Putin Recognizes Donbass Republics, Sends Russian Military to 'Denazify' Ukraine

[thorbiorn]

A few headlines from the NATOzist countries that together may tell a story.
The Netherlands willing, but how much?

EU state reveals Patriot ‘contribution’ to Ukraine
The Netherlands will send two launchers – not a full battery – as a “political signal” to Russia

EU country ‘open-minded’ on F-16 jets for Ukraine – media
The Netherlands will consider delivering the planes if Kiev asks for them, ANP reported

If the US asks Ukraine to ask the Netherlands, or will the UA do this themselves?

Sweden to enter NATO, but intentions cross, so maybe not

Sweden greenlights Koran-burning stunt outside Turkish Embassy
The new diplomatic row comes as Stockholm awaits Ankara’s blessing to join NATO

If all of Sweden was behind NATO expansion, they would not support this stunt in Turkey, now, would they? Or is it rather that it is conducive for Sweden's own internal strategy of a secular, multicultural, gender-fluid society to support the happening in Turkey, NATO be damned. At the same time, in neighbouring Denmark.

Denmark gives artillery and leaves itself more defenseless

Denmark's Handover of Entire Stock of CAESAR Guns to Kiev 'Really Hurts' Defense, Gov't Advisor Says
Denmark has punched well above its weight in providing military support to Kiev in recent months, sending nearly $600 million in arms, and training Ukrainian servicemen since 2016. Copenhagen has long shown a tolerance for participation in unpopular modern conflicts, taking part in the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 2000s.

The decision to send Denmark’s entire inventory of CAESAR self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine will undermine the Nordic Nation’s defenses, and rob it of a system specifically designed to suit Denmark’s defense needs, a leading Danish defense expert and government advisor has complained.
[...]
Copenhagen announced plans to transfer all 19 of its French-made CAESAR 8x8 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine on Thursday.

By working on becoming defenceless, Denmark can allow itself to fold quickly or become occupied by whichever external force is stronger, just like in WWII, it appears as a self-defeating and at the same time opportunistic policy. The Danish flag is a variety of a Saint George Cross. The Wiki has:

Saint George was depicted as a crusader knight during this time, but the red cross had no particular association with him. A crusader-era fresco in the crypt of Trani cathedral shows Saint George wearing a white cross on a red surcoat. The white-on-red version was chosen as the Reichsbanner ("imperial banner") by the German crusaders in the 12th century, and Emperor Frederick II used it in his European campaigns of the 1250s after he had returned from the crusades. It continued to be used as the Reichssturmfahne ("imperial war flag") of the Holy Roman Empire, eventually giving rise to the flag of Savoy and the present-day flags of Switzerland and Denmark.

During WWII, in both Denmark and Russia, allusions to this past were used
The first poster alludes to a crusade in Estonia, where allegedly the Danish flag fell from heaven near present day Tallinn.

And in Russia, a memory of the battle on the ice was brought up, with quotes from Joseph Stalin:

"пусть вдохновляет вас в этой войне мужественный образ наших велик предков"

And Alexander Nevsky:

"кто с мечом к нам войдет от меча и погибнет"

Which means

"may the courageous image of our great ancestors inspire you in this war"

Referring to:

"who with a sword will come to us from the sword and perish"

Here is the poster:

Perhaps some NATO countries have learned not to go to Russia and get killed themselves, they just facilitate that some of those that haven't still get the chance. But what a hideous and despicable role to play, when they encourage this to happen and fuel the antagonism with their rhetoric.

Germany and Poland

Hundreds of Ukrainians besiege Chancellery: 'Scholz, give the Leopard tank free'
21 Jan. 2023 16:31 PM
Hundreds of people, mainly from the Ukrainian Diaspora, gathered on Friday evening in front of the Chancellor's office, to request the delivery of heavy battle tanks from Germany in the Ukraine. 'Give the leopard free Scholz', chanted the crowd in a chorus. Organized the Protest of the 'Vitsche, the Association of young Ukrainians*in Germany'.

