There was another prisoner exchange today. This time 103 Ukrainians returned home.
Some prisoners just heard the news about the Kursk operation.
Meanwhile, in Kursk, Russia’s offensive on the western side appears to have culminated. Ukraine still drives north from Novyi Put, but do the Ukrainians have enough to make it up the road to Glushkovo?
The Russian assault on Liubimovka was east of Snagost.
At least one goal of the Kursk operation is coming to pass.
Russians killing Russians.
Bavovna
Russian men generously offer free housing to young female refugees from Kursk.
You can’t bring Smaug down with assault rifles.
This is north of Bakhmut.
But one drone can bring down another drone with what appears to be rifle fire.
Ukraine has released video of its earlier attack on a gas platform in the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea.
This guy is a company commander in Chosen Company. He points out serious ongoing problems within Ukraine’s military leadership structure.
Chosen served with the 59th for all of 2023, we fought alongside the 9th, 10th etc btns and we did good work in a fucked situation and we had good experienced leadership who cared for their troops and we made progress even with limited fires support. Morale was decent and spirits were good even through early 2024. Our brigade commander was one of the smartest, brightest and best officers I’ve ever met in Ukraine, hands down.
That is no longer the case, and it’s not because guys do not want to fight or are overly tired. It is from consistent fuckery at the brigade level. Multiple battalion commanders who I fought with for 12 months and slogged it out with a far superior enemy daily, disobeyed a direct order and had men pull out and reposition instead of doing a last stand. They’ve been relieved of duty for saving hundreds of men from likely death, for refusing what is tantamount to unprepared suicide operations, unscripted and planned assaults, being forced to use non infantry on assaults and the list of fuckery goes on.
An intelligence officer who I met from time to time was put on an infantry assault and was killed. A supply logistics sergeant the same, a trained armor driver as well and the list goes on. The current brigade leadership in the 59th is not only dishonoring the name of the unit, but is getting men killed needlessly and consistently. Instead of firing a battalion commander every other week, maybe the Ukrainian command should understand it is the brigade level fucking up and the gangrenous tumor that’s taken over command needs relegated to a fucking desk doing paperwork.
Forty three more officers who died for Putin’s Delusion of Grandeur.
Another 1,210 Russians and 40 armored vehicles.
Russia has been sending engineers, IT specialists, artillerymen, pilots and submarine crew members to the front. Eventually that will take its toll.
A brilliant specialist from Moscow suggested to his commander ideas on establishing reliable, secure communication over a few dozen kilometers of the front line (the unit's area of responsibility). But the commander needed a grenade launcher in the assault group. And the choice fell on the IT specialist. Although there wasn't much choice.
Artillerymen died in assaults... Remember 2022? For three months, they trained new artillery divisions at the training grounds. Specialists worked hard, time, money, and equipment were spent on training. The result was well-coordinated artillery crews. But upon arriving in the zone of the Special Military Operation (SMO), they turned out to be unnecessary. Because what was needed were assault troops. But artillerymen weren't trained for that.
Engineers died in assaults... A bespectacled graduate of Bauman University who dreamed of his own workshop producing ground drones. He even made prototypes out of known substances and sticks. But he didn't find understanding from the leadership. The leadership needed assault troops.
They must have forgotten to buy the extended warranty.
This is supposed to be a bomb shelter.
Looks to be wood-frame construction with sheathing, probably quarter-inch plywood (because it’s cheapest).
A strong wind would likely blow this thing over. Probably never occurred to anyone to make an underground concrete shelter.
The second installment in Kyiv Independent’s series is out and covers the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine.
Got any snacks?
Cooking for an army.
