Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy are in Kyiv today.
Let’s hope this report pans out.
Russia has launched a counterattack in the Kursk area south of Korenevo and it the area known as the Seym River pocket. They have reportedly made gains toward the village of Snagost.
It is difficult to get a handle on exactly what is happening. Most of the sources are Russian.
There are reports of Russian successes and also reports of Ukrainian counter assaults.
There is also this.
Medvezh’e is southwest of Glushkovo. If Ukraine is attacking here, that would likely be an attempt to flank the Russian advance.
The Russian counterattack is in the area south of the Seym River, where bridges have been blown up and pontoons continually attacked. So supplying this effort will be problematic.
This Russian source claims that Ukraine is preparing the counterattack the counter attack. Would that be a counter counter attack?
Against the backdrop of our guys' counterattacks, the enemy is attempting attacks across the border of the Glushkovsky district. They are reporting from the field that on the section of the border opposite the settlement of Pavlovka (Ukraine), on our side, a Ukrainian trawl is removing the dragon's teeth, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are clearing the area of mines, they are covered by a tank, additional equipment is being pulled in, and the infantry is dismounting.
Information was also received about a large concentration of armored vehicles, motor vehicles and enemy personnel in the area of the settlements of Kondratovka and Pervoe Maya in the Sumy district. The main battles today should be expected in the Obukhovka-Lyubimovka area. A large-scale entry of enemy reserves should also be expected.
Ukraine has been devoting a large effort to destroying Russian recon drones.
Chinese golf carts don’t fare well when running over anti-tank mines.
WARNING: Looks like one of the airborne objects in the video is a Russian.
Another careless smoker.
With apologies to Aerosmith:
I said, train kept derailin’ all night long
Train kept derailin’ all night long
Moscow is having some fuel issues.
Russia seems to have misplaced one of its planes.
Russia has been recruiting Ukrainian teens to torch police cars, so they have this coming.
"The fact is that the schoolchildren set the helicopter on fire with cigarettes. After they poured the liquid on the helicopter, the boys decided to smoke and then threw a cigarette into the helicopter. There was no fire. Then one of the boys lit a second cigarette and then stuck it into the liquid. At that moment, an explosion occurred.
During a conversation with law enforcement officers, the schoolchildren said that they were promised 5 million rubles for their "work". The boys also admitted that several days ago they set fire to a cell phone tower. For this, they received 30 thousand rubles.
Russia using cluster munitions on civilians.
I agree with most of this. Unfortunately this kind of systemic improvement takes a long time and it requires a change of culture in the military and political leadership.
New capabilities have made an impact, but with few exceptions, their overall effect has been limited compared to the substantial diplomatic efforts and public pressure that sought them, especially when these platforms are delivered in small numbers. What Ukraine really needs is a systematic buildup and replacement of core combat assets and an improved operational-strategic planning level.
For instance, while the addition of Bradley IFVs might seem minor and tactical, having mechanized brigades equipped with only about 10% of the required armored vehicles creates a severe operational disadvantage, even with new long-range capabilities. In such a situation, delivering IFVs and other armored fighting vehicles restores the capabilities of mechanized brigades to a level where they can effectively perform maneuvers. A good symptom of the problem is the repeated deployment of the same famous brigades to the most problematic areas of the frontline over and over as if Ukraine has no other capable units at all.
Here’s another example: When did Ukraine last receive a major batch of artillery systems, a key weapon in this theater of war? Are Ukraine’s ammunition needs being met in the third year of the invasion? You can always compare delivery numbers with documented losses from sources like Oryx, to see the scale of the problem. Just because something was delivered in 2022 doesn’t mean it remains functional: likely, it's not anymore.
Manpower issues persist, primarily due to internal factors. However, they are exacerbated by a shortage of properly armed and trained units, which leads to higher casualties and negatively affects recruitment.Ukraine needs comprehensive and constant support across the entire spectrum: field hospital equipment, medical evacuation vehicles, mortars, artillery, IFVs, counter-battery systems, electronic warfare and communication devices, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weaponry, landmines, and drones. New weapon platforms like ATACMS or F-16s can offer valuable capabilities, such as striking logistical hubs or command centers. However, these strikes will have limited impact unless followed by a maneuver from mechanized or airmobile units to capitalize on the opportunity created.
I’d love to see Ukraine deploy Tomahawks, but I’m not going to hold my breath that it will happen any time soon.
Tomahawks are typically sea-launched but ground-launched systems have been developed recently.
Ukraine will eventually have long-range cruise missiles, but there is a good chance they will be domestically produced.
More drone evolution — Imagine seeing a drone with an RPG coming for you.
The branding on this new drone is spot on.
The Black Widow is a tactical-level drone that experienced pilots can use both day and night.
Made in a single-use format, the drone can carry a heavy explosive charge. The relatively low price of the Black Widow allows it to be used as a first-person-view (FPV) attack drone, the ministry said.
They are no different than oligarchs’ yachts. Seize them and sell them as Russian assets.
In other news, Belarus plans a crackdown on Pong, Galaga and Ms. Pacman.
Western sanctions are going to be ineffective if China just picks up the slack.
No problem. We can just get companies in China or Kyrgyzstan to buy up titanium and then sell it to us — exactly what Russia does.
Canine co-pilots.
Sounds like a melancholy tune.