This means not only that Ukraine will not get Leopard tanks from Germany, but may also delay or block Poland from sending their Leopard tanks to Ukraine. This outcome may also affect Poland in other ways.

In The Next Decade, George Friedman writes about Poland:

Exposed on either side, Poland will have little choice but to go along with whatever the Germans and Russians decide, which would be disastrous for the United States. It is therefore in the American interest to guarantee Poland’s independence from Russia and Germany, not only formally but by creating a viable and vibrant Polish economy and military that can serve as the model and driver for the rest of eastern Europe. Poland is the historical bone in the throat of both Germany and Russia, and it is in the American interest to make sure that it is firmly lodged there. A Poland aligned with Germany is a threat to Russia, and the reverse is true as well. Poland must remain a threat to both, because the United States cannot let either feel too secure.

Over the next ten years, an American relationship with Poland would serve two functions: it might prevent or limit the Russo-German entente, but failing that, it could create a counterbalance. The United States urgently needs Poland, because there is no alternative strategy for balancing an alliance between Russia and Germany. From the Polish point of view, friendship with the Americans would serve to protect it from its neighbors, but here there is a special problem. The Polish national mentality was seared by the failure of Britain and France to come to Poland’s defense against Germany at the beginning of World War II, despite guarantees. Poland’s hypersensitivity to betrayal will cause it to prefer accommodation with hostile powers to alignment with an unreliable partner. For this reason, the president must avoid appearing tentative or hesitant in his approach. This means making a strategic decision that is in some ways unhedged—always an uncomfortable stand, because good presidents always look to keep their options open. But insisting on too much maneuvering room might close the Polish option immediately.

A few months ago, Poland was not supported in its claim that they had been attacked by Russia, and now they can not send the tanks they would like. At the same time, there must be more than a handful of Polish who have entered the war on behalf of Ukraine. So, will the sentiments change in Poland? It appears that little by little, NATO is coming apart by its own doing.

 

[Pierre]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1616820550281879553

One comment adds: "He was actually still a Navy SEAL, but has been AWOL since 2019 (or so Washington says)"

 

[hlat]

For unknown reasons I was thinking of the Denver airport murals, and the dead soldier representing the last Ukrainian while the West celebrates.

 

[thorbiorn]

Some countries in the EU are difficult to understand

RT France Head Announces Broadcaster's Closure After Paris Blocks Its Accounts

See also:

RT France to close after accounts frozen
The decision followed “five years of harassment” by the authorities, network head Xenia Fedorova said in a statement

At the same time:

West must contribute to Russia’s search for ‘destiny’ – Macron
Supporting Kiev isn't enough, there's a need to build peace and talk to Russia, the French president believes

As if France has not already contributed, with both Merkel and Hollande saying that the Minsk agreements were to buy Ukraine time, which amounted to preparing UA for the current conflict.

Or is the problem for Macron not Russia, but France and the EU. If that is so, why does he not say much when EU leaders applaud more military aid, although the EU is not a military alliance per se.

Russia ‘fights to the end’ – Borrell
The West must keep arming Ukraine because Moscow defeated Napoleon and Hitler, the EU’s top diplomat said

Is that the only acceptable way the EU can tell the countries and people of the EU, the US and the UA that this will not end well for them? In other words, they can't say up front an idea is bad, they can only say, this idea did not work in the past, and because it did not work in the past, we should try again. So one more time, who is it that needs help to search for its destiny? Perhaps someone can explain.

 

[Laurentien2]

Is this the beginning of the winter offensive.

MILITARY OVERVIEW: RUSSIAN FORCES LAUNCHED OFFENSIVE IN ZAPOROZHIE​

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Illustrative Image
In 2023, Russian forces switched to active offensive operations on the Ukrainian front lines. Since the beginning of the year, Russian Wagner fighters managed to take control of the city of Soledar and continued their offensive to the west. They continued to surround the Ukrainian grouping in Bakhmut, destroying the Seversk-Soledar-Bakhmut defense line of the AFU.
The successes of the Russians in the area of Bakhmut and Soledar forced the Ukrainian command to strengthen the grouping in this region, including by transferring reinforcements from other front lines where positional battles have been ongoing for months. After the Ukrainian defense in the southern regions was weakened, the units of the Russian Army went on the offensive on various Ukrainian positions in the Zaporozhye region. And they have already achieved some success.

