Russian Invasion of Ukraine

[China]

US sends Avengers to bolster Ukraine's air defences

 

Four US-made Avenger air defence systems are being sent to Ukraine to help prevent Moscow from attacking key infrastructure from the sky.

 

The short-range systems, which can be mounted on a Humvee vehicle, consist of two four-round Stinger surface-to-air missiles and an M3P .50 calibre machine gun, along with a forward-looking infrared and laser range finder.

 

Capable of shooting down targets up to five miles away, they provide mobile, short-range air defence protection for ground units against a variety of threats, including cruise missiles and kamikaze drones. 

 

 

[PokerPacker]

50 minutes ago, China said:

US sends Avengers to bolster Ukraine's air defences

 

Four US-made Avenger air defence systems are being sent to Ukraine to help prevent Moscow from attacking key infrastructure from the sky.

 

The short-range systems, which can be mounted on a Humvee vehicle, consist of two four-round Stinger surface-to-air missiles and an M3P .50 calibre machine gun, along with a forward-looking infrared and laser range finder.

 

Capable of shooting down targets up to five miles away, they provide mobile, short-range air defence protection for ground units against a variety of threats, including cruise missiles and kamikaze drones. 

 

 

I thought The Avengers were British.

[China]

Widow of Russian colonel who shot himself with 5 bullets writes letter to Putin

 

Yulia, the widow of the deputy head of the Pacific Higher Naval School [one of the Russian Navy's two higher educational institutions], Vadim Boyko, wrote an open letter to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, in which she says that her husband committed "self-execution" after being accused of failing Putin's conscription measures.

 

In her letter, Yulia Boyko said that on 16 September, a conscription point was deployed at the school where her husband worked.

 

Russian Colonel Vadim Boyko was put in charge of managing the registration, accommodation and control of the conscripts.

 

Since then, she said "he has hardly spent any nights at home, tried to solve the problems that arose, but did not receive any support from the leadership. At some point, he realised that he was being ‘made a scapegoat’ for all of the failures and shortcomings".

 

Then her husband was sent to the training ground in the village of Sergeyevka, Primorsky Krai [Russian Far East], where he was to be responsible for the repair of military equipment to be sent to Ukraine to the combat zone, as well as for the training of conscripts.

 

Yulia says that her husband faced difficulties, because "it was impossible to perform combat missions with such equipment", but Commodore Oleg Zhuravlev, the head of the military school, did not provide any assistance to him.

 

According to the woman, her husband had had insomnia for about a month; during which time he lost 15 kilograms of weight.

 

On 14 November, representatives of a commission from the city of Khabarovsk [Russian Far East] visited the training ground to handle the complaints of the conscripts.

 

She wrote that Commodore Zhuravlev, the head of the military school, "showed the skill of disguise" and went on sick leave, and her husband was informed that he would face criminal liability.

 

The body of her husband was found on the morning of 16 November. According to his wife, her husband went from the training ground to the building of the Naval School in the city of Vladivostok and entered the office of his superior.

 

"Yes, he enters his [superior’s] office, and not his own, as all the media write, sits in his chair and fires five bullets using a service weapon, but does not aim at his head, does not aim to end it all as soon as possible."

 

The body of Vadim Boyko was found on 16 November, with several gunshot wounds, at the Naval School. Media reported that five bullet casings and four Makarov pistols were found at the scene. Law enforcement agencies did not comment on this.

 

Click on the link for the full story

[China]

41 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

I thought The Avengers were British.

 

 

Indeed.

[China]

Ukraine eliminates Russian unit behind attack on maternity ward

 

The Ukrainian military has “demolished” the Russian unit behind the deadly missile strike on a maternity ward in Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said during a briefing on Nov. 28.

 

"A rocket artillery unit that shelled the maternity ward with S-300 missiles was reportedly demolished (by Ukrainian forces) hitting the enemy's positions along the frontline," Starukh said.

 

On Nov. 22, Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov reported that a Russian S-300 missile launcher was used to carry out an attack on a maternity ward in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, killing a two-day-old newborn and injuring the mother.

