ALERT RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE - Consolidated Thread

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Those ships were going what 100 miles.
Just for FYI purposes, the widest part of the English channel which is at the western end as it goes into the Atlantic, and not where they left England to land in Normandy..........is 21 miles.

I know you were just talking, and I'm just making a reference. And you are right about everything else. How many months did it take for the build up to invade Iraq the first time?
 

jward

passin' thru
Samuel Ramani
@SamRamani2

1h

BREAKING: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama confirms that NATO is in talks to construct a naval base in Porto Romano on Albania's coast
This announcement coincides with Britain's announcement of military deployments to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which underscores growing NATO coordination against the threat of Russia and by extension, Serbia, to the stability of the western Balkans
View: https://twitter.com/SamRamani2/status/1542909770864246789?s=20&t=6onHsql7S_2PaXmNvqydxA
 

jward

passin' thru
Samuel Ramani
@SamRamani2

40m

Ukraine has asked Turkey to detain the Zhibek Zholy which Russia is using to smuggle stolen Ukrainian grain Turkey has worked with Russia, Ukraine and the UN on facilitating grain exports but has not punished and allegedly abetted Russia's sales of stolen Ukrainian grain
 

jward

passin' thru
thedrive.com

Meet The Shadowy Ukrainian Unit That Sabotages Targets Inside Russia
Howard Altman

13-17 minutes


Sometimes they cross the border by helicopter. Other times, by foot.
But the objective is always the same, says the head of a shadowy Ukraine special operations group known as the Shaman Battalion.
Give the Russians a taste of what Ukrainians have been experiencing since 2014. And especially since Feb. 24.
“You might have heard about the missiles strike at the shopping mall recently,” the man who goes by the callsign 'Shaman' told The War Zone in an exclusive interview Thursday morning. “You've definitely heard about Bucha. You've heard about the missile strike at the railway station with refugees at Kramatorsk. I wish all these special ops actions would happen on Russian soil now. Because I want them to know the feeling that they give to the people of Ukraine.”

Speaking through an interpreter via Zoom, Shaman, the leader of the eponymous group, said the battalion is doing its part to make that happen.
Over the course of Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine, images of attacks inside Russia have appeared on social media. They've been carried out on a wide array of targets, including an ammunition storage facility, an airbase, and what appeared to be a daring raid by Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters in April that crossed low over the border into Russia and struck an oil storage facility in Belgorod.
While declining to offer details about specific locations of these clandestine missions, Shaman smiles when asked about that raid.
“You know that that explosion on the refinery in Belgorod is not the end,” he said. “It’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
The Ukraine Defense Intelligence soldier known by his callsign, Shaman, leads a shadowy team of operators who conduct raids into Russia. via Zoom
Special operations missions into Russia, or Russian-held Ukrainian territory, is not a new phenomenon, Shaman said.
They began not long after Russia annexed Crimea and invaded Donbas in 2014.
“There were previous missions, multiple big numbers of them, into Crimea and other territories,” said Shaman. “We had some operations in Russia long before 2022. Because Russia actually started this war against Ukraine in 2014, not in 2022.”
Those raids, he said, continue.
“And that's nothing unusual,” he said, once again declining to offer specifics. “We're using ordinary tactics of SOF [special operations forces ] units. It's a routine and right thing to do. We're raiding their rear. We’re conducting diversions. So there's nothing really special about it. It's indeed complicated work to do. But we love it and we're doing it with pleasure.”
The work may be complicated, but Shaman says planning the missions is not.
“It's actually it's quite simple to describe,” he said. “Every time when we're doing planning, and we're preparing the mission, it's ordinary preparation that is done by every special forces unit across the globe. And the tactics we use are the same tactics.”
There is one difference, he said, smiling.

“The only thing is that our plans are always ideal. They always work because our main motto is ‘we'll get there and then we'll see.’ So we get there and then we see. That's why it always goes well.”
Making the decision to go on a raid is not easy. But once it’s made, there is an inner peace.
“The first and the hardest thing to do is you need to come to terms with yourself,” said Shaman. “You've got to take that decision. Because you understand that the chances for success most of the times are 50-50 and chances to get back are actually even less than that. But when once the decision is made, it's quite easy. “
Given the long odds, the only people who go on missions are those who want to, Shaman said.
“We always seek only volunteers. We never task people to do something. They're volunteers and they're worth going to Valhalla if they fall in a battle.”
Shaman also heaped tremendous praise on the helicopter pilots who take them on missions.
Shaman said his battalion could not accomplish its missions without the help of Ukraine helicopter pilots. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“What is really important is that we have great helicopter pilots. They're the guys who have very precise, very outwritten plans that consider all necessary details. They're super pilots. They're strong, intelligent, and very highly motivated.”
The pilots, said Shaman, actually do the bulk of the work.
“They help us to infiltrate and they also help us to exfiltrate. They actually are doing the biggest part of the job. Our job on the spot is just to kill everyone, and then they get us back. They practically support what we're doing and that requires a lot of skill.”
There is, he said, an exhilaration from taking part in these raids
“You feel the cold of your blood and you feel the rush of adrenaline.”
The missions into Russia are “not a big secret,” said Shaman. “Sometimes it happens on a helicopter. Sometimes we go in by foot. Most of the times we’re able to locate the good entry point to fly in or to walk on foot into Russia and then afterwards, what can I say?”
Again, a slight smile creases his face, which is barely visible from behind an olive drab balaclava that covers most of it.