On January 21, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the regional administration created in the territories under Russian control, claimed that the first line of defense of Ukrainian troops which was built along the Kamenskoye— Orekhov—Gulyai-Pole line had been overwhelmed in the Zaporozhye direction.

“Somewhere there is a reconnaissance by combat, somewhere there is a more in-depth offensive, which is accompanied by mop up operations a number of settlements. Our (Russian) army has the initiative all along the front line. There are active hostilities,” he told Russian media.

In recent days, the Russian Army took control of the villages of Lobkovo, Novoandreevka, Novodanilovka, Malaya Tokmachka, Belogorye and Malye Shcherbaki. Russian troops are attacking in the area of Stepnoye and Malaya Tokmachka, trying to reach the city of Orekhov from the western and southeastern directions. At the moment, there are intense battles for the neighboring villages of Shcherbaki and Small Shcherbaki, where a large grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is deployed, including units of the 65th separate motorized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 98th brigade of Territorial Defense. Control of these villages will cut the road leading to the north. In the area of Kamenskoye, a hangar with weapons and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed.
On January 21, Russian troops continued to actively advance in the Zaporozhye direction, conducting offensive operations from several directions at once. Russian units are currently securing their positions and end the mop up operations in the settlements located along the road which has recently come under their control. At the same time, Russian artillery is heavily shelling Ukrainian positions, paving the way for further offensive.
Russian forces also launched offensive operations near the town of Gulyai-Pole.
The Russian offensive is complicated by the steppes where the advancing units can be easily targeted by Ukrainian artillery. Thus, Russian troops are operating with close support of the Russian aviation.
In its turn, the Ukrainian military command is urgently pulling the military reserves back to the Zaporozhye region.

click to see full-size image
The city of Orekhov is of strategic importance as it is one of the key strongholds of the Ukrainian defense line in the south which was built along Kamenskoye — Orekhov — Gulyai-Pole line. Control of Kamenskoye and Orekhov paves the way towards the city of Zaporozhye. The breakthrough of Russian in the area of Orekhov will cut the AFU grouping into two parts.
Russian success on the Ukrainian front lines is a result of the effective coordination of military operations between the combat units of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Wagner PMCs. Despite all attempts of Kiev propaganda to convince the public that there is the conflict between the Russian generals and the commanders of the PMCs, Russian victories in Bakhmut and Zaporozhie regions reveal that the Russian military face no problems in coordination of their units on different font lines.

 

[hlat]

The Ukraine War is Over Except for Some More Dying

Jan 20, 2023 The Ukraine War is Over Except for Some More Dying Bob Moriarty 321gold

321gold.com ...takes no prisoners!

www.321gold.com

The Ukraine War is Over Except for Some More Dying
Bob Moriarty
Jan 20, 2023

Ukraine lost the war in March. Zelensky knew it.

The very real Nazis who think they are running the country but have accomplished nothing but the destruction of the country threatened him. They told Zelensky that if he surrendered to Russia they would kill him. But Ukrainian officials sat down with the Russians in Turkey in March of 2022 and basically came to an agreement that the forces would return to the borders on February 23, 2022 and would return to the agreement of Minsk II. Of course that would have been a non-agreement agreement since Ukraine, France and Germany only pretended to intend to adhere to the original Minsk II agreement.

In any case, Boris Johnson the then PM of the UK showed up by surprise on April 9th and reportedly told Zelensky to keep fighting to the last Ukrainian soldier. Nato would continue to pour weapons into the most corrupt country in Europe. It was nice of Boris to volunteer the services of Nato seeing as how the UK doesn’t really have an army. In comparison the USMC has 182,000 personnel in uniform. A well-attended Girl Scout Jamboree is bigger than the UK Army. It was very brave of Boris to suggest the UK would supply weapons to Ukraine so Zelensky get more Ukrainian soldiers killed.

