BRICS won’t congratulate Putin?
Alright then… Happy birthday Vlad, ya war-mongering, parasitic, gutter crawling, mouth breathing, knuckle dragging, morally corrupt fucktard.
Many happy concerns.
I hope you had a good one… (brain aneurysm).
See, that wasn’t too difficult.
I feel better for having completed the charitable act.
The situation on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war remained tense from October 6 to 8, 2024, with both sides actively engaged in military operations across multiple fronts. In recent days, significant developments have occurred both on the battlefield and in the diplomatic arena, indicating potential shifts in the course of the conflict moving forward.
Russian forces continue active offensive operations in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast, Donbas, and the western sectors of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, News.Az reports.
Of particular note is the advance of Russian troops in northern Donetsk Oblast, where they have reportedly captured the village of Grodivka near Pokrovsk. This is a strategically important area that could help Russia strengthen its control over regions closer to the frontlines.
The situation in Zaporizhzhia Oblast remains fluid. Russian forces are concentrating for a potential offensive near Orikhiv and Mala Tokmachka. This region is a key section, as control over it would allow Russia to fortify its positions in the south and strengthen defenses in other directions.
Ukrainian forces are also continuing their counteroffensives. In Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade not only regained previously lost positions but also freed Ukrainian soldiers who had been captured by a Russian sabotage group. This demonstrates the significant effectiveness of Ukrainian counterattacks and highlights Ukraine’s continued ability to inflict tangible blows on Russian forces.
One of the most prominent events was the Ukrainian strike on an oil terminal in occupied Feodosia, Crimea , causing a large-scale fire. This attack on a key Russian infrastructure asset underscores the vulnerability of occupied territories and critical rear installations of the Russian military.
Russian forces continue their attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure. On October 8, a Russian hypersonic missile targeted the area near Ukraine’s Starokostiantyniv airbase, showing Russia’s ongoing intent to destroy key Ukrainian military facilities. Meanwhile, artillery shelling in Sloviansk resulted in the death of one civilian and the injury of six others, including two children. This highlights the continued violations of international humanitarian law by Russia.
Additionally, a Russian missile struck a Palau-flagged vessel in Odesa, killing a Ukrainian dockworker and injuring five others. This incident demonstrates that Ukraine’s port infrastructure remains under threat despite international pressure and attempts to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea.
Ukraine also continues to strike Russian targets. One of the most notable events was
the Ukrainian military intelligence report on the severe damage inflicted on the Russian minesweeper Alexander Obukhov during a sabotage operation in Kaliningrad. This incident illustrates Ukraine’s capability to strike significant targets far from the frontlines, including strategic Russian assets.
Both sides continue to refine their air defense systems. Ukrainian forces intercepted two Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles over Kyiv Oblast on October 7, demonstrating the ongoing air warfare between the two nations. Ukraine also claimed to have shot down 32 Russian drones, while another 37 went off military radars, highlighting the high level of drone activity in the conflict zone.
Amid the ongoing military actions, Ukraine is preparing for important political moves. President Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine will present its “victory plan” to its allies in Germany next week , signaling Ukraine’s efforts to secure Western support for the complete liberation of its territories and the achievement of strategic goals.
Meanwhile, the United States condemned Russia for denying consular access to detained American citizen Stephen Hubbard. This incident further escalates diplomatic tensions between Moscow and Washington, especially in light of the ongoing conflict and intensifying sanctions against Russia.
Another significant development was the cyberattack on the Russian state media company VGTRK, reportedly carried out by Ukrainian hackers. This highlights that the information war between Russia and Ukraine is becoming an increasingly important aspect of the broader conflict.
Grim events continue in the humanitarian realm as well. Ukrainian authorities have launched a new investigation into cases of alleged abuse and execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces. These atrocities further intensify international criticism of Russia for its human rights violations during the conflict.
The latest developments on the battlefield and in the diplomatic sphere indicate that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is far from over. Both nations continue to strengthen their positions, and the fighting grows increasingly intense. With military operations ongoing, it is crucial to monitor the next steps of both Russia and Ukraine, as each move could prove decisive for the long-term outcome of the conflict.
Vladimir Solovyov and Andrey Gurulyov threaten Ukraine and the West
I wish their mums had missed one big bang, so that we’re not left to suffer.
Without wanting to shoot the messenger, is this written by AI? The painful “This demonstrates…” every second sentence wears very thin.
Possible.
Azerbaijan news, so it may have been AI translated from Azerbaijani (or whatever) into English.
From an Israeli publication, so brush up on your Hebrew.
Tuesday 8 Oct 2024
Over 1,000 residents have been evacuated due to a fire at a large oil terminal in Russian-annexed Crimea, a local official said Tuesday, after Ukraine claimed it had struck the depot.
Kyiv has ramped up strikes targeting Russia’s energy sector in recent months, aiming to dent revenues used by Moscow to fund its invasion, now grinding through its third year.
Ukraine said Monday its forces had carried out a “successful strike” on an offshore oil terminal overnight in Feodosia.
Russian-installed authorities in Crimea then said a fire had broken out at the depot in the Black Sea port town of some 70,000 people and that there were no casualties.
Russia has not said there was a Ukrainian strike on the terminal.
“To ensure the safety of people living near the scene of the emergency situation, 1,047 people have been temporarily evacuated to shelters,” the Russian-appointed mayor of the town of Feodosia, Igor Tkachenko, wrote on Telegram.
On Monday, the fire caused road and train closures, but the Russian consumer safety watchdog said Monday initial checks did not find excess levels of air pollution.
The watchdog said the fire was raging at the Sea Oil Terminal, whose website says it “stores fuel in case of emergency situations and ensures Crimea’s energy security”.
The fire has spread to "up to 2,500 square metres, a source in the emergency services told RIA Novosti news agency Tuesday.
“The Feodosia terminal is the largest in Crimea in terms of transshipment of oil products, which were used, among other things, to meet the needs of the Russian occupation army,” the Ukrainian military said, vowing to continue such attacks.
Ukraine insists such strikes are fair retaliation for Russian attacks on its own energy infrastructure that have plunged millions into darkness.
8 October, 2024
The Bundeswehr plans to convert 21 armored recovery vehicles into mine-clearing tanks and transfer them to Ukraine.
The German media Hartpunkt reported on this, citing an industry newsletter.
For this purpose, the German army is preparing to transfer 21 Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicles to an industrial company, which will convert them into 21 mine-clearing tanks.
The combat engineering vehicle’s model is not reported, but given that the
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have a fairly large number of these vehicles in service. According to Bundeswehr’s report, 22 Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicles and 52 Wisent 1 MC mine-clearing tanks have already been transferred.
According to the Oryx website, only two irrecoverable losses of Bergepanzer 2 and one Wisent 1 MC were recorded.
The German Bergepanzer 2 belongs to the group of armored recovery vehicles. Its main purpose is to ensure the mobility of mechanized units and the evacuation of damaged equipment, as well as provide assistance in replacing or repairing the engine transmission compartment and/or turret of combat vehicles.
The vehicle is based on the Leopard 1 tank chassis.
The first such vehicles were delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in October 2022.
The Wisent 1 Mineclearing (MC) is derived from the Armored Recovery Vehicle 2000 (ARV 2000). Essentially based on the modified hull of the Leopard 1 main battle tank with the turret removed, it can accommodate different systems depending on the role.
The Wisent 1 features a versatile front-mounted specialised dozer blade and an innovative crane with a 30 t lifting capacity.
Wisent 1 MC mine clearing tanks. Photo credits: Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft
The Wisent 1 Mineclearing (MC) is derived from the Armored Recovery Vehicle 2000 (ARV 2000). Essentially based on the modified hull of the Leopard 1 main battle tank with the turret removed, it can accommodate different systems depending on the role.
The Wisent 1 features a versatile front-mounted specialised dozer blade and an innovative crane with a 30 t lifting capacity.
The transfer of such vehicles was first reported in January 2023.
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/germany-to-produce-21-mine-clearing-tanks-for-ukraine/
Bump!
Thanks @sweatyman
October 8, 2024 9:04 AM
The situation in Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast is very unstable as Ukraine is fighting Russian forces in the eastern outskirts of the front-line town, a spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk said on Oct. 7.
“The fighting is taking place within Toretsk itself. The situation is unstable; fights are taking place literally at every building entrance,” spokesperson Anastasia Bobovnikova said on air on national television.
Moscow has focused its efforts against Toretsk over the past month as part of its grinding offensive in Donbas. The situation grows increasingly difficult in Ukraine’s east as Russia captured the town of Vuhledar and closes in on Pokrovsk.
Bobovnikova said it is difficult to assess which parts of the town are under Russian control but confirmed that Moscow’s troops had entered the eastern outskirts, advancing along Tsentralna (Central) Street in the direction of the Tsentralna Mine.
“But the situation is constantly changing. Sometimes, we destroy their fire positions; sometimes, they destroy ours. But we are constantly regrouping and trying to regain what Russia captures,” the spokesperson added.
Russian forces launched 11 attacks against Toretsk and nearby settlements on Oct. 7, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. Twelve more ground assaults were launched overnight on Oct. 8.
The crowdsourced monitoring website DeepState indicates that settlements on the eastern outskirts of Toretsk – Pivnichne, Zalizne, Druzhba, and Pivdenne – are fully or almost completely in Russian hands.
According to the monitoring group, Russian forces have been advancing along Tsentralna Street since late September and have reached the town’s center as of Oct. 7.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.
Toretsk, which was home to over 30,000 people before the full-scale war, has been heavily battered by Russian attacks, forcing its residents to leave with only some 1,600 people remaining in the area as of mid-September.
The situation near Toretsk has been difficult for months, as the military reported clashes on the town’s outskirts already back in August.
I hope the author of the article is correct and that Australia does indeed, donate the mentioned 59 surplus M-1A1SAs.
But there aren’t many of these tanks left.
Oct 7, 2024,03:40pm EDT
After fighting in many of the bloodiest battles in Russia’s wider war on Ukraine for 15 months straight, the Ukrainian army’s elite 47th Mechanized Brigade finally rotated off the eastern front line early last month for a well-earned period of rest and reset.
The brigade took with it the survivors of 31 American-made M-1 Abrams tanks that equipped the unit’s sole tank battalion. Those tanks have gotten some badly needed upgrades.
A video the 47th Mechanized Brigade posted on or around Monday depicts some of the unit’s surviving tanks in training. The 69-ton, four-person M-1s sport U.S.-made reactive armor blocks on their sides and Ukrainian-made reactive armor blocks on their turrets as locally-crafted anti-drone cage armor and drone-grounding radio jammers.
The brigade took with it the survivors of 31 American-made M-1 Abrams tanks that equipped the unit’s sole tank battalion. Those tanks have gotten some badly needed upgrades.
A video the 47th Mechanized Brigade posted on or around Monday depicts some of the unit’s surviving tanks in training. The 69-ton, four-person M-1s sport U.S.-made reactive armor blocks on their sides and Ukrainian-made reactive armor blocks on their turrets as locally-crafted anti-drone cage armor and drone-grounding radio jammers.
In piling mods onto its Abrams, the 47th Mechanized Brigade is doing its best to preserve the tanks it has left for as long as it can. The United States has obligingly shipped hundreds of surplus M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles in order to keep the 47th Mechanized Brigade’s assault battalions fully equipped with modern vehicles despite those battalions suffering heavy losses.
Weirdly, the United States has not shipped replacement M-1s. Those first 31 Abrams, which arrived in Ukraine a year ago, are the only Abrams the Americans have pledged, despite there being literally thousands of the tanks in storage in the United States.
How many M-1s the 47th Mechanized Brigade has left is unclear. The analysts at the intelligence collective Oryx have tallied six destroyed Abrams and eight damaged or abandoned ones. It’s typical for tank units to try to tow away and repair immobilized vehicles, but it’s hard to say how many of its abandoned Abrams the 47th Mechanized Brigade managed to recover as it fought mostly rearguard actions in eastern Ukraine from last winter through the early fall.
At most, the 47th Mechanized Brigade has 25 M-1s left. At a minimum, it might have just 17. But it’s a safe bet all the survivors now have the add-on armor and jammers. They’ll roll back into battle better-protected than ever—potentially delaying the day when the brigade has too few tanks to form a cohesive fighting force.
If the 47th Mechanized Brigade gets more Abrams, they might not come from the United States—but from Australia. While the Americans haven’t signaled a willingness to transfer more tanks, the Australians are reportedly considering donating 59 surplus M-1A1SAs that recently retired from the Australian army.
With 59 fresh Abrams, the 47th Mechanized could replenish its existing tank battalion—and possibly form a second battalion, too. Unless and until that happens, those 14 to 25 survivors of the original 31 Ukrainian M-1s will have to soldier on alone.
Two years has gone fast, seems like yesterday.
And again
Thanks @sweatyman
Controversial. And highly unlikely. But who knows what will happen in 2025 with no end in sight for this war.
I miss that span in time.
But not as much as the Russians.