“I want to send my best regards to Belgorod,” he said, referring to the site of the April refinery raid. “I want to suggest to them to make stocks of fuels, grain, maybe flour, and salt. They might need it in future. And also I'd like to ask them to start thinking what's going on and maybe shake up and start doing something.”
Shaman said his callsign comes from the Ukrainian soothsayers and healers who beat drums as part of their ceremonies.
“There's this saying that hitting on the face is like hitting at this instrument,” he said. “So I'm good at hitting the face.”
The battalion that takes his name was created after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
“When this war started, I gathered a bunch of old pirates who were willing, had no fear and complaints, and wanted to defend their country,” said Shaman. “People just started asking, ‘who are those people? Those are Shaman’s people.’ That's how they started calling the battalion the Shaman battalion.”

Reporting to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence directorate, the battalion is made up of diverse segments of Ukraine society.
“There are a variety of very different personalities because today in Ukraine there are no shades of grey. There's only black and white - I mean good and evil. So either you're either fighting for your country or working to help those who are fighting. If not, it means you are on the other side."

“That is why the team of people I have are extremely motivated. They are people from various circles and they don't need any extra motivation or influence. I have ex-generals. I actually have an ex-deputy minister from [the] government who's fighting in my team now. They are representatives, if you will, of the elite circles of society. But today they're fighting for this country. With honor, they're doing the right thing. They have no pity [for] themselves [or] the enemy.”
After about a half-hour of talking, Shaman excused himself, but before leaving, introduced one of his men - the ex-deputy minister.
Dressed in camouflage, he introduced himself by his callsign - Sydney.
A former high-ranking Ukrainian government official, "Sydney" now fights Russians with the Shaman battalion. via Zoom
“We've known each other before this outbreak of large-scale Russian aggression against us,” Sydney said. “But on the 24th of February, at about six in the morning, was the first time when I met Shaman as my commander.”
There was no entry training course to join the battalion.

“The primary bar is a personal conversation with the battalion commander,” Sydney said. “But then we're doing polygraphs and it's a quite ordinary procedure. So we take all the necessary steps.”
Shaman battalion members “all have different levels of training,” said Sydney. “We are people of different ages. Beginning from 18 years up to 50 and we even have a few older guys. As our commander once said, we're all members of the crew of the last pirate battleship.”
And that, said Sydney, is what makes this unit so interesting.
“The Shaman battalion is not a standard unit. There is a symbiosis of experience and motivation, and I believe this is the reason why some time after I suppose there will be many stories in books or even in movies.”
But the unit's first mission, to try and secure Antonov Airport in Hostomel near Kyiv, did not go as well as hoped.

“Regretfully there's been lots of strategic mistakes made that cannot be fixed now, but at least we can extract some experience and some lessons learned from those mistake of ours.”
Preparations for resisting the incoming enemy air assault “were not at the highest level possible,” he said.
“A group of Shaman got its orders and started moving to the airfield right after the first missiles struck at the airfield. We actually had trouble getting there because by that time, citizens of Kyiv, a majority of them, were trying to flee using the very same roads. And it was very hard. It was very complicated just in getting there.”
Once there, “the enemy was already overhead and we weren't properly ready for the following action. So definitely from the technical perspective, certain needed preparations were not done.”
Russians were already pounding the airfield with missiles.

A view of the wreckage of the military vehicles, at a hangar after it was destroyed by Russia's attacks on Antonov Airport in Hostomel, Ukraine on May 5, 2022. Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“There was an impact site of a Tochka-U, which is a big missile,” said Sydney. “Then there were a lot of Sukhoi aircraft that were flying over, dropping stuff.”
After that came the helicopters. Huge waves of them.
“There were over 44 helicopters with air assault troops and our problem on the spot was that we were lacking a means and assets for taking them down in those numbers.”
Sydney then praised the young Ukrainian National Guard troops who stood their ground, firing old Soviet-era man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) at the overwhelming influx of Russia’s vaunted VDV airborne assault troops.

“I would like to give credit to the young boys. Some of them were 18 and 19 years old. Their mission was to guard the airfield and runway itself. They took down a few helicopters and one Sukhoi fighter jet. Despite the fact that they're people of 18 and 19 years of age, they have balls bigger than many people in this world.”
The attack on the airport was eventually repelled, the biggest in a cascading series of military disasters for Russia that led to their ignominious retreat.
But before they left Antonov Airport, the Russians lashed out, said Sydney, destroying the world’s biggest airplane - the six-engine An-225 cargo jet known worldwide by its nickname Mriya.
The Shaman battalion member named "Sydney" said Russia destroyed the An-225 cargo jet known as Mriya. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“Mriya was just burned down,” said Sydney. “I’m pretty sure it was done on purpose. The Russians are very big on symbolism. They like to pick certain dates and places and even Mriya as a phenomenon was a bone up their throats.”
So, Sydney claims, they destroyed it.
The biggest failure at Antonov Airport wasn’t a lack of weapons, Sydney said. It was not being supplied with more advanced systems.
“The problem was not that they didn't have Javelins or Stingers. That was not the case. I know for sure.”
The reason, he said, was that “about a year ago we suggested we host a military exercise in that particular airfield.”
The plan was to train for a potential Russian air assault, like the kind that actually happened.
But that was met with resistance from higher-ups.
“When we suggested that, we were told that we have militaristic views,” said Sydney. “And because those people we were talking to didn't want to believe, or it was hard for them to believe, that Russia may start a large-scale invasion into Ukraine, they didn't believe us.”

