Is Ukraine about to have a war?
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Ukrainian forces have begun "shaping" operations in S. Ukraine to prepare the battlefield for a significant Ukrainian counteroffensive, two senior US officials briefed on the intel tell me. US believes the long-anticipated counteroffensive will include air & ground ops. 1/…….
5/ Ukraine indicated Monday the actions were underway. "Ukrainian armed forces have started the offensive actions in several directions on the South front towards liberating the occupied territories," Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for UKR’s Operational Command South, told CNN.…..
https://t.co/de4mMIpKYY
5/ Ukraine indicated Monday the actions were underway. "Ukrainian armed forces have started the offensive actions in several directions on the South front towards liberating the occupied territories," Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for UKR’s Operational Command South, told CNN.…..
https://t.co/de4mMIpKYY

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Warning. Ukrainian Military Aviation content.
Am I reading these small snippets correctly. There is no Russian air force apparent on the battlefield?
Without air cover Russia has already lost?
I'm not seeing much media of Russian air force from either side?
Am I reading these small snippets correctly. There is no Russian air force apparent on the battlefield?
Without air cover Russia has already lost?
I'm not seeing much media of Russian air force from either side?

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Translation of the wounded soldier.

Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
About 10 minutes ago Girkin also confirms advancement of AFU, conservatively pointing at "some advance of Ukrainian forces". Says all bridges over Dnipro are now disabled.
Wagner fighter Grey Zone confirms Ukrainian advance, says AFU have successes in numerous areas. Confirms Sukhoy Stavok is certainly taken. So far, most of the things Ukrainians military have said appear true.
Russian attempt to strike the bridge over Ingulets in Mykolaiv - miss.
Wagner fighter Grey Zone confirms Ukrainian advance, says AFU have successes in numerous areas. Confirms Sukhoy Stavok is certainly taken. So far, most of the things Ukrainians military have said appear true.
Russian attempt to strike the bridge over Ingulets in Mykolaiv - miss.


Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Traffic jam for the ferry by fleeing Russians - not easy to get away without a bridge….
#Kherson local sources tell me there's a massive traffic jam leading to the ferry crossing near #antonovskybridge consisting of military & civilian vehicles. Also power is out all over Kherson city.
#Kherson local sources tell me there's a massive traffic jam leading to the ferry crossing near #antonovskybridge consisting of military & civilian vehicles. Also power is out all over Kherson city.

As Putin is now taking total control, I wonder when he will start moving fictitious forces around his maps like Hitler.

Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
First indication of any activity by Russian aviation…
Girkin says AFU have broken through the Russian line of defence are now attempting to take Bruskyns'ke just south of Davydiv Brid.
Obviously, more on this will keep coming through.
Girkin says AFU have broken through the Russian line of defence are now attempting to take Bruskyns'ke just south of Davydiv Brid.
Obviously, more on this will keep coming through.

Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Girkin: "...thus, the picture of the enemy's offensive is approximately clear: encirclement and defeat of our group east of Kherson between the Dnieper and Ingulets."

This has all the echoes of the third reich and Hitlers loyalest supporters being fanatic about AH being almighty and all capable master of everything.
Do these yoyos really believe so blindly in Putin that they see him as the saviour? Oh dear.

Setting the conditions for the following operation is what "shaping" is, in this context. I mentioned that in a post last week, as regards the methodical series of strikes and disabling bridges, etc, taking out the Russian airfield's assets in Crimea.
"Softening up" is (IMO, and based) too vague of a term and more "World War II ish" - but maybe that's me being a bit pedantic. These are 'terms of art/jargon' used by the military.
A way to shape a battlefield, for example, is to drop a couple of bridges behind your opponent's forward line of troops so that the reserves, or reinforcements, can't respond as quickly when your own troops cross the line of departure and engage with them. It can done using air, artillery, or even a Spec Ops/SPENAZ kind of operation.
For a Hollywood example ~ yes, add a grain of salt ~ the Guns of Navarone special operation was a shaping of the battlefield, in terms of removing the guns from the battle so that the warships could do that thing they needed to do. For a more real life 'shaping of the battlefield" example, one of numerous attempts to shape the battlefield around Vicksburg, besides the various canal building attempts Grant undertook, would be around Steele Bayou.
There is more to IPB than that. Quite a bit more, to include terrain, forces (yes, weather for sure) avenues of approach, yadda yadda.
"Softening up" is (IMO, and based) too vague of a term and more "World War II ish" - but maybe that's me being a bit pedantic. These are 'terms of art/jargon' used by the military.
A way to shape a battlefield, for example, is to drop a couple of bridges behind your opponent's forward line of troops so that the reserves, or reinforcements, can't respond as quickly when your own troops cross the line of departure and engage with them. It can done using air, artillery, or even a Spec Ops/SPENAZ kind of operation.
For a Hollywood example ~ yes, add a grain of salt ~ the Guns of Navarone special operation was a shaping of the battlefield, in terms of removing the guns from the battle so that the warships could do that thing they needed to do. For a more real life 'shaping of the battlefield" example, one of numerous attempts to shape the battlefield around Vicksburg, besides the various canal building attempts Grant undertook, would be around Steele Bayou.
Spoiler
There is more to IPB than that. Quite a bit more, to include terrain, forces (yes, weather for sure) avenues of approach, yadda yadda.
Last edited by Lonewolf_50; 29th Aug 2022 at 16:33.

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One thing’s for sure … Comrade Shoigu never saw this coming! Vlad the Mad will undoubtedly do better, thanks to his vast military experience and willingness to listen to professional advice.

Warning. Ukrainian Military Aviation content.
MilitaryLand.net on Twitter: "📽️Ukrainian jets attacking Russian positions somewhere in the east. #UkraineRussiaWar #Donbas https://t.co/SvfjsIaotQ" / Twitter
Am I reading these small snippets correctly. There is no Russian air force apparent on the battlefield?
Without air cover Russia has already lost?
I'm not seeing much media of Russian air force from either side?
MilitaryLand.net on Twitter: "📽️Ukrainian jets attacking Russian positions somewhere in the east. #UkraineRussiaWar #Donbas https://t.co/SvfjsIaotQ" / Twitter
Am I reading these small snippets correctly. There is no Russian air force apparent on the battlefield?
Without air cover Russia has already lost?
I'm not seeing much media of Russian air force from either side?
Me thinks the ground pounder tactic might be more effective, but maybe the air method has some uses such as keeping heads down on the red side.
Thanks all.

Not sure why this reminds me of the Spanish Civil War
I wonder if they were pure volunteers, or if they signed on, with their experience, based on a solicitation or recruiting campaign. Have not followed any of these stories closely.
Originally Posted by AP story
A Memphis native fighting alongside Ukraine soldiers is the latest American killed by Russian-backed militias in the hotly contested Donbas region of the besieged country, the State Department confirmed.
Militia officers in the Donetsk People’s Republic said the U.S. national, whom they named, was killed in combat on Tuesday. The State Department declined to confirm the American's identity.
"We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine," the State Department said in an email to USA TODAY. "Out of respect for the privacy of the family, we have no further comment at this time."
"Fleeing Ukrainian militants left his body on the battlefield," Morozova said. "Documents identifying the killed person ... were found on him." The posts included photos of a U.S. passport and Ukrainian ID. Morozova said the DPR was prepared to hand his body over to his family.
Russia and the separatist militias it backs in eastern Ukraine say foreign soldiers are not protected by international humanitarian law, nor are such individuals entitled to combatant immunity.
Morozova urged all foreigners arriving in Ukraine for military purposes to leave the country as soon as possible, "otherwise, no one would guarantee their safety."
Americans Luke Lucyszyn, 31, from South Carolina, and Californian Bryan Young, 51, were among several foreign fighters killed last month in eastern Ukraine when they were fired on by a Russian tank. U.S. Marine veteran Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, was killed fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in late April.
British nationals Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin as well as Moroccan Brahim Saadoun, all captured in Donbass, were sentenced to death for participating in combat in Ukraine as mercenaries. Those sentences have been appealed. Several other foreign fighters are on trial or awaiting trial and also could face capital punishment.
Militia officers in the Donetsk People’s Republic said the U.S. national, whom they named, was killed in combat on Tuesday. The State Department declined to confirm the American's identity.
"We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine," the State Department said in an email to USA TODAY. "Out of respect for the privacy of the family, we have no further comment at this time."
"Fleeing Ukrainian militants left his body on the battlefield," Morozova said. "Documents identifying the killed person ... were found on him." The posts included photos of a U.S. passport and Ukrainian ID. Morozova said the DPR was prepared to hand his body over to his family.
Russia and the separatist militias it backs in eastern Ukraine say foreign soldiers are not protected by international humanitarian law, nor are such individuals entitled to combatant immunity.
Morozova urged all foreigners arriving in Ukraine for military purposes to leave the country as soon as possible, "otherwise, no one would guarantee their safety."
Americans Luke Lucyszyn, 31, from South Carolina, and Californian Bryan Young, 51, were among several foreign fighters killed last month in eastern Ukraine when they were fired on by a Russian tank. U.S. Marine veteran Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, was killed fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in late April.
British nationals Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin as well as Moroccan Brahim Saadoun, all captured in Donbass, were sentenced to death for participating in combat in Ukraine as mercenaries. Those sentences have been appealed. Several other foreign fighters are on trial or awaiting trial and also could face capital punishment.

Setting the conditions for the following operation is what "shaping" is, in this context. I mentioned that in a post last week, as regards the methodical series of strikes and disabling bridges, etc, taking out the Russian airfield's assets in Crimea.
"Softening up" is (IMO, and based) too vague of a term and more "World War II ish" - but maybe that's me being a bit pedantic. These are 'terms of art/jargon' used by the military.
A way to shape a battlefield, for example, is to drop a couple of bridges behind your opponent's forward line of troops so that the reserves, or reinforcements, can't respond as quickly when your own troops cross the line of departure and engage with them. It can done using air, artillery, or even a Spec Ops/SPENAZ kind of operation.
For a Hollywood example ~ yes, add a grain of salt ~ the Guns of Navarone special operation was a shaping of the battlefield, in terms of removing the guns from the battle so that the warships could do that thing they needed to do. For a more real life 'shaping of the battlefield" example, one of numerous attempts to shape the battlefield around Vicksburg, besides the various canal building attempts Grant undertook, would be around Steele Bayou.
There is more to IPB than that. Quite a bit more, to include terrain, forces (yes, weather for sure) avenues of approach, yadda yadda.
"Softening up" is (IMO, and based) too vague of a term and more "World War II ish" - but maybe that's me being a bit pedantic. These are 'terms of art/jargon' used by the military.
A way to shape a battlefield, for example, is to drop a couple of bridges behind your opponent's forward line of troops so that the reserves, or reinforcements, can't respond as quickly when your own troops cross the line of departure and engage with them. It can done using air, artillery, or even a Spec Ops/SPENAZ kind of operation.
For a Hollywood example ~ yes, add a grain of salt ~ the Guns of Navarone special operation was a shaping of the battlefield, in terms of removing the guns from the battle so that the warships could do that thing they needed to do. For a more real life 'shaping of the battlefield" example, one of numerous attempts to shape the battlefield around Vicksburg, besides the various canal building attempts Grant undertook, would be around Steele Bayou.
Spoiler
There is more to IPB than that. Quite a bit more, to include terrain, forces (yes, weather for sure) avenues of approach, yadda yadda.

Traitor Ukrainian politician shot in his house
An ex-Ukrainian parliamentarian , Olexij Kowaljow, who moved over to the Russians, has been found shot in his house in S Ukraine. He was working as agriculture minister and deputy leader of the Kherson Oblast . His female companion was injured and died in hospital. He had survived a bomb-attack in June.
https://www.focus.de/politik/ausland..._52139887.html
https://www.focus.de/politik/ausland..._52139887.html

Sounds like what everyone thought Russia would do back in March, but we're incapable of doing so

Here's a rather credible assessment what's going on and where: "Both sides are reporting Ukrainian advance towards the village of Sukhyi Stavok. No geolocated pictures or videos yet, though. The attack is coming from the Inhulets bridgehead. Ukraine has fought in the area before also, but at that time the Russians pushed Ukraine back. 10/"
the entire thread on readerapp: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1...713534466.html
And an extract:
the entire thread on readerapp: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1...713534466.html
And an extract:

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Hitting fleeing troops but apparently Donetsk airfield.