 

Staruch also reported about attacks on Russian positions near Melitopol and Tokmak, adding that guerrilla movement is particularly effective in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Putin Loses 6,000 Troops in 2 Weeks as Russia's Weaknesses Exposed: Ukraine

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin lost more than 6,000 of his troops in two weeks, adding further casualties to a hefty estimated Russian death toll from the war in Ukraine.

 

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its latest estimate on Wednesday that Russia had lost 88,880 personnel since the start of the war on February 24. This is an increase of 6,170 from the estimated Russian death toll of 82,710 as of November 16, two Wednesdays prior.

 

In addition to losing thousands of troops, Russia has also faced considerable artillery and vehicle losses in the two-week period, according to Ukraine's General Staff. From November 16 to Wednesday, Ukraine said that Russia lost 43 tanks, 75 armored personnel vehicles, and 69 vehicles and fuel tanks, according to a Newsweek calculation.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Switchgear]

 

100k dead soldiers. In less than a year. It's madness

[Renegade7]

On 11/29/2022 at 6:14 PM, PokerPacker said:

I thought The Avengers were British.

 

****, I thought they were a comic book.

[zCommander]

On 11/29/2022 at 6:14 PM, PokerPacker said:

I thought The Avengers were British.

 

No. The Averngers were created by Stan Lee back in 1963. 

[PokerPacker]

21 minutes ago, zCommander said:

 

No. The Averngers were created by Stan Lee back in 1963. 

I'm afraid the dapper Mr. Steed was gracing European Tellies back in 1961.

[zCommander]

35 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

I'm afraid the dapper Mr. Steed was gracing European Tellies back in 1961.

 

Ah, it is all about capitalizing the t in The then yes you are right you old chap. 😂

[Larry]

2 hours ago, Switchgear said:

100k dead soldiers. In less than a year. It's madness

 

"Based on field reports from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces"

 

Just saying, putting much faith in the casualty claims published by the opposing army probably isn't really smart, either.  

[The Sisko]

If the number of soldiers lost is even a third of what the Ukrainians claim, it’s still a hell of a lot of soldiers to lose and have injured. Even the numbers given by independent sources are very high. OTOH, Putin and most Russians don’t care one way or the other, the latter especially if most of the conscripts are poor guys from the boonies. 

[dunfer]

12 minutes ago, The Sisko said:

If the number of soldiers lost is even a third of what the Ukrainians claim, it’s still a hell of a lot of soldiers to lose and have injured. Even the numbers given by independent sources are very high. OTOH, Putin and most Russians don’t care one way or the other, the latter especially if most of the conscripts are poor guys from the boonies. 

probably emptying the prisons too. Meat for the grinder

[China]

Russia Bans Public Discussions of Army Strategy, Troop Morale, Mobilization

 

Russian authorities have banned public discussions of a wide range of non-classified military subjects that activists say will effectively prevent the public from learning crucial information about the Armed Forces.

 

The 60-point Federal Security Service (FSB) order, which enters into force Dec. 1, lists information that is not classified as a state secret, but which “can be used by foreign states, organizations and citizens against Russia’s security.”

 

Among the subjects banned from discussion are the structure and size of the Russian Armed Forces. 

 

Other off-limits areas include weapons, troop deployments and training, as well as troop morale and crimes committed by members of the Armed Forces.

 

Mobilization and civil defense topics are also barred from being openly discussed, as are assessments and forecasts of Russia’s military and strategic situation.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

So, essentially don't talk about Putin's special operation because it's going so poorly.

[China]

Battle for Bakhmut Shows Russia 'Failed to Learn' From Losses: ISW

 

Temperatures in the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut are downright chilly right now but bloody battles are getting heated daily between Ukrainians and the opposing Russian forces.

 

The Battle for Bakhmut is looming to be deadly for both sides. The Russians could wear down their own troops, and morale, even if they were to take the city and claim victory. A long-fought battle of six months would probably give Russia little reward, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

 

"Even if Russian troops continue to advance toward and within Bakhmut, and even if they force a controlled Ukrainian withdrawal from the city (as was the case in Lysychansk), Bakhmut itself offers them little operational benefit," the ISW said Wednesday evening. "The costs associated with six months of brutal, grinding, and attrition-based combat around Bakhmut far outweigh any operational advantage that the Russians can obtain from taking Bakhmut."