He likened the situation to a recent Hollywood movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a scientist whose warnings about impending doom fall on deaf and dismissing ears.
"Don't Look Up shows really well what was going on a year ago here in Ukraine,” he said. “And I believe that to some extent, it will continue.”
Sydney said he can’t talk about any missions into Russia, deferring such discussions to Shaman, his commander.
But overall, the nature of the war has changed.
After their defeat at Antonov Airport, the Russian advance on Kyiv stalled, then fell apart.
As Russian forces retreated north to Belarus, the Shaman battalion was among those Ukrainian forces attacking them on their way out. There was a lot of close-quarters fighting along the way.
“At the very beginning of the conflict, there was a lot of close-fire combat in Moshchun, Irpin, and other small towns next to Kyiv. At that very moment, the Russians didn't have a good understanding of where they got to.”
The nature of the war now is different.

“The only thing today's Russian army is capable of is hitting from a far distance,” said Sydney, referring to the ongoing and somewhat successful massive long-range fires invading forces are launching against Ukraine in the Donbas area in the east of that country. “The only thing they're capable of is bombing shopping malls, striking them with their missiles, killing civilians. causing harm to peaceful people. That's the only thing they are capable of to date.”
So now, with the war a slugfest with neither side making huge gains or suffering catastrophic battlefield defeats, Sydney is prepared for the long haul of what he says may be a generational conflict.
“This war will not stop,” he said. "This war is forever. This war will go on until everything that obstructs us from having our normal simple lives no longer exists.”
And that will take some time.

“I'm sure that our kids will also be fighting,” he said. “And we will get them properly trained. They will be better prepared than we are.”
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

Many awesome videos, and some photo images, at source
posted for fair use
 

mecoastie

Veteran Member
Just for FYI purposes, the widest part of the English channel which is at the western end as it goes into the Atlantic, and not where they left England to land in Normandy..........is 21 miles.

I know you were just talking, and I'm just making a reference. And you are right about everything else. How many months did it take for the build up to invade Iraq the first time?
Narrowest point is 21 miles at the straits of Dover but we didnt cross there. Here is a map of the invasion. If you look at the ships coming across from Portsmouth and Southhampton they had a straight run of about 100 miles but coming from the western ports like Falmouth it was well over 200 miles.
Allied_Invasion_Force.jpg
 

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
thedrive.com

Meet The Shadowy Ukrainian Unit That Sabotages Targets Inside Russia
Howard Altman

13-17 minutes


Sometimes they cross the border by helicopter. Other times, by foot.
But the objective is always the same, says the head of a shadowy Ukraine special operations group known as the Shaman Battalion.
Give the Russians a taste of what Ukrainians have been experiencing since 2014. And especially since Feb. 24.
“You might have heard about the missiles strike at the shopping mall recently,” the man who goes by the callsign 'Shaman' told The War Zone in an exclusive interview Thursday morning. “You've definitely heard about Bucha. You've heard about the missile strike at the railway station with refugees at Kramatorsk. I wish all these special ops actions would happen on Russian soil now. Because I want them to know the feeling that they give to the people of Ukraine.”

Speaking through an interpreter via Zoom, Shaman, the leader of the eponymous group, said the battalion is doing its part to make that happen.
Over the course of Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine, images of attacks inside Russia have appeared on social media. They've been carried out on a wide array of targets, including an ammunition storage facility, an airbase, and what appeared to be a daring raid by Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters in April that crossed low over the border into Russia and struck an oil storage facility in Belgorod.
While declining to offer details about specific locations of these clandestine missions, Shaman smiles when asked about that raid.
“You know that that explosion on the refinery in Belgorod is not the end,” he said. “It’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
The Ukraine Defense Intelligence soldier known by his callsign, Shaman, leads a shadowy team of operators who conduct raids into Russia. via Zoom
Special operations missions into Russia, or Russian-held Ukrainian territory, is not a new phenomenon, Shaman said.
They began not long after Russia annexed Crimea and invaded Donbas in 2014.
“There were previous missions, multiple big numbers of them, into Crimea and other territories,” said Shaman. “We had some operations in Russia long before 2022. Because Russia actually started this war against Ukraine in 2014, not in 2022.”
Those raids, he said, continue.
“And that's nothing unusual,” he said, once again declining to offer specifics. “We're using ordinary tactics of SOF [special operations forces ] units. It's a routine and right thing to do. We're raiding their rear. We’re conducting diversions. So there's nothing really special about it. It's indeed complicated work to do. But we love it and we're doing it with pleasure.”
The work may be complicated, but Shaman says planning the missions is not.
“It's actually it's quite simple to describe,” he said. “Every time when we're doing planning, and we're preparing the mission, it's ordinary preparation that is done by every special forces unit across the globe. And the tactics we use are the same tactics.”
There is one difference, he said, smiling.