Russia attacked Ukraine in late February after months of trying to get Zelensky to understand that Ukraine joining Nato was a red line he didn’t want to cross. In exactly the same way as John F. Kennedy felt in 1962, having a nuclear-armed enemy state on your front porch was unacceptable.

Russia attacked with a tiny force estimated at about 80,000 fighting a Ukrainian army of between 500,000 and 750,000. But the Ukrainian army was trained and equipped to Nato standards, which frankly aren’t very high.

Russian military tactics call for heavy artillery and rocket barrages against enemy positions. When this war concludes military academies everywhere will be studying the Russian actions. I’ve been under fire from rockets and artillery in Vietnam. Frankly what the Russians unleashed on the Ukrainian solders across the lines from them was hundreds of times more devastating. The Russians are the masters of the use of artillery now controlled with pinpoint accuracy by the use of thousands of low cost drones. Russian drones are dropping $15 grenades on the Ukrainians lying in bunkers protected against everything except things being dropped directly from above.

The kill ratio between the Ukrainian forces and the Russians is probably between 6-1 and 10-1. A good way to estimate it would be to compare the rate of fire of artillery. Since the beginning of the war, the Ukrainians have admitted being out gunned by 8-10 to one. For every round Ukraine fires at the Russians, the Russians fired 8 or 10 right back. Since artillery kills somewhere between 80 and 85% of those who die in battle, simply comparing the rate of relative fire will give you a reasonable estimate ratio of people killed and wounded between each side.

While NATO is clearly the enemy of Russia it is not true that Russia is necessarily the enemy of Nato. If Nato was the enemy of Russia, Russia could launch half a dozen hypersonic missiles at the Ramstein Air Base where a Nato conference is being held on January 20th and wipe out the entire leadership team of Nato and fifty other countries. If a satellite guided pair of rockets could take out Russia’s largest war ship, having spies determining the location of the meeting in Germany would be no problem at all.

But Russia has already won the war. They convinced Zelensky to agree to terms as far back as March but Johnson queered that deal. Since then there was a minor Ukrainian counteroffensive to reclaim some ground the Russians lacked the ability to defend so they removed all of their forces from the battlefield to safer positions.

After the US bombing of the Nord Stream Pipelines and the attack on the Crimean Bridge in early October Putin finally took off his kid gloves and started to fight a real war. The world has been told since March that the Russians were running out of rockets and missiles.

Nobody told the Russians.

Putin’s forces unleashed thousands of attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. In my view, he should have done that in the first two weeks of the war but it’s always easy to be critical when you are sitting in the cheap seats. In any case, Ukraine has been destroyed economically. They have a barely functioning electrical system, their electric trains don’t work any longer and few cities have a functional water supply system.

But that’s not the bad part. The bad part if that it will take hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild what was a dysfunctional state already. Inflation is out of control in the EU due to their stupidity in listening to the US and putting sanctions on Russia that hurt the EU far more than they hurt Russia and not being adult to admit they screwed the pooch by doing so. Is the EU nothing but a sock puppet for the US?

Who is going to pay for rebuilding Ukraine? The total military and cash contributions to Ukraine since February don’t even come close to what it is going to cost to rebuild what is now a broken country.

Nato is not a defense force; it’s a force of destruction and murder that passed its sell-by date thirty years ago. If you don’t believe me look at Libya. Does anyone even remember what bullshit excuses Nato used to destroy the most prosperous and well-run country in Africa because Israel didn’t like them? Take a two-week vacation to Tripoli. If you go into the market you can now buy a slave. You can thank Nato.

The idiots in Ramstein today are talking about how they are going to defeat Russia and break it into pieces.

Are they kidding?

If you send a bunch of tanks to a country whose army has been destroyed, who is going to operate them? How is it that a hundred tanks will make some difference? Or five hundred? Or one thousand? Russia has killed thousands of Ukrainian tanks. They don’t need more targets but no doubt they are always welcome.

