Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Iphie]

I mean, if they're going to bomb you anyway, why not at least make them bomb their own cities for a change, right?

That wouldn't be a change, they've been doing that with alarming regularity in that area already XD

[Elder Millennial]

sip'

Currently at seems the Ukrainians are mostly just going around hitting anything with any military value, doing deeper sallies into Russian territory mostly just to hit Russian units as those are trying to dig in or reinforce each other.

The situation seems especially bad during the night as it seems that the Russians in the area have absolutely no night vision capabilities at the moment and are being constantly hit by small mobile Ukrainian units with night vision and thermals.

As the Ukrainians don't seem super eager to go that much deeper or to really capture towns and play occupation.

What seems to be the strategy here is to force the Russians to redeploy and fight, on their own territories.

It's another meat grinder. They are just there to force the Russians to fight and kill as many as possible.

This will inevitably force the Russians to re-allocate troops from the south and it also makes Moscow look bad.

[YUPPIE]

Given how this topic is updating by the day due to the activeness of the situation, don't be surprised at frequent news.

As of 8/11/2024, Ukrainian troops have advanced up to 30km inside Russia.

Russia's defence ministry said its forces had engaged Ukrainian troops near the villages of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez, as the offensive in the Kursk region entered a sixth day. President Volodymyr Zelensky directly acknowledged the attack for the first time, saying Ukraine was pushing the war to "the aggressor's territory".

Russia has evacuated over 76,000 citizens from the Russian-Ukrainian border in Kursk Oblast as Ukraine continues its incursion in the region. Evacuated civilians have been moved to temporary residence centers that have opened across western Russia, including Moscow Oblast. So far, 60 centers, including 26 in Kursk Oblast, are accommodating 4,400 people, according to the head of Russia’s Emergency Ministry Artem Sharov.

Russians have been deriding this "silent" (as it's phrased officially) incursion as a terror attack on innocent people. That's not my statement on the matter, but just what the Russians are saying.

[draynay]

Why the F would Ukraine push for Moscow and have to deal with the hell of city fighting in hostile territory?

Just no.

Threatening Moscow is prudent if it pulls defenders away from other objectives.

[Belize]

snip

Please list the source you're plagiarizing from.

[YUPPIE]

Please list the source you're plagiarizing from.

i am attending public rallies as a spectator lately so thats why they dont come up right away, thank you very much

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkm08rv5m0o
https://kyivindependent.com/over-76-...nes-incursion/

[Makabreska]

i am attending public rallies as a spectator lately so thats why they dont come up right away, thank you very much

Ye, suuuuuure. We all know here you don't really leave your home.

[Gabriel]

So the barely sentient apes apparently set alight a tyrefire inside the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant cooling tower.

Theories on "but why?" range from the more esoteric "trying to create a false flag", to more plausible explanations "it's probably really cold in the winter month of August" and "they are just that fucking dumb".

[KrayZ33]

The plant is powered down for a year or two now, right?
What the heck are they doing, lol.
Are they trying to damage it so it remains inoperable in case Ukraine gets control back "after peace talks" or something?

[Elder Millennial]

Those are evaporative draft cooling towers.

I don't think setting a tire fire inside one is likely to irreparably damage the structure itself, but then again, I'm not a structural engineer.

Tho, these are not extremely expensive or complicated systems. They just mostly rely on passive convection, so tearing one down and replacing it wouldn't be astronomically costly compared to other components like the turbines, reactor active cooling etc

[Gabriel]

Those are evaporative draft cooling towers.

I don't think setting a tire fire inside one is likely to irreparably damage the structure itself, but then again, I'm not a structural engineer.

Tho, these are not extremely expensive or complicated systems. They just mostly rely on passive convection, so tearing one down and replacing it wouldn't be astronomically costly compared to other components like the turbines, reactor active cooling etc

The cooling tower is FUBAR if they truly lit that large of a fire inside of it, but it likely won't affect the reactor building safety that much.

[Nymrohd]

I was under the impression that there are several points of strategic value in the area, from gas exports to nuclear plants to military installations. It doesn't just have to be diversionary tactics.

[Belize]

i am attending public rallies as a spectator lately so thats why they dont come up right away, thank you very much

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkm08rv5m0o
https://kyivindependent.com/over-76-...nes-incursion/

Doesn't the city you live in have rules against public drinking?

[YUPPIE]

I question if Ukraine is just testing Putin and how he will react. A border incursion still going strong surpasses anything before regarding red lines so this operation will embolden Ukraine to go further and further if Putin doesn’t do anything meaningful.

Like at the least think of the humiliation and rage he would feel if Ukraine seizes Russian territory and uses it as leverage over him for bargaining. He would not stand for that.

[draynay]

Okay, I thought about poutin' Putin, what's next on doomer bingo?

[Corvus]

If russia is pulling all those bit of units from all over to deal with the threat, then it would suggest that russia had no reserves available near to hand. That, plus the fact the forces there were mostly conscripts would indicate that almost all of their available fighting forces were in Ukraine.

Moving the troops out of Ukraine and then ferrying them back to russia will take days, and leaves them somewhat vulnerable. In addition to the convoy that got wrecked the other day, another one was reported (by the russians) to have been hit by a swarm of drones, taking out 2 tanks and leaving dozens dead. There was also another Ka-52 taken out yesterday, by a manpad at short range, killing both crew. The Ukrainians are mobile and russia doesn't exactly know where they all are, otherwise the Ka-52 wouldn't have been anywhere near them. It also makes glide bombs less effective - they are good for hitting static defence, not mobile targets.


But what is going on or the goals are hard to tell as Ukraine is observing really tight opsec, and after the initial flurry of bad news came out from the russia side they have cracked down on social media. The person who videoed the destroyed column the other day was arrested, Signal has been banned and YouTube has been severely throttled to slow it down. To say the reports given by russia are fictitious is an understatement. They claim they are pushing Ukraine back, yet place fighting 30km beyond the border in some places, which is even deeper than anyone had suspected, all the while claiming they have killed hundreds and destroyed dozens of armoured vehicles everyday. Skabeeva even made comment of the fact that they have claimed more killed than they said were involved in the fighting. But she also said every single male in Moscow is ready to take up arms to defend against the attack, which is good for a laugh. Muscovites have no interest in fighting - that is what all the vassal minorities are for.

That russians have been bred to be passive has been shown again. Just like with the Prig's march, so too has there been no indication of any resistance by citizens. They just shrug and go on. They really don't care.

It is possible that the Kursk NPP might have been a goal. Even though 2 of its 4 reactors have been shut down, it provides 95% of Kursk Oblast's electricity. And given the trains run on electricity, it could have a major effect on resupply. Take out the substations connecting it to the grid and it really hurts.

Even if that was the goal, and they can't make it, embarrassing pootie, forcing troop movements and taking the initiative are still worthwhile goals.

[PhaelixWW]

Moving the troops out of Ukraine and then ferrying them back to russia will take days, and leaves them somewhat vulnerable. In addition to the convoy that got wrecked the other day, another one was reported (by the russians) to have been hit by a swarm of drones, taking out 2 tanks and leaving dozens dead.

Unconfirmed, as of yet, but it's reported that the Russian forces were moving in a column, which one would think they'd have learned not to do where Ukraine munitions might reach them.

There are also reports of drone attacks targeting Chkalovsky Airbase, just outside of Moscow, which hosts some high-value Russian aircraft targets.

[YUPPIE]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the removal of restrictions on long-range strikes against Russia, emphasizing the need for a “fair response” to ongoing Russian attacks. In his evening address on August 11, 2024, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine is meticulously tracking all locations from which Russia launches missile strikes.

Zelenskyy emphasized that removing restrictions on long-range strikes would save thousands of lives, drawing a parallel with how air defense systems protect lives. He stated that Ukraine would continue to discuss this issue with its partners.

The President also reiterated that strengthening Ukrainian air defense and combat aviation remains a priority. He acknowledged the progress made in defensive capabilities but stressed that more work is needed, particularly in terms of acquiring additional air defense systems and improving training for air defense units.

Zelenskyy’s call for expanded military capabilities underscores Ukraine’s determination to enhance its defensive and offensive capabilities in response to ongoing Russian aggression “to achieve just peace faster.”

Source.
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Clearly he wants to take the fight to the heart of Russia now. This is a decisive moment.

[PhaelixWW]

Clearly he wants to take the fight to the heart of Russia now.

Yuppers: "In a screenshot posted today, Putin was lifting his index finger. Clearly, he's about to push the button on WWIII!"

There's nothing "clear" about the make-believe conclusions you arrive at because they exist only in your delusions.

This is a decisive moment.

Zelenskyy has been saying this literally since before Ukraine even received the first long-range offensive weaponry from the US.

Was it "decisive" back then, too?

Another garbage take.

[YUPPIE]

Yuppers: "In a screenshot posted today, Putin was lifting his index finger. Clearly, he's about to push the button on WWIII!"

There's nothing "clear" about the make-believe conclusions you arrive at because they exist only in your delusions.



Zelenskyy has been saying this literally since before Ukraine even received the first long-range offensive weaponry from the US.

Was it "decisive" back then, too?

Another garbage take.

you keep implying I'm referring to nuclear weapons when it's been a long time since I even brought those up. There are other terrible things Putin can resort to to repel the invaders like chemical weapons.

It's also decisive now because he's literally saying this as the Ukrainians are launching an ongoing offensive into Russia.