“The only thing is that our plans are always ideal. They always work because our main motto is ‘we'll get there and then we'll see.’ So we get there and then we see. That's why it always goes well.”
Making the decision to go on a raid is not easy. But once it’s made, there is an inner peace.
“The first and the hardest thing to do is you need to come to terms with yourself,” said Shaman. “You've got to take that decision. Because you understand that the chances for success most of the times are 50-50 and chances to get back are actually even less than that. But when once the decision is made, it's quite easy. “
Given the long odds, the only people who go on missions are those who want to, Shaman said.
“We always seek only volunteers. We never task people to do something. They're volunteers and they're worth going to Valhalla if they fall in a battle.”
Shaman also heaped tremendous praise on the helicopter pilots who take them on missions.
Shaman said his battalion could not accomplish its missions without the help of Ukraine helicopter pilots. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“What is really important is that we have great helicopter pilots. They're the guys who have very precise, very outwritten plans that consider all necessary details. They're super pilots. They're strong, intelligent, and very highly motivated.”
The pilots, said Shaman, actually do the bulk of the work.
“They help us to infiltrate and they also help us to exfiltrate. They actually are doing the biggest part of the job. Our job on the spot is just to kill everyone, and then they get us back. They practically support what we're doing and that requires a lot of skill.”
There is, he said, an exhilaration from taking part in these raids
“You feel the cold of your blood and you feel the rush of adrenaline.”
The missions into Russia are “not a big secret,” said Shaman. “Sometimes it happens on a helicopter. Sometimes we go in by foot. Most of the times we’re able to locate the good entry point to fly in or to walk on foot into Russia and then afterwards, what can I say?”
Again, a slight smile creases his face, which is barely visible from behind an olive drab balaclava that covers most of it.

“I want to send my best regards to Belgorod,” he said, referring to the site of the April refinery raid. “I want to suggest to them to make stocks of fuels, grain, maybe flour, and salt. They might need it in future. And also I'd like to ask them to start thinking what's going on and maybe shake up and start doing something.”
Shaman said his callsign comes from the Ukrainian soothsayers and healers who beat drums as part of their ceremonies.
“There's this saying that hitting on the face is like hitting at this instrument,” he said. “So I'm good at hitting the face.”
The battalion that takes his name was created after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
“When this war started, I gathered a bunch of old pirates who were willing, had no fear and complaints, and wanted to defend their country,” said Shaman. “People just started asking, ‘who are those people? Those are Shaman’s people.’ That's how they started calling the battalion the Shaman battalion.”

Reporting to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence directorate, the battalion is made up of diverse segments of Ukraine society.
“There are a variety of very different personalities because today in Ukraine there are no shades of grey. There's only black and white - I mean good and evil. So either you're either fighting for your country or working to help those who are fighting. If not, it means you are on the other side."

“That is why the team of people I have are extremely motivated. They are people from various circles and they don't need any extra motivation or influence. I have ex-generals. I actually have an ex-deputy minister from [the] government who's fighting in my team now. They are representatives, if you will, of the elite circles of society. But today they're fighting for this country. With honor, they're doing the right thing. They have no pity [for] themselves [or] the enemy.”
After about a half-hour of talking, Shaman excused himself, but before leaving, introduced one of his men - the ex-deputy minister.
Dressed in camouflage, he introduced himself by his callsign - Sydney.
A former high-ranking Ukrainian government official, "Sydney" now fights Russians with the Shaman battalion. via Zoom
“We've known each other before this outbreak of large-scale Russian aggression against us,” Sydney said. “But on the 24th of February, at about six in the morning, was the first time when I met Shaman as my commander.”
There was no entry training course to join the battalion.

“The primary bar is a personal conversation with the battalion commander,” Sydney said. “But then we're doing polygraphs and it's a quite ordinary procedure. So we take all the necessary steps.”
Shaman battalion members “all have different levels of training,” said Sydney. “We are people of different ages. Beginning from 18 years up to 50 and we even have a few older guys. As our commander once said, we're all members of the crew of the last pirate battleship.”
And that, said Sydney, is what makes this unit so interesting.
“The Shaman battalion is not a standard unit. There is a symbiosis of experience and motivation, and I believe this is the reason why some time after I suppose there will be many stories in books or even in movies.”
But the unit's first mission, to try and secure Antonov Airport in Hostomel near Kyiv, did not go as well as hoped.

“Regretfully there's been lots of strategic mistakes made that cannot be fixed now, but at least we can extract some experience and some lessons learned from those mistake of ours.”
Preparations for resisting the incoming enemy air assault “were not at the highest level possible,” he said.
“A group of Shaman got its orders and started moving to the airfield right after the first missiles struck at the airfield. We actually had trouble getting there because by that time, citizens of Kyiv, a majority of them, were trying to flee using the very same roads. And it was very hard. It was very complicated just in getting there.”
Once there, “the enemy was already overhead and we weren't properly ready for the following action. So definitely from the technical perspective, certain needed preparations were not done.”
Russians were already pounding the airfield with missiles.

A view of the wreckage of the military vehicles, at a hangar after it was destroyed by Russia's attacks on Antonov Airport in Hostomel, Ukraine on May 5, 2022. Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“There was an impact site of a Tochka-U, which is a big missile,” said Sydney. “Then there were a lot of Sukhoi aircraft that were flying over, dropping stuff.”
After that came the helicopters. Huge waves of them.
“There were over 44 helicopters with air assault troops and our problem on the spot was that we were lacking a means and assets for taking them down in those numbers.”
Sydney then praised the young Ukrainian National Guard troops who stood their ground, firing old Soviet-era man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) at the overwhelming influx of Russia’s vaunted VDV airborne assault troops.