Ukraine is no longer a country. Poland is seizing land on the west side and Russia already controls most of the country with any economic value in the east. What is left is a third world shithole run by the remaining Nazis that Putin hasn’t gotten around to whacking yet. Ukraine is now drafting 16-year-old kids, both male and female. Tell me that doesn’t sound like the last days of the 3rd Reich.

In the mid-1960s it cost US taxpayers over a million dollars to put me in the front seat of an F-4B and took about 21 months. Training people to operate complex weapons systems takes a lot of time and a lot of money.

Who is going to operate tanks in a broken country with no electric power? Who is going to spend six months in training to learn how to fire a Patriot missile when one battery wouldn’t be large enough to protect a girl-scout campfire and they barely work anyway? How does getting equipment to Ukraine a year from now or longer going to have any impact? They are losing 1,000 dead a day now. How much longer before the survivors wake up and realize where their real enemies are?

The war is over and all that is left is the dying of hundreds of thousands more Ukrainians of starvation or freezing or medical issues when the entire system has been destroyed.

Nato has shot its wad unless of course they are brilliant enough to keep fighting a lost battle until it goes nuclear and the world ends. Nato is finished. The EU is finished and soon the US will realize it committed suicide fighting a war that they could never win.

What was Russia’s sin?

Was it selling inexpensive natural gas to Germany so they could be the driver of the EU economy producing chemicals, pharmaceuticals and electricity? Russia was never a threat to Europe before the war and is not now. They were a neighbor who wanted safe borders and their citizens to not be killed by psychopaths who hate them because they are Russian.

Russia has 100-megaton torpedoes that go faster than any weapon can stop. One torpedo that could wipe out Great Britain and leave it unlivable for decades or wipe out the entire East coast of the US. What kind of idiots want to attack a nuclear armed state?

And I forgot.

The brain dead idiots running the US want to go after China next. It’s a sort of twofer. Get two for the price of one. The US spent twenty years trying to convince goat herders to do things our way. And totally failed and got booted out of Kabul with their tail between their legs.

Are they fucking kidding or just fucking stupid?

 

[Ca.]

LOL Classic!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1616932542367793153

https://twitter.com/x/status/1616539851159134209

https://twitter.com/x/status/1617000845798768640

Global War Is Not An Obstacle For ‘Golden Billion’

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southfront.org

19.01.2023 Video







The cleaners of the Russians War In Ukraine, (the Wagner Group) become a problem for National Security Councils John Kirby.

The U.S. will designate the Russian mercenary Wagner Group as a “significant transnational criminal organization” and impose further sanctions against the organization and its support network next week, the White House said Friday.

“These actions recognize the transcontinental threat that Wagner poses, including through its ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Friday.

The U.S. “will work relentlessly to identify, disrupt, expose, and target those who are assisting Wagner,” said Kirby, which he accused of “committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses.”

Kirby also said that the White House would release declassified images of Russian railcars receiving shipments from North Korea in November. He said the U.S. believes it was a delivery of infantry rockets and missiles for use by the Wagner Group.

Kirby said the U.S. did not believe the amount of material delivered to Wagner would change the battlefield dynamics in Ukraine. “We do expect that it will continue to receive North Korean weapons systems,” he said.

He added that the arms transfers defied United Nations Security Council resolutions.

In December, the Biden administration designated Wagner a military end user, which makes it more difficult for it to buy equipment that is based on U.S. technology or production.

The Wagner Group is headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The millionaire former restaurateur earned the nickname “Putin’s chef” for catering state events.

Yevgeny Prigozhin at the funeral of Wagner group fighter Dmitry Menshikov, in St. Petersburg, Russia, last month.Aleksey Smagin / Sipa USA via AP file

The group has provided assistance to the Russian military during conflicts in Syria and Libya, and has recruited former prisoners as soldiers for hire in Russia’s war on Ukraine, promising bounties and pardons in exchange for service.

Despite longstanding ties to the Kremlin, Prigozhin has recently been at odds with the Russian military, which he accused of “constantly trying to steal Wagner’s victory” last week after the country's Defense Ministry claimed a military victory in Soledar without crediting his company.

In the news conference Friday, Kirby said intelligence showed divisions between the mercenary group and Moscow had widened, even as Putin increasingly turned to the organization for critical support.