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Larry]

5 hours ago, The Sisko said:

OTOH, Putin and most Russians don’t care one way or the other, the latter especially if most of the conscripts are poor guys from the boonies. 

I keep seeing more and more ways that explain why the Republicans love Russia so much. 
 

 

[Renegade7]

Can we stop with the Russia big baddie themes in our media now?  Saw trailer for new season if Jack Ryan, ***** please...

21 hours ago, PokerPacker said:

I'm afraid the dapper Mr. Steed was gracing European Tellies back in 1961.

 

Okay, I have some, erm, questions, and you seem like you might have some answers on this one...

 

 

Edited December 2, 2022 by Renegade7

[Jabbyrwock]

41 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

I have some, erm, questions

 

Its a woman in lingerie wearing **** me boots...how the hell did you manage to have kids?

[Renegade7]

1 minute ago, Jabbyrwock said:

 

Its a woman in lingerie wearing **** me boots...how the hell did you manage to have kids?

 

Nah, apparently one of them is under cover as the Queen of Sin, so considering looking for that episode...

[PokerPacker]

5 hours ago, Renegade7 said:

Can we stop with the Russia big baddie themes in our media now?  Saw trailer for new season if Jack Ryan, ***** please...

 

Okay, I have some, erm, questions, and you seem like you might have some answers on this one...

 

 

Dianna Rigg, may she rest in peace.

 

Folks these days may know her more from Game Of Thrones late in her life, but boy was she gorgeous back in her day.  Emma Peel was definitely the best of the Mr. Steed's partners.  She was also a Bond girl (On Her Majesty's Secret Service).

 

Also made an appearance on Ricky Gervais' Extras:

 

[China]

E.U. agrees on Russian oil price cap of $60 per barrel after fraught talks.

 

Diplomats from the European Union agreed on Friday to set a top price of $60 per barrel for Russian oil cargoes, a policy intended to curb oil revenues that Moscow has used to underwrite the war in Ukraine while averting a global oil shock, according to several E.U. diplomats and officials.

 

The price cap was devised by the Group of 7 industrialized nations and their allies in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it is unlikely to drastically reduce Russia’s oil revenues, which are critical to its war effort.

 

The G7 is expected to make an official announcement by Sunday, the diplomats and officials said. Most of them spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details to the media.

 

The $60-a-barrel cap would have the effect of locking in an existing discount on Russian crude compared with alternatives from other parts of the world. It is a little lower than major buyers of Russian oil, like China and India, currently pay, but it would not apply if buyers ship and insure the cargoes with companies from countries outside of the group imposing the cap.

 

Talks to set the cap in Brussels were contentious, spanning more than a week. An E.U. embargo on the vast majority of Russian oil imports kicks in on Dec. 5, so the price cap would apply to buyers outside the region.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Ukraine war: Russia demands annexations recognised before talks

 

Russia says the West's refusal to recognise "new territories" seized from Ukraine makes peace talks harder, after President Joe Biden indicated he would be ready to meet Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin said it was open to negotiations, but not on the West's demand to pull out of Ukraine.

 

Russia illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions at the end of September, without controlling any of them.

 

Nine months into its invasion, it has lost more than half the land it seized.

 

President Biden told reporters on Thursday night that he was ready to meet the Russian leader "if in fact there is an interest in him deciding that he's looking for a way to end the war".

 

Standing beside him in the White House, France's Emmanuel Macron made clear the two men had agreed they would never urge the Ukrainians to make a compromise "that will not be acceptable for them".

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

That's a non-starter.  **** off Putin.

[abdcskins]

Vladimir Putin falls down stairs and soils himself at official residence (msn.com)

 

Haven't really been following this thread so don't know if there has been talk about Putin's health, but if this article has any validity, then he isn't looking so good.  Might explain some of his lunacy, he knows he will be dead in a couple of years so he wants to go out with a bang.

[The Evil Genius]

Another confirmation.