re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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I thought the day one story was that Russia was going to take shite over in less than a week.

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Everyone thought that except Ukrainians. Roger is just making shite up like a good little Politard

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I am never getting my hopes up about the future of any Middle Eastern country, however with this withdrawal and the lack of reported attacks on Syrian minorities, the news so far is all good.

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Reading stories of Syrians pouring through the prisons looking for missing people has made me think . . . have we just seen a modern, Syrian equivalent of Bastille Day?

Here’s to Syrian Declaring the Right of Man and the Citizen on this, Sednaya Day.

WA PO (Gifted Article) Op-Ed Zakaria: "Putin is weaker than you think"
Assad was a valuable client for Putin. And he couldn’t save him.

The collapse of the Assad regime in Syria should be a reminder of a general truth that often gets obscured in the blizzard of conflicting and contradictory news stories that absorb us day to day: The West’s adversaries are often weaker than we think.

Recall how for decades the United States overestimated the strength of the Soviet economy and armed forces, the surety with which it claimed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and the frequent scares around Islamist militant groups such as al-Qaeda and more recently Hezbollah. Yet, over time what often becomes apparent is that these governments and groups are repressive, corrupt and dysfunctional — not attributes that help them thrive in the modern world.

Bashar al-Assad’s fall points to a direct lesson: Russia’s growing weakness. Moscow had been Syria’s patron for over half a century. Syria was Russia’s last major client state in the Middle East. Moscow had spent huge amounts of blood and treasure supporting Assad over the past decade. To lose that position is to become what Barack Obama dismissively called Russia — “a regional power.” In fact, even in Russia’s own region, relations have deteriorated with Armenia, a longtime ally that Russia failed to defend from Azerbaijani aggression because it’s bogged down in Ukraine. Russian forces in Africa are also increasingly facing pressure from a variety of militant groups.

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You can bet that Russian soldiers in Syria are exfilling as slow as possible knowing they are headed to the front in Ukraine.

ISW Update Dec 14

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Key Takeaways:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on December 14 that the Russian military has deployed North Korean soldiers in infantry assaults in Kursk Oblast.

The prospects for Russia's continued military presence in Syria remain unclear as reports that Russia is evacuating its military assets from Syria continue.

The complex nature of the interim Syrian government is likely to result in conflicting reports about whether Russia is engaged in talks with Syrian opposition groups.

Ukrainian forces struck an oil depot in Oryol Oblast on the night of December 13 to 14.

The new Georgian Dream-dominated parliament and other government bodies elected Georgian Dream's candidate, Mikheil Kavelashvili, as Georgian President on December 14.

Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast and near Torestk, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Robotyne.

Ukrainian forces regained lost positions near Vovchansk within the past several weeks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to exalt the "Time of Heroes" veteran program and use it to militarize the Russian government and society.

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Now you fellas have deviated to Syria. I thought this thread was about Ukraine....or what is left of it.

How are things going:

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Fighting around the key eastern Ukraine city of Pokrovsk is “extremely intense” after a monthslong Russian push, Ukraine’s top military commander said, with analysts estimating Russian forces are now within just a few kilometers (miles) of the city.

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I think "extremely intense" means, we are running for our lives.

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Now you fellas have deviated to Syria.

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They’re supporting ISIS to make Russia look bad.

Yikes!

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You can bet that Russian soldiers in Syria are exfilling as slow as possible knowing they are headed to the front in Ukraine.

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People who volunteer in war time, they generally want to fight.

That's the point.

Two Russian tankers sank in high waves near the Kerch straits. Both of them were full of fuel oil. Current reports show 10 sailors rescued, with 13 unaccounted for, and 4 presumed deceased.

Video of the 2nd ship

Video of first ship

Russian train carrying 40 fuel tanks destroyed in Ukrainian security forces operation, UP sources say – video

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO, Roman Petrenko — Sunday, 15 December 2024, 12:40

Ukraine's Security Service, Defence Intelligence, the Special Operations Forces, and the Armed Forces carried out a multi-stage special operation in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 14 December, resulting in the destruction of a locomotive and 40 tank cars.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources in special services

Details: Counterintelligence officers from the Security Service of Ukraine first sabotaged the railway tracks while a Russian train carrying tankers was passing near the village of Oleksiivka in the Bilmak district.

When the train came to a halt, soldiers from the 14th Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces launched a drone attack, setting some of the tankers on fire.

Following this, Defence Intelligence air reconnaissance, in coordination with soldiers from the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group, targeted the outermost cars with HIMARS missiles to prevent the Russians from separating the tanks and salvaging some of the fuel.

Finally, Defence Intelligence officers finished off the train using attack drones.

In addition to the destruction of the locomotive and 40 tank cars, an important railway line supplying Russian forces has been put out of action for a long time.

Ukrainska Pravda