“Wagner is becoming a rival power center to the Russian military and other Russian ministries,” Kirby said, adding that Prigozhin was trying to advance his personal interests in Ukraine and that the Wagner group “is making military decisions largely — largely — on what they will generate for Prigozhin, in terms of positive publicity."

Kirby estimated that Wagner mercenaries currently fighting in Ukraine consisted of 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts.

When Reuters asked Prigozhin about the new U.S. designation, he said Wagner “and Americans are colleagues. From now on, our relationship can be called “a battle of criminal clans.”

Russia's Defense Ministry has not commented on the video.

The assessment came after a former member of Wagner claimed asylum in Norway last week.

In a video released Monday, Andrei Medvedev said he had formerly commanded a squad of paramilitary forces in eastern Ukraine where he witnessed the abuse and execution of former prisoners who refused to fight. He said his own contract was forcibly extended.

He said the group “stopped considering us as people and began to practically treat us like cannon fodder” and worried that Wagner was pursuing him and that he was “in danger of death.”

He added he had escaped border patrol dogs and guards’ bullets at the Russian border and ran through a forest and over an icy lake to escape into Norway.

The Wagner Group did not comment on his allegations.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1616831553828446209

 

[Skyfall]

The Ukraine War is Over Except for Some More Dying

Jan 20, 2023 The Ukraine War is Over Except for Some More Dying Bob Moriarty 321gold

321gold.com ...takes no prisoners!

www.321gold.com

Yes, the Ukranian war is over, the final outcome was never in doubt ,2 Ukrainians armies have been already destroyed and now US/NATO is trying to rebuild another one with whatever mismatched piece of equipment they are able (or willing) to supply, as many well-informed military analysts already commented, this will actually make things much worse.
A new offensive started from the south and maybe another front will be opened in the north, with the aim to completely encircle all the Ukrainian forces in Donbass (this could be around 90.000 men) if this is really the Stavka plan (difficult to say) we are looking at the final blow, the Ukrainian army will never be able to recover from such catastrophic losses.

When Mr. Ze went to Washington asking for more weapons and money, many people commented about his arrogance in putting forward such requests so bluntly, however I do not believe that this was the case, try to put yourself in his shoes: The US/NATO (after carrying on a successful coup in 2014 ) told him that he could launch his war against Russia , that they will supply weapons, money and training for his army , what the hell, they even lied to Putin regarding the Minsk agreement in order to give him more time , when he realized in spring that all was lost, he was willing to sit down and negotiate with the Russians , but Mr. Boris flew to Kiev just to remind him that this is not how the game is played (stick to the script mate!) , after all Mr. Ze is and always have been an actor, never a politician let alone a military strategist, nor he gives a damn about the Ukrainian people, and given the circumstances, not even a bad actor: the drama consisted in two acts, the first one is where is played the "dove" and get elected on a peace platform, then the second act see the transformation from "dove "to "hawk " and this is where he is now , no doubt he received a very good compensation for his performance (his wife is certainly not shy in spending thousands of dollars whilst the Ukrainian people suffered in the dark in subzero temps) , however as far as we know , he never asked the obvious question i.e. if there will be a third act, and now seems pretty obvious that yes, there will be a third act with few variants depending on the prevailing circumstances, he could end up hanged upside down in Maidan by his own people (Benito variant) , or end up suicide in his bunker (Adolf variant) , less likely , but always an option ,rescued at the last minute and shipped to a "friendly" country (TBA) and maybe(quite likely) he will be 'suicided" later , because obviously he knows too much , and yet the truth was in plain sight in the (in)famous words of Mr. Kissinger, "to be an enemy of America is dangerous to be a friend is fatal. " What could be clearer than that!
So, to return at my initial thoughts after this lengthy diversion, when Mr. Ze end up in front of the US congress, was not arrogance on his part, he simply went there to remind them to "stick to the script " Ukraine paid (and still paying) with blood but you have to pay with money and weapons, and probably "secretly" asking if the third variant still an option, you see the truth of the Kissinger's words has not yet downed on him.

