re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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They can go frick themselves. They get no say over other people's free association. They aren't subject to Russian whim, or reserved to a Russian sphere of influence.

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Suppose you go to a cul-de-sac and the entire street has banded together to protect themselves from the a-hole at the end. The cul-de-sac is Europe and the a-hole at the end is Russia.

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This is KGB/FSB 101.

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Here we go!

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Then, when the lawful government comes in to crack down, Russia moves their military in to "protect the minorities". Transnistria, South Ossetia, Chechnya, southern Ukraine, etc.

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Yeah. We don't have any history of this as a nation. Ever heard of Central America?

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The examples are numerous.

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And ours are even more. So, again, we shouldn't be pissing away oir tax dollars on anymore prody wars

Don't feed the trolls, people.

As for NATO expansion: why is NATO expanding? Is someone threatening these countries? Does joining NATO offer some tangible benefit?

LINK

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The leader of one faction of the Israeli ruling Likud party threatens Russia on the propaganda channel RT:

"After we win this war... we will make sure that Ukraine wins... Russia will pay for what it did..."

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The video is a bit intense, and it illustrates something that could play a key role in the future of the conflict.

I don't think most people realize just how angry Israelis are with Russia. Israel was very careful not to take an explicitly pro-Ukrainian stance. They consistently refused to give weapons to Ukraine.

And what did they get for that? What they got was Russia massively backing Iran, and Iran then sponsoring Hamas. They got Putin making pro-Hamas pronouncements.

In other words, Israel made sacrifices specifically to avoid what Russia has done. It's quite literally adding insult to injury, and the result is going to be massive Israeli aid to Ukraine, once Israel is done with Hamas.

It's a tremendous own-goal from Putin that was completely unnecessary, but I think it will now be a significant factor in a longer war. The Israeli weapons industry is one of the world's best.

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Slavs are not white

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Yeah, they are like light pink like Scandinavians.

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Russia massively backing Iran, and Iran then sponsoring Hamas.

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this is what Errerrerrwere supports

ISW Update

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Russian sources continued to discuss larger-than-usual Ukrainian ground operations on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast on October 19, and Ukrainian forces likely maintain a limited presence in some east bank areas near the Dnipro River shoreline and the Antonivsky railway bridge. The prominent Russian milblogger who initiated Russian discussion of Ukrainian assaults on the east bank on October 18 claimed on October 19 that two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups of a Ukrainian naval infantry brigade crossed the Dnipro River, overwhelmed the Russian troops in the area, and gained a foothold in the village of Krynky (30km east of Kherson City and about 2km inland from the Dnipro River shoreline).[1] The milblogger claimed that Russian infantry counterattacked and pushed Ukrainian forces back towards the outskirts of the village but noted that Ukrainian troops still control some houses in Krynky and are waiting for reinforcements to arrive in the area.[2] Another Russian milblogger claimed that Ukrainian forces used more manpower in attacks on Krynky than in previous attacks

Satellite imagery published on October 18 suggests that the Ukrainian ATACMS strike on the Luhansk City airfield likely damaged several helicopters on October 17. Ukrainian and Russian sources amplified satellite imagery showing the aftermath of the Ukrainian strike on the Luhansk City airfield.[7] A Ukrainian reserve officer analyzed the imagery and suggested that the Ukrainian strike damaged at least five Russian helicopters and may have affected other vehicles at the airfield.

Ukrainian officials reported on October 19 that Ukrainian forces have downed five Russian fixed wing aircraft within the past 10 days in Donetsk Oblast amid high Russian ground vehicle losses near Avdiivka.[10] Ukrainian Tavriisk Group of Forces Commander Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi reported on October 19 that Ukrainian forces shot down five fixed-wing aircraft, including at least one Su-25 fighter jet, in Donetsk Oblast.[11] Ukrainian Tavriisk Group of Forces Spokesperson Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun stated that Russian forces primarily use attack aircraft to conduct airstrikes but that the aircraft are ineffective at range, forcing Russian aircraft to fly closer to the front line and resulting in the loss of five aircraft in 10 days.[12] Shtupun stated that there are unconfirmed reports that Ukrainian forces damaged additional Russian aircraft.[13] Shutpun reported that Russian forces also operate Su-34 and Su-35 fighters in the Tavriisk direction but that Russian forces do not fly these aircraft close to the front line out of fear of Ukrainian air defenses

