re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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“The lesson here is that you should just behave in the way that the Americans do themselves. You should do what the Americans themselves do. Not what they tell you to do.”

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Well.... yes!

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Well when you invent the Nazis to serve your own purpose, I guess you can snap your fingers and make them vanish the same way

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Should we tell the idiot?

Interesting to find that so called peace talks have been things begun by oligarchs such as Roman Abramovich. They are only trying to curry favor with Putin and the way that Abramovich has bought companies is by buying 10% then demanding 90% ownership.

The Doofus Brigade has been hollering about Blackrock.

Kyiv didn't disclose preparations for Kursk operation because of West's fear of Russian 'red lines,' Zelensky says

by Kateryna Denisova August 20, 2024 12:14 AM

Ukraine did not disclose preparations for an operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast to Kyiv's allies because the world might consider it crossing Russia's "strictest of all red lines," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 19.

Two weeks into Ukraine's cross-border offensive in Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian troops control over 1,250 square kilometers of Russian territory and 92 settlements in the region while continuing to strengthen their positions, Zelensky claimed.

According to the president, the concept of so-called Russia's red lines, "which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners," had crumbled "somewhere near Sudzha."

"Just a few months ago, many people around the world, if they had heard that we were planning such an operation like the one in Kursk Oblast, they would have said that it was impossible and that it would cross the strictest of all the red lines that Russia has," Zelensky said.

"That is why, actually, no one knew about our preparations," the president said during a visit to the city of Dnipro.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi was considering several scenarios for an incursion into Russia's territories, The Economist reported citing military sources. The general shared his plans only with a selected few military and security officials and discussed them with Zelensky in one-on-one meetings to maintain maximum operational secrecy, the outlet's sources said.

The Kyiv Independent

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Oh snap. Is Putin getting ready to cave or is Lukashenko just running off at the mouth? He is saying that there are no more Nazis in Ukraine even though the Zelensky government which has called Nazis are still in power.

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Lukashenko running off at his mouth, or Putin caving?

Really???

The "there are no Nazis in left in Ukraine" thing is a yarn, obviously.

It's an obvious lie.

You know it.
I know it.
\Putin and Lukashenko know it.
Any honest longtime participant in this thread knows it as well.

The question your sophomoric response raises is "Why the negativity toward Russian concessions"?

Clearly, whether a "cave" or uncoupled concession, it's good for Ukraine, because, in reality, Ukrainian Nazis aren't going anywhere, right?

Hey look. I have proof that some dinosaurs were Nazis as well.

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Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin called Monday’s decision to evacuate “necessary and inevitable”.

Pokrovsk is one of Ukraine’s main defensive strongholds and a key logistics hub in the Donetsk region. Its capture by Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, would compromise Ukraine’s defensive abilities and supply routes and would bring Russia closer to its stated aim of capturing the entire Donetsk region.

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Brilliant move, overextend yourself into Russia while they push forward and cut off your supply lines, brillant strategy.

Such a sad waste of humans so some ukranians and american politicians can become filthy richer.

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If there are no more Nazis

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But there are ... legions.

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Such a sad waste of humans so some ukranians and american politicians can become filthy richer.

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Now say why the Russians are dying

Random tweets

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"Ukraine controls 92 settlements and over 1,250 km² in the Kursk region," - President Zelensky

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LINK

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The President of the Czech Republic does not rule out the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO despite the partial occupation .

"If there is a demarcation, even of the administrative border, then we can consider this administrative border as temporary and accept Ukraine into NATO on the territory it will control at that time," said Czech President Petr Pavel.

He gave the example of Germany, where a part of the country was accepted into NATO, despite the division.

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It's now evident that Moscow doesn't have an effective or swift military solution to this situation. Redirecting troops from the main front would mean falling into a well-laid trap. Announcing an urgent mobilization (and it’s not feasible to send new recruits straight into battle) would lead to a conflict with society. I’m not sure Putin is ready for that just yet. This implies that the Ukrainian presence in Russian border regions could persist for months, if not years, and eventually, people may become accustomed to it.

According to the latest FOM poll, public anxiety has increased slightly, but it’s not comparable to, for instance, the spike in concern following the mobilization in the fall of 2022. The current numbers are similar to those in March of this year, meaning everything remains within the bounds of routine volatility. While anxiety might continue to rise, it's already clear that there won’t be a sharp increase. Of course, the situation on the ground is different, but it’s too localized to have a significant impact on nationwide sentiment. Moreover, even if there is a sharp spike in dissatisfaction with the authorities within a specific, narrow segment (for example, due to problems with evacuation and so on), the overall trend across the country could still favor the authorities: the Ukrainian attack might actually lead to a rallying around the flag and a rise in anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western sentiments (although it may seem hard to imagine those sentiments increasing further).

From a political standpoint, the Ukrainian incursion has, in part, revived the issue of the conflict between military correspondents and fervent patriots on one side, and the authorities on the other. Prigozhin’s “Gerasimov, where are the munitions?” now echoes sentiments like “stop lying” and “punish the incompetent generals.” However, this segment lacks leadership and is too dependent on the authorities, so the Kremlin is unlikely to face serious challenges from them.

The elite's attitude towards the situation is also predictable: few have any illusions about the “effectiveness” of Putin's leadership, especially considering that the authorities overlooked such an incursion. No one is surprised by the secrecy surrounding decision-making, and they are mentally prepared for any further surprises. Expectations are low, and there is little hope for change. The distinction between “ours” and “theirs” in terms of territory has blurred, including for Putin. The presence of Ukrainians on part of Russian territory doesn’t significantly disrupt daily life—unless, of course, you are in the immediate attack zone. Few believe, including Putin, that the Ukrainians have the resources to advance much further. Many are confident that the offensive will stall due to inertia, and that strategically, it won’t change anything in terms of Russia’s military dominance.

Lastly, it’s important to clarify that no “peace negotiations” were disrupted—nor could they have been. While various talks have been ongoing in different formats for some time, they are not being conducted under Putin’s direct mandate. Previously, I wrote about “geopolitical entrepreneurs” (individuals close to the authorities who take private initiatives to pursue geopolitical projects abroad, often to curry favor with Putin). Now, we can talk about private diplomacy, where figures like Roman Abramovich are actively using their personal influence and resources to keep communication channels open and address urgent issues, such as prisoner exchanges and the fate of displaced children. In this context, discussions about peace are more about laying the groundwork for the future, for a time when peace might be possible, and this work is largely speculative. There is nothing stopping these discussions from continuing. However, real negotiations—where individuals come with a direct mandate from Putin and a clear strategy—have not taken place between Russia and Ukraine (apart from the well-known talks in March-April 2022) and are not happening now.

In summary, the Ukrainian incursion is too small a “dose of poison” to bring the “organism” to a halt. While it’s certainly a blow to the Kremlin’s reputation, it is unlikely to spark a significant rise in social or political discontent among the population, nor will it lead to an elite rebellion. It also won’t soften Putin’s stance, as he believes that strategically, it doesn’t matter where the Ukrainians are geographically or what they control. Putin’s focus is on the collapse of the Ukrainian state, which he believes will automatically render any territorial control irrelevant.

However, this does not mean the attack is ineffective: it simply means that the erosion will take much longer, and the impact of recent events—including Prigozhin’s mutiny—may become more apparent in the distant future, under different political circumstances.

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Updated map showing Russian advances on the Pokrovsk front and in New York as well as Ukrainian advances in Kursk oblast. Russian forces are approximately 11 km from Pokrovsk, according to the map.

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