Now at this juncture, everything depends on NATO (US to be more precise), apart from the "dreaming "politicians caught in their own propaganda, there are few sane minds at the Pentagon that realized that this war cannot be won, and that this is not really an existential issue for the US, they make it look like one, but is not, but it is for Russia, hence Russia cannot and will not back down no matter the cost involved, in the famous Putin's words " why do you want to live in a world without Russia?"
So, the real question is if US will "graciously" accept defeat, bear in mind that the Russians are master strategists, and they will always leave as far as possible a "way out" for the enemy, (not the Nazy, not for them), so they can save face, and then they can spin the defeat as they please (who knows, maybe in Hollywood they already are working on something) or if they will decide to escalate (Poland and Baltics next!) and hence destroy Europe first and then themselves in the process, what seems clear, at least for the moment, is that the US is trying to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia, much better to spill somebody else blood, and God forbid the escalation to a nuclear exchange given that in reality this is the only way that they can "prevail" (good luck with that)...Yes Yes , we know the US (and Europe for the matter) is now in the hands of full-blown psychopaths and psychopaths do not really think or care for the consequences of their actions nor they have an ounce of empathy (hence they are psychopaths) however they are also greedy, very greedy and there is little money to be made in a world completely destroyed and probably unhabitable ,should a full nuclear exchange occur, if they really think that they could be safe and cozy in their little bunkers while the world die they are even more stupid that they looks like and I used the word 'stupid" in the Carlo Cipolla sense , unless they expect a "lift" to a "safe place" from the 4D STS..who knows could be an option...

So here we are at the beginning of 2023, in the shuffling madness of the locomotive breath, runs the all-time losers headlong to his death (the words are of course from Jethro Tull) now we have to see if the "old Charlie" can put back the handle and stop the train...
In the words of the Cs "wait and see ".....and hope well.....

 

[Olivierlejardinier]

From here (traduction from french) :

Poland could do without Berlin's authorization to deliver Leopard 2 PL tanks to Ukraine

From Mateusz Morawiecki after Ramstein meeting :

“[Berlin] consent is a side issue here. Either we obtain this authorization quickly, or we will do what is necessary ourselves” because the “ability to defend freedom in Ukraine may depend on it, and therefore the security of all of Europe will depend on it”.

---

And from here (also a trad.) :

The NATO Space Centre of Excellence has been officially created in Toulouse

"The mission of this center of excellence – the 29th opened by NATO – will be to provide expertise in the field of military space operations along four lines: development, conceptual development and experimentation, doctrine and standardization, education and training, analysis and feedback. It should have reached its full operational capacity in 2025"

 

[तत्परिवर्तनं भव]

I am working in Austria and here is one Ukrainian couple working with us, the woman is very tall, good looking. Me and my girfriend have been watching them for some time, because we were wondering can they be an OP . Anyway I asked her where is she from, she said from Zaporizhia, so there is real war and they fled from there. And I looked her in the eye and asked one more question : DOES SHE REALY TRUST AMERICANS? She took a long pause and responded : For now I trust them more then the Russians......but she took a long pause, that means something...

 

[Hi_Henry]

LOL Classic!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1616932542367793153

There was a response to the above which contained a video. Here it is

https://twitter.com/x/status/1616933948705370113

It shows one young guy with blood on his head and an older man, both look to be Ukrainian fighters. The man filming also seems to be Ukrainian from the little of his voice that I hear. What is unclear is why he shot them. The translated word we see is "allies", spoken by those that will be shot !!!
Were they shot because they didn't want to fight ???

 

[Michael B-C]

Russo-Ukrainian War: The World Blood Pump

Gradually, and then Suddenly

bigserge.substack.com

Article by Big Serge, laying out his birds-eye-view on the situation in Ukraine.
Russo-Ukrainian War: The World Blood PumpGradually, and then Suddenly

If anyone hasn't yet read this great overview by Big Serge that iamthatis posted, I recommend you do. Many significant military commentators are referring to this as the best overview of the current state of military matters around Bakhmut (as well as its pivotal strategic importance) and also for being the most astute proposal of what is likely to happen next (and which may already may have started with the Russian push in the Zaporozhia area).

