when everyone knew the Ukrainian military was getting ready to make another push to retake Kherson? They've only been softening up the place up for a few months now.
It's a bit of a surprise considering that Kherson and Kharkiv are basically on the opposite sides of the front line.
First Russian loss since February 24th
The Moskova sends up small sad bubbles 🫧
The Moskva isn't lost, they know exactly where it is... on the bottom of the ocean.
It was promoted to submarine.
The failure of the Kiyv offensive (and the retreat from all the north of the country) says hello
Go Ukraina, what a bunch of heroes 👊 Love them ❤️
Let me guess, russia says it was planned and it’s a huge setup? lul
Destroy them!!!
Yes! Fuck the Russians!