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Posted on 7/15/26 at 3:50 pm to Penrod
quote:
Good post, but Ukraine is not coming out of this smelling like a rose. This has been a disaster for Ukraine. They have been used by the West to defang Russia, and there is no upside for them.
Yes and no. No because Ukraine initially fought with little support as every expected it to be steam rolled. It had nothing to do with defanging.
Yes because a lot of damage and shattered populace because of the war.
Posted on 7/15/26 at 4:01 pm to texag7
quote:Ukraine has taught the world how to use drones (air, land & sea) to cause death and much destruction on an enemy and also reduce its own KIAs.
Like what? They can give us $50 drones for a $3 million Tomahawk.
Posted on 7/15/26 at 4:22 pm to Penrod
quote:
there is no upside for them.
Maybe a few Ukrainians that get rich off scamming reconstruction efforts. Otherwise that country is toast. Ukraine will come out of this even more of a corrupt shithole than it was before.
Posted on 7/15/26 at 4:48 pm to Penrod
quote:
Ukraine is not coming out of this smelling like a rose.
I agree
quote:
This has been a disaster for Ukraine.
I agree.
quote:
They have been used by the West to defang Russia, and there is no upside for them.
Wrong, Ukraine was invaded by a bully who wants to subjugate them.
This post was edited on 7/15/26 at 4:49 pm
Posted on 7/15/26 at 5:14 pm to doubleb
Mykhailo Fedorov
@FedorovMykhailo
·
3h
It has been a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as the Minister of Defense.
Here is what our team managed to achieve:
1. Disabled Starlink access for Russian forces.
2. Took over a Ministry of Defense with zero budget, took a risk, reallocated funds from payroll from the end of the year, and effectively invested them in mid-strike capabilities, fiber-optic FPVs, low-cost reconnaissance, ground robotic platforms, interceptor drones, and deep-strike drones.
3. Launched "Logistical Lockdown", this cut off enemy logistics and initiated the isolation of Crimea.
4. Continued the funding program for the Drone Line.
5. Launched a support program for modern drone-assault units that rely primarily on advanced technologies in combat.
6. Introduced a 70% advance payment policy for procurements made via e-Points on the Brave1 Market portal.
7. Fundamentally overhauled the procurement system.
8. Procured thousands of pickup trucks, buggies, and ATVs for the military for the first time—and did so through open tenders.
9. The drone interception rate rose from 83% to 91%, and the cruise missile interception rate soared from 47% to 87%.
10. Contracted Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T missiles for the first time, and submitted an application through an EU loan to purchase PAC-3 missiles.
11. Launched a baseline drone supply system for brigades and corps.
12. Launched a massive grant program for manufacturers of explosives and missiles.
13. Initiated an unpopular but vital transformation of the military.
14. Conducted three UDCG meetings, where we successfully broke through the Russian information trap claiming our defeat, restoring partners' faith in Ukraine. This secured $40 billion in support announced for this year (excluding the EU loan).
15. Launched the mechanism to utilize the EU loan for our military priorities.
16. Found a way to scale cheap missiles against jet-powered Shaheds and signed a record-breaking contract.
17. Our domestic ballistics. We radically revised the technical specifications, maximized accuracy, and reduced the cost by 30%.
18. Signed a contract to procure Gripen fighter jets.
19. Collaborated with the military to plan and execute Operation Auchan, which halted the enemy's mechanized offensive for six months.
20. Opened up exports under the Drone Deal program to attract investment and scale up domestic defense-industrial complex (OPK) production.
21. Launched the Trophy Lab, providing partners with the opportunity to study captured Russian military technologies.
22. Launched the Defense AI Center A1 to accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence on the battlefield.
Thank you to my entire team for their relentless 24/7 service. A special thank you to my family for their patience.
Thank you all for your support!
I will continue to work toward the mission I originally brought to the Ministry of Defense: defeating the enemy through asymmetry, the speed of innovation, and the power of organization.
To be continued.
@FedorovMykhailo
·
3h
It has been a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as the Minister of Defense.