 

[Corvus]

There was a response to the above which contained a video. Here it is

https://twitter.com/x/status/1616933948705370113

It shows one young guy with blood on his head and an older man, both look to be Ukrainian fighters. The man filming also seems to be Ukrainian from the little of his voice that I hear. What is unclear is why he shot them. The translated word we see is "allies", spoken by those that will be shot !!!
Were they shot because they didn't want to fight ???

From some other videos online it says the guy that shoot is Russian and it seems so because two people in the trench are wearing yeallow armbands so they are Ukrainians and defending and Russians are on the offensive. And it does not have sense they being Ukrainians and attacking ukrainian trench.
And the answer why he shoot is easy, they did not surrender, one was still holding his rifle, in the heat of ongoing battle and bullets flying, adrenalin, fear, you do not have time and are risking when the fire is coming from your side position with little cover, and probably those two were disoriented from a granade Russian throwed prior assault or under drugs, playing stupid, etc... It is sad reality of war.

 

[Ben]

There was a response to the above which contained a video. Here it is

https://twitter.com/x/status/1616933948705370113

It shows one young guy with blood on his head and an older man, both look to be Ukrainian fighters. The man filming also seems to be Ukrainian from the little of his voice that I hear. What is unclear is why he shot them. The translated word we see is "allies", spoken by those that will be shot !!!
Were they shot because they didn't want to fight ???

This has been posted here before and also discussed extensively on Telegram channels. This is my understanding - the guys in the trench are Ukrainian. They are dazed from a grenade explosion and confused by the direction from which their trench is approached by a soldier. They don't seem to understand that the soldier with the body cam is Russian and that they need to surrender their weapons immediately. When they hesitate to do this he tries to take the gun from the guy on the right, but he resists. The guy on the left may have understood and is preparing to raise his hands, but it's too late (he also moves forward slightly). Tragic misunderstanding as the soldier cannot take any more chances and opens fire. The chaos of battle caught on camera, and also an example of exactly how NOT to behave if you are prepared to surrender.

 

[lilies]

“Even 100 tanks will not change the situation, in which the Russians are building a multifold advantage over the Ukrainian army. The Ukrainians will not defeat the Russians with a hundred Leopards,” the general said.

Brian Berletic points out that well-prepared and highly armed Ukraine had the same military capabilities at the beginning of the SMO that the USA + West are now desperately trying to restore. Very capable eastern military tech was in the hands of the "Mighty Cyborg UkroNazies".

Still Ukrainians could do only as much as we read about it in the news against a minimal, less prepared Russian SMO force..

Now Russia is well prepared and moved a very strong army to Ukraine.

USA + Western Psychos see this terror of loosing their "Freedom & Demoncracy" situation from their viewpoint - they are looking at a ruined Ukrainian military that lost its amazing preparedness and highly-trained hardcore veteran force.

Western relatively modern military tech is about to stream into Ukraine, which lost its veteran soldiers necessary to operate it and Ukraine is now entirely without the proper artillery + air-force + repair support that this new Western Military Vehicles NEED.

When USA wanted to promote one of their Shock & Awe Helicopter attacks against the insurgent goat herders in the mountains in the Middle East, they sent an entire small army to support those attack helicopters they hyped up to the max. So the measly and weak US attack helicopters had an entire USA Small Army to support them, because only that small army ensured the survival of those "Amazing Shock & Awe Capable Helicopters". Otherwise the goat herders would have blown most US attack helis out of the skies with Soviet-made rocket launchers.

Repair & Maintenance Hell:
All Western high-tech toys will need to be "swiftly" transferred to Poland for repair - then back to the frontlines - all the way.

While Russia appears to have mobilized a large force to cut all routes - roads, railways - of this newly established "Polish Military Repair & Production Deep State".

A truly excellent prediction & succint, straightforward analysis of what is --reasonably -- about to happen in Ukraine next you can read here "in 21 minutes":

Russo-Ukrainian War: The World Blood Pump​