“I would like to give credit to the young boys. Some of them were 18 and 19 years old. Their mission was to guard the airfield and runway itself. They took down a few helicopters and one Sukhoi fighter jet. Despite the fact that they're people of 18 and 19 years of age, they have balls bigger than many people in this world.”
The attack on the airport was eventually repelled, the biggest in a cascading series of military disasters for Russia that led to their ignominious retreat.
But before they left Antonov Airport, the Russians lashed out, said Sydney, destroying the world’s biggest airplane - the six-engine An-225 cargo jet known worldwide by its nickname Mriya.
The Shaman battalion member named "Sydney" said Russia destroyed the An-225 cargo jet known as Mriya. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“Mriya was just burned down,” said Sydney. “I’m pretty sure it was done on purpose. The Russians are very big on symbolism. They like to pick certain dates and places and even Mriya as a phenomenon was a bone up their throats.”
So, Sydney claims, they destroyed it.
The biggest failure at Antonov Airport wasn’t a lack of weapons, Sydney said. It was not being supplied with more advanced systems.
“The problem was not that they didn't have Javelins or Stingers. That was not the case. I know for sure.”
The reason, he said, was that “about a year ago we suggested we host a military exercise in that particular airfield.”
The plan was to train for a potential Russian air assault, like the kind that actually happened.
But that was met with resistance from higher-ups.
“When we suggested that, we were told that we have militaristic views,” said Sydney. “And because those people we were talking to didn't want to believe, or it was hard for them to believe, that Russia may start a large-scale invasion into Ukraine, they didn't believe us.”

He likened the situation to a recent Hollywood movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a scientist whose warnings about impending doom fall on deaf and dismissing ears.
"Don't Look Up shows really well what was going on a year ago here in Ukraine,” he said. “And I believe that to some extent, it will continue.”
Sydney said he can’t talk about any missions into Russia, deferring such discussions to Shaman, his commander.
But overall, the nature of the war has changed.
After their defeat at Antonov Airport, the Russian advance on Kyiv stalled, then fell apart.
As Russian forces retreated north to Belarus, the Shaman battalion was among those Ukrainian forces attacking them on their way out. There was a lot of close-quarters fighting along the way.
“At the very beginning of the conflict, there was a lot of close-fire combat in Moshchun, Irpin, and other small towns next to Kyiv. At that very moment, the Russians didn't have a good understanding of where they got to.”
The nature of the war now is different.

“The only thing today's Russian army is capable of is hitting from a far distance,” said Sydney, referring to the ongoing and somewhat successful massive long-range fires invading forces are launching against Ukraine in the Donbas area in the east of that country. “The only thing they're capable of is bombing shopping malls, striking them with their missiles, killing civilians. causing harm to peaceful people. That's the only thing they are capable of to date.”
So now, with the war a slugfest with neither side making huge gains or suffering catastrophic battlefield defeats, Sydney is prepared for the long haul of what he says may be a generational conflict.
“This war will not stop,” he said. "This war is forever. This war will go on until everything that obstructs us from having our normal simple lives no longer exists.”
And that will take some time.

“I'm sure that our kids will also be fighting,” he said. “And we will get them properly trained. They will be better prepared than we are.”
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

Many awesome videos, and some photo images, at source
posted for fair use

Well now, that is a prime example of Churchill's "3Bs". Even if everything stated is true it will take up a lot of space in Russian planning.
 

db cooper

Resident Secret Squirrel
Think of how many ships it would take to transport all the equipment and men necessary to even go to battle against the US military. Then imagine trying to get those across the Pacific while dodging subs, aircraft capable of taking out the ships before the ships could even see them as well as various types of missiles from US ships. It would take days to get those ships across the ocean.....plenty of time for the US assets to destroy them. The US has thousands of aircraft capable of preventing those ships from landing. And this doesn't even address the logistical / support needs of such a massive force.
A common sense reply.
 

Shadow

Swift, Silent,...Sleepy
Think of how many ships it would take to transport all the equipment and men necessary to even go to battle against the US military. Then imagine trying to get those across the Pacific while dodging subs, aircraft capable of taking out the ships before the ships could even see them as well as various types of missiles from US ships. It would take days to get those ships across the ocean.....plenty of time for the US assets to destroy them. The US has thousands of aircraft capable of preventing those ships from landing. And this doesn't even address the logistical / support needs of such a massive force.
Excellent points! I worry about what has come thru our southern border. Years ago, when it was trying to be stopped, there were 305,000 Other Than Mexicans (OTM) caught on our border. I would be surprised if there were not sleeper cells present here right now.

Our Special Forces established years ago that attacking only 9 places on the grid would bring it down coast to coast. Later they figured a different nine would do the same. I think an enemy would attack many more than 9.

Loss of the grid has been estimated to cause up to a 90% loss of population in a year. Even a quarter of that would be catastrophic.

Without the grid to pump fuel to keep the diesel generators cooling nuclear power plants for six months, just keeping them from melting down would be a logistical nightmare. If we failed with just one the radioactive contamination would deny a large area downwind of inhabitability. Lose a couple and it is hard to imagine. Well, we have Fukishima to reference for that.

I haven't mentioned food, water, sewage, medicine and essential services.

Kind of makes ya wonder what would be left that an enemy would want. Unless they just wanted to be rid of us.

Shadow
 

northern watch

TB Fanatic
Excellent points! I worry about what has come thru our southern border. Years ago, when it was trying to be stopped, there were 305,000 Other Than Mexicans (OTM) caught on our border. I would be surprised if there were not sleeper cells present here right now.

Our Special Forces established years ago that attacking only 9 places on the grid would bring it down coast to coast. Later they figured a different nine would do the same. I think an enemy would attack many more than 9.

Loss of the grid has been estimated to cause up to a 90% loss of population in a year. Even a quarter of that would be catastrophic.

Without the grid to pump fuel to keep the diesel generators cooling nuclear power plants for six months, just keeping them from melting down would be a logistical nightmare. If we failed with just one the radioactive contamination would deny a large area downwind of inhabitability. Lose a couple and it is hard to imagine. Well, we have Fukishima to reference for that.

I haven't mentioned food, water, sewage, medicine and essential services.

Kind of makes ya wonder what would be left that an enemy would want. Unless they just wanted to be rid of us.

Shadow
I worry about what has come thru our southern border. Years ago, when it was trying to be stopped, there were 305,000 Other Than Mexicans (OTM) caught on our border. I would be surprised if there were not sleeper cells present here right now.

How many Army and National Guard Divisions would be tied up in counter - insurgency operations against the sleeper cells? as opposed to being sent to Europe or the Far East?
 

db cooper

Resident Secret Squirrel
Loss of the grid has been estimated to cause up to a 90% loss of population in a year. Even a quarter of that would be catastrophic.

I haven't mentioned food, water, sewage, medicine and essential services.
Food, water, sewage, medicine, etc would all be gone within days after the grid fails. The most dependent upon these items such as a city of any appreciable size would die out in a few weeks from starvation, dehydration, hypothermia (if it happens during cold months), disease or outright violence.

Most city peoples survival skills consist of turning a light switch on or off, going to the fridge for food, flushing the toilet, adjusting the thermostat and going to Walmart for supplies. And let's not forget dialing 911 for emergencies. Anything outside of this and they are both L - O - S - T and D - E - A - D !
 

db cooper

Resident Secret Squirrel
Pentagram announces $820 million to the Ukraine to fund the black market and dark web.
The absolute saddest and sickening part of your remark is that it's probably true, given the level of corruption of the Bai-Den's and Uke regimes.

And meanwhile, back at the ranch (the general USA population), the Ukrainian flag is displayed as a sign of support, people just love the Uke leaders, hate the nasty Russians and want to give more and more money and most likely want our troops to enter the war to kick Russian ass.

A combination of this regime, this war and the covid bio-warfare could bring this nation to its knees in short order unless the population wakes up to what's really going on.
 

mistaken1

Has No Life - Lives on TB
The absolute saddest and sickening part of your remark is that it's probably true, given the level of corruption of the Bai-Den's and Uke regimes.

And meanwhile, back at the ranch (the general USA population), the Ukrainian flag is displayed as a sign of support, people just love the Uke leaders, hate the nasty Russians and want to give more and more money and most likely want our troops to enter the war to kick Russian ass.

A combination of this regime, this war and the covid bio-warfare could bring this nation to its knees in short order unless the population wakes up to what's really going on.

Come one man, I watch the nooz, they have experts on all the time to educate me on what all these events mean to me. Besides it's summer vacation season, I could afford to stay at the resort a little longer if it were not for putin driving up gas prices. ;)
 

OldArcher

Has No Life - Lives on TB
It’s not, and never has been “illegal immigrants.” We’ve been, and are, the object of hostile invasion. Nothing benign about the invaders. Their actions are deliberate, as is the permissiveness of this, and prior administrations. There is a simple word that matches the definition of helping one’s enemies to defeat you- TREASON. Likewise, there is only one fitting punishment, DEATH.

In a recent post by Drudge Report, it alludes to 25% of the population ready to take up arms against the corrupt government. Likewise, even 80% of Democrats say America is going in the “WRONG” direction. Is it possible that some Democrats are being awakened, and no longer “WOKE?” Only an absolute moron believes the government, cause of the problems we face, because of its treasonous leadership, can, or will, get us out of our downward spiral into oblivion.

I don’t know how to set-up a poll here. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have seen, maybe experienced, the tectonic shifts in American life. Those overseas are no less affected by Communism, corruption, senseless brutality, than we are. You know where you began life, where you’ve been, where you are, and without colossal change, where you and your country are going.

To speak negatively of the Traitor in Chief, is to become labeled as an Enemy of the State. EVERYTHING goes into NSA’s database. Same with CIA, FBI, and ALL the other government fiefdoms. To paraphrase the beginning of each Ancient Alien’s program, “You are not free, you’ve NEVER been free.”

You no longer live in the United States of America, Land of the Free/ Home of the Brave. You live in the yet to be named territory that is a sycophant of our enemies, Communist China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and all their proxies.

Get used to it- we lost The War, not even being aware that we were in one! Like the frog slowly being boiled to death, America has been slowly, inexorably, murdered. Death, by a thousand cuts. What was infuriating to some, became accepted as “normal.” Treason, corruption, brutality- all are the order of the day.

We proudly point to the three percent of the population that fought the forces of King George III. Today, one has to wonder- would three percent of the population rise up, in righteous anger and fury, to throw off the willingly assumed shackles of accepted normalcy and convenience? To bare true to their beliefs, and the rights, privileges, and freedoms given to them, by those who risked, and gave their ALL?

Damned good question. There are some days, when I think not. We’ve gone so far down the rabbit hole, that there is no way back. That the victories of our enemies have so emasculated us, weakened us, and dismembered us, that only a divine intervention can save us.

Some put all of their faith in a supreme deity. So much prayer goes out, up, around, and where are the results? We destroyed the Old Gods, the Old Ways, and the accepted gods are political and financial entities of great “earthly” power. (There, after pissing-off the vast majority of readers here!). What are YOU going to do, when today’s equivalent of Nazi Germany’s cattle cars await you?

Only YOU are responsible for your own care, safety, and survival. The government isn’t going to save you- you’re a drain on their resources. The Elites don’t give a rat’s ass about more than will be necessary to maintain their lifestyles. Tyrants see you as slaves.

What, and Who, Are You?

OA
 
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jward

passin' thru
hmm.
Ukraine – the situation (June 30, 2022)
Confusion and wishful thinking comprise the gist of the US and NATO noise out of Spain
by
Uwe Parpart July 1, 2022

3344299110_80e69cb04d_o-768x511-1.jpeg

Ukraine says it needs 500 tanks along with 1,000 howitzers, 300 MLRS, 2,000 armored vehicles, 1,000 drones. Photo: US Army
Summary/overview

Since June 26, the noise from the Bavarian Alps (G7) and Madrid (NATO), mainly from the mouths of the same principal actors, has drowned out (as, one suspects, it was designed to do) much of reality, whether on the ground in Ukraine or, more importantly, in the global economy. I address some of those issues in the assessment below.
In the Donbas, as is evident from the map, Russian troops are now in control of all territory east of the Donets River and the fighting for Lysychansk appears to be evolving faster than the capture of Severodonetsk. The main road from the west into (or out of) Lysychansk is closed and the escape hatch for Ukrainian forces by small roads has narrowed to less then 10km.
WhatsApp-Image-2022-07-01-at-7.32.34-AM.jpeg

South of the transport hub of Bakhmut, Russian forces have gained ground and have established at least some control over the main north-south road in the area, sufficient to deny the road to Ukrainian usage.

Russian forces north and northeast of Kharkiv continue to improve their positions and are continually shelling Kharkiv and its suburbs.

In the south (Kherson area), position skirmishes continue with no significant gains or losses by either side. It’s the typical scout activity one would expect, as the main theatre of war will shift south after the Donbas campaign is finished.

East/center

Lysychansk, as noted, is nearly encircled. The Russians are making small but steady progress from the south and southwest; in the northwest of Lysychansk, they have crossed the Donetsk River. The pincer will force the Ukrainians to leave the pocket and retreat on small roads in the direction of Siversk. There are indications that the retreat is underway. The question is how fast.
The hardcore defense of Siversk itself is mainly by a group of several hundred foreign mercenaries, primarily Poles. The issue is whether these troops and retreating Ukrainians from Lysychansk will stand to fight.
Ukrainian troops withdrawing from Lysychansk not only will be pursued to the Siversk area; they also will be confronted from the west by Russian forces advancing down from Izyum and Lyman in the direction of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.
Siversk-based units will need to decide on whether to stay or withdraw much farther west to and beyond the Slovyansk-Kramatorsk line.

Assessment

There now, incongruously, exist two diametrically opposite assessments of the situation by the opponents of Russian President Putin.
First, there’s the view of the “US intelligence services” referenced by the major German daily Die Welt and channeled by US conservative political analyst (and secret services mouthpiece?) Edward Luttwak. This view is that – having regained the offensive – the Russians will not stop any time soon and “there is the sinister possibility of yet another plan, this time to seize all Ukraine except for the territories given by Hitler to Stalin in 1940.”
Au contraire, says Ukrainian President Zelensky, the war will and must be over before yearend because winter conditions would give the Russians an advantage. Before winter, he says, Russia needs to be and can be forced back to the lines of control prior to the Russian February 24 attack.
According to CNN, White House “officials” aren’t so sure of any of this, are “losing confidence” that Ukraine can retake all the territory Russia has seized and feel that they need to convince Zelensky to change his “definition of victory.”
A realistic net assessment of Ukrainian versus Russian manpower and weapons provides clear evidence in support of the White House concern.

Here’s a calculation by a US military intelligence officer who has done the math:
Zelensky’s aide, Mykhailo Podolyak, passed that the Ukrainian army needs the following to reach parity and go on the offensive: 1,000 howitzers, 500 tanks, 300 MLRS, 2,000 armored vehicles, 1,000 drones.
This is a large amount of equipment. Five hundred tanks is roughly six armored brigades or 15 battalions. An artillery battalion (depending on the nation) has three or four batteries of four to six guns each, so 16 to 18 guns per battalion (though some only have 12 guns – lots of variables). A force of 1,000 howitzers equates to more than 50 battalions.

As I was regularly reminded by an old boss (he had just come from being 1st Infantry Division commanding general), it takes six months to train a battalion and a year to train a division. Ukraine and Russia appear to be fighting in a battalion structure, and that might be shortened a bit, but even if cut in half it would mean three months after the equipment was delivered –assuming you could find someplace to simultaneously train 15 battalions of armor.
And then there is the problem of logistics – a huge amount of ammunition would be needed as well as fuel, maintenance, etc. All of which is possible, if you decide to do it. But at this point it would require stripping NATO units of most of their gear and giving it to Ukraine.
Can this be done and executed before winter? It would be exceedingly difficult.
As Clausewitz noted, some things must be done and some things can be done and one must not confuse the two.

 

Red Baron

Paleo-Conservative
_______________
Are the Germans smart enough to realize how much trouble they are in?
--------------
13:17 (IST)02 JUL 2022

German regulator fears complete Russian gas cut-off

A German official has warned that Russia could be planning to use a regular maintenance break on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline as an opportunity to cut the gas supply to Germany completely.
Hamburg senator warns of hot water rationing if gas shortage becomes acute Hamburg senator warns of hot water rationing if gas shortage becomes acute pic.twitter.com/7DfF5qGpaz
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 2, 2022

Klaus Müller, the head of the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzwerkagentur), said that made it crucial to save as much gas as possible. He told Saturday newspapers from the Funke Media Group that the question was whether the planned 11-day maintenance period, due to start July 11, will "become a longer [period] of political maintenance."