Here is what our team managed to achieve:
1. Disabled Starlink access for Russian forces.
2. Took over a Ministry of Defense with zero budget, took a risk, reallocated funds from payroll from the end of the year, and effectively invested them in mid-strike capabilities, fiber-optic FPVs, low-cost reconnaissance, ground robotic platforms, interceptor drones, and deep-strike drones.
3. Launched "Logistical Lockdown", this cut off enemy logistics and initiated the isolation of Crimea.
4. Continued the funding program for the Drone Line.
5. Launched a support program for modern drone-assault units that rely primarily on advanced technologies in combat.
6. Introduced a 70% advance payment policy for procurements made via e-Points on the Brave1 Market portal.
7. Fundamentally overhauled the procurement system.
8. Procured thousands of pickup trucks, buggies, and ATVs for the military for the first time—and did so through open tenders.
9. The drone interception rate rose from 83% to 91%, and the cruise missile interception rate soared from 47% to 87%.
10. Contracted Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T missiles for the first time, and submitted an application through an EU loan to purchase PAC-3 missiles.
11. Launched a baseline drone supply system for brigades and corps.
12. Launched a massive grant program for manufacturers of explosives and missiles.
13. Initiated an unpopular but vital transformation of the military.
14. Conducted three UDCG meetings, where we successfully broke through the Russian information trap claiming our defeat, restoring partners' faith in Ukraine. This secured $40 billion in support announced for this year (excluding the EU loan).
15. Launched the mechanism to utilize the EU loan for our military priorities.
16. Found a way to scale cheap missiles against jet-powered Shaheds and signed a record-breaking contract.
17. Our domestic ballistics. We radically revised the technical specifications, maximized accuracy, and reduced the cost by 30%.
18. Signed a contract to procure Gripen fighter jets.
19. Collaborated with the military to plan and execute Operation Auchan, which halted the enemy's mechanized offensive for six months.
20. Opened up exports under the Drone Deal program to attract investment and scale up domestic defense-industrial complex (OPK) production.
21. Launched the Trophy Lab, providing partners with the opportunity to study captured Russian military technologies.
22. Launched the Defense AI Center A1 to accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence on the battlefield.
Thank you to my entire team for their relentless 24/7 service. A special thank you to my family for their patience.
Thank you all for your support!
I will continue to work toward the mission I originally brought to the Ministry of Defense: defeating the enemy through asymmetry, the speed of innovation, and the power of organization.
To be continued.
Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here.Posted on 7/15/26 at 5:27 pm to doubleb
quote:
Ukraine was invaded by a bully who wants to subjugate them.
No doubt, but they were still used by the west to defang Russia. The first couple of years of the war, we would not let them attack deep into Russia. We were calibrating the amount of support we would give to Ukraine, so that the war would stay in roughly stalemate.
Posted on 7/15/26 at 6:41 pm to cypher
some background on the rumored new defense minister...
Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here. Posted on 7/15/26 at 8:23 pm to cypher
quote:Ukraine strikes on Russian refineries cause chaos in diesel market Oilprice.com
Ukraine has spent 2026 moving through the Russian refining system, plant by plant.
Saratov halted operations after a March strike. Kirishi, one of the largest refineries in European Russia, lost capacity after attacks in March and May. Norsi in Kstovo suffered repeated strikes, including reported damage to a primary processing unit. The Moscow refinery was hit several times in June and may remain offline through the end of the year. Syzran, Novokuybyshevsk, Volgograd, Ryazan, Taneco, Ilsky, Afipsky and plants in the Bashneft group have all been attacked.
And overnight on July 14, Ukrainian drones struck the Afipsky refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, one of the country’s important refining centers on the Black Sea, while also targeting Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat in Bashkortostan, one of Russia’s largest integrated refining and petrochemical complexes. Ukrainian forces also claimed another 11 vessel strikes in the Sea of Azov, extending the maritime campaign that has disrupted tanker traffic through the Kerch Strait and the Volga-Don waterway.