Ukrainian forces reportedly advanced south of Bakhmut and in western Zaporizhia Oblast amid continued counteroffensive operations on October 19. A Ukrainian soldier stated that Ukrainian forces achieved unspecified success near Klishchiivka (7km southwest of Bakhmut), Andriivka (10km southwest of Bakhmut), and Kurdyumivka (13km southwest of Bakhmut) and advanced into the Russian defensive line towards Opytne (3km south of Bakhmut).[16] Ukrainian Eastern Group of Forces Spokesperson Captain Ilya Yevlash stated on October 18 that Ukrainian forces have advanced across the railway line in unspecified areas south of Bakhmut.[17] Russian sources also claimed that Ukrainian forces advanced across the railway line in Klishchiivka on October 18

Russian forces conducted a series of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine on the night of October 18 to 19. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched five Iskander-M ballistic missiles, one S-300 missile, one Kh-59 cruise missile, another unidentified missile, and nine Shahed-131/136 drones at Ukraine.[21] The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces shot down the Kh-59 missile and three drones.[22]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Pyongyang, North Korea on October 19, likely part of an ongoing Russian effort to procure additional munitions from North Korea. Lavrov stated that Russian-North Korean relations have reached a “qualitatively new strategic level.”[23] Lavrov also stated that a Russian-North Korean intergovernmental commission will meet at an unspecified date in November to discuss mining/geological, energy, trade, economic, and technical cooperation

A Russian milblogger observed that Ukrainian forces are successfully and asymmetrically attriting Russian reserves in ongoing offensive operations. In a series of long Telegram posts on October 19, the milblogger noted that Ukrainian forces are purposefully conducting offensive operations to attrit limited Russian reserves while preserving their own reserves to the utmost possible extent.[26] The milblogger claimed that the state of Russian infantry is at its lowest point in the war and emphasized that Ukrainian forces are exploiting the fact that Ukraine knows Russia will not conduct a general mobilization.

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reportedly continues efforts to push remnants of the Wagner Group out of Syria. A Kremlin-affiliated Russian milblogger amplified claims on October 19 that the Russian MoD and Syrian forces allegedly acting under the Russian MoD’s influence are trying to push Wagner forces stationed near Palmyra out of Syria.[31] A Russian insider source claiming to have connections to the Wagner Group claimed that ISIS and other extremist groups will likely take advantage of Wagner’s withdrawal from Syria, further destabilizing the region.[32]

A prominent Russian information space voice targeted two members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle with accusations of corruption. Russian lawyer Kirill Kachur, whom the Russian Investigative Committee charged in absentia for embezzlement and bribery in 2022 and who claims to have insider knowledge about internal Kremlin politics, accused Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Head Sergei Naryshkin and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin of causing over one trillion rubles ($10.3 billion) of damage to the Russian economy through bribes and tax breaks from Russian businessmen since Mishustin’s appointment as head of the Russian Federal Tax Service in 2010

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Regularly provided doesn’t mean infinite supply though, I hope the Ukrainians understand this. They can’t fire off ATACMS at the rate they have the regular GMLRS rockets from HIMARS, there just isn’t that many of them.

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We actually have 1200 Block 1 and 1A ATACMS that are expired and noncompliant with DoD policy on cluster munitions. It would cost us less to send them to Ukraine than to dispose of them.

LINK

Strong rumors about continued Ukrainian attacks on the banks of Kherson.

Even Rybar admitted Ukraine is still there.

The ATACMS strike on the Berdyansk airfield destroyed 5 Ka-52 attack helicopters as well as 4 Mi-8 transport helicopters. I’d say that’s a damn good ROI for 3 ATACMS that we’re going to be destroyed anyway. I would be shocked if Russia has more than 25 Ka-52s left.