He said that if the gas supply from Russia "was reduced longer for political reasons, we have to talk more seriously about ways to cut consumption." Russia has already cut or reduced its gas supply to several European countries amid tensions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. (DW)

Russia-Ukraine War Live Updates July 2, 2022: Ukraine Live News, Russia- Ukraine Today News, Russia Ukraine War News, Ukraine Crisis News, World War 3 News, Russia Victory Day (indianexpress.com)
 

Zagdid

Veteran Member

Chuck Callesto
@ChuckCallesto

9m

BREAKING REPORT: Russian ice hockey star Ivan Fedotov is FORCIBLY ENLISTED IN RUSSIAN ARMY and dragged off to fight in Ukraine after signing $1.1-MILLION deal with Philadelphia Flyers NHL Franchise...


July 02, 2022
Detained Russian Hockey Star Fedotov Reportedly Hospitalized

Russian ice hockey goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov was taken by ambulance from the St. Petersburg military commissariat during the night of July 1-2 and hospitalized, Russian media reported.

Russian authorities made no official statement on the reports, and no information about the state of Fedotov’s health was reported.

Earlier on July 1, Fedotov, 25, had been detained at the request of military prosecutors on suspicion of avoiding military service.

Last month, Fedotov -- one of Russia’s best goalkeepers and a member of the national team -- signed an entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers of the U.S. National Hockey League and planned to quit his Russian club, Central Sport Club of the Army (CSKA), to play in the United States.

CSKA is an ice hockey club of the Russian Army and its members are officially considered military personnel. Therefore, termination of CSKA contracts by players may be illegal.

Fedotov played in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with CSKA Moscow in the 2021-22 season, leading the team to the league championship. He was named one of three finalists for the KHL's best goalie award.

Fedotov also played on Russia's 2022 Olympic team at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, winning a silver medal as the starting goaltender.
 

von Koehler

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Are the Germans smart enough to realize how much trouble they are in?
--------------
13:17 (IST)02 JUL 2022

German regulator fears complete Russian gas cut-off

A German official has warned that Russia could be planning to use a regular maintenance break on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline as an opportunity to cut the gas supply to Germany completely.


Klaus Müller, the head of the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzwerkagentur), said that made it crucial to save as much gas as possible. He told Saturday newspapers from the Funke Media Group that the question was whether the planned 11-day maintenance period, due to start July 11, will "become a longer [period] of political maintenance."

He said that if the gas supply from Russia "was reduced longer for political reasons, we have to talk more seriously about ways to cut consumption." Russia has already cut or reduced its gas supply to several European countries amid tensions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. (DW)

Russia-Ukraine War Live Updates July 2, 2022: Ukraine Live News, Russia- Ukraine Today News, Russia Ukraine War News, Ukraine Crisis News, World War 3 News, Russia Victory Day (indianexpress.com)

I suspect they are very aware how vulnerable they truly are to Russian fossil fuels.

Pandering to the Greens and shutting down their nuclear power plants is biting them in the ass.

It's a difficult choice. On one hand you have a would be Tsar attempting to recreate the former boundaries of the U.S.S.R. who is paranoid of NATO and a WEF lackey who poked the Russian bear.

The globalists behind the Great Reset had three main obstacles to their plan. Trump in the USA, Putin of Russia, and Xi from China.

Trump they got rid of in successful coup d'etat, and now are trying to get Putin overthrown.

The Ukainians are fighting the good fight but they are in a meat grinder. Putin is using old Soviet fighting tactics which results in high casuality rates for both military and civilian.

Meantime pretender Biden is systemically tearing about America to prepare it for the Great Reset.
That's why I think our efforts should be centered here and not supporting world wide wars.
 
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Red Baron

Paleo-Conservative
_______________
I suspect they are very aware how vulnerable they truly are to Russian fossil fuels.

Pandering to the Greens and shutting down their nuclear power plants is biting them in the ass.

Remarkably, coal is back on the table. That tells me they are in emergency mode now.
---------
German Utilities Prepare to Turn on Coal Plants Amid Gas Crisis
  • Country to rely more on coal power as Russia cuts supply
  • RWE and EnBW following through on government’s mandate
By Vanessa Dezem
June 23, 2022 at 10:40 AM CDT

Germany’s biggest utilities are working to revive their coal operations as Europe’s biggest economy turns to the dirtier fuel in a bid to reduce the use of natural gas for electricity generation.

EnBW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG is finalizing the procuring and transportation of coal, as also securing the space required to store the gas it saves, a spokeswoman said Thursday. RWE AG is preparing for the reactivation of three lignite mines which are currently on standby, the company’s spokeswoman said.

“We are dealing with the question of the workforce needed, since long-term personnel planning was based on the premises of the original phase-out of coal,” EnBW said.

European powerhouse Germany is in the middle of one of its biggest energy crises in recent times as Russia reduces gas supply through Nord Stream, the biggest pipeline to the region. The country enacted the second step of a three-phase gas-emergency plan, and is preparing for further cuts when Nord Stream halts for maintenance next month. That could prove a major setback for refilling inventories in time for winter.

The government on Sunday unveiled a package of measures that included incentives for industry to reduce consumption and an offer of additional credit lines by state-owned lender KfW to guarantee gas injections into storage. A bill providing the legal basis for coal’s comeback is making its way though Parliament and should take effect after discussions in the upper house on July 8.

Still, the country could struggle in the winter when demand for power and heating typically peaks. Economy Minister Robert Habeck has said the drop in flows through Nord Stream makes it difficult to meet a target to have storage sites 90% full by November. Reserves are currently around 58% full.

German Utilities Prepare to Turn on Coal Plants Amid Gas Crisis - Bloomberg
 
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