Repeat strikes have turned repairs into a losing battle. Ukraine returned to the Moscow refinery, Norsi and Syzran after the initial attacks, hitting the same facilities again before operators could restore full output, according to Meduza documentation. Even under normal conditions, a planned refinery overhaul can take weeks or months.
Really long article
Posted on 7/15/26 at 9:02 pm to bigjoe1
quote:Strait of Hormuz like crisis looms for Russia CNN.com
About a quarter of Russia’s wheat exports is shipped through the Sea of Azov, according to Andrey Sizov, a leading Black Sea agricultural markets analyst.
“The Black Sea for (the) wheat market is similar to what the Persian Gulf means for the crude market. (The) Black Sea is by far the biggest supplier of wheat to the global market,” he said, adding that if the situation continues, Russia’s economic losses could climb into billions of dollars.
Prices of wheat futures, a key indicator of traders’ expectations, have jumped in recent days, partly because of the Azov Sea crisis. Russia claims it can bypass the Sea of Azov and reroute all of its grain exports via other terminals in the Black Sea, but Sizov said this would not be possible during the peak season when Russia’s total grain exports far exceed the capacity of those ports.
Posted on 7/15/26 at 9:07 pm to bigjoe1
The good news is the US has lost exports to other producing nations and other than corn or ethanol, price for grains is lower than profitable
Posted on 7/15/26 at 9:50 pm to CitizenK
Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here. People are actually allowed to protest in Ukraine, unlike ...
Posted on 7/15/26 at 10:36 pm to cypher
quote:
some background on the rumored new defense minister..
Time will tell, but he sure looks like old-style Soviet-like commander. Hope he is not one of the old dinosaurs that other old dinosaurs put in place.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 1:45 am to cypher
Good explanation. I'm still not happy about the changes in the Cabinet. Klymenko seems to be a person the military leadership wanted. A former police leader is not a person from which we may expect innovative thinking, however the main issue being addressed is the failing manpower mobilization. So they're going with the hardass.
The rationalization is that they will place - and support - Fedorov in a position where he may continue his recent excellent work. Not confident of that but the pressure on Zelensky over this is not going away.
Edited to add another good post from a Ukrainian source -
Not good.
LINK
The rationalization is that they will place - and support - Fedorov in a position where he may continue his recent excellent work. Not confident of that but the pressure on Zelensky over this is not going away.
quote:
Klymenko is the 53-year-old career silovik who came up through the MVS as a psychologist, ran the National Police, served in Kosovo, fought in ATO, and took over as Interior Minister after Monastyrsky was killed in early 2023. First cop, not politician, in that seat in a decade.
quote:
Bottom line: the Defense Minister does not command troops in the field. He runs procurement, mobilization, international partnerships, and the giant bureaucratic beast that feeds the front. Klymenko's strength is large-scale personnel management and iron discipline. His weakness is the total absence of experience in the tech-industrial side of modern war and the very real chance he imports the MVS [Ministry of Internal Affairs] habit of protecting the system instead of reforming it.
The core test is simple. Can he deliver better trained mobilized soldiers, fewer chaotic TCC round-ups, sustained drone momentum, and actual coordination between services without turning the ministry into another closed silo? Mobilization discipline is overdue,
Edited to add another good post from a Ukrainian source -
quote:
Since 2023, I have consistently argued against promoting General Syrskyi to the position of Commander-in-Chief. Even back then, as commander of the Ground Forces and the Khortytsia operational grouping, he was displaying three major flaws that, in my view, outweighed his strengths.
The first was an unwavering top-down approach to command. In this system, even sergeants are not treated as independent tactical decision-makers but as instruments for enforcing the will of higher command. It is a model commonly associated with the worst traditions of the Russian military. Such systems tend to produce higher losses, lower morale, and an environment that can only be sustained through coercion and, in some cases, physical abuse. A brigade commander who refuses to impose such practices is seen as weak and is eventually replaced by someone more willing to enforce "iron discipline," regardless of the human cost.
