There’s new and important news out of Ukraine. It appears that the Mighty Soviet Armies, er, I mean Vladimir Putin’s Tin Soldiers, have been surprised again. The early news has accumulating evidence that Ukraine may be on the verge of its biggest breakthrough in months in its fight to liberate the territory seized by Russia.
AFU are very ose to Kupyansk and are fighting the defenders who have already pulled their administration. If they take the city that will cut the rail on which supplies are sent and isolate Isyum against the river to the east. They can't cross it as they have no pontoons. All south to Kherson. There may be 10000 RF military in the Izyum pocket.
Ukraine has retake territory in three days that took the Russians three months to capture.
There is a rumor that they have also broken through Russian line around Kherson. The AFU are taking it slow in Kherson as the Russians have nowhere to go and are running out of everything
Tanya has been home since early August. All is well there. Tania and the granddaughters are still in Gdansk, Oldest is in University there which is free plus a stipend for living expenses (standard EU education) and youngest is in a Ukrainian school in Poland staffed by Ukrainian teachers. Whereabouts of step-son is unknown as he is likely at the front somewhere.
Very hopeful news. Thank you for keeping those of us focused on the midterms and fascists here at home aware of what is happening abroad. Many of us want to see the horror end and Putin defeated and the brave Ukrainians victorious. ❤️🤍💙
The Ukrainians are showing themselves to be quite the opportunists, able to shift forces and adapt tactics to whatever presents itself. It’s been very surprising. I guess they’ve been hanging with the NATO boys. 👍🏻
Thanks for sorting through this as well. A breeze of hope in a forlorn land ripped apart by the ego of a dictator. Sorrow for the soldiers on both sides in this tragedy.....
Well, yer welcome. Saving Democracy means supporting Journalists. Just trying to do my part
History is also critical. Your Viet Nam books, while detailed to the point where I cannot remember which plane is which, provides such depth of actual “in the moment” decision making, provides stunning reality
Putin is paying and supporting far right parties all over, to make tensions in democracies. I read the Koch's have 11 refineries in Russia. Putin's story about denazification of Ukraine is well based because he paid for them; only that the nazis had 2% of the votes and did not make it to the parliament.
It's also likely by now that the Russians are outnumbered in Ukraine. The gross size of the Russian forces, about a million, includes the Strategic Rocket Forces and the Navy, who are out of this fight. The Air Force has been barely in it, rather surprsingly. Ukraine is an army fight, and the Russian Army is around 350,000 - 400,000 strong. And some it is not in Ukraine.
By now, Ukraine has at least that many troops in the field or on the airfields supporting the fronts. It's a country of 44 million and easily capable of raising an army of several millions. Canada, with a population of 11 million in 1940, raised forces of more than a million. Ukraine is fully mobilizing its reserves and training new recruits. Putin adheres to the pretense that nothing much has happened and there no need to mobilize.
Meanwhile, there is evidence from the Russian equivalent of the VA that pension/insurance payments to survivors of Russian soldiers killed in action add up to about 50,000 Russian dead. That's killed in action, not total casualties, which are much higher. In six months, the Russians have lost far more troops than the United States in Korea and almost as many as in the Vietnam War.
I guess Putin very well knows the need to mobilize, but he cannot do it without calling it a war. As for pensions/insurance for soldiers I think is only part of the payment problems. Recruitment payment for volunteers and regular payments for service must be mounting, and if not paid as promised could cause a lot of irritation spreading from mouth to mouth.
As I wrote in an earlier comment I suspect the exceptionally high losses in lives could be part of an old policy of the empire: to drain the regions of men who could start rebellions against Moscow. The volunteers seem to come mostly from other than Russian regions. One commentator was speculating about why Kadyrov was holding such a large part of the new military units in Chechnya. Could Chechnya be braking loose from Russia after all?
AFU are very ose to Kupyansk and are fighting the defenders who have already pulled their administration. If they take the city that will cut the rail on which supplies are sent and isolate Isyum against the river to the east. They can't cross it as they have no pontoons. All south to Kherson. There may be 10000 RF military in the Izyum pocket.
Ukraine has retake territory in three days that took the Russians three months to capture.
There is a rumor that they have also broken through Russian line around Kherson. The AFU are taking it slow in Kherson as the Russians have nowhere to go and are running out of everything
Great to see you Allen. Thoughts of Ukraine continuous. Thanks for this news. A few words about family will be appreciated. 🟦🟨 🌿🌻🌿
Tanya has been home since early August. All is well there. Tania and the granddaughters are still in Gdansk, Oldest is in University there which is free plus a stipend for living expenses (standard EU education) and youngest is in a Ukrainian school in Poland staffed by Ukrainian teachers. Whereabouts of step-son is unknown as he is likely at the front somewhere.
Allen, Lots on education going on! I will contact you from this spot later. Love to work out a connection for us. Cheers to you! 🌻
Oh, Allen, thank you for hope.
Good to hear from you Allen. We are hoping right along with you!! Always glad to hear your input. Thanks for checking in with us here.
👋 👋 👋 👋 👋 👋 👋
Very hopeful news. Thank you for keeping those of us focused on the midterms and fascists here at home aware of what is happening abroad. Many of us want to see the horror end and Putin defeated and the brave Ukrainians victorious. ❤️🤍💙
The Ukrainians are showing themselves to be quite the opportunists, able to shift forces and adapt tactics to whatever presents itself. It’s been very surprising. I guess they’ve been hanging with the NATO boys. 👍🏻
They have!
Thanks for sorting through this as well. A breeze of hope in a forlorn land ripped apart by the ego of a dictator. Sorrow for the soldiers on both sides in this tragedy.....
Thank you for your no nonsense approach to current events. After a failed attempt to subscribe a while back, the process was effortless this time
Grab em by the lapels and keep shakin’ em hard
Welcome aboard!
Well, yer welcome. Saving Democracy means supporting Journalists. Just trying to do my part
History is also critical. Your Viet Nam books, while detailed to the point where I cannot remember which plane is which, provides such depth of actual “in the moment” decision making, provides stunning reality
Multiply the previous thanks by 100!! :-)
I am fearful of celebrating too soon, but this is truly GOOD news!
Why are far-right political parties in favor of Putin...it risks their sovereignty.
Is it just because he's against democracy (my enemy's enemy is my friend...) ?
Is that all?
That's my thought - authoritarians of a feather, flock together.
Putin is paying and supporting far right parties all over, to make tensions in democracies. I read the Koch's have 11 refineries in Russia. Putin's story about denazification of Ukraine is well based because he paid for them; only that the nazis had 2% of the votes and did not make it to the parliament.
https://youtu.be/r86BJkLZp9w
It's also likely by now that the Russians are outnumbered in Ukraine. The gross size of the Russian forces, about a million, includes the Strategic Rocket Forces and the Navy, who are out of this fight. The Air Force has been barely in it, rather surprsingly. Ukraine is an army fight, and the Russian Army is around 350,000 - 400,000 strong. And some it is not in Ukraine.
By now, Ukraine has at least that many troops in the field or on the airfields supporting the fronts. It's a country of 44 million and easily capable of raising an army of several millions. Canada, with a population of 11 million in 1940, raised forces of more than a million. Ukraine is fully mobilizing its reserves and training new recruits. Putin adheres to the pretense that nothing much has happened and there no need to mobilize.
Meanwhile, there is evidence from the Russian equivalent of the VA that pension/insurance payments to survivors of Russian soldiers killed in action add up to about 50,000 Russian dead. That's killed in action, not total casualties, which are much higher. In six months, the Russians have lost far more troops than the United States in Korea and almost as many as in the Vietnam War.
I guess Putin very well knows the need to mobilize, but he cannot do it without calling it a war. As for pensions/insurance for soldiers I think is only part of the payment problems. Recruitment payment for volunteers and regular payments for service must be mounting, and if not paid as promised could cause a lot of irritation spreading from mouth to mouth.
As I wrote in an earlier comment I suspect the exceptionally high losses in lives could be part of an old policy of the empire: to drain the regions of men who could start rebellions against Moscow. The volunteers seem to come mostly from other than Russian regions. One commentator was speculating about why Kadyrov was holding such a large part of the new military units in Chechnya. Could Chechnya be braking loose from Russia after all?