The second was the systematic construction of a network of loyal officers throughout the Armed Forces. Like many senior figures in politics or military institutions, Syrskyi built a power base. However, in this case, it reached unusually high levels. Officers whose loyalty was unquestioned advanced through the system, while individuals perceived as potential rivals or threats were marginalized. The story surrounding General Drapatyi is one example. Cases involving units such as Skelya, the 155th Brigade, and the Assault Troops under Man'ko further illustrate the consequences of such a system. When loyalty becomes the primary criterion, even poor decisions can be executed without meaningful opposition. And when problems emerge at lower levels, the mechanisms described in the first point ensure they rarely travel upward.
The third was a strong resistance to systemic change. This is largely an extension of the previous two points. Individuals who proposed new approaches, new structures, or new ways to break the operational deadlock were often viewed not as assets but as threats. A loyal network of officers can then create an environment where reformers are either pushed out, sidelined, or forced to leave on their own.
Unfortunately, it appears that Fedorov managed to irritate many entrenched interests. This likely included individuals within the Ministry of Defense involved in procurement, traditionally one of the most corruption-prone areas of government, as well as figures within the military command structure itself. After all, from their perspective, who is this civilian in his thirties to interfere in matters they consider exclusively military?
quote:
This brings us to the core issue.
General Syrskyi does not possess the formal authority to appoint or dismiss ministers. However, because of his loyalty to the Presidential Office, his extensive network of loyal officers, and his willingness to execute virtually any task assigned to him, his opinion carries significant weight. Apparently, together with other influential figures who are deeply uncomfortable with change, that weight proved greater than the benefits Fedorov had brought.
Not good.
LINK
This post was edited on 7/16/26 at 2:14 am
Posted on 7/16/26 at 1:47 am to Coeur du Tigre
Posted on 7/16/26 at 1:56 am to Coeur du Tigre
quote:
Bingo. Russia’s Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refinery halted oil and gas condensate processing after Ukrainian drone strikes, Reuters reported. Both primary processing units and part of the secondary processing equipment were damaged, with repairs expected to take weeks or months.
quote:
The Salavat petrochemical complex in the Urals, one of Russia's largest, halted operations on 14 July after a drone attack. Source: Reuters Details: Both of the plant's primary processing units were damaged and shut down. These are CDU-6, with a capacity of 17,140 tonnes per day, and CDU-4, which can process 11,430 tonnes of oil and gas condensate per day, about 2.7% of national production.
LINK
Posted on 7/16/26 at 2:02 am to cypher
Ukraine can’t get out of its own way sometimes. This guy was getting results and Zelensky shitcans him for someone who will be more amenable to corruption so everyone can line their pockets. This month was the first month in over 2 years that Ukraine has taken back more land than Russian has gained and they get rid of the guy that wanted to reform the Ukrainian defense department. I used to like Zelensky but the more time that goes on the more I’m convinced he wants the war to keep going to keep getting those juicy defense kickbacks.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 2:21 am to Coeur du Tigre
Some developments on the Federov front -
Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here.quote:
Good morning from Kyiv. Thousands of Ukrainians are turning out for another rare wartime public protest — a year after the last one — demanding that President Zelenskyy reappoint popular defense minister Mykahilo Fedorov. Ukraine’s parliament is scheduled to begin voting in a new government at 10:30am local time, beginning with a vote to appoint Sergii Koretskyi as the new prime minister. The rest of the cabinet, if things go to plan, should begin around 1:30pm local time.
quote:
Ukrainians are still streaming to the protest outside President Zelenskyy’s office in central Kyiv, demanding that @FedorovMykhailo be reappointed defense minister. Easily a few thousand protesters chanting “Fedorov!” and “We’re not suckers!” and the protest classic “??????!” — shame!
quote:
NEW: Some MPs in Zelenskyy's ruling party who I've spoken to this morning say the mood in parliament is "explosive" and some lawmakers are considering NOT voting for Ihor Klymenko, the president's candidate to be Ukraine's new defense minister. He may not have enough votes to be appointed, is what I'm told.
Posted on 7/16/26 at 2:22 am to Coeur du Tigre
These are standard-sized ocean going tankers. Well, they aren't 'ocean going' now.
Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here.Posted on 7/16/26 at 2:24 am to Coeur